With Ministries Quarterly Update
Flourish – Fall 2024
A Letter From Rebecca
Happy fall! Over the summer, we are blessed to see our team grow by 3 passionate experts who are using their gifts to further the mission and vision of With Ministries. This means more churches are resourced, supported, and catalyzed toward creating belonging for all congregants.
We are dedicated to moving churches toward with-ness– where people with and without disabilities worship, lead, and minister alongside one another. We believe with-ness is displayed by standing alongside every member of the Body of Christ, ensuring that our churches are spaces where all are welcomed, valued– and more importantly– lovingly engaged.
We are seeing change and we are deeply encouraged! When leaders see our research, remember the centrality of persons with disabilities in the gospels, and receive the necessary support from our team, we are beginning to see true and lasting change. Churches are moving toward families and individuals experiencing disability for the first time and seeing the beauty in our God-designed differences.
Your support allows for real change in churches across the country.
We are grateful for your partnership, and we pray you feel encouraged by the stories in this update and the part you are playing in this culture change that is happening in churches.
Thank you for being with us!
Rebecca Wall
Executive Director
Worship as One
LEARNING WITH CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES ABOUT WORSHIP & PRAYER
The Project
In partnership with Lilly Endowment Inc., our Worship As One project launched in June! Already, we are seeing significant changes in churches that allow for participation and inclusion of children experiencing disabilities. Our cohort participants are eager to learn, implement best practices, and explore new ways of engaging children in worship.
Each church receives tailored resources and tools that leaders can adjust to meet the needs of their specific church and children. Over the last 3 months, With Ministries has created and provided church partners with 7 new resources to facilitate the spiritual growth of all children attending church.
Additionally, parents of children experiencing disability were provided 2 different tools for parents to engage their child in prayer. The feedback from parents of children of all abilities has been so positive and some have found a way to connect and pray with their child for the first time!
We continually hear from churches about the increased participation for children with disabilities in worship services, volunteers being better equipped to serve, and parents exploring prayer practices with their children. As this cohort continues over the next 18 months, we cannot wait to see these 8 churches flourish with children experiencing disability fully participating in the life of the church!
The Research
Our project is especially innovative in the ways we are partnering with Baylor University to embed rigorous research into our work. For example, we recently finished an interview study focused on the “church stories” of parents of children with disabilities. Parents spoke about the challenges they often experience attending church, the supports they find most helpful, and the ways the embrace of their church can impact their family. This fall, we will be surveying children’s ministry leaders and pastors to learn about their experiences with inclusion and the resources that they would find most helpful. We will use what we learn to guide our ongoing work with churches and families.
Our next cohort will launch in the spring of 2025 and we cannot wait to continue learning with churches about worship and prayer practices that make churches a place for all children to be discipled and share their gifts!
Our Core Values
Partner With Us!
As we move toward the end of 2024, please consider giving toward our work of equipping congregations to move from doing ministry to individuals impacted by disability to prioritizing ministry with people with disabilities. Your generosity allows for real and meaningful change in lives, churches, homes, and pulpits. We’d be honored by your end-of-year financial support!
