Community Connections: September-October 2005 WSCN

Welcoming Spiritual Communities Newsletter
September - October 2005

In this Issue: Teaching Religion and Spirituality to all Children

Sometimes people cannot participate in a faith community because of disabilities caused by conditions present at birth, illness, age, or accidents. One in five families faces the challenge of disability. Spiritual communities that welcome everyone attract new members and allow long-time members to remain active as they age or when they are coping with the effects of an accident or illness. Many times, there are easy, inexpensive ways to welcome individuals with disabilities in your congregation and create the sense of belonging that is so essential to religious communities.

Through the bi-monthly Welcoming Spiritual Communities Newsletter, you have easy access to information about how to make your congregation more welcoming, which includes access to information, ideas, and resources that can help you open doors to persons with disabilities and their families. You can also publicize information about your community on our web site. Furthermore, we can work with you or your committee regarding ways to make your religious community more welcoming. We thank you for your leadership on behalf of people with disabilities and look forward to hearing from you.

In upcoming issues:

November/December 2005: Putting out the Spiritual Welcome Mat (information on nurturing inclusive spiritual communities with tips for ushers, greeters, ministries, and congregations)

January/February 2006: Building Bridges to Other Spiritual Communities (information on collaborating with other communities to enhance spiritual programs and tips on energy and cost-saving resources)

March/April 2006: Welcoming Spiritual Gifts in Ministries (information on recognizing and inviting all members to share and serve in spiritual communities with tips for spiritual leaders in various ministries)

May/June 2006: Keeping the Spirit Throughout the Summer (information on creating inclusive camp and vacation Bible programs with tips for educators, volunteers, children, and families)

This issue highlights:

	Articles
	Editorial comment: Online Training Modules… Free (for a limited time) Research: Role of Spirituality and Religion in Family Quality of Life for Families of Children with Disabilities Practical application: Children With Autism: Strategies for Accessing the Curriculum: Religious Education
	Kids Corner
	Wisdom by and for kids and others: Filling Your Holes A mother shares the wisdom offered by her son, Kalonji, about allowing God to make us ‘whole’ when our spirits and lives are not feeling full. Kalonji is an insightful nine year old, who uses a power wheelchair and other adaptive equipment due to cerebral palsy.
	Tip Sheet
	Check out these tips: Including Children in Spiritual Communities
	Spotlight
	Check out this organization: McLean Bible Church
	Recommended Website
	Check out this link: http://www.coping.org/specialneeds/spirituality.htm (Addressing the Spirituality Needs of Children with Disabilities and their Parents)
	Book Corner
	Humor for the Spirit
	Bottle of Virtues joke

Articles

Editorial comment: Online Training Modules… Free (for a limited time)
Online training modules created by Community Connections are coming soon and access will be FREE for a limited time! Our online modules provide providers, family members, and other interested individuals with self-guided lessons on making community programs, businesses, and spiritual settings more welcoming to all children, including those with disabilities. Watch the Community Connections website for information about how you and your organization can participate in this free, exciting, and supportive opportunity. Click here for more information http://communityconnections.umd.edu/

Research: Role of Spirituality and Religion In Family Quality of Life For Families of Children With Disabilities
By D. Poston and A.P. Turnbull
Published in 2004 in Education and Training in Developmental Disabilities, Vol. 39, No. 2, pages 95-108. Available online at http://www.beachcenter.org/research/default.asp?intResourceID=1485&act=detail&type=Staff&id=3
Overview: This article looks at the results of a study in which families described the importance of spirituality in their lives, how spirituality helped them make sense of the presence of disability in their lives, and how they participated in religious communities. There is also a discussion of strategies to enhance family spiritual well-being, to provide spiritually sensitive supports, and to promote inclusive religious communities for children with mental retardation and developmental disabilities and their families. The information is based on responses of individuals with and without disabilities and of family members (e.g., parents and siblings) of children with and without disabilities, as well as service providers, educators, and social service agencies. Based on their research findings, the authors of this article conclude that spirituality and religion play important roles in the lives of families of children with disabilities, and that religious practice often brings meaning, solace and strength during difficult times. It can also bring friendship, and emotional and practical support through religious communities and organizations. Families of children with disabilities may need supports to be able to benefit from religious practice and activities. Religious and community disability organizations can step up and fill the need for supports, which don’t require a lot of time or money, just awareness and a willingness to reach out.

Practical application: Children with Autism: Strategies for Accessing the Curriculum… Religious Education
Published by the North West Regional Special Educational Needs Partnership
Available online at http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/_doc/6704/religious%20education.pdf
Overview: This manual explores the reality that spirituality is a very abstract idea and many students, those with and without disabilities, may have difficulty coming to terms with their own and other people's spiritual awareness. According to the authors, religious education supports students as they explore questions about life and living that are asked in all communities and cultures, and helps them consider their own beliefs and values and begin to understand the importance of personal commitment and responsibility. This manual helps teachers understand how to recognize, understand, and encourage religious beliefs and practices of students with and without disabilities, including respect for attitudes and ideas that are different from their own. The aim is for pupils to respect the beliefs and practices of others and to develop a sensitive attitude to living in a multi-faith society. There is a special emphasis on teaching spirituality to students who have autism or developmental disabilities.

