Recently we had the privilege of watching Mike and Mary, who are friends with disabilities, lead the Bible lesson on prayer at our Friendship group at Outlook Christian Church. Mike shared his personal story how prayer sustained him when both his parents passed away in the same year. This was the second time Mike led a Bible lesson for our group. This time he invited Mary to help him. A companion in the group helped them prepare their lesson. It was powerful and even humbling to hear our friends with disabilities testify to the importance of prayer. I share this story with you to encourage y ..read more

That’s Right, QCDs are Tax Free! Did you know that you can support charities like Connection Ministries directly from your IRA tax free?  For individuals who are 70½ and charitably minded, the strategy outlined in this “Illuminate Blog” can offer valuable tax advantages. It’s called a Qualified Charitable Distribution or QCD. However, as with any financial or tax strategy, it’s best to understand the details and limitations and talk with your tax advisor. A QCD is a tax-effective way to support your causes, especially if you don’t itemize your deductions. If you plan to take an IRA distr ..read more

About 1 out of 10 people may have a seizure during his or her lifetime. That means seizures are common, and one day you might need to help someone during or after a seizure. Learn what you can do to keep that person safe until the seizure stops by itself.  The information in this Blog article is taken from the CDC website, Seizure First Aid | Epilepsy | CDC.  Also included below is a first aid video from the Epilepsy Foundation. After viewing this video, YouTube will guide you to additional videos in the series. Do I call 911? Seizures do not usually require emergency medical att ..read more

Why are Background Screens Critical? The following statistics are sobering! The Centers for Disease Control informs us that 1 out of 4 girls and 1 out of 6 boys will be sexually abused before the age of 18. But it gets worse for our friends with intellectual disabilities (IDD). The Bureau of Justice Statistics says the rate of rape and sexual assault against people with IDD is more than seven times the rate against people without disabilities. For women with IDD, the rate goes up 12 times. It has been reported that only about 43% of religious organizations have safety and abuse policies ..read more

…or, Friendship Roles! Cinnamon Rolls are my favorite breakfast food group! But I want to share some thoughts with you about another kind of “ROLE,” – as in Friendship group roles (Did “cinnamon rolls” get your attention?). Healthy Friendship groups have multiple volunteers who step up to help with roles that may be overlooked. Friendship groups become more effective when roles are taken on by many volunteers. A larger resource of energy and giftedness will enhance important aspects of the group like teaching, skits, puppets, crafts, service projects, worship, snacks, administration, leaders ..read more

Called To Be Co-Laborers This year’s theme for Summer Friendship Gathering is “Called Out of Your Boat.” Along with our friends with disabilities, we will learn how Jesus calls us out of our boats (or comfort zones, our everyday lives). In John 21, Peter jumped out of his boat. He answered the call of Jesus to take care of His sheep. One of the five elements that Friendship Groups embrace is “fellowship.” We all need fellowship. We can share a snack or a meal, or simply greet one another and share a highlight from our week. As we learned last at summer’s Gathering, we were created for Chris ..read more

College Park’s SonRise Friendship group recently did a skit about the Good Samaritan. They learned about loving those who are different from us, like Jesus loves. Our friends were able to express themselves and use their creativity while ministering to the rest of the class. Skits are a great way for our adult friends with intellectual disabilities to understand Bible stories. Read More Puppets are another way we can add another fun layer of learning for our friends with disabilities. They can add an element of humor while teaching the Bible verse of the day or joining in on a skit. We all ..read more

So why do we celebrate Easter? What is this holiday really about? In this study “Unwrapping Easter,” we unwrap the meaning of Easter to better understand God’s desire to save us. We learn about mankind’s first sin and how it broke our relationship with God, God’s rescue plan to restore our relationship with Him, and the importance of the resurrection of Jesus. This study will be presented as individual episodes. These Bible studies can be used for a Sunday school class or mid-week groups. All images are provided by freebibleimages.org. The video can be viewed and the printable discussio ..read more

In part one of this blog article, “You Have a Voice,” we shared that the Indiana Bureau of Developmental Disabilities Services gave parents and guardians a voice through the Person-Centered Individualized Support Plan (PCISP). Again, you can find the guidelines for this important planning tool by clicking on the button below. PCISP Guidelines In this second part, we want to give you examples how you can help your loved one express how they want to live out their Christian faith in their PCISP. We tried to develop these samples in consideration of a variety of intellectual levels. You ..read more

As a parent or guardian of someone with an intellectual disability, it can be a challenge getting service providers to take your loved one to their Friendship group, Sunday worship, or other important social activities. You have probably heard many reasons for this disregard, “We are short staffed”, “Someone in the home didn’t want to go”, “We took a vote,” “We didn’t have transportation”. But, as a parent or guardian, you have a voice! The Indiana Bureau of Developmental Disabilities Services gives parents and guardians a voice through the Person-Centered Individualized Support Plan (PCISP ..read more