It’s a new year and there is so much to be excited about.  There will soon be a book published to help families be better advocates for themselves and their faith and there are already teaching opportunities on the calendar. I would like to draw your attention, though, to the things we learned at General Assembly last June 2018. I would highly recommend everyone meander over to the EPC You Tube channel and listen again to what was shared.

While they are all powerful words, Dean Weaver’s message should be mandatory listening for anyone desiring to understand this great big topic of accessibility. While you listen to his words, would you consider this question: “who’s missing?”

“After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and language, standing before the throne and before the lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hand, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”

Revelation 7:9-10

If our body of believers does not include a multitude from all tribes and peoples and languages, we do not properly reflect the Kingdom of God. And no one can tell me this is only about race or ethnic diversity. If the disabled community were to be formally recognized as a minority group, it would be one of the largest. In the United States they are 19% of the population.

So many of our neighbors with disabilities, their families and/or caregivers are missing from our churches. Do you have a plan to go and tell them the good news of Jesus? If not, let’s fix that.