God Is Really Moving in the Realm of Disability Ministry!

It has been a blessing to see the doors that have opened and the people who have come together to help make this ministry a reality. I thought it would be helpful to provide some updates about the ministry and ways that you can be involved. At this stage, I have a direct contact for Disability Ministry with just over half of our districts on the USA/Canada Region. Praise God for a great response from district leadership! I look forward to hearing from more of our districts as we move forward.

Please watch for our launch of the Adapted Library in August of 2024. The Adapted Library will include adapted Bible story videos with associated resources, classroom tools/resources, Now Then boards, social stories, training videos, and more. Upon the initial launch, it is important to know the library will not be complete or full. We have an ongoing process of resource and video creation. The library will grow as we continue to create and add resources into the library. We are in the first year of a five-year plan, so more resources will be created and added into the library as we continue to work and grow. The Adapted Library will launch in website form, and it is important to note that all the resources and access to the website are completely free!             

With July around the corner, we have hit PALCON season. Disability Ministry is present at the three events this year (MVNU, ENC, PLNU). In order to keep all of USA/Canada on the same page with the ministry, I will be sending a link that includes the basic presentation from the PALCON events this year. My hope is that all of our districts will receive the same information regarding Disability Ministry. The plan is for this video link to be sent out in August after the PALCON events have concluded.

A survey about Disability Ministry within the local church has been sent out from the global NDI office. I hope that pastors have taken a few minutes to complete this survey. The feedback we receive from this survey will be extremely valuable to our team as we create resources and as we structure the ministry to better support local churches. Feedback from the local church matters to us because we recognize this is where the ministry is happening.

You may have seen some information about LC2024 in this newsletter. Disability Ministry will also be present at this event. Disability Ministry will have a workshop and an exhibit booth at LC2024. If you have not registered for LC2024, please do so! The presentation at LC2024 will be different than the PALCON presentations. Things are moving quickly with this ministry, and we will have new updates to share. By the time LC2024 rolls around, the Adapted Library should be live, we will be in the early stages of launching a pilot online small group and more! Come connect with us at LC2024.

What can you do?

• Pray for the ministry!
• Join the Wonderful Works Facebook Group. This group is a great place to find resources and training videos. It is also a great place to keep up with the work of Wonderful Works Ministry. 
• Connect with us. Use this link https://forms.gle/unUvQx2LQnkmVKAWA to:

1. Let us know you are interested in Disability Ministry with the Church of the Nazarene.

2. Let us know you would like to schedule a free consultation with Leah Whicker from Wonderful Works Ministry leah@wonderfulworks.net.

3. Let us know you would like for Rev. Ryan Nelson to contact you rnelson@nazarene.org.

Some Important Information:

• As the Disability Ministry coordinator, I can come to your district to promote disability ministry AT NO COST TO YOUR DISTRICT. This can include SPARK events, district assemblies, district trainings, etc.  My travel expenses, lodging, meals, and more will be covered. If you would like to schedule me to come, please email me and we will try to get something scheduled. It is helpful to me if you include what district you are on when you email me.
• Wonderful Works Ministry offers FREE consultations. These consultations can be done for an individual church, a group of churches, or a district.  

Thank you for your support of this ministry! Keep praying for the ministry and keep connecting with us! Contact Rev. Ryan Nelson, Disability Ministry coordinator for Nazarene Discipleship International at rnelson@nazarene.org