"I saw that it is in the providence of God that widows and orphans, the blind, the deaf, the lame, and persons afflicted in a variety of ways have been placed in close Christian relationship to His church; it is to prove His people and develop their true character."
- Ellen G. White, Testimonies, vol. III, p. 511
All people have a place in the church of the living God.
Originally Prepared by the Commission for People with Disabilities
Office of Human Relations
North American Division of the
General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists
Women's Convention in Dallas 2009
Women's Convention in Dallas 09 from Davis Lynn on Vimeo.com.
Sowing Resource Catalog, 2nd Edition by ShareHim
ShareHim Video Library - Video Links
Scheduled taping, on March 5, 2008, of the NAD Disabilities Ministries Director, Mrs. Charlotte L.V. Thoms, on the ShareHim Video Library. Please stay tuned and support this growing ministry.
A short letter from the Associate Director of ShareHim - Mr. Bob Folkenberg, Jr.
Thanks for your willingness to work with ShareHim as contributors to our Sowing Resource Catalogue (SRC). There ... is a 10 minute interview where I will ask you to share with our viewers the main resources you are presenting and how they can be used by local church Outreach Teams or Personal Ministries teams to help do the work of Sowing in their communities. If you could have a sample of the resources available to show the camera that would be great. The interviews are informal and unscripted. What we are trying to do is provide churches with tools to live out a lifestyle of evangelism rather than seeing evangelism as only a “crusade or campaign” that lasts a few weeks. We want the membership of our churches to live out a lifestyle of evangelism, what we call “Evangeliving.”
Disabilities Ministries -- A Ministry Whose Time Has Come!
Helen Keller was both blind and deaf. She said, “Blindness separates people from things. Deaf ness separates people from people.” I am happy to coordinate a ministry that includes all and omits none. Jesus in His three and a half year earthly ministry performed 35 miracles. Twenty-five of those miracles were related to people with disabilities.
Between Helen’s comment and Jesus’ wonderful acts of love, Disabilities Ministries makes two promises. 1. We offer resources to our disabled members to maximize their worship experience and communion with Christ. 2. To churches that minister to those with mental, physical, or hidden disabilities, we pledge faithful support.
I welcome you to personally become involved in reaching the 54 million people with disabilities in the United States.
Disabilities Ministries -- a ministry whose time has come!
Did You Know?
According to the Census Bureau at least 54 million Americans have some varying degrees of disability. That means one in five Americans have a disability—only five person attend any church. This Disabilities Ministries Handbook is a tool that will help your church identify what can be done to reach unchurched and non-attending members. You will also be challenged to ensure that the needs of members who are disabled are accommodated.
Included in this user-friendly manual you will
- Job description for the local church leader
- Tips for building a disabilities ministry in your church
- Outline of the seven major disabilities
- Government guidelines for accessibility
- Practical tips for leaders and members
- Ideas for activities and sample programs
- Reporting forms
- Safety standard assessment for your church property
In describing His earthly mission, Jesus said, "The Lord has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He hath sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised." Luke 4:16
Use this resource as a guide to reach people who are important to Jesus! Updated for the Adventist Ministries Convention. The hardcopies will be available through AdventSource.