Family Village Worship Center

This Center includes religious/faith/spiritual resources for those who have disabilities.

• Promoting Accessibility
• General Worship Resources
• Educational Worship Resources

Promoting Accessibility

• Congregational Accessibility Network (CAN)
  A new initiative to promote accessibility and a welcoming spirit among congregations toward persons with any kind of disability. Disabilities include physical, cognitive, developmental, and emotional conditions which significantly affect mobility, learning, communication, socialization, and daily living patterns.
• How Welcoming is Your Congregation?
  How welcoming is your congregation toward people with disabilities? Find out using the following tools: Use the Audit of Barriers to identify the specific attitudinal, communications and architectural barriers that are keeping people with disabilities from fully participating in congregational life. Use the Journey of a Congregation to determine your congregation's overall level of commitment toward the goal of full participation and inclusion of children and adults with disabilities.
• Churches for All
  A partnership of UK Christian disability organisations. The Churches for All partners have a breadth of experience and depth of knowledge on disability issues - challenging and enabling churches to fully include disabled people. Our aim is to help churches create and sustain an environment where disabled people can participate fully in church life for the benefit of all. Disabled people are involved in the leadership of Churches for All and many of its partner organisations.
• Funding Sources For Disability Ministries
  Article by Rev. Sue Montgomery, Disability Consultant for Mobility, Presbyterian Church
• Making Your Church Accessible
  Some resources to help you make your church one that is welcoming to all people.
• Church Accessibility Survey
  Is your church accessible and open to all people? Are you concerned that you might inadvertently be keeping some people from participating fully in the spiritual and social life of your congregation? This brief survey will help you identify your strengths and weaknesses. Take a few minutes to walk through your church building. What do you see?
• Tips for Maximizing Your Accessibility Improvements

General Worship Resources

• Bethesda Lutheran Homes and Services, Inc.
  "With over 50 facilities, programs and service offices in 12 states, Bethesda provides services and supports to individuals with developmental disabilities, their families and the community from a Lutheran perspective."
• CARE Ministries, Inc.
  A national interdenominational agency promoting spiritual development and Christian resources for people who are blind and visually impaired to encourage their full inclusion as fellow ministers and co-laborers in the Body of Christ.
• Computerized AIDS Ministries (CAM)
  This is a program of the Health and Welfare Ministries Program Department, General Board of Global Ministries, of The United Methodist Church. Its purpose is HIV/AIDS information, education and support.
• Council for Jews with Special Needs
  Works to ensure that all Jewish young people with disabilities have the opportunity to fully participate in the richness of Jewish religious, cultural, and social life. It offers a variety of programs, services, and materials.
• Crossroads Christian Fellowship with Disabled Persons in New South Wales (NSW), Inc.—Australia
  This is a Christ centered Organization for people with disabilities and their carers which affirms them, advocates for them and promotes their integration into, and acceptance by, the community and Christian churches.
• Disability Concerns (DISC)
  This website is for persons living with physically or mentally challenging conditions, their friends, families, caretakers, lay associates, and clergy. It offers information related to disability concerns, yet adds the dimension of spiritual care.
• Health and Welfare Ministries
  This group assists United Methodists to become involved globally in health and welfare ministries, which address the critical health needs of children, youth, older adults, persons with physically and mentally challenging conditions, and racial/ethnic communities of color.
• JAF Ministries
  This group, formerly known as Joni and Friends, is the disability outreach of Joni Eareckson Tada, and exists to accelerate Christian ministry in the disability community. Joni, a quadriplegic as a result of a diving accident in 1967, is an internationally known advocate for the disabled, radio host, author, conference speaker, and mouth-artist.

• Lift Disability Network
  A network of Christian organizations, churches and leaders working in disability ministry.

• Mephibosheth Ministry
  This is a non-profit organization that offers written materials and specialized training to provide the necessary components to bring the word of God to people with special needs (physically and mentally challenged).
• Mommies Enduring Neonatal Death (M.E.N.D.) -- Texas
  This is a ministry whose purpose is to reach out to those who have lost a child due to miscarriage, stillbirth or early infant death and offer a way to share experiences and information through meetings, the bi-monthly newsletter, and our Internet web site.
• National Benevolent Association of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
  This organization provides social and health services to older adults, children, youth and families and people who are differently abled to meet their physical, emotional, mental and spiritual needs in the loving and caring spirit of Christ.
• National Apostolate for Inclusion Ministry (NAfIM)
  The National Apostolate for Inclusion Ministry promotes the full incorporation of persons with Mental Retardation and their gifts into the the Catholic Church.
• National Catholic Office for Persons with Disabilities
  Welcomes the fourteen million Catholics who are disabled and works to ensure that there are able to participate in the celebrations and obligations of their faith, and advocates for their inclusion within the total fabric of society.
• National Christian Resource Center (NCRC)
  Bethesda's National Christian Resource Center, located in Watertown, Wis., is a service which provides resources worldwide to families of people with developmental disabilities, pastors, volunteers, teachers and professionals in the field of developmental disabilities
• Religion & Disability Program
  This program from the National Organization on Disability (NOD) urges local congregations, national denominational groups and seminaries to remove architectural, communication and attitudinal barriers.
• Rest Ministries, Inc. Chronic Illness/Pain Support
  A non-profit Christian organization for people who live with chronic illness or pain.

• Bibles and Other Sacred Writings in Special Media
  This reference circular includes Bibles and sacred texts of many world religions, in a variety of languages, translations, and versions. Commentaries, concordances, liturgies, prayer books, hymnals, and magazines are also listed. From the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped
• Bible lessons for persons with cognitive disabilities