My First Blog Post

Welcome!

17 years ago God used Alex–a sweet young man with multiple disabilities–to change my life and my church. A trained special educator, I’d taught elementary aged Sunday School for many years, never stopping to wonder why we didn’t have children who had disabilities joining us on Sunday mornings. Then Alex and his folks wanted to come, and God began to turn my life upside down.

Since Alex arrived at my church I have had the honor of either designing, leading or co-leading the Bridge Builders ministry there. I have worked for 5 years at a faith-based group home creating a template for respite ministries and helping churches to welcome families affected by disability. During those years I was an Associate of Joni and Friends and, in 2008 was hired as the Church Relations Manager for the Bay Area office of Joni and Friends.

I look back in awe to all that God has allowed me to experience and the expertise he has given me. My love for the Church has grown deeper each year, and my yearning for the Church to be a place where these families I’ve come to love so dearly can fully belong. I would never have guessed God had all of this planned for me, and am both humbled and thankful.

My dream for this blog site is that it be a place where I gather many of the Disability Ministry tips and research findings I’ve had the honor to share over the years. I’m hoping it will also be a place where my readers can ask questions and interact with me–and with each other–about the things that keep us from successfully building community and discipling our friends. I hope we can share our success stories and celebrate relationships.

Stay tuned, and sign up to be alerted when blogs are posted. I won’t be keeping a regular schedule since I am, after all, retired. But I suspect once I start writing I will get addicted and come back often. Hope you’ll join me!!

-Debbie