Kids Corner

Filling Your Holes!
Offered by Amy Griffin
Wisdom by Kalonji Griffin (age 9)

As we were driving home from church one day, my nine year old son, Kalonji, told me a great story. He said to me, “We are born ‘whole’. But, the devil makes ‘holes’ in us. In those ‘holes’ are things like disabilities. But, for every hole made by the devil, God fills it with special gifts so that we are whole again.”

Now as we continued to talk, he told me that these ‘disabilities’ (the things that ‘dis’ ‘able’ us), can be things like sadness, or any other thing that might make us feel not whole. We talked about a little boy at church who gets picked on sometimes because he is a little larger than most kids, but God has filled his holes with the awesome talent of playing the saxophone. My son also told me that God is always in there, battling the devil to fill the holes in each of us.

So, here is a message from my son, Kalonji, to all of you who are feeling like the devil has ‘dis-abled’ you: Remember God is in the ring, constantly filling your holes, so that you can be whole once again.

Tip Sheet

Tips for Including Children in Spiritual Communities

This tipsheet, which highlights attitudes, language, and support that fosters a welcoming community for all children is selected from one of the many useful pages found on the Community Connections website. Click here to read tip sheet on our website http://www.communityconnections.umd.edu/tipsheets/TipsforIncludingChildreninSpiritualComm.pdf

Spotlight

McLean Bible Church
8925 Leesburg Pike (Route 7)
Vienna, VA
www.mcleanbible.org

One of the many ministries found at McLean Bible Church is the ‘Access Ministry’ which began in 1996 with a Sunday school class in which there were four children who had been diagnosed with various disabilities. These children had difficulty attending typical classes, but the leaders at McLean sought a way to foster spiritual growth in a way that these children could enjoy and appreciate. Since that time, this organization has served hundreds of children and families who live with disabilities across the Washington, DC metropolitan area. Their programs include: fourteen Saturday and Sunday Bible school classes for more than a hundred children with special needs each weekend; Friday evening and Saturday respite care programs four times a month to provide a much-needed break for families; ‘The Friendship Club’ for adults with developmental delays, which offers two classes each weekend, quarterly social outings and a community-based summer VBS series; ‘Signs of Life Deaf Community’ for those who are Deaf or hard of hearing, including interpretation services church-wide at MBC; ‘Soaring Over Seven Summer Camp’ which offers a five week summer adventure for nearly a hundred children with special needs in the Washington, DC area each July; ‘Accessibility Summit’ which is a national conference for the disability community and faith-based organizations; and monthly parent support groups, parent training workshops, community education series, and year-round family events.

Recommended Website

http://www.coping.org/specialneeds/spirituality.htm

This website has lots of useful information about addressing the spirituality needs of children with disabilities and their parents, including disability definitions and statistics, approaches to working with children, and a discussion of the lifelong spiritual needs of children.

Book Corner

Recommended reading:
Children's Pastor / Children’s Sunday School Teachers Help Tools --- Exceptional Teaching: A Comprehensive Guide for Including Students With Disabilities; Standard Publishing Co.; ISBN: 0784712557; (February 2002) A wonderful help for spiritual leaders and those who teach religion to children, offering information on specific disabilities and teaching tips related to their learning styles. To order go to: http://ccfh.org

Feed All My Sheep: A Guide and Curriculum for Adults with Developmental Disabilities, by Doris C. Clark, Louisville, KY: Geneva Press, 2000. Recognizing the needs for religious education and full inclusion among adults with developmental disabilities, author Doris Clark has written a book that guides churches in planning and implementing this special education ministry.

In Our Weakness by Lorrie Lewis, Abundant Answers Publishing Company, P.O. Box 6163, San Rafael, CA 94902, ISBN 1-878110-00-4 soft cover. Author is a parent of a child with a disability. Her son, Andy, experienced an accidental fall as an infant which caused injury to his brain. Her husband lives with a seizure disorder. The three of them serve God in an awesome way. To order, visit their site http://www.discoverabilities.com/

Special Needs, Special Ministry for Children's Ministry, Foreword by Joni Eareckson Tada. Contributing editors Jim Pierson, Louise Tucker Jones and Pat Verbal. Group Publishing ISBN 0-7644-2547-1 . A book with information to help people prepare for the inclusion of children with special needs in local church programs.

