Homeschooling Special Needs Expo Church TrackThe following sessions are open to church leadership in order to create a more inclusive environment for their members who are differently-abled, such as with physical disabilities, neurodivergent, cognitive, or others. It also is for those churches interested in adding a homeschooling ministry. The exhibit hall, all other sessions, and the keynotes are also open for the Church Track.
Church Track SessionsThe State of Disability Awareness in the Church
One out of every 6 children have a developmental disability. That number grows larger when you consider those affected by disability. To understand the growing needs of families affected by disability, we must first understand the problem. Families need rest and there are few opportunities to find it! The Church has an incredible opportunity to serve more families with Gospel-adorned hope. Speaker: Jeb Beauchamp, Joni & Friends The Schoolhouse Network Pastors and church leaders are taking part in a nationwide movement, responding to the call of families who are exiting the public schools in droves. The church is the answer to the public-school problem, and by opening their doors twice-weekly to homeschool families who attend those churches, and also to outside families from surrounding neighborhoods, these parents and children are finding community and support under the care and guidance of the local church. A Schoolhouse - or a highly networked homeschool community - is a church ministry, led by pastors and elders and their wives, served by parents of homeschoolers and sometimes retirees in the church, with a mission to teach from the SchoolhouseTeachers.com curriculum, as they lend their expertise in a classroom setting at the church. Coming alongside and mentoring parents seeking to disciple their children in the Lord, an excellent education for these children (preschool - 12th grade) takes place through their own church Schoolhouse, as well as within all other local Schoolhouses in the Network who are in close proximity. Families are welcome to take classes with their children across any (and all) local Schoolhouses in the Network, which provides an abundance of flexibility and unlimited class options for the entire family. Learn how you can start a Schoolhouse in your church - or several Schoolhouses as a paid Director and become a vital part of this great movement to encourage Christian parents to consider the cost of the wrong kind of discipleship -because someone is discipling them- and instead to embrace church-based education. Speaker: Gena Suarez, The Old Schoolhouse® Tips on Creating a Disability-Inclusive Church Does your church want to be inclusive of the "least of these" as that relates to those families who have members with disabilities, but you're not sure where to start? In this session, husband and wife team Greg and Terrie McKee will chat about tips and ideas your church can utilize when it comes to having differently-abled members in your churches. Greg is paralyzed and in a wheelchair; Terrie is his caregiver; together they have four children who have special needs ranging from autism and ADHD to dyslexia and juvenile diabetes. This session is not to be missed if you want to minister to those in your congregation who are either disabled, have children who are differently-abled, or are their caregivers. Speakers: Greg and Terrie McKee, IAJ Ministries, LLC Equipping Minds Brain Fitness Program for Children and Adults in the Church There is a significant connection between cognitive formation and spiritual formation. Learn how to implement the Equipping Minds teaching and mediating principles, language, and brain training games with children and adults in your church. Through a hands-on approach, you will learn practical interventions to increase attention, and comprehension of the lessons and sermons, recall and memorize scripture and songs, and increase executive functioning, language, and thinking. This session is designed for those who want to implement a brain fitness program and principles in their Sunday School classroom, senior adult ministry, community outreach, refugee ministries, and after-school programs. You will learn how senior adults use Equipping Minds to continue living independently and serve their church, community, and workplace. Speaker: Dr. Carol Brown, Equipping Minds Developing a Disability-Friendly Congregation Educating and bringing awareness to the congregation, walking alongside people of all ages/life stages with disabilities and their families, training the next generation. Speaker: Jeremy Amick, Carmel Joy Ministry Special Needs Ministry The Special Needs Ministry Session will include an overview of how to begin a special needs ministry in your local church body. Topics to be discussed will include sensory room details, promotion suggestions, parent communication, and how to structure your program to best benefit each child and to aid in mobilizing volunteers. Speaker: Dr. Victoria Paxton From Welcoming to Belonging: Including People with Disabilities into Fellowship Full participation, inclusion, belonging, welcoming/hospitality. Speaker: Jeremy Amick, Carmel Joy Ministry Discovering the Barriers for Disability in Your Church Accessibility, barriers, creating room for those with disabilities to have a voice. Speaker: Jeremy Amick, Carmel Joy Ministry |
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