Come As You Are
Camp KIND demonstrated the beauty of community by calling out each other’s gifts, gently loving people’s weaknesses, and fostering feelings of belonging and unity among participants and staff alike.
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Worship for Everybody
What if our Church gatherings were designed with everybody in mind – from toddlers to elders, from disabled folks to neurodivergent thinkers?
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Sensory Rooms
Sensory rooms are needed places of quiet in the midst of celebration. Here Sarah Werner shares about the sensory room at Mennonite Church USA’s biennial convention.
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An Anxious Presence
Board member and field associate JE Misz shares advice for how churches can welcome people with anxiety.
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Wild Church for All People
Sharon Brugger Norton shares about wild church and how it is accessible to neurodivergent people.
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Introducing Camp KIND!
Register for this family camp for children with disabilities, June 30 – July 3!
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Journeying Towards Belonging
Communications Director Emily Hunsbaker presents “Journeying Towards Belonging: Sharing our Gifts and Enriching our Communities.” Incorporating the gifts of people with disabilities in our congregations, Emily welcomes viewers to begin the journey of becoming a place where people with disabilities share in the ministry of the congregation.
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Typical
In this poem, Kathryn Newswanger challenges the notion that people who are neurotypical decide what is normal.
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The Future is Unknown
A song by Ann Hamlin acknowledges her anxiety of a future after her caregivers pass away.
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Christmas Gifts
Ann Hamlin recenters us on what is truly important, God’s gift of love, in this Christmas-themed song.
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Disability Advocacy Across Cultures
How a Sunday School class for intellectually disabled adults in PA connected with a school for disabled children in Ukraine.
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Service Opportunities for Young Adults
Register for We Are Able 2024
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Nurturing Accessible Family Ministry
Church volunteers who work in faith formation are called to help the gifts of all children, youth, and adults shine.
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Building Community with Neurodiverse Children
Jenn Svetlik shares tips and tricks for creating communities of support for people who are neurodivergent.
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God Hears Me
Read and Listen to Ann Hamlin’s newest song about talking with and hearing from God.
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Nurturing Accessible Family Ministry
Webinar with Bonnie & Lyle Miller on welcoming families impacted by disability and neurodiversity.
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Strides at Salford
Jennifer Svetlik recounts Salford Mennonite’s initiatives toward greater accessibility and inclusion.
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Creating a Playground for All
Plains Mennonite Church used a Barrier Free Grant to create a playground for all, a next step in supporting families with autistic children.
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Tiny, Little Awkward Steps
Pastor Nathanael Hofstetter Ressler offers tips for congregations beginning to accommodate for mental illness and support mental health.
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We Are Able 2023
Jonathan Shively reflects on the blessings and growth of the 2023 workcamp week.
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Scripture Based Play
Ambler Mennonite uses Legos to engage with Scriptures across ages and abilities.
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Autism and Faith
Ann Hamlin relates her experience as an autistic adult in her church community.
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I am Here
A song of yearning and humor by Ann Hamlin asks people to witness her humanity as a nonspeaking young adult.
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Making Spaces Welcome for All
Jeanne Davies calls congregations to greater belonging and inclusion.
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The Least of These
A blog about the Intersections of Poverty Culture, Race and Mental Health
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Shouting Out About Mental Health
May is Mental Health Awareness Month. A good time to beg the question…. Are our pew-mates who experience persistent darkness finding support here?
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Celebrating Birthdays
Birthdays are usually times of celebration. We celebrate the fact that one more year was added to a person’s life. For parents of kids with special healthcare needs, birthdays take on a deeper meaning.
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Finding Strength in Grief
October 12, 1982 marks the day when I thought my heart would stop and the world would come to an end.
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A Church for All People
Mental illness is “the only illness in the world where you never get a covered dish!” remarks mental health advocate Joyce Burland.
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A Gift for Loving
Edwin Cardona Guzman and Jazmin Guzman Carrillo married young, and they were happy to start a family. When their daughter, Jeimy (now 18) was born with Down syndrome, they worried about the hurdles she would face.
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Horses Live to Run
Christine Guth’s understanding of the word “human” shifted as her understanding of her autistic family members grew.
