Becoming More Inclusive
An Offering of Rest

by Kathy Nofziger Yeakey, ADN Executive Director

In January I spent a weekend with the Junior Youth of my congregation at their Winter Youth Retreat. It was a high-energy, fun-filled weekend, and I’m glad I could be there with the one hundred or so 6th-8th grade youth and sponsors.

The guest presenter caught my attention with a message that applied to all of us, not just the youth. He talked about needing to hit the "Pause Button” periodically in our busy, highly-scheduled, cyber-connected lives. We all need to Pause: to disconnect and take time to rest, to sit, to wait, to find a space for solitude where we can spend time with God.

This issue of Connections includes a focus on the experience of caregivers. For the caregiver, taking time off to “go up the mountain to pray” and be alone like Jesus regularly did can seem like a luxury that is out of reach. This does not mean, however, that God does not also call caregivers to rest. It means that caregivers and their supports, need to be even more intentional about it.

Friends and family do not always understand the demands that caregivers live under. Teaching and learning might be the needed step for friends and family to move from concerns to active help to make rest and Pause available. If you are a caregiver, and this feels like you, please ask for help and make your needs known. If you don’t know where to turn, contact us at ADN, and we can connect you to the resources and the help that you may need.

Kathy Nofziger Yeakey, ADN Executive Director

In this issue

Mutuality: Enabling All to Serve
Jill Stemple writes about her experience with mental illness and the stigma of needing help. Jill calls us to remember that Jesus both washed feet and had his feet washed. People with disabilities are also people that have gifts of service to offer.
Care for the Caregiver?
An increasing number of people in our church congregations are thrust into caregiving responsibilities. How can the church best support its caregivers?
Bipolar Faith: A Black Woman's Journey with Depression and Faith
Monica Coleman’s Bipolar Faith is a raw look at the painful reality of mental illness within communities of faith and in the black community.
Welcome Jill!
Welcome to Jill Stemple! The newest volunteer to join Anabaptist Disabilities Network as a Field Associate.
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