GoodnewsEverybody.com Challenges-Physically, Mentally, Handicapped, Vulnerable, etc...

-Green

Government

Minnesota Disability Law Center and The Minnesota Governor's Council on Developmental Disabilities

Violence

Arts

-Products

Related Resources:
-Radio & Coach Jones, official homepage
-Radio, official sony pictures movie homepage

-Cartoon

-College

Special Olympics

"This is a video supporting the Special Olympics. I didn't make it, it was emailed to me and I thought it should be up here."

-Triathlon

My Redeemer Lives - Team Hoyt

"Incredible video about the relationship between a father and son.... and God's relationship with us."
*see Summer Olympic Games, from Beijing China 2008

Arts

Life

Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind (John 9)
" 1As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"
3"Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life. 4As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. 5While I am in the world, I am the light of the world."
6Having said this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man's eyes. 7"Go," he told him, "wash in the Pool of Siloam" (this word means Sent). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.
8His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, "Isn't this the same man who used to sit and beg?" 9Some claimed that he was. Others said, "No, he only looks like him." But he himself insisted, "I am the man."
10"How then were your eyes opened?" they demanded.
11He replied, "The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see."
12"Where is this man?" they asked him. "I don't know," he said...

-Purpose

Ministries

-Healing

The Healing at the Pool-John 5

" 1Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for a feast of the Jews. 2Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda[a] and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. 3Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed.[b] 5One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. 6When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, "Do you want to get well?"

7"Sir," the invalid replied, "I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me."

8Then Jesus said to him, "Get up! Pick up your mat and walk." 9At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked.
The day on which this took place was a Sabbath, 10and so the Jews said to the man who had been healed, "It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat."

11But he replied, "The man who made me well said to me, 'Pick up your mat and walk.' "

12So they asked him, "Who is this fellow who told you to pick it up and walk?"

13The man who was healed had no idea who it was, for Jesus had slipped away into the crowd that was there.

14Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, "See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you." 15The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well."

Missions

e3 & Free Wheel Chair Mission in Ethiopia

"A Presentation of a trip to Ethiopia to present wheelchairs and share the gospel of Christ. A partnership effort of e3 (Global Mission Fellowship) and Free Wheel Chair Mission."

Organizations

Resources

Science

-Biology

Eugenics, Population Control and Global Totalitarianism (Part 2 of 5)

Stories

Interview: Physically Challenged Athlete from Russia - Pt 1

" Interview with Russian Bodybuilder Alexsey Obidennov! Inspirational! (Its in Russian - for now ."
*see Russian
"Lena Maria - No.1"

"About Lena Maria Klingvall , from Stockholm, Sweden, was 20 years old when she became known to the Swedish TV-viewers through the documentary called "Goal in Sight". In April -89 the program was presented by HRH Silvia Bernadotte, Queen of Sweden, at a convention for handicapped in Washington, DC. It was also shown to George and Barbara Bush and an excerpt was shown on "Good Morning America". At the annual "Christoval", a Dutch film festival, the documentary was elected 1st prize winner by the festival jury as well as by the audience. In Sweden it was elected best TV-show of the week. Lena Maria was born 1968 without arms and with only one healthy leg, the other one half developed. She walks with an artificial leg. The cause of the disability is unknown. Lena Maria learned how to swim when she was only three years old. At age 18, she entered the National Swedish Games where she won three silver medals making her a star-athlete over night and earning her a place on the national team. Many competitions followed. Lena Maria set two national records in the 25-meter and 50-meter butterfly events. The highlight of her swimming career was the Paralympic Games-88 in Seoul, South Korea. 1987-1991 Lena Maria studied at The Royal University College of Music in Stockholm with one of Sweden's most talented artists Lena Ericsson as a singing teacher. Since her examination Lena Maria has been touring as a singer in Sweden as well as abroad. She repertoire is jazz, pop, gospel as well as cl%#ic. She has made concert tours to USA, Canada, Russia, Latvia, Belarus, Norway, Finland, Germany, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Hong Kong, Thailand, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia. But in Japan is where she is most popular. Through the 35 concert tours with over 200 concerts, TV, radio and media Lena Maria has attract attention and about 80% of the Japanese people has in some way heard of her, especially through the performance at the opening ceremony at the Paralympic Games in Nagano -98. Lena Maria has released CDs all over the world. The CDs has a miscellaneous repertoire and some of the songs Lena Maria has composed herself. During the years 1999 to 2003 Universal Music in Japan released five CDs called "Heartfilled", "In Your Delight" and a mini Christmas CD "Season Of Joy", "Every Little Note" and "Amazing Grace"."

