This month’s featured article - Including Children with Reactive Attachment Disorder in the Sunday School. Click the link below!

Connections January 2007 (Revised)

We recently received this question regarding Exceptional Teaching Online:

Are there resources available without listening to the video?

Module One has as an Interactive Component, Writing a Mission Statement. This exercise leads you step by step in formulating a comprehensive mission statement. It is designed for use with Exceptional Teaching Online but it can be used to write a mission statement for any type of ministry.

Module One also has as Additional Resources the following items in printable format:

• Disability Awareness
• Leaders in Disability Ministry
• Other Ministry Development Resources
• Recruiting and Training Volunteers
• Ideas for logos, pamphlets and other media

Yes, there are resources available in addition to the video but we are certain that once you experience the video, you will want to visit it time and time again. You will appreciate its use as an informative and inspirational teaching tool.

NDS_Chapter_6

Merry Christmas and a Happy 2007 to our friends who use CCFH’s website. We hope that Exceptional Teaching Online is helpful to you in developing a disability ministry. Your disability ministry has eternal meaning because you will be introducing people to Jesus.

Every Christmas especially I remember a wonderful friend of mine, Helen.  She was a special person in my life. Her learning about Jesus encourages me. Her life was exemplary even though communication and ambulation were not two of her better skills. I wrote about her in No Disabled Souls, published by Standard Publishing in 1998, (available through the CCFH On Line Store.) Helen is the subject of chapter 6, “Love, Laughter, Life and Heaven Too!”  Click on the NDS Chapter 6 link above, read the chapter and see why she was special and how her life impacted mine. Then think of a friend of yours whose life would be better with Jesus in it.

Crossroads_Pics.pdf

By Harmony Hensley, Special Needs Team Leader

On Friday September 29th, 2006, Crossroads Community Church, Cincinnati, Ohio, celebrated their first Respite Event for families of children with special needs. Crossroads Special Needs Team planned a huge respite Pajama Party, and invited the entire Special Needs community.

Members of the special needs team began planning the event three months earlier. They thought through the entire experience and tailored the event to meet the needs of families that would be invited. The team realized that many parents of special kids are statistically more likely experience financial strain and would not be able to afford a night out. The organizers decided to contact about 200 restaurants, seeking discounts for the night of the event. The goal was to have a list of 20 vendors that would offer special discounts for the parents. God provided, the community responded, and 22 vendors agreed to participate. Ten restaurants offered “blanket” discounts to anyone presenting a certificate showing they were part of the Respite Event. Twelve other restaurants donated gift cards, or dinner certificates. Three pizza companies donated a total of 70 pizzas to feed kids and volunteers for the evening. The team also compiled a list of things that were happening in the city including movie times, and art gallery openings.

The planning team realized that many of the kids that would be attending would have profound special needs, including some who would be considered “medically fragile”. A team of doctors and nurses recruited and volunteered to come and staff the event. The medical team, a huge blessing to the families, met parents at the registration table. It was wonderful to go room to room throughout the night seeing medically trained volunteers administering medications, and doing G-tube feedings. Having doctors and nurses on hand gave parents peace, knowing their kids would be in good hands for the evening.

The event went from 5:30 - 9:30 PM in order to ensure that parents had ample time to go to dinner, take in a movie, or go shopping. When parents arrived there was a team of volunteers to meet them curbside to and help them unload and get inside. After registration, parents were escorted to their kid’s rooms for the evening. Then they were walked back to the entryway where they met Parents working the “Parents Resource Booth”. There they learned about the Community Group for Parents of Children with Special Needs, as well as other services available within the community. They were then walked to the “Concierge” booth where they were briefed on events and restaurant offers for the evenings. Then the parents were off for a night on the town.

Kids were divided by age group and were each paired with a volunteer who was their buddy for the evening. Even the siblings of the special needs kids got a buddy for the evening to make them feel loved. The kids began their Pajama party with a pizza picnic with their new friends. Once the pizza was gone, kids were greeted by surprise guests Mr. Red (Mascot, Cincinnati Reds Baseball Team) and Caleb Miller (Linebacker, NFL Cincinnati Bengals). Each child got their picture taken with the celebrities and received an autographed cover from Sports Illustrated, featuring Caleb Miller. The kids were beyond thrilled! One little girl made a very special connection with Mr. Red. She was nonverbal and communicated through gesturing. Mr. Red is not allowed to speak while he is in costume, and communicates through gesturing as well. The little girl was so excited and intrigued by this mystery person who spoke her language. She followed him around the entire evening. Once he changed out of his costume, Mr. Red was visibly moved by his interaction with the little girl.

