ST. LOUIS (ABP) — A former Southern Baptist pastor in Missouri has been indicted on charges of using his position to defraud church members into loaning him money that he did not repay. Danny O'Guin According to St. Louis media,…
Seminaries not preparing pastors to minister to disabled, some assert
WACO, Texas (ABP) — An expert in the field of disability ministry says theological seminaries are doing little to prepare ministers to deal with the estimated one-in-five Americans living with some kind of disability. “There is almost nothing in the…
Welcoming people with special needs can mean spiritual, numerical growth
Special-needs ministry is a two-way street for churches. NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. (ABP) — Churches that do a good job of including members with special needs like autism often reap side benefits of a positive witness to their community and sometimes…
Opinion: Anybody can be a friend to the disabled
(ABP) — My 24-year-old son is a certified nursing assistant who provides care for three children — two with intellectual disabilities — four nights a week while their single mother is at work. One “benefit” of such a noble-sounding…
Barriers of attitude block people with disabilities from full inclusion in churches
WASHINGTON (ABP) — According to a longtime advocate for people with disabilities, the greatest barriers to including special-needs individuals in churches are not architectural or language, but rather barriers of attitude. “We have within us prejudices,” said Ginny Thornburgh, director…
Church should be place of acceptance for people with special needs
As of the 2000 census, 54 million Americans had a legally defined disability, about one in five. WASHINGTON (ABP) — People with disabilities don’t want churches that just “welcome” them, but rather congregations that value them and include them in…
Interview: Raymond Bailey on 50 years of preaching
WACO, Texas (ABP) – Before beginning his sermon on May 9 on the eve of his retirement, Raymond Bailey reminded worshipers at Seventh & James Baptist Church in Waco, Texas, that he was not preaching his “final sermon,” but merely…
‘Idaho 10’ member blames UNICEF for arrests; UNICEF disputes allegations
TWIN FALLS, Idaho (ABP) — With the last of 10 Southern Baptist mission volunteers released from a Haitian jail May 17, one of her "Idaho 10" co-laborers is breaking his silence and blaming the whole ordeal on meddling by the…
Welcoming people with special needs can mean spiritual, numerical growth
NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. (ABP) — Churches that do a good job of including members with special needs like autism often reap side benefits of a positive witness to their community and sometimes even numerical growth, says an expert in disability…
FIRST PERSON: Anybody can be a friend
NASHVILLE (ABP) — My 24-year-old son is a certified nursing assistant who provides care for three children — two with intellectual disabilities — four nights a week while their single mother is at work. Bob Allen One “benefit” of such…
Author describes what having an autistic child taught her about God
CINCINNATI (ABP) — Kathleen Deyer Bolduc, a nationally recognized author and speaker in the field of disability ministry, said she was unprepared to parent a special-needs child before the birth of her third son. Now 24, Joel has autism, intellectual…
Barriers of attitude block people with disabilities from full inclusion in churches
WASHINGTON (ABP) — A longtime advocate for people with disabilities said the greatest barriers to including special-needs individuals in churches are not architectural or language but rather barriers of attitude. “We have within us prejudices,” said Ginny Thornburgh, director of…