Accessibility Summit

[meboeck]

Wow! I just spent the weekend at the Accessibility Summit, a conference for parents, church leaders, and volunteers involved in disability ministries. I have come away from this so inspired that I just have to share a little bit.

The weekend started with a piano performance by a blind, prematurely born autistic girl. We were all blown away. Despite being almost nonverbal for much of her life, she started playing piano by ear at the age of six. At ten years old, she started writing songs of her own. She can memorize entire albums in less than a week, and she manages to play beautifully without using her pinkies or thumbs. I went to a session where I got to hear her mother give their testimony, and I heard a couple other amazing testimonies during the weekend. I don't think I've ever been in an environment more focused on empowerment. It focused on empowerment of the disabled and empowerment of churches and community to work with the disabled. I came away really ready to help move the disability ministry in my own church forward.

If you are at all interested in working with people with disabilities in your church, don't just wait for an opportunity to come to you. This is an area that most churches really lack ministry for, despite the fact that it is one of the largest unchurched populations. I know in my church the ministry has existed for a little while, but no one used to know it was there. Your church may already have a ministry that you don't even know about. I know some people have difficulty with people with disabilities and some people just aren't cut out for that kind of work, but there are a lot of people who would be great in that ministry but have never tried.

One thing I really discovered was the needs of the families. There are Christian families that just can't come to church because their child requires such specific care. Who are we to say that those families can't have a place? I got a chance to talk to some parents who felt disenfranchised by their communities, and shouldn't the church be their safe haven? And it doesn't just have to be about getting people into church. Ministry is about showing people God's love, and this ministry is no different. Some people with disabilities express love in different ways, but we all need love. And their families need love and support too. I can't express enough how much I've seen that this part of our community needs to be reached, and I hope some of you are involved or might get involved.