Once they met the celebrity guests the party really took off. The kids rotated between a music station, where they listened to a live band, to an art station, where they made fabric pajama people, and then wrapped up the evening with a Movie Marathon!

At the close of the evening, a team of greeters gathered to welcome the parents coming to pick up their children. The parents were escorted to their children’s rooms and then brought back to the Concierge Booth were they received a flower to cap the evening off.

One hundred and two kids attended the first ever Respite Event, with 56 of them having special needs. Of the total attending, only 13 were from Crossroads, with the remainder being kids who have never been to the church before! Many of the families learned of the event from the local news, where the outreach was featured twice in the weeks leading up to the event. (see www.wcpo.com - 9 On Your Kids Side Stories) There were 130 volunteers who staffed the event with some who drove two hours to volunteer at the event.

Parents were tearful as they left that night. Many of them hugged volunteers, shared their tearful stories, and thanked everyone for the break. It was very clear that these families where in need of the love of Jesus and Respite spoke that to them that Friday night. God moved in huge ways that night, and lives were changed, both in the families and the volunteers that served.

Summer_Fall_2006.pdf

“If I knew what to do, I would start a disability ministry in my church.”

“We do not have anyone in our congregation trained in special education to help us begin a Bible school program for children with disabilities.”

“Is there a training program available that would give me the basics for ministering to people with disabilities and their families through my church?”

Have you made a similar statement? Are you looking for training in disability ministry? If so, help is available!

CCFH Ministries, in conjunction with the Distance Learning Department at Johnson Bible College, has developed an on-line training course in disability ministry. This fully accredited course of study consists of 12-credit hours in four three-hour courses (click to get descriptions).

The instructor, Jim Pierson, has incorporated his years of experience in this training program. The first course introduces the student to the field of disability ministry. The second unit reviews the categories of people with disabilities, while ministry to the family experiencing disability is the focus of the third course. In the final study, the student learns strategies for providing for the spiritual needs of people with disabilities in the church and the community, allowing them to make practical use of the information gained in the study through projects. Past students have completed projects such as labeling their church building to make it more accessible to students with autism, or planning and executing a disability awareness seminar for the church leaders in his community.

When the student completes the course, an attractive, suitable-for-framing certificate will be issued. The information in the four courses will provide the church worker with the information necessary to organize a disability ministry in his/her church.

If you are interested in receiving the Certificate in Disability Ministry, contact the Distance Learning Department at Johnson Bible College (865-251-2254; mketchen@jbc.edu or jfinchum@jbc.edu). She will mail you an application that will give you a student number that allows access to the on-line courses. If you want more information about the content of the courses, contact Sylvia Hemphill at CCFH (865-546-5921; shemphill@ccfh.org). The course work may be completed by mailing the lessons to the Distance Learning Department at JBC. The individual courses may be taken without being enrolled in the certificate program.

The information and training gained from the courses in the certificate program will change the comments of church workers.

“Our Bible school welcomes learners of all abilities.”

“Families with children with disabilities come to our church because we have something to offer them.”

“We feel blessed to teach learners of all abilities about the wonderful love of our Lord.”

Where do you live?

A five year old would respond, “I live with my mommy and daddy in our house.”

A nineteen year old might answer, “I have a job and live in my own apartment.”

Another nineteen year old would answer, ““I am in college. I live in the dorm.”

Where we live is a part of the human experience. Generally, most of us live with our parents until we move to a job, go to college, or establish our own family. We really do not spend a lot of time thinking about it. It just happens.

For adults with developmental disabilities, the process just does not happen. A family member or a social worker will help them find a place to live. Special housing arrangements are available through private and public organizations.

The current procedure is to provide independent living in the community. In recent years, group homes have shrunk in size from twenty to four people; nursing homes are not considered appropriate placements unless there is a health problem; and large institutions are being closed. The guiding philosophy is to place the person in the community and provide the support to make him successful. Through special funding programs, some people with developmental disabilities own their own condos.

While the current approach to housing for adults with developmental disabilities has improved, most of them continue to live with their families after public education has ended. There are several reasons this may occur: the cost for residential services can be prohibitive, there may be long waiting lists, the person may not meet entrance criteria, or a family may want to care for their loved one at home as long as they can.

To help families with their need for residential care for their son or daughter, CCFH Ministries provides two kinds of programs: group home living and independent living.

Group Home Living

CCFH Ministries operates two group homes in Louisville, Tennessee. Called Riverwood Christian Community, the facilities are located in a rural setting on the banks of the Tennessee River and have been licensed by the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation.

