On the second Sunday in July, SBTC churches around the state will celebrate Disability Ministry Sunday. This yearly event reminds us of our calling to make the gospel accessible to all people!

The biblical model for inclusion is found in Luke 14, in the Parable of the Large Banquet. Jesus spoke of a man giving a large banquet, who invited his neighbors. But they gave excuses about why they couldn’t come. So he sought out the outcasts (“bring in here the poor, maimed, blind, and lame”), those who at that time would not have been welcome at such an event. The servant replied, “… what you ordered has been done, and there’s still room” (v. 22 CSB). When a church follows this model of inclusion, when it opens the doors to the 1 in 5 families in the U.S. who have a member with a disability, it finds there’s room for everyone!

Disability Ministry Sunday is a time to celebrate those who for too long have been forgotten or neglected. As pro life churches who see the beauty of everyone made in the image of God, we honor them and remind ourselves that a church is incomplete without the gifts and blessings that people with disabilities bring. We also use Disability Ministry Sunday as an opportunity to educate church members about the value of all people, a way to share more about how churches can make accommodations for those who need them, and as an outreach to special needs families who are longing for a church home.

Ways churches of every size can celebrate Disability Ministry Sunday:

• Feature a testimony from a special needs family that attends your church
• Have people from your disability ministry serve as greeters, read Scripture, or provide special music
• Share a video of those who are a part of your disability ministry interacting in their classes and serving the church with their gifts

If you have any questions about starting or expanding your disability ministry, the SBTC is ready to help! You can email Sandra Peoples at speoples@sbtexas.com with any questions you have.

We’re praying that Disability Ministry Sunday will spark a movement across the state that leaves no family as outcasts. We all deserve access to the gospel and a church family!