disability — Blog — The Banquet Network

People-Based Ministry

If a gingerbread house can be accessible, why can’t the Church? Learn how the church can take practical steps towards disability inclusion and how The Banquet Network can help!

Burden Bearing

I have spent so much of my time living with a disability trying to avoid “being a burden” to others. I have answered, “I’m fine” when my soul was screaming, “I’m not sure I can make it another moment;” I have tried to manage my own accessibility concerns instead of inconveniencing others; and I have been ashamed when I haven’t been able to achieve that all-important 21st century ideal of independence.

The Banquet NetworkJuly 17, 2023disability, disability and the church, disability and the gospel, disabilities, disability inclusion, disability awareness, celebrating disability, special needs, burden bearing, burden, theologian, law of Christ

3 Errors That Undermine the Imago Dei When Ministering to the Disabled

Are we, the Church, viewing people who have disabilities as image bearers to our Creator? Chris Hulshof writes about three common errors we see in the Church when ministering to individuals and families who have disabilities. In this blog, you’ll learn about the dangers to these conducts and how you can prevent them from taking place in the Church today.

The Banquet NetworkJuly 10, 2023disabilities, disability, disability awareness, disability and the gospel, disability and the church, worldview, Thomas Aquinas, ministry, church ministry, disability ministry, special needs ministry, special needs, special needs dad, imago dei, image of God, image bearing, image bearers, disabled

Holistic Inclusion in the Church

Just like one part of our physical body can significantly affect another, the same is true in our spiritual body, the Church. That’s why, when we have a disability ministry, we need to think of how the church can holistically minister to families with disabilities.

The Banquet NetworkJune 12, 2023disability, disability and the gospel, disability and the bible, disability friendly church, disability and the church, disability awareness, disability friendly, disabled people, special needs mom, special needs, healthy baby, blessing, disability is a blessing

Six Ways to Involve People with Disability in Church Ministry

People with disabilities can and should serve in every area of the church from leadership on down. Let’s not limit people with disabilities by assuming they don’t want to serve. People with disabilities are an indispensable part of the body (1 Corinthians 12:22), and when they are visible in church ministry, God’s light shines through.

The Banquet NetworkMay 29, 2023disability, disability and the gospel, disability and the bible, disability friendly church, disability and the church, disability awareness, disability friendly, disabled people, special needs mom, special needs, healthy baby, blessing, disability is a blessing

Be Brave. You Are Not Alone.

In 2018, I walked through the hardest year of my life. My son, Kaiden, received an autism diagnosis. Six months later, my husband, Matt, boarded a plane to go halfway around the world to serve our country for a year. So, there I was, trying to navigate the uncharted waters of all things therapy for my son while helping my daughter survive second grade. I felt like it was more than I could handle. But that is when we learn to lean on God’s everlasting arms.

The Banquet NetworkMay 15, 2023autism, diagnosis, disability, disability inclusion, disability ministry, disability awareness, special needs mom

The Greatest Advocate

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines an advocate as "one who defends or maintains a cause." However, as Christians we have access to the single greatest advocate that stands in on our behalf.

The Banquet NetworkJanuary 9, 2023advocate, disability inclusion, disability, God

The Accessible Gingerbread House

If a gingerbread house can be accessible, why can’t the Church? Learn how the church can take practical steps towards disability inclusion and how The Banquet Network can help!

5 Tips to Make Your Christmas Eve Service Inclusive and Accessible

'The most wonderful time of the year’ isn’t wonderful for everyone. Many schools take a brief intermission to celebrate the season and welcome the new year. And for our children who thrive on regularity and routine, Christmas break can feel more like a Christmas breakdown. If you want to have a big impact on your community this Christmas, utilize these five tips to make your Christmas Eve service both inclusive and accessible for individuals and families impacted by disability.

