Reaching Out and Bringing In

Ministry to and with Persons with Disabilities

Book cover: Reaching out and bringing in “The B-I-B-L-E. Yes that’s the Book for me. I stand alone on the Word of God. The B-I-B-L-E. Bible!” In our children’s music time at church, we often sing this song about how the Bible is the foundation for our lives.

David Anderson also makes the Word of God the foundation for his book, REACHING OUT AND BRINGING IN: Ministry to and with Persons with Disabilities. This book encourages followers of Jesus to intentionally include individuals and families who are affected by disabilities in our faith communities.

Anderson focuses on several key statements that have significant scriptural support: all people are created in God’s image; people are not the judge of who can belong to God’s Kingdom; Jesus set an example for His disciples by reaching out to all people especially those who were marginalized by society; God desires that all people receive His love and grace; and God has given gifts that all people can offer to the Body of Christ. With numerous valid resource references and even more Biblical references, Anderson convincingly makes his point that God has called the Church to reach out to all people, which includes those who are affected by disability.

Those who follow Jesus strive for these inclusive communities of faith because Christ’s example has transformed our hearts and minds to recognize and celebrate the valuable opportunities that arise from diverse gifts and needs coming together. Anderson’s goal for this book is direct and succinct, but he illustrates this vital calling for the Church in different ways with each short, easy-to-read chapter. At the end of every chapter, he provides several strong questions that encourage church leaders and members to explore deeper within their own context of ministry. At the end of the book, he also includes twelve in-depth Bible studies that affirm ministries that include people affected by disabilities. The final pages show Biblical support for specific action steps that congregations can take to begin journeys into inclusive ministries.

Church leaders and entire congregations can use this book as an essential guide for starting or continuing crucial conversations about ministering to all people, especially individuals and families affected by disabilities. After reading and studying the pages of this book and the Biblical texts, I am confident that more churches will realize that God has called His followers to the challenging work and rewarding blessings of loving all people, sharing the Gospel message with all people, making disciples of all people and celebrating the gifts of all people. Our faith communities will be enriched when we seriously respond by accepting God’s calling that Anderson meaningfully emphasizes in this book. I highly recommend this relevant resource to every church that has any desire of forming a faith community that truly looks like God’s Kingdom here on earth.

Purchase the book from the publisher.

Reviewer Tamara Gill is co-pastor at Wayland (Iowa) Mennonite Church and a care worker at Sunny Brook Assisted Living in Mt. Pleasant, IA. She enjoys ministering to and with persons affected by disability in her church, community, and Joni and Friends Family Retreats.

Opening Doors

A Seat at the Table
a story of moving from isolation to community with biblical hospitality by Heather Wolf
Disability and Health Care Rationing
Mutual Care and COVID-19
From Victim to Victor
Living with Attention Deficit Disorder, Jack Mace encountered many challenges and negative stigmas. In this article, Jack tells his story of changing his perpsective from victim to victor. Read more.
Turning the Ground by Standing Still
Sometimes the real touch from God is not in what doctors know, but in being okay with the unknown, placing ourselves into God’s hands, and allowing Him to turn the soil in our own stillness.

Connections

Helping to Lessen the Load
Weathering the Storm
Hand in Hand With God
When Flora Williams found herself trapped in a Mexican tour bus, her terrific get away turned into months of hospital stays, doctors appointments, and a life-changing disability. Flora's book Hand in Hand with God is reviewed.
Becoming More Inclusive
Kathy Nofziger Yeakey shares examples of advocacy from personal experience
Reaching Out and Bringing In
Review of Reaching Out and Bringing In: Ministry to and with Persons with Disabilities (By David Anderson, WestBow Press, 2013). Reviewed by Tamara Gill.
Safety for Vulnerable Populations
Steps that churches can take to ensure the safety of all vulnerable persons, including children and adults with disabilities.

In this issue

Rolling out the Welcome
After a major effort to surmount the problems of an aging historic building, Cincinnati Mennonite Fellowship celebrated their fortieth anniversary with a new wheelchair-accessible entrance that welcomes members and neighbors alike.
Seeing With our Fingers
Congregational life brings unique challenges to someone with a visual impairment, but Natalie Dorion and her congregation have found ways to bring her gifts to worship.
ADNet Staff Change
In October 2014, Timothy Burkholder, ADNet Executive Director announced plans for full retirement at the end of 2014. The ADNet board of directors extends appreciation for his leadership over the past two years.
We Are Able Workcamp
Service opportunity June 29-July 2 for young people with intellectual disabilities and other young adults in New Windsor, Maryland.
Living with the disabilities of aging
Rather than allowing the disabilities of aging to marginalize elder members in our churches, the church can respond with expressions of care that may actually prevent the progression of disability and improve quality of life.