by Susan Detlefsen

During his ministry on earth, Jesus Christ spent a majority of His time and energy ministering to the disabled, teaching them and healing their diseases. Two-thirds of the miracles of Jesus reported in the Gospels involved healing people stricken with physical and spiritual disabilities.

But while Christ's ministry was marked by attention to the disabled, in today's world about two-thirds of the disabled people in America don't attend church on a weekly basis. Is the modern-day church neglecting this segment of the population with which Jesus spent so much time and attention?

Local and national ministries are trying to pick up the slack in this area, and are encouraging churches in America to do the same.

A longtime advocate

Perhaps the best-known advocate for the disabled within the Christian community is Joni Eareckson Tada, founder and president of the Joni and Friends ministry. A 1967 diving accident left Tada a wheelchair-bound quadriplegic. Tada credits her family, faith and church for saving her from clinical depression, a condition that affects many people whose lives are changed by a devastating injury. Even though she is disabled, Tada is an accomplished artist and singer, and is a widely traveled spokesperson for the disabled. She has her own radio ministry and is the author of 26 books. Tada's autobiography, titled Joni, was made into a full-length feature film of the same title. Her ministry, based in Agoura Hills, Calif. also has satellite offices in eight other cities across the U.S.

Despite these accomplishments after her accident, Tada says the support she received from her church during her recovery is not typical of the average disabled person. Tada and her ministry, Joni and Friends, say that Christians need to do more to reach the disabled. National statistics support that claim. The National Organization on Disability (NOD) reports that only 37 percent of America's disabled population visit a place of worship once a week. About half, 54 percent, attend a church, synagogue, or another place of worship at least once a month.

Thanks to the Americans with Disabilities Act and expanding public education, the disabled in America have newfound accessibility in several areas of public and social life, leading to unparalleled freedom compared to years past. Yet, NOD polls show that the number of disabled people who are satisfied with their quality of life has steadily declined in the past several years. As society becomes more accepting, the disabled suffer from a deep-seated dissatisfaction.

This paradox suggests that material solutions have only done so much to enrich the lives of the disabled. Spiritual solutions are required to help fulfill the desires of people who deal with physical limitations. That's where ministries like Joni and Friends want to intervene. According to their web site, the purpose of Joni and Friends is to educate the Christian community how to serve the disabled, to advocate a biblical response toward disabilities and to establish independence and fulfillment in the lives of the disabled.

Christians in the Twin Cities have a chance to actively support the Joni and Friends ministry to the disabled in Minnesota. A satellite office is already open at Crystal Evangelical Free Church and the ministry will officially open locally on Sept. 22.

Wings

That's good news to Mark Davis, director of Broken Wings ministry to the disabled ("Wings" for short). Davis says Joni and Friends has done an excellent job informing the Christian community about the special needs, both physical and spiritual, of the disabled.

Davis has worked for the Wings ministry for over seven years, and he says in that time the disabled have made huge strides. Churches everywhere have made accommodations for the disabled, such as elevators and ramps.

"We still get calls from churches who are looking to install an elevator and want guidance. Because the awareness has been growing over the last decade, there's a lot of improvement," explains Davis. "A lot of times an older church has a front entrance with steps, but also has a back entrance or a kitchen entrance where there wouldn't be steps. That's not real great, but at least someone in a wheelchair could get into the building.

