Opening Arms and Overcoming Insecurities
Sho Baraka, Orange Pizza, and Welcoming Special Needs Families
Hey friends,
Last Tuesday, artist and author Sho Baraka posted a video on social media of his son, who has been diagnosed with Autism, enjoying a church worship service. The video shows him as he dances and skips back and forth to the music (Follow the link to check out the video). Baraka wrote:
This is my son at church. Years ago I would have been embarrassed. Not only am I not embarrassed but I’m encouraged by his liberty. I pray more churches create environments for special needs families.
I also pray families will overcome their insecurities.
I love this post because Baraka speaks to a pervasive reality. Clemson University professor Andrew Whitehead’s landmark research published in the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion in 2018 suggests that the presence of specific mental health, developmental, and physical disabilities significantly increases the likelihood that children with those disabilities will never attend church.
When we ask why this is the case, we must give two answers (and Baraka’s two prayers speak to these two intertwined realities):
First, churches can do a better job of being inclusive and accessible.
Second, parents of kids with special needs need help to overcome deeply felt insecurities.
Gospel-Centered Family’s mission is to help parents and church leaders share Jesus with the next generation. This week, we highlight some resources that will help local churches open their arms for special needs families and equip parents of kids with disabilities to overcome their insecurities. Below you’ll also find the latest episode of our family worship podcast, Press Pause, and our weekly links. But first, let me tell you how I spent my evening after I saw Sho Baraka’s tweet.
A Conversation About Special Needs Families and Decision Fatigue
Later Tuesday night, I got to sit down on Facebook Live with some friends, Sandra Peoples and Todd Robertson, to talk about special needs families, decision fatigue, and how churches can help.
In her talk and the question and answer time, Sandra spoke to the two big enemies special needs parents face when it comes to decision-making—fear of the future and guilt over the past. We also talked about how fear, guilt, and decision fatigue affect our approach to church on Sunday mornings. I appreciated it when Sandra walked us through her family’s Sunday routine, which involves her church’s buddy ministry, some care and help from family members who live nearby, and orange pizza! If you missed the conversation, you can still find it for free on Facebook.
If you watch the LRBA conversation and want your church to grow in offering a warm welcome to kids and families who experience disability, you might consider our new cohort with Sandra Peoples. In GCF’s special needs ministry cohort, you will build a theology of disability based on Scripture and learn how to launch a special needs ministry or strengthen your existing special needs ministry. This cohort will teach you to support families, work with other staff members and volunteers, grow your ministry through outreach, and provide opportunities for the whole church to use their gifts to build up Christ’s body. Check out all of our January cohorts and register here.
This Week’s Episode of Press Pause
GCF’s Trey Kullman has been hard at work on the latest Press Pause podcast. Our latest episode asks the question, “What is God like?” Here’s a quote from the devotional:
People build rocket ships to fly above the atmosphere and to the moon and Mars. We send satellites to the edges of our solar system, and we build telescopes to see beyond our galaxy. People have never traveled to the edge of the universe, but, even if we could, God is still bigger. The Bible says, “LORD, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth! Your glory is higher than the heavens.”
Give it a listen and subscribe to Press Pause on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or Spotify. If you’re already a listener, we’d love it if you gave the podcast a rating and review.
This Week’s Links
Here’s our list of blog posts we’ve found helpful:
Daniel Darling writes for D6 on social media. He gives 9 things to think about before making a social media post.
Our friends Marty Machowski and Deepak Reju give us five principles that guide a children’s ministry’s partnership with parents.
Julie Lowe writes for New Growth Press about suicide. She gives 13 reasons why life is worth living. If you have teens or work with them, this post is helpful.
In his latest for World, Samuel James argues that the best thing that can happen for homeschooling in America is a broad, racially and economically diverse coalition. This is a strong article.
I also enjoyed this retrospective from NPR on the kids’ television show, The Electric Company (where Morgan Freeman got his start as an actor!)
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