Bibles for various reading levels:
***Community Connections is interested in gathering and disseminating information about reading levels for all spiritual doctrines and beliefs. If you have any information about recommended books or reading levels for Jewish, Muslim, Christian, ethical, or any other religious denomination, please contact us at: communityconnections@umd.edu

Read With Me Bible –NIV- Wonderful pictures ISBN 0-310-91662-3 Zondervan (marketed towards young children, but also useful for teens due to great visuals and simple reading.)

The Picture Bible - Chariot Victor Publishing - ISBN 0-78143-055-0 TEENS (Good for non-readers of any age due to comic book format. Great for teens and adults who cannot read, but for those who can read, it may be difficult because it is in comic book print and Bible wording.

Picture Bible Devotions - To use alongside The Picture Bible (above) Paperback, Publisher: Chariot Victor Pub. ISBN: 0781430674; (August 1998)

Holy Bible New International Reader’s Version Bible (NIrV)– Reading Level Grade 3, uses shorter words and sentences. No pictures in adult version. The are numerous editions of the NIrV translation prepared for children but the adult edition is prepared for people who are learning to read at any age such as those who use English as a second language, or people who have difficulty reading. www.zondervan.com or call 1.800.727.1309

Additional Bible reading level tips:
Grade 12 (12.0) King James Version

Grade 10 (10.0) New American Standard Bible

Grade 8 (8.3) The Living Bible

Grade 7 (7.3) New International Version

Grade 6 (6.3) New Living Translation

Grade 3 (3.8) New International Readers Version

Adult non-readers - The Picture Bible ISBN 0-78143-055- 0
Comic Book format but with real life drawings. Has words but can be read with an adult using the visuals to help them remember the story/message. Our deaf children/teens like it too.

The Holy Bible - The New International Version- New Testament and Psalms by International Bible Society 1820 Jet Stream Dr.,Colorado Springs Co ISBN 99004000 Hard cover, easy to turn spiral bound pages, large print.

Humor for the Spirit

A minister is trying to inspire the congregation to live in pure and virtuous ways by sharing the following creative example: "There are four worms. One is put into a bottle full of pure whiskey. One is put into a bottle full of cigarette smoke. One is put into a bottle full of chocolate syrup. And one is put into a bottle full of rich dirt. Of course, across time the worms in the first three bottles die. But the worm in the bottle filled with earth lives. What does this tell you about how we should live?" From the back of the place of worship, an elderly woman yells out, "If we drink whiskey, smoke heavily, and eat plenty of chocolate, we won't have worms!"

We currently offer training and technical consultation to businesses, churches, and other community organizations to help make them more welcoming to families and children with special needs. If you know of a business or other organization that would like to take advantage of these services, please e-mail us at: communityconnections@umd.edu
OR
If you know of a business that is already welcoming to children with special needs and their families and you would like to share this information with other families and professionals, please send us your name as well as the name and contact information for the business with a brief description of why you believe they are welcoming to families. If appropriate, we will post the business on our website and we may even feature it as a 'Spotlight if the Month'. E-mail your submissions to: communityconnections@umd.edu

*Questions or Suggestions about our newsletter? Have an idea you would like to submit? Please feel free to contact us at communityconnections@umd.edu

Thanks for subscribing to the Welcoming Communities newsletter! Welcoming Communities is put out by Community Connections, which is a grant at the University of Maryland at College Park funded by the United States Department of Education. The goal of this project is to facilitate the participation of young children with special needs in community settings. We do this by increasing opportunities for kids with disabilities to participate in the community, promoting awareness of disabilities, and providing support to parents and organizations that include children with special needs.

For more information about Community Connections, please visit our website at: http://www.communityconnections.umd.edu/
Our website is updated regularly…Check back often for new info!

The Community Connections Team

Virus Protection
We are very careful about our email communications. This EMAIL and any ATTACHMENTS are sent under the protection of Norton Antivirus.

Disclaimer
Unless otherwise noted, all referenced articles are available at no charge to you. Community Connections provides this for informational purposes only and cannot attest to the accuracy of information provided by linked sites. The opinions and views expressed at these web sites do not necessarily reflect the opinions and views of Community Connections. Any personal information requested by any of the web sites will be governed by the privacy policy at the site, and any questions you have related to the sites' use of information should be directed there. The information contained in this newsletter is not intended to make any offer or commitment to purchase, subscribe to, provide or sell any service or product or to provide any recommendations on which readers should rely.

New Subscribers
We welcome new subscribers. If you would like to join our growing list please go to our
Welcoming Communities Newsletter Subscription Page on the website.

Remove
If you do not want to receive this newsletter, please click here and send the email. We will immediately delete your name from our subscription list.

You are free to forward this complete newsletter to friends and associates.
Commercial Re-Use Prohibited.

Helping to Facilitate the Participation of Children with Disabilities in Community Settings

Welcoming Spiritual Communities Newsletter September - October 2005