Growing up in Baltimore, I had the privilege of rooting for the Orioles baseball team during their golden era, in the 1970s. At that time, baseball greats like Brooks Robinson, Boog Powell, and Jim Palmer graced the field. What made it even better, was that I got to rally them on in person! For several years, my Dad bought us season tickets, and the two of us spent many wonderful evenings together at Memorial Stadium. Sometimes we cheered wildly. Other times, we groaned in agony after a missed play. Occasionally, we waited pensively during a close game.
Photo by Jakob Owens on Unsplash
In his Letter to the Colossians, the Apostle Paul cheers on the churches of Colossae and Laodicea—not from the stands, or the sidelines, but from prison. In Colossians 2:1-2 he says, “…how great a struggle I have for you and those at Laodicea…that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love.”
Paul is literally engaged in the struggle of the faith with them, even from afar. He lists many ways he wants to see them flourish, but begins by noting that he wants their hearts to be encouraged and knit together in love. Both of these resonate with what disability ministry leaders want for their families, volunteers, and congregations as well: that they would be encouraged and their hearts would be knit together in love.
Encouragement
Encouragement may be one of the most underutilized gifts in the church. To encourage essentially means to “impart courage.” And courage is not the absence of fear, but strength in the face of fear. Disability ministry can be a fear-laden minefield.
Families touched by disability often possess their own set of fears:
Who will help me?
Who will love my child just the way they are?
What will happen to my child when I am gone?
Volunteers can have unique fears of their own:
What if I don’t know what to do?
What if I do or say the wrong things?
Congregations can carry broad fears:
What is this going to cost us?
What about liability?
What happens if more families touched by disabilities come than we have the resources to assist?
Good disability ministry leadership doesn’t dismiss the fears of others but addresses them. It enters into the struggle and helps to defuse them. It imparts courage; not through personal fortitude but by being faithful to God’s revealed word, relying on Christ, providing practical resources, and leading others to do the same.
“How great a struggle I have for you…that their hearts may be encouraged.”
Hearts Knit Together in Love
In addition to encouraging the churches, Paul wanted to see their hearts knit together in love. When the hearts of the people of God are knit together in love, we function as well as a World Series champion baseball team. We communicate well, anticipate each other’s needs, and back each other up. As Paul said in I Corinthians 13:7, “Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”
When a disability ministry is flourishing in a local church, it’s not because all the volunteer slots are filled (although I hope they are).
It’s not because the ministry is well-funded (although I hope it is).
It’s not because inclusion is going seamlessly (although that would be amazing).
A flourishing disability ministry happens when hearts are knit together in love.
Belonging happens because people are loved.
Respect flows because people are loved.
Participation happens because people are loved.
Hearts are knit together in love.
As a disability ministry leader, for whom are you struggling today? Encourage them by imparting courage in the face of fear. And pray that their hearts might be knit together in love.
“How great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea…that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love.”
Steph Hubach is the author of Same Lake, Different Boat: Coming Alongside People Touched by Disability—First Edition (2006), Updated and Revised Version (2020) and Parenting & Disabilities (2021). In collaboration with Lancaster Bible College, Steph produced a Christian Education DVD series based on Same Lake, Different Boat, which is available on YouTube. She has served as a contributing author for the Ministry Essentials Bible, The Dignity and Sanctity of Every Human Life, and Amazing Gifts: Stories of Faith Disability and Inclusion. Steph’s writing has appeared in publications such as ByFaith magazine, Focus on the Family magazine, Covenant magazine, Breakpoint online magazine, and the enCourage blog. Steph currently serves as a Research Fellow in Disability Ministries and as a Visiting Instructor in Educational Ministries with Covenant Theological Seminary.
