PREVIOUSLY

Dhati Lewis, lead pastor at Blueprint Church in Atlanta, shared on discipleship and the in-home life mentoring program he uses.

THIS WEEK

Please welcome Jackie Mills Fernald to the blog.

Jackie Mills Fernald serves as the Director of Access Ministry at McLean Bible Church, one of the largest disability ministries in the United States, serving hundreds of families in the Washington, DC area. Together with Jim Pierson of Christian Churches Disability Ministry, she has co-authored a series of training materials, entitled Including Persons with Autism in the Life of the Church; Making Changes that Lead to Real Inclusion; and Special Families to help churches leaders, staff, and volunteers better understand and serve individuals impacted by disability. Through her advocacy for inclusion of the disabled in the church and community, she has become a sought after speaker, trainer, and consultant for developing disability ministries across the United States.

Jackie will be hanging around the blog today, so if you have any questions, feel free to leave them in the comment section below.

A Place For All -- by Jackie Mills Fernald

Imagine a dinner party complete with people of all races, creeds and backgrounds; some very wealthy, some poverty-stricken; some with amazing talents, either physically and intellectually, others with special needs or disabilities; some with sound minds, others with mental illness; some extremely well educated, others with great street-smarts and scrappy; persons who have climbed the corporate ladder with great success, others who are down and out and hopelessly unemployed.

What party planner in their right mind creates a guest list including the well to do mixed with the misfits, the in-crowd blended with the outcasts? At first glance, it looks like a recipe for disaster when you toss in the classy with the uncouth, a party that has the potential of quickly becoming out of control, rambunctious and zoo-like. This is an event where concern is not on the "A" list, appealing only to the pretty and perfect, but one that screams "all are welcome" regardless of background, ability or worth by the world's standards.

Jesus tells the parable of the Great Banquet in Luke 14. The master instructs the servant to go out into the streets and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame. Because there is still room for more people, the master tells the servant to go farther out into the country lanes and compel the outsiders to come until his house is full.

We serve the Great Includer, Jesus, whose grace and love is ridiculously available to all; yet, so often, our churches do not reflect that and are instead a bland, homogenous setting not celebrating God's creative beauty, especially when it comes to those people who are differently abled or have disabilities.

There are oftentimes physical barriers that keep church buildings from being more accessible. Things such as a lack of handicap parking, elevators or accessible bathrooms can be problematic. Also, communication barriers, such as the need for ASL interpreters for the blind or Braille/large-print materials for the visually impaired, make it challenging to get out God's Word. The biggest barriers that exist, however, are attitude and condition of the heart.

As followers of Christ, we should have hearts that reflect His love, compassion and grace, even for those who are oftentimes very different from ourselves. As we welcome those who are differently abled into our churches, we are called to share the Good News and God's love with them. Listed below are some nuts-and-bolts ways by which we can do so:

1. Value people (regardless of ability) over programs.

2. Train new staff and volunteers in ways to greet and respond to those who are differently abled.

3. Create programs and communities for those who are differently abled with the ultimate goal to be ministry from cradle to grave so that no matter what stage or age, a person would always have a place to fit in.

4. Become a culture of inclusion. Whenever possible, include those with disabilities in existing programs; oftentimes, however, a specialized class or group might be the best placement for them.

5. Start viewing programs and outreaches from the lens of "How accessible is this? What changes do we need to make so persons of all abilities can participate?".

6. Train small-group leaders and staff on ways to vary teaching modalities (visual, auditory and kinesthetic methods) to appeal to all styles of learners.

7. Be comfortable with movement and noise in programming.

8. See all people as having been created in God's image (the imago Dei), remembering all are made perfect and our God does not make junk.

9. Enlist the help and expertise of those in the congregation who have a background in special education or a disability field.

10. Pray for God's wisdom and direction as your church becomes more inclusive. Pray He would increase your capacity to love and to love those who are different from you.

Ministry to those with disabilities can get messy-- actually ministry to all persons has the potential to get messy. But we have a God who is willing to roll up His sleeves and get messy as well. Jesus began His life in this world in a dirty manager and was not bothered by messy situations. He delights in showing up in the thick of it. We, as His people, are called to emulate Him. Roll up your sleeves, and step into the mess of ministry.

Be the person, be the church in which all are welcome-- with disabilities or not. We are all broken and have a need for a personal Savior.

And let the party begin.