Here's a new question for the discussion group: Considering the time involved with disability ministry how and when do you find time to evangelize and reach out to the disabled around you?
I don't think we in Joy Fellowship do a great job of this.
Our outreach happens a bit at Saturday bowling - where many of our folks go each week, and we meet other folks with disabilities there. we might also meet some at Special Olympics events.
We have a couple of community events each year that new people will sometimes visit, and then follow up on coming to church. We also participate in Missionsfest, a regional missions conference each year, as a sponsoring church, but also as a participating agency, and that is the one time in the year when we stand up and say to the Christian community locally, here we are and this is what we do, and how you could work with us...
Members of our fellowship sometimes will invite friends or neighbors or strangers sometimes, although this does not result in many people showing up.
We visit group homes in the Lower Mainland, usually by invitation, and sometimes participate in Memorial services for folks in those group homes, who have no other church contacts, and those visits or services can bring us into contact with new interested people sometimes.
Friends in other churches will sometimes invite their friends to come help at one of our camps, which is the best way to build quick relationships, and that can have lasting value.
We tried an ad in the local Christian newspaper for six months, but only had one response I am aware of.
Our website is one of our best public presentations, and we get people responding to that from time to time.
Personal contact is the best way, and we haven't got a strong strategy for developing those contacts.
Our main concept for outreach from the beginning has been to share the vision God has laid on our hearts over and over again. If somebody is willing to listen we share it. That vision is much to big for any of us to fulfill, and as God has unfolded His way of making it all happen there is a testimony that Christians and Non Christians alike cannot deny. Within that vision is the work, which allows people with and with out disabilities to serve side by side. This has an effect on all who participate. With all of that, a testimony is built and the excitement for all that is happening builds so that outreach is not simply done by our staff but by social workers, job coaches, families, pastors, donors and others who are excited for what God is doing and even by those who are not Christians for the positive loving environment that exists around Camp Daniel, The Able Church and all the programs we offer. Our name is out there allot, I rarely wear clothing that does not have a Camp Daniel patch on it, that opens doors to conversation, We have mini brochures that can be given out at any time, we are in the paper regularly, and we partner as much as possible with other churches and ministries as they share our vision with positive talk about us. We use the website, and have several blogs many people follow also. I guess I would say our concept is to share what God is doing and that is enough to generate positive talk and that means more than anything we can say! All this happens in order to bring people with disabilities into our camps, church and other programs where they will here the Gospel. SOmetimes reaching those who are part of an individuals life on a daily basis is as important as reaching an individual, it is just all about getting people to come to the programs we have going. Our last ind most important piece to this overall concept is to understand that those with mental disabilities live in a distinct sub culture and we work to grow leaders, pastors, and disciples who understand they are to be missionaries in their own culture to share the gospel. They are far more effective in being missionaries than we are as they speak the language. We are there as helpers, encouragers, friends, and teachers to make sure those engaged in the process have the tools to be missionaries. This strategy has worked well for us, but is something always changing and I believe is different than for every ministry depending on where we are in our history and process.
I don't think we in Joy Fellowship do a great job of this.
ReplyDeleteOur outreach happens a bit at Saturday bowling - where many of our folks go each week, and we meet other folks with disabilities there. we might also meet some at Special Olympics events.
We have a couple of community events each year that new people will sometimes visit, and then follow up on coming to church.
We also participate in Missionsfest, a regional missions conference each year, as a sponsoring church, but also as a participating agency, and that is the one time in the year when we stand up and say to the Christian community locally, here we are and this is what we do, and how you could work with us...
Members of our fellowship sometimes will invite friends or neighbors or strangers sometimes, although this does not result in many people showing up.
We visit group homes in the Lower Mainland, usually by invitation, and sometimes participate in Memorial services for folks in those group homes, who have no other church contacts, and those visits or services can bring us into contact with new interested people sometimes.
Friends in other churches will sometimes invite their friends to come help at one of our camps, which is the best way to build quick relationships, and that can have lasting value.
We tried an ad in the local Christian newspaper for six months, but only had one response I am aware of.
Our website is one of our best public presentations, and we get people responding to that from time to time.
Personal contact is the best way, and we haven't got a strong strategy for developing those contacts.
thanks Craig - David
Our main concept for outreach from the beginning has been to share the vision God has laid on our hearts over and over again. If somebody is willing to listen we share it. That vision is much to big for any of us to fulfill, and as God has unfolded His way of making it all happen there is a testimony that Christians and Non Christians alike cannot deny. Within that vision is the work, which allows people with and with out disabilities to serve side by side. This has an effect on all who participate.
ReplyDeleteWith all of that, a testimony is built and the excitement for all that is happening builds so that outreach is not simply done by our staff but by social workers, job coaches, families, pastors, donors and others who are excited for what God is doing and even by those who are not Christians for the positive loving environment that exists around Camp Daniel, The Able Church and all the programs we offer.
Our name is out there allot, I rarely wear clothing that does not have a Camp Daniel patch on it, that opens doors to conversation, We have mini brochures that can be given out at any time, we are in the paper regularly, and we partner as much as possible with other churches and ministries as they share our vision with positive talk about us. We use the website, and have several blogs many people follow also.
I guess I would say our concept is to share what God is doing and that is enough to generate positive talk and that means more than anything we can say! All this happens in order to bring people with disabilities into our camps, church and other programs where they will here the Gospel. SOmetimes reaching those who are part of an individuals life on a daily basis is as important as reaching an individual, it is just all about getting people to come to the programs we have going.
Our last ind most important piece to this overall concept is to understand that those with mental disabilities live in a distinct sub culture and we work to grow leaders, pastors, and disciples who understand they are to be missionaries in their own culture to share the gospel. They are far more effective in being missionaries than we are as they speak the language. We are there as helpers, encouragers, friends, and teachers to make sure those engaged in the process have the tools to be missionaries. This strategy has worked well for us, but is something always changing and I believe is different than for every ministry depending on where we are in our history and process.