If you are looking for more information about empowering people with disabilities, advocating for people with disabilities, or raising disability awareness, we recommend the following resources:
Church Websites
The Susquehanna Conference of the United Methodist Church
The Susquehanna Conference of the United Methodist Church serves approximately 890 churches in Central Pennsylvania. The Disability Ministries Task Fore of the Susquehanna Conference is part of the Susquehanna Conference. Our group comes under the umbrella of inclusiveness and connectional ministries.
DisAbility Ministries of the United Methodist Church:
The DisAbility Ministires Committee of the United Methodist Church serves as a resource for the entire United Methodist Connection. Their website has has a great list of resources related to the church and the disability community. They also have resources for more inclusive worship and how to promote a Disability Awareness Sunday in your own church or conference. Disability Ministries of the Susquehanna Conference is happy to be in partnership with the DisAbility Ministries Committee for the entire United Methodist Church.
The United Methodist Association of Ministers with Disabilities
Advocating, educating, and supporting ministers in the United Methodist Church and ecumenical associates with disabilities.
The United Methodist Association of Ministers with Disabilities is an official caucus in the United Methodist Church and is a great resource for clergy with disabilities. They also have a great list of links and theological resources.
The United Methodist Committee on Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Ministries
A great resource for churches and individuals who are working to minister alongside members of the Deaf community.
The United Methodist Congress of the Deaf
The United Methodist Congress of the Deaf celebrates and promotes
Christian leadership and discipleship within the Deaf community.
Mental Health Ministries
Mental Health Ministries works to provide resources and support who are dealing with issues related to mental health.
The United Methodist Disabilities Links Portal
Includes links and social media locations for more official United Methodist Disability Organizations
Presbyterians for Disability Concerns
Presbyterians for Disability Concerns welcomes those who affirm, support and advocate for the gifts, rights and responsibilities of persons with disabilities in the total life of the church. Their website includes a list of articles and resources related to disability concerns.
Our Friends on the Internet
Rev. Rebecca Writes: Read, Write, Pray
Rev. Rebecca L. Holland is a visually impaired Filipina clergywoman and the chair of Disability Ministries of the Susquehanna Conference. On her website, she blogs about books, poetry, and disability awareness.
Kintsugi Pastor
Chris is a United Methodist pastor who living with a disability. He is a member of the United Methodist Association of Ministers with Disabilities. He shares his thoughts, poetry, and writing on his blog.
Missed Interpretations: Disability, Scripture, Faith, & Life
James M. McIntire is a member of the United Methodist Association of Ministers with Disabilities. He shares his meditations, devotions, and writing on his blog.
Bold Blind Beauty
Bold Blind Beauty is an online magazine that is working to show the world that true beauty comes from within. Too often, people with disabilities can feel invisible in our churches in the world at large. Bold Blind Beauty helps women who are blind to feel seen and empowered. They ahve also published two articles by Rev. Rebecca, including one in which she shares her sight loss journey and another in which she was featured on the cover.
CAPTIVATING! Magazine
CAPTIVATING! is a magazine that is breaking barriers and empowering members of the disability community. It is produced by a group of passionate volunteers, most of whom have disabilities themselves, in order to provide a voice for change in the world.
Rev. Rebecca volunteers as a staff writer with this publication as a way to stay connected with the disability community at large. Her piece, “16 Easy Ways the Church Can Be More Accessible to People with Disabilities,” was included in the January 2019 issue.
CAPTIVATING! is available for free online. It is published once a month as an accessible digital PDF.
Blind Cane Girl
Beatriz is a travel writer who is exploring the world with the help of her white cane. Despite the fact that her vision is severely limited due to Retinitis Pigmenteria (RP), she still goes on amazing adventures and takes beautiful pictures. Many people don’t realize that the majority of people who are legally blind have some amount of usable vision. Beatriz is showing the world through her photography and her writing that people who are blind can do anything they set their minds to doing!
Amanda Gene
Amanda Gene Nelson is a journalist and writer who has a visual impairment. She also has dyslexia and cerebral palsy. Amanda has an impressive resume and is a graduate of the University of West Florida where she earned a BA in Print Journalism. She is helping to show the world through her writing and her You Tube channel that people with disabilities can live full and complete lives.
Recommended Reading
The Church and People with Disabilities: Awareness, Accessibility, and Advocacy by Bishop Peggy Johnson
The goal of this book is to build awareness in the church regarding issues of disability. It calls the church to provide full accessibility to services and opportunities and promotes advocacy for justice for people with disabilities. Unlike other categories of human experience, disability crosses all lines of gender, orientation, ethnicity, socioeconomic position, age and culture A disability can happen at any time to anyone This book will encourage you to identify ways that your church can do more to be inclusive (Adapted from Amazon Synopsis).
Deaf Ministry: Make a Joyful Silence by Bishop Peggy Johnson and Robert L. Walker
The entrance into deaf ministry was a challenge for Rev. Peggy Johnson, but her fascination and spiritual calling provided her with perseverance, which enables her to have a future in deaf ministry. A truly inspirational and educational reading (Amazon Synopsis).
Speaking Out: Gifts of Ministering Undeterred by Disabilities edited by Robert L. Walker
Speaking Out was written by members of the Association of United Methodist Ministers with Disabilities. A portion of the proceeds from this book benefit the Association of United Methodist Ministers with Disabilities.
Readers of Speaking Out: Gifts of Ministering Undeterred by Disabilities will enter the worlds of one Episcopal and 24 United Methodist ministers who cope with various forms of disabilities. Read how each one is a living testimony that will surprise, inspire, and remind you that they are people with God given gifts who were spiritually strengthened during their individual life-journeys, all the while remaining faithful to their respective calls to church ministry. Unfortunately, people with disabilities frequently experience physical and discriminatory barriers, several of which are described by the contributors to this book; undeterred, they overcame-or are overcoming-the barriers through grace, resiliency, and support from many sources. The book focuses on ministers, but their stories are applicable to non-ministerial persons in our all too common negating ways of both the sacred and secular societies. This book is sponsored by the United Methodist Association of Ministers with Disabilities (UMAMD), and all royalties from sales of the book will go to the UMAMD in support of its activities (Goodreads Synopsis).
Accessible Gospel, Inclusive Worship by Barbara J. Newman with Contributions by Betty Grit
This title is currently free with Kindle Unlimited!
Written by Barbara J. Newman with contributions by Betty Grit. Looking for some practical ideas on Faith Formation in relationship to persons with disabilities? This book provides many ideas for creating an environment where you can introduce the good news of Jesus Christ to a family member or church friend with an Intellectual Disability or Autism Spectrum Disorder. The book also uses a concept known as “Vertical Habits” to give a framework for creating inclusive communities of worship where each one can use the gifts God has given to participate in a worship conversation with God. Transform the worship environment for ALL by welcoming each one (Amazon Synopsis).
Through My Good Eye: A Memoir in Verse by Rev. Rebecca L. Holland
Through My Good Eye: A Memoir in Verse is the first chapbook written by Rev. Rebecca L. Holland. This small collection includes poems that were written as Rebecca experienced the joys and the heartaches associated with her first five years of ministry. The poems in this chapbook grapple with themes relating to faith, disability, race, and gender. All money earned from the sale of this book will be donated to the ministries Christ Community United Methodist Church.
SUSUMC Disability Ministries 