The Story of Terre Haute Friendship House: Part 1 The Friendship House concept has been around for a decade, but for those in our smaller, rural city of Terre Haute, Indiana, it is both new and exciting. Beginning at Western Theological Seminary in 2007, the Friendship House model fosters community by bringing young adults with […]
I realize that I am a tad bit late to the party on this one, but just recently I came across “The Employables” on A&E. After watching the first episode, I was instantly hooked and found myself binge-watching the entire first season. For those that have never heard about this show before now, the premise […]
Here is a test that I would love to conduct. I want to gather 20 random lead pastors who preach at a church with no intentional outreach to the disability community. From what I have learned, it would be far too easy to do this given that only 10% of churches here in the United […]
I was recently helping my daughter, Zoe, with her homework. On this assignment, she was working on identifying antonyms and synonyms. Homework time can be frustrating for Zoe because of her dyslexia. What is dyslexia? Dyslexia is a learning disorder that involves difficulty reading due to problems identifying speech sounds and learning how they relate […]
When the film Cast Away released in 2000, I thought to myself no way I am going to spend money to watch Tom Hanks stranded on an island by himself for two hours. They can’t make a good movie out of that! I guess I was wrong. Tom Hanks almost won an Academy Award for […]
Never Lecture Lecturing loses attention. Be honest! Lecture style is boring. Time yourself next time you are in church listening to a sermon. How long do you last before you are checking your phone, daydreaming, scanning the crowd around you, thinking about what you will do for lunch, or watching your watch? Now consider how […]
Myth #1: Only Big Churches Have the Resources to Do Disability Ministry Many people believe that having a formal disability ministry is such a big undertaking that only megachurches can do it. This is simply not true. Every church can do something regardless of size. I have had the privilege of working with churches ranging […]
I’m glad that you have kept reading. That means you are at least intrigued by my church growth strategy. Remember I am promising BIG things for your church. If you employ this strategy at your church I promise the following. Your church influence will grow in your community! Your church attendance will grow! Your church […]
No matter where we turn, we are flooded by self-improvement messaging. Turn on your radio and I can guarantee that at least one commercial during every break will have to do with either weight loss, male testosterone boosters, growing personal wealth, or exploring career new options. The same goes for every time you watch TV […]
Thank you, God, for seeing us. When our son Ryan was born in 2001 with Down syndrome, the statistics were 1 in 800 people were diagnosed with Down syndrome. I remember being out in public and wondering why it looked as if we were the only ones. There have to be more than 800. I […]
Because Jesus' table is accessible for everyone...
We desire to see the Church make room for all people affected by disability. To fully participate. To fully partner. To fully lead.
We exist to equip and empower the 25% of the population with a disability, their families, and their churches to become who God has created them to be.
