The Inclusive Church

12/19/2023

Excellent resource giving step-by-step guidance on starting a special needs ministry in a church. Authored by Stacy Manning Hickman.

Volunteers are a vital part of a successful special needs ministry. They are the ones who keep the "boat" of your ministry moving down the river of church life. As a ministry leader the most-asked question I received was, "How do I train special needs ministry volunteers?" In response to that que...

03/22/2020

From the author, Sarah Morlandt: "When I wrote this piece I had the opportunity to reflect on how we as mothers and fathers are sacrificing for the greater good of the community during COVID-19 global crisis."

From The Inclusive Church's Amy Fenton Lee: Meet my friend Luisa (and her mom, Sarah). I accompany Luisa through her Sunday morning small group routine as her buddy in our church's Hearts & Hands Special Needs Ministry.

Sarah shares her reasons for enrolling her daughter Luisa, suffering from Rhett Syndrome, in an experimental drug trial and their experience to this point.

11/01/2019

Looking for a family mission experience impacting families with special needs? Consider volunteering for one week (as an individual or as a family) at Hope Heals Camp in Alabama. You will be blessed!

We encourage you to apply only with the full intent of fundraising tuition for and attending Hope Heals Camp. Please do not apply if you are unsure—ain't nobody got time for that! Submitting your application is a virtual handshake between you and Hope Heals Camp that, given you are offered a sp...

03/21/2018

Need a small group resource or book recommendation for special needs parents? This book should be on every family ministry leader's bookshelf. https://www.dianedokkokim.com/unbroken-faith/

01/22/2018

Know someone age 15 or older looking to make a difference on their Spring Break? Camp Summit is in need of Counselors!

Camp Summit is a one-of-a-kind camp for individuals with disabilities where the emphasis is on the campers' abilities rather than their disabilities. Traditional camp activities are adapted to each individual and are provided in our barrier-free facilities and implemented by trained, caring staff. Our campers are grouped by age, providing the opportunity to make friends within peer groups while having fun and experiencing new adventures.

As a Counselor, you will be responsible for assisting campers in camp activities and with activities of daily living. With weeklong camp sessions, weekend sessions and respite days, campers are offered a wide variety of traditional camp activities in our barrier-free environment. Join us for our Spring Break camps from 3/3 - 3/9! You must be 15 or older to volunteer. To sign up or for more information go to campsummittx.org.

Camp Summit is a nonprofit camp for children and adults with disabilities. Activities are adapted for each camper and provided in our barrier-free campground.

03/22/2017

Want to help your church with special needs inclusion? Checkout this April 21-22 conference in Waco, Texas.

April 21 & 22, 2017 Keynote Speaker: Amy Fenton Lee, author of Leading a Special Needs Ministry.

10/15/2016

Happiness is...finding this tweet from a respected ministry leader. So thrilled to see such an influential seminary carrying this book in their bookstore.

09/22/2016

http://etchconference.com

Good News / Good News / Almost Good News:

#1 I'm (Amy Lee) teaching 2 special needs ministry workshops at Lifeway's ETCH Conference on Tuesday, October 4th in Nashville. Conference is technically sold out but rumor has it they will accept handful of add'l registrations. (Let me know if I'll see you!)

#2 You guys are awesome. Demand for 2nd edition of "Leading a Special Needs Ministry" book apparently exceeded publisher projections (my guess??). Amazon has sold out of available copies. My local Lifeway store had no books in inventory today. (Has anyone found a copy in a Lifeway store? One person at publisher emailed me last week saying books were already in stores.)

#3 Since last night publisher has improved book's lead time on Amazon from 1-2 months to 1-4 weeks. Some of you have inquired...it appears that publisher has not listed any info about this book on their website. Nope, don't know why. But I'm getting pictures texted from some of you with new book in hand. So the book fairy must be alive and well and processing your Amazon orders.

Thank you for all the kind comments, shares, and posts about the 2nd edition book release. I've been moved observing how much you believe in this resource. God is good! ~ AFL

09/14/2016

It's a big day when 1300 pounds of books are delivered! After being out of print for a year, Leading a Special Needs Ministry is available again and this time in version 2.0.

05/13/2016

After two years sabbatical it was great to be back in the saddle again. And it was even better to be with 75 children's pastors today, every single one with a heart to include kids with autism and all kinds of special needs. What an inspiring group of ministry leaders!

05/11/2016

http://www.bgco.org/ministries/childhood/community-94/

If you are a Children's Pastor in Oklahoma I hope to see you at the Baptist General Convention Building in OKC tomorrow. We'll be talking special needs inclusion all day. ~AFL

Community94 Community94 is a group designed to invest in the lives and ministries of Childhood Ministers. The group will meet 9 times throughout the year and have 4 hours of training each time. Think of this as a professional day tailored for Childhood Ministers. Cost Entire Year (calendar year)...