One of the greatest gifts a teacher can bestow upon students in their Sunday School class is the gift of empathy, being able to understand and see the world from another’s perspective. Children with disabilities not only face the possibility of additional physical, intellectual, emotional, and social challenges more than most but also a host of other challenges that can make functioning in children’s ministry a bit more difficult than their peers. If we as teachers understand those challenges, we are able to better support and …

This fall I’m leading a breakout session at NOC2010 titled, Outreach in the Crises of Life.  I’m convinced that care and ministry during life’s crises is not only a great thing to do, but the most overlooked outreach opportunity churches have.  Crisis ministry focuses on what churches do best — helping people find meaning in life’s great transitions such as birth, marriage, illness, aging, and death to name a few.

Unfortunately, outreach in life’s crises is often reserved for our own church members as part of a typical …

With poetry by Jerome Washington

He said, “Be patient my son for the Journey will be more clear.”