During this quarantine I have had the opportunity to write several articles for the Christian magazine La Fuente. This is a widely circulated resource for communities of faith throughout Latin America. The Amistad articles have appeared in the Sunday school section, and inform church leaders and caregivers about the need to identify and provide special attention to children with cognitive disabilities. Through these articles we have reached families, pastors, and Christian leaders, explaining how to share the Word of God with people with intellectual disabilities.
The topics covered in the articles are:
WELCOMING A SPECIAL CHILD IN MY CLASS:
We address the problem of why and how Sunday school teachers can prepare to respond to the need to include people with intellectual disabilities.
- Why inclusion? Because we are all sons and daughters of God, created in His image and likeness and worthy to receive the love of God.
- Where to start? Talk to your pastor, church leader, and your family and begin to include them and form the true body of Christ.
PREPARE YOUR SUNDAY SCHOOL TO INCLUDE:
In this article, we provide guidelines and procedures to adequately and positively include Friends in the Bible class.
- Identify the different types of disabilities to include.
- Encourage love and concern for all the people who participate in the class.
- Organize a meeting with the relatives of the people with disabilities and the assigned teachers.
HOW TO START INCLUSIVE MINISTRY GROUPS IN YOUR CHURCH:
Here we explain how to start an accessible ministry, like an Amistad group, with people with special needs in the church or in home.
- Organize your group, which could be as few as 3 people or more depending on the number of people of your community.
- Make your class on a different day and time than the religious service, so that way, everyone can participate with the community.
12 IDEAS TO RECRUIT VOLUNTEERS FOR THE GROUP:
In the fourth article we explain strategies on how to add volunteers and mentors for the special education ministry.
- Request prayer in the search for volunteers.
- Look for those people who go unnoticed in your community.
- Invite them to the group, just to visit, so that they know how a class develops.I am preparing more articles to continue our mission: People with and without disabilities growing in faith together.
Thank you for your support!
May God bless you,
Elizabeth Rodriguez
Ministerio Amistad