In order to live at Riverwood, the person must be over 18 years of age and have a developmental disability. In addition, the applicant must be capable of self-preservation, meeting basic personal needs, and working or attending a day program.

Each resident has a private room, has a job, helps with household chores, and attends church. The resident is encouraged to be the best he can be.

A trained, Christian staff is on duty around the clock to care for the residents. The staff carries out our purpose to help residents achieve their highest level of independence in a Christ-centered environment. To apply or ask for additional information, click here.

Independent Living Program

CCFH Ministries also provides an Independent Living Program. This program allows the person with a developmental disability to live and function in the community. They are trained to use public transportation, assisted with making their own appointments, provided with money management assistance, taught cooking and nutritional eating habits, and encouraged to participate in the life of a church and the community at large.

A staff member is available to the residents. While the staff has a routine of seeing the residents’ needs are met, the staffing pattern is on an “as-needed” basis.

In order to qualify for the program, the person must be 18 or over and have a developmental disability. In addition, the applicant must be able to self-preserve, self-medicate, and hold a job. To apply or get additional information, click here.

My name is Jim Pierson and it is a pleasure to welcome you to Exceptional Teaching Online. I have spent a lot of my adult life working to encourage churches to include people with disabilities in their hearts and programs, and the aim of this program is to enable you to do the same!

Introduction

In the early days, few churches were including people with disabilities and the interest was sparse. Workshops at Christian education conferences were not well attended, some published materials were available but difficult to find, and the leadership of churches did not give disability ministry a high priority. However, there has been a phenomenal growth in the number of churches that include people with disabilities. From the small congregation that includes a couple of children with special needs to the large church with a paid staff and numerous programs, the disability ministry movement continues to grow.

It is important to think about the reasons for this positive change. First, the nature of disability has changed. Today there are more children with autism (the numbers are as high as 1 in 166 births), more children with emotional problems (1 in 5), and learning disabilities (more than half of the students served by special education). These students are included in public school with their peers, so why not include them in church? A second reason for the change is the number of churches who have children’s ministers/pastors. When a family brings a child with a disability to the Christian education program of the church, it is the children’s pastor who sees the need, looks for information to help, and becomes the child’s advocate.

Because churches are recognizing their responsibility toward people with disabilities, their leaders are looking for training to help them with ministry. CCFH Ministries felt the need to develop a simple, accessible training product. Exceptional Teaching Online is that product.

In 2002, Standard Publishing Company published my book Exceptional Teaching. Since its appearance, we have received many positive comments about the value of the book for starting a disability ministry. Having a resource that contains a description of the various categories of learners with disabilities, some ideas on how to teach them, and suggestions for a broader ministry has been helpful. With this positive reaction and with many churches asking for training to get their ministries off the ground and to enhance existing ones, we decided to create a training resource.

Using Exceptional Teaching as a base, we developed a set of training materials and asked churches across the country to use and evaluate the materials, while providing their reactions. Fifty churches participated and their feedback is included in this website.

Interactive Modules

The centerpiece of this site is a six-module program complete with video segments, interactive exercises, and additional resources that provides the core training materials. Specifically the modules discuss:

1. Steps for Beginning a Disability Ministry
2. Designing a Christian Education Component
3. Creating a Classroom Environment to Accommodate a Disability Ministry
4. Planning to Include People with Disabilities in the Life of the Church
5. Planning a Ministry with the Family Experiencing Disability
6. Planning for Community Outreach

Exceptional Teaching Online comes with numerous additional resources. One of the most popular features of Exceptional Teaching has been reworked with the online user in mind. The descriptions of more than 75 diagnoses and techniques for the Sunday school teacher to use with them are available. We have also included a list of churches that have disability ministry programs, along with a number of other resources for starting, growing, and maintaining a disability ministry.

Our hope is that this site will be an ever-growing resource for developing materials and information. The Blog is a user-generated resource where good ideas and information for disability ministries are presented, needs are shared, and churches make their disability ministries known.

So, what is the purpose of Exceptional Teaching Online?

It is providing the training to make the church accessible to our friends with disabilities. Jesus invites: “Look! Here I stand at the door and knock. If you hear me calling and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal as friends” (Revelation 3:20). Jesus’ invitation is inclusive. Everyone is welcome at His table, regardless of race, social standing, educational level, income, or disability. All the dinner guest needs to do is hear the call and open the door. A person with a disability might have some difficulty with the actions of hearing and opening the door. The purpose of this Exceptional Teaching Online is to provide the information necessary to train church staffs and volunteers to help people with disabilities accept Jesus’ inclusive invitation to share a meal with Him.