"What we feel at Wings is that someone with a disability should have all the same options as someone who is able bodied. That means they should be able to go into the front door just like an able bodied person could," says Davis. "It's not always perfect but we're on the right road."

But physical obstructions aren't the only limitations churches impose on the disabled. Davis says attitudes are the biggest barrier to disabled persons in the church today.

"To be honest, people are just scared," Davis says. "Maybe they don't have exposure to a person in a wheelchair. I've been asked by very sincere people how to speak to someone in a wheelchair. They ask, 'How do I do that?' I ask them, 'Well, how would you talk to anyone? Do the same for a person with a disability.' There's an incorrect assumption that if a person has a physical disability then they have a mental disability too. That's rarely the case. Or people shout at a person in a wheelchair whose hearing is fine. It's not that someone has gotten up in the morning and said, 'Hmmm. I think I'll be prejudiced against the disabled today.' It's not that at all. It's because they haven't had any exposure or experience."

Solving this problem is the main focus on Wings, says Davis. "Education and prayer--that's changing in the Christian church." Wings provides prayer, Bible study materials, church referrals, advice and other services to people with disabilities. The ministry is often sought out by people who have recently become disabled, or their relatives.

The ministry was begun in 1981 by a group of four disabled men. The men knew too many other disabled people who were trying to fill the spiritual void in their lives with alcohol, drugs or hours of TV. Wings, a ministry of the Greater Minnesota Association of Evangelicals, was started as a spiritual outreach to the disabled and the non-disabled in their lives. Davis says the ministry serves as a resource center to people with social security questions, medical and housing issues and a grocery list of other issues.

While Wings and ministries like it provide these resources, they aren't a substitute for a healthy church community that disabled persons need. To help supply this need, Wings offers advice to churches and staff on how they can minister to the disabled that step, or wheel, through church doors on Sunday mornings.

How churches can help

The first step a church can take in ministering to the disabled is simply finding them and inviting them into the Christian community.

"I've talked with pastors who have no disabled in their congregation. They say there are not disabled in the neighborhood. I tell them they are there, you just aren't aware of them," says Davis. "If you look at the greater metro area of the Twin Cities, you're talking about 400,000 to 500,000 individuals with disabilities. So you know they are there. It's a matter of actively seeking them. Those churches that do, I believe, are especially blessed."

Churches also need to be educated about the special spiritual needs of the disabled. Davis says the biggest need of the disabled is the answer to "Why?"

"The question is, 'Why me Lord? I'm a Christian, I wanted to live my life for you yet here I am�confined to a wheelchair.' There's a process of working through grief after an accident. Your whole life is turned upside down with a catastrophic event like that," says Davis. Wings workers often counsel people who are angry with God because of their physical limitations. When he speaks in churches, Davis communicates to the disabled that God knows their pain. "[God] understands the pain you're going through because of Jesus Christ who has experienced every pain.

Many of the people counseled by Wings have a lot of anger toward God and people from the Christian community. "A lot of people we talk to who have a disability want nothing to do with us. That's understandable. You pray for individuals like that."

Davis says churches need to learn that disabled people want to be understood and want to know that they can contribute. The disabled have "the desire to be understood by other individuals that are not disabled, that we're all God's children." In turn, the non-disabled churchgoers need to know that a disabled person "has a lot to share, just as I do and everyone does," states Davis. "In the body of Christ, we need to rejoice that someone is a thumb and someone else is a finger."

Davis continues, "Unfortunately we're so performance based as a society that if someone can't speak, is blind or in a wheelchair, suddenly their worth is diminished. We all know that's hogwash as far as the Lord is concerned. The world might say if you have a disability you don't have as much value. That's totally contrary to what God says. Certainly anyone who has a disability doesn't catch God off guard. God knew it from before the creation of the universe. He wants to work through each one of us.

"There are friends of Wings who might be in a wheelchair, maybe even non-verbal where they use a computer board. But God still has a very special plan for their lives. It's hard when society is screaming a certain message contrary to the Bible. It's hard to keep that straight. But that's why we all need a close walk with the Lord and keep in contact with Him."

