In today’s episode, Beth invites you to pull up a chair to her new white board as, together, we learn about new perspectives and ideas in disability ministry.
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Quick Links:
Disability Ministry Video Roundtables & Idea Shares
Service Dogs vs. Therapy Dogs vs. Emotional Support Dogs: A Discussion for Ministry Leaders Recording
Workshops & QuickTakes at DATC2023
Not Alone Special Needs Parenting Blog
Contact Key Ministry for a Free Consult
If You Liked this Episode, You May Also Enjoy:
002: Iron Sharpens Iron with Beth Golik
033: Resolutions to Serve Special Needs Families with Sandra Peoples
035: 5 Reasons to Attend DATC2023 with Catherine Boyle
Transcript:
Thanks for tuning in to Key Ministry: The Podcast. I’m Beth Golik, one of your co-hosts, and today let’s take a minute to reimagine a few things.
Last week we rearranged some office space and furniture and I gained a huge whiteboard for my wall in the process. I’m a total sucker for a whiteboard. There’s nothing like a big blank slate to plan and dream and it’s even better if you have a bunch of different colors of dry-erase markers in the tray and colleagues around the table to help you with the brainstorming.
That got me thinking about, well, about thinking. And learning. And reimagining.
I enjoy convening with my ministry colleagues as well as with members of the congregation and the community to think through what our churches are doing to engage individuals and families impacted by disability. It’s one of my favorite parts of the work I do for Key Ministry as well as the ministry work I do at my church where I am the Director of Disability Engagement. It’s important to me that I have the chance to learn from others, particularly from those whose life experiences may be different from my own.
As we’ve said several times in previous episodes of this podcast, you don’t know what you don’t know.
Each month Key Ministry hosts two different Disability Ministry Video Roundtables. The DMVRs are Zoom meetings that are open to all. On the third Wednesday of each month we meet to discuss a predetermined topic. For instance, the topic this month is Service Dogs vs. Therapy Dogs vs. Emotional Support Dogs: A Discussion for Ministry Leaders. Our conversations are always best when we have experts, that is folks who can speak from life experience, joining us. We’ll link this roundtable in the show notes so you can join us live on March 15 or watch the recording. And be sure to visit keyministry.org/events to catch the upcoming roundtables.
On the first Monday of each month, we have an Idea Share. This is also a Zoom meeting, open to any ministry leader, and each month we have our regulars along with new faces. The Idea Share started in March of 2020 when every single church shut down and ministry leaders were scrambling to figure out how in the world we could do disability ministry without being in person. The Idea Share started as a collaborative brainstorming group and has continued to this day, even though all of our churches are now back in person. This monthly Zoom meeting has turned into a place to ask questions, learn about resources, network, get support, and give and receive encouragement.
On a recent Idea Share, the word “reimagine” was used by two different ministry leaders to describe what’s going on with the disability inclusion ministry in their respective churches.
That word really struck me. Reimagine.
How often do we take the time to have conversations about disability and the big C church with colleagues and constituents, to connect with each other with the goal of creating a culture of inclusion and belonging? What are we doing to continue to grow and learn? Are we stuck with doing what we’ve always done or is it time to reimagine?
What have you, meaning you personally, done lately to learn something new about the disability experience? What areas of consideration are you sharing with the planners and decision-makers at your church? Who are you inviting into the process?
If you haven’t reimagined lately, I invite you to grab a whiteboard and get started. For inspiration, browse the blog posts on Key Ministry’s Church4Every Child blog and Not Alone Special Needs Parenting blog to learn about an issue or a perspective that you may not have previously considered. Or take a look at the breakout sessions that are going to be offered at the Disability & The Church conference.
For instance here are a few of the 75 or so workshops and main stage presentations from our upcoming conference that might spark a new idea for you or give you a perspective you need to learn more about:
Dementia Friendly Worship Resources
Effective Practices in Developing Deaf Disciplemakers in the Church
Leveraging Technology to Reach All Families
Trauma Informed Kids and Student Ministry
Let's Talk Identity: Naming the Tensions in the Conversation
Marriage Ministry: Marriage on the Autism Spectrum
When a Faith Leader has a Brain Disability
Gender Identity, Sexuality & Porn with Autism Spectrum Youth
Preventing Parentification: Strategies for Families and Ministry Leaders
I’ve included a link in the show notes to a listing of all the sessions, both Workshops and QuickTakes (which are like TedTalks). Attending a conference, like Key Ministry’s Disability & The Church, is one of the best ways you can expand your horizons and begin the process of reimagining. We hope you’ll join us in Cleveland at the end of April. You can get the scoop at keyministry.org/datc2023.
As you start to brainstorm and reimagine, make sure that prayer is first on your list. Ask the Lord to go before you in the process, to guide and to lead. Then invite others to the table whose experiences and perspectives may be different than your own.
Utilize the resources, and take advantage of networking opportunities, provided by organizations like Key Ministry. Contact us through the Key Ministry website and we can think and plan together. And by all means, get yourself a whiteboard and some brand new colorful dry-erase markers.
Thanks for joining me for this week’s episode of Key Ministry: The Podcast. We hope you’ll subscribe so that each week you can get new ideas and perspectives from my podcast co-hosts and our guests.
