With Ministries Quarterly Update
Flourish – Spring 2024
A Letter From Rebecca
Happy spring! With Ministries is bustling with excitement as we are visiting partner churches, traveling to speak at conferences, launching new online platforms to equip hundreds of churches as well as establishing new partnerships! We have a team full of passionate and knowledgeable leaders who faithfully and creatively equip church communities in 24 countries. Great things are happening!
At the forefront of all that we do, we remain committed to our vision of seeing people with and without disability growing deeper in their relationship with God and with each other in community together. We long to see all people experience the embrace of their faith community.
Did you know that 1 in 3 families are impacted by disability? Recently, I had the privilege of learning from a family and hearing a bit of their story. Jim shared some of the deep hurt his family has experienced when trying to find a faith community as well as a glimpse into the obstacles they face when attending church on Sundays.
“It takes an enormous amount of effort to bring an autistic child to church– to endure the stares, the pity, and the overall feeling of not fitting in. It is much easier to stay at home. However, we desperately need a faith community.”
We desperately need a faith community. This is why we do what we do. This is why our work deeply matters. We equip congregations so that when a family experiencing disability enters their building, they are met with the embrace of the entire church community.
We thank God for the With Ministries community and donors like you! Your participation in this work is deeply meaningful to our entire team. We pray for you, remember you, and are humbled by your support of our ministry. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
With Ministries equips churches to flourish as one body
Worship As One
With Ministries’ Worship As One: Learning with Children with Disabilities About Worship & Prayer project is underway! In partnership with 8 churches around the country, we are exploring new ways of planning worship that are accessible and engaging for children with disabilities and their families over the next two years. Additionally, we will support parents in nurturing the faith formation of their children with disabilities between Sundays.
This spring, Rebecca, Kristin, and Tory will visit our partners, listen to the needs of each team, and give them dozens of resources to catalyze their church in the area of disability inclusion. Our first few visits have gone incredibly well, and we rejoiced as our learning communities had “light bulb” moments regarding disability inclusion and creating belonging!
After our visit to Waxahachie Bible, Twyla shared, “I’m excited to see how this ministry will change the way we, as a church, interact with and love on families of children with disabilities. Every child and family deserves the opportunity to worship God in an inclusive environment and to be part of the Body of Christ. Thank you With Ministries for equipping our team and investing in our congregation.” We sure do love what we get to do!
Participating Churches are in:
Waxahachie, TX
Midland, TX
San Antonio, TX
Frisco, TX
Chattanooga, TN
Hudsonville, MI
Warrenville, IL
Bible Study is Better Together
With Ministries equips congregations to study God’s Word together by providing relevant, digital, and accessible Bible studies. In March, we launched our new online adult Bible study curriculum, Together! Our partnership with the Van Den Bosch Gospel Foundation made this much-desired, updated online platform come to life!
Our 50 lessons are designed with engaging and creative options to meet the needs of each participant, whether in a Friendship Group or other Bible study group. We are delighted to resource churches with Together to create Biblical communities for people of all abilities. May we reach thousands!
Together Launch Stats
We are fully committed to the With philosophy of not only creating congregations that are inclusive of persons with disabilities but also valuing and empowering people of all abilities to exercise their gifts as full partners in the church’s ministry.
– Bill, Grand Rapids, MI