The Banquet NetworkDecember 21, 2022olaf, frozen, i like warm hugs, I don't like warm hugs, overstimulation, triggered, changes, transition, hello, time for toys and time for cheer, alvin and the chipmunks, chipmunks, sensory toys, gadgets, fidgets, fidget toy, fidget spinner, sensory toy, sensory room, noise cancelling headphones, headphones, earplugs, chiffon scarves, silly putty, fidget popper, popper, sensory gadgets, glowsticks, candlelit, candlelight service, christmas eve, christmas eve service, christmas season, christmas, buddy the elf, buddy, christmas program, the best way to spread christmas cheer, the best way to spread christmas cheer is by singing loud for all to hear, singing loud for all to hear, carol of the bells, red and green, inclusive, disability inclusive, disability inclusion, disability inclusive congregation, ear buds, music, overstimulating, simplicity is key, full house, reserved seats, behind schedule, digital effects, white text, black background, visual impairment, hearing impairment, deaf, deaf community, accomodate, accessibility, accessible church, accomodation, disability, disability tips, disabilities, special needs, special needs family, special needs ministry, ministry, church, disability ministry, the season of giving, december, exchanging gifts, gifts, christmas gift, serve, service, 1 Peter 4:10, sharing gifts, ushing team, usher, greeting team, greeter, walmart greeter, volunteer, church volunteer, invite, talents, congregation, community, present the gospel, the most wonderful time of the year, christmas break, breakdown, christmas breakdown, tips

Camper Baptized Following Every Child Belongs Camp

Every Christian parent longs for his or her child to be baptized, but for some families, that's not easy as it sounds, particularly for children impacted by disability. Learn about Kim Stillwell and her daughter Katie’s baptism story when they attended the second annual Every Child Belongs Camp last summer.

The Banquet NetworkDecember 13, 2022disability, disability camp, baptism, disability baptism, down syndrome, baptized, camper, disabled camper, disability awareness, BCMD, every child belongs, camp, special needs camp, special needs ministry, disability ministry, Skycroft, the gathering place, cresthill church, baptist convention of maryland/delaware, hughesville Baptist Church, bayside baptist, cancer, cancer journey, baptismal pool, surgery, radiation treatments, disability ministry director, disability inclusive, disability inclusive congregation, campers, special needs campers, campers with disabilities, disability program, church community, local church, barrier to baptism, Jesus, Savior, sins, gospel, disability and the bible, disability and the gospel, disability and the church, faith journey, volunteer, camp volunteer, buddy, camp buddy, special needs buddy, buddy system

3 Perspectives We See in Jesus’ Ministry to the Disabled

When we look at Jesus’ ministry to disabled people, we see at the heart of it the value a human being has over questions, outcomes, and paradigms. Learn about how a church ministry can shift its focus from these three things by instead looking at the life of Jesus.

The Banquet NetworkSeptember 19, 2022jesus and disability, theology of disability, disability, jesus' ministry, church ministry, disability ministry, jairus' house, ministry paradigm, beyond suffering, joni and friends, jesus heals, blind beggar, blind, beggar, john 9

Sufficiency of the Father

The diagnoses we receive in life surely have an impact on us. Though they become a part of us, they can never define our true identity. We hope this article serves as a healthy reminder to why we don’t need to operate out of false strengths in our moments of weakness.

4 Tips to Support Special Educators, Students, and Parents

As summer’s curtain comes to a close, our special educators, students, and parents affected by disability are preparing for another year of school. Learn how your church can support and encourage these individuals in your community with these 4 tips.

Celebrate Your In-Dependence

On Independence Day, we get to celebrate the freedoms God has granted us. As a country that highly esteems independence, individualism and self-sufficiency, we oftentimes forget the equally beneficial, scripturally-mandated privilege of being in-dependence on God and relying on others within the Body of Christ. Glenda Durano encourages readers to live as a Biblical community, rejoice in our diversity, and support one another as we discover the beauty of in-dependence from our families with disabilities.

Opening our Eyes to Invisible Disabilities

We believe the Church is disabled when it doesn’t include people with disabilities, including the disabilities that we cannot see. Katie Matthews, Executive Director of The Banquet Network, was selected to give a QuickTake at Key Ministry’s Inclusion Fusion Live Conference. Learn about Matthew’s discussion on, “Opening our Eyes to Invisible Disabilities.”

We share content in hopes that it will encourage you to reach the disability community.

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