disability ministry weekly round-up {4/9/12} - part 2: family and church insights
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As promised, here is the rest of this week's round-up: links specific to churches or directly from families.
Autism and The Church One mom's plea for other mom to try out church with their children who have autism: "What I am realizing is this: As long as we parents keep our children at home, our church and our community are allowed to remain blissfully unaware of the autism epidemic."
After school pick-up: A mother's reminder of a need for brokeness: This post by my friend Gillian Marchenko is powerful. "God broke me over the birth of a child with a disability. At the time I was a missionary and a pastor’s wife, and I hadn’t even realized my need for brokenness. But oh, how I needed it."
Ministering with love & trust: "Mills-Fernald expresses that the biggest challenge seems to be 'convincing parents that we are for them and want to partner with them. So often times we hear horror stories from parents being asked to leave previous churches.'"
Do More Than Be Aware, Care: "So today, instead of asking you to be aware [of autism], I'm asking you to care. Put faces with the statistics."
Creating Space in the Church for People with Disabilities: Amy Julia Becker, who I met during her recent visit to North Carolina, asks, "What if all churches were known as places where everyone was welcome?"
Going to Church on Easter: This is a simplified social story that you could use as a springboard for creating your own. Social stories are helpful, research-backed tools for helping some people with disabilities, particularly those with social disabilities, know what to expect or how to act in situations that are unfamiliar or challenging for them.
An Investment in Respite Care Saves Families: "Churches and other civic organizations can help answer the need of families with children with special needs by offering low-cost respite care for an occasional evening out for weary caregivers."
'Weak' are indispensable: "If we don’t see inability first, but rather a person’s ability to contribute to our community of faith, it frees us to see and welcome the vulnerability in our own lives."
FAQs: Should Parents Lead the Special Needs Ministry? "We have found that weekly commitments are sometimes hard for parents and families impacted by disability. We are intentional in not placing those parents in an area of service that creates more stress for their family."
Archbishop calls for support for those living with autism: "The Church needs to address the alienation often surrounding those living with autism, especially children and young people, by coming to the aid of those affected, said Archbishop Zygmunt Zimowski."
Autism and the church: "As my little family and I have been making preperations for Holy Week and Easter celebrations, the one thing missing for us when Sunday rolls around is church." Why? Because her son has autism. She describes failed attempts at church and ends with,
How long will we?
Autism and The Church One mom's plea for other mom to try out church with their children who have autism: "What I am realizing is this: As long as we parents keep our children at home, our church and our community are allowed to remain blissfully unaware of the autism epidemic."
After school pick-up: A mother's reminder of a need for brokeness: This post by my friend Gillian Marchenko is powerful. "God broke me over the birth of a child with a disability. At the time I was a missionary and a pastor’s wife, and I hadn’t even realized my need for brokenness. But oh, how I needed it."
Ministering with love & trust: "Mills-Fernald expresses that the biggest challenge seems to be 'convincing parents that we are for them and want to partner with them. So often times we hear horror stories from parents being asked to leave previous churches.'"
Do More Than Be Aware, Care: "So today, instead of asking you to be aware [of autism], I'm asking you to care. Put faces with the statistics."
Creating Space in the Church for People with Disabilities: Amy Julia Becker, who I met during her recent visit to North Carolina, asks, "What if all churches were known as places where everyone was welcome?"
Going to Church on Easter: This is a simplified social story that you could use as a springboard for creating your own. Social stories are helpful, research-backed tools for helping some people with disabilities, particularly those with social disabilities, know what to expect or how to act in situations that are unfamiliar or challenging for them.
An Investment in Respite Care Saves Families: "Churches and other civic organizations can help answer the need of families with children with special needs by offering low-cost respite care for an occasional evening out for weary caregivers."
'Weak' are indispensable: "If we don’t see inability first, but rather a person’s ability to contribute to our community of faith, it frees us to see and welcome the vulnerability in our own lives."
FAQs: Should Parents Lead the Special Needs Ministry? "We have found that weekly commitments are sometimes hard for parents and families impacted by disability. We are intentional in not placing those parents in an area of service that creates more stress for their family."
Archbishop calls for support for those living with autism: "The Church needs to address the alienation often surrounding those living with autism, especially children and young people, by coming to the aid of those affected, said Archbishop Zygmunt Zimowski."
Autism and the church: "As my little family and I have been making preperations for Holy Week and Easter celebrations, the one thing missing for us when Sunday rolls around is church." Why? Because her son has autism. She describes failed attempts at church and ends with,
As autism numbers grow, and more and more families have this same problem….I wonder what it will take to make the church stand up and realize that sending missionaries to Uganda is great….but they have a bigger problem right here on their doorstep. There are children and families right here in your own communities that need you right now. How long are you going to ignore them?So?
How long will we?
~+~
As promised yesterday, another of my favorite Resurrection Day songs,