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…
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…
Church should be place of acceptance for people with special needs
WASHINGTON (ABP) — People with disabilities don’t want churches that just “welcome” them, but rather congregations that value them and include them in living a “full life of faith,” a long-time advocate for special-needs ministry said. “Valued is being seen…
Baptists increasingly mark Pentecost with missions, multiculturalism
WASHINGTON (ABP) — While the annual observance of Pentecost is not one that has a long history with many Baptist churches, there’s a natural fit between the holiday’s emphasis on the international nature of the church and the traditional Baptist…
Members of college mission team survive crash in Haiti
HANNIBAL, Mo. (ABP) — Fourteen students and a faculty sponsor from Baptist-affiliated Hannibal-LaGrange College were injured May 16 in a vehicle accident while on a mission trip in Haiti. The students — nine women and five men — were riding…
Flood relief turns to long-term recovery
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (ABP) — Twenty-seven volunteers from First Baptist Church in Knoxville, Tenn., traveled three hours to Nashville in three shifts during the week of May 15-20 for flood relief. They were one of countless groups pitching in as response…
Tennessee flood relief turns to long-term recovery
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (ABP) — Twenty-seven volunteers from First Baptist Church in Knoxville, Tenn., traveled three hours to Nashville in three shifts during the week of May 15-20 for flood relief. They were one of countless groups pitching in as response…
MBU hosts crime prevention workshop
ST. LOUIS — The shooting and death of an Illinois pastor brought Steve Heidke face-to-face with the reality of the vulnerability of most churches and synagogues. That reality birthed training for houses of worship in the St. Louis area and…
Murder in pulpit spurs college to host safety workshop for churches
ST. LOUIS (ABP) — The shooting and death of an Illinois Baptist pastor in the middle of a worship service last year brought Steve Heidke face-to-face with the reality that most houses of worship are vulnerable as "soft targets" for…