The best technique Wings uses to reach people, says Davis, is love. "I think love is the first, the middle and the last as far as a biblical response goes. We share the love that God has for every individual, no matter what they've done in the past, or what they're doing now."

ForEver Friends

Sharing the love of God with adults who have developmental disabilities is the goal of ForEver Friends (FEF), a program by JRG Ministries Inc. ForEver Friends is a social night held at the Knights of Columbus hall in Crystal for disabled adults; participants meet together on Thursday evenings for a meal, then gather together for a time of music and fellowship. FEF participants even get a chance to share their singing talents on the occasional karaoke night. Since the program began in March 1999, an average of 120-150 people attend FEF weekly sessions.

"We have all ages and all different levels of capability, people with cerebral palsy and Down syndrome. Some are Christians, many are not," said Dee Deppa, one of FEF's coordinators.

FEF was started by four couples who shared a vision based on Luke 14, "to invite the lame, the crippled, the blind," to a fun evening of activities where the Gospel is shared with everyone. One of the couples, Zack and Susan Gill, founded JRG Ministries in honor and memory of their disabled son Jeremiah Richard Gill. Experience taught the organizers of FEF that many disabled adults living in group homes do not have an opportunity to worship in a church or attend church activities. FEF gives these people that opportunity

Studies show that social activity is lacking in the lives of the disabled. Only 33 percent of the disabled say they go out to a restaurant once of week�half that of the non-disabled population. Four out of 10 disabled people do not socialize with friends, relatives or neighbors at least once a week.

The response from the disabled community to FEF has been tremendous, say organizers. "It surprised all of us," said Deppa. "We were hoping for maybe 15-25 people to show up. We have discovered a huge need and a real hunger for Christian fellowship and counsel among the disabled."

People from all over the Twin Cities metro area, and even as far away as Forest Lake, Wyoming and Elk River, Minn., have attended the social events. Though many of the FEF participants live in group homes and travel with their staff, others rely on public transportation.

"When you discover that someone has taken Metro Mobility for $2 a ride, and then paid for their meal out of a paycheck that only amounts to a few dollars a week�it's very humbling. Some of them are spending their entire week's pay for the evening with us. We want to do all that we can to make the time the best two hours of the week for them. We make sure we are giving them a fun time and substance for their effort," said Wampach.

While the social activity is the draw, Wampach said FEF is a chance for disabled adults to develop relationships with each other and people who care about them. "Many of our friends have no family and no one in their lives who says, 'You're important. You matter to me. You matter to God.' Our goal is to become that friend and then have the opportunity to share the love of Christ with them," said Wampach.

Action Item

FEF will kick off a new summer session on June 8 at 6 p.m. Events planned for the summer include a bluegrass gospel concert, signing choir and praise concert. The meal costs $4; persons who cannot afford the meal are invited to bring their own. Further inquiries regarding ForEver Friends and JRG Ministries Inc. may be directed to JRG Ministries, PMB 210, 13570 Grove Drive. Maple Grove, MN 55311 or call (612) 420-4774.

Wings is holding their twelfth annual Walk n' Roll fundraiser on June 3, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Lake Harriet bandshell. Volunteers are still needed for the event. For more information call (612) 866-0462.

For more information on the Joni and Friends�Twin Cities office, call (763) 971-5128.

A co-worker and I were talking about brining two loves (animals and working at the group home) together. He shared his vision of bringing our "consumers" (residents) or are physically challenged people-young and old, to get therapy from being with his animals (hobby farm). Currently, this is a vision, but he would love to see this in his lifetime to bless these people in our surrounding area.

Please...if you read this, if you somehow have some idea or way (financially, connections, resources, etc..) to help this vision come about, please contact us. Thanks!

Articles:

Foundations:

Ranches

Therapy:

I had the opportunity to share on My Experience with Physically Challenge people at Faith Lutheran Church, which I used this handout.

All the Caregivers, who take care of the physically challenged people in these group homes.