All In
The newest venture of Anabaptist Disabilities Network, made possible by a grant from the Lilly Foundation
About Our Name and Logo
Our All In logo has a big splash of water underneath the words “All In,” as if someone had just jumped into a pool. The story that inspired our name and logo is the Gospel of John Chapter 5, where Jesus heals a man at the pool of Bethesda.
We’re told that hundreds of sick people would lie around the pool waiting. Waiting for a miracle. It was believed that angels would stir the water, and those who jumped in right at that moment would be cured from whatever ailed them. The pool at Bethesda operated as a hospital of sorts. In the culture at that time, disability was seen as evidence of sin or moral failure. If you were disabled you were pushed to the edges of culture away from work, community, and belonging.
Photo by Alex Perez on Unsplash
We don’t get the name of the man whom Jesus encountered but we know that he had been lying there for 38 years. The hospital system wasn’t working for this man. Unable to navigate the steps and crowds, he needed someone to help him get into the water, help him navigate the system. This is where Jesus finds him when he asks him if he wants to “be made well” (5:6). In his response the man speaks of how impossible it has been to get into the water in time whenever the angel would move it. And Jesus says, “Pick up your mat and walk.”
Disabled Theologian Kyle Stevenson comments on Jesus’ words by saying this is “a way of telling us that we do not have to seek wholeness in toxic, inaccessible systems that operate under the guise of care.” There is a better way. What a profound revelation!
That’s what All In is proposing, that in our churches people with disabilities won’t be kept on the side, separated, or forced to navigate life alone. Rather, in our churches there can be the space and opportunity for everyone to worship together. All In is on a mission to help churches move towards intergenerational worship that reflects the full diversity of the Body of Christ – all ages, all abilities, and all experiences.
Ready to go “all in?”
Applications are now open for our 2025 pilot cohort!
Need more information before deciding?