How to Plan a Respite Event for Families Impacted by Disability - Gina Spivey and Bret Welshymer

Joni and Friends Ministry Podcast

English - March 28, 2019 07:39 - 34 minutes - 31.7 MB - ★★★★★ - 220 ratings
Christianity Religion & Spirituality Education hope through hardship luke 14 inclusion joni and friends disability ministry special needs joni eareckson tada christian ministry disability ministry Homepage Download Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed

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“Respite is for the parents and for the kids. It’s for the whole family to really have an opportunity to just come to a church and know that the church genuinely wants them to be there.”

-Gina Spivey, Disability Ministry Leader

Families or caregivers who have children with disabilities are often isolated, exhausted, and grieving. It's so invaluable when there is a place for kids to just be themselves, for caregivers to have a break, and for the church to serve well. Listen as Crystal Keating talks with ministry leaders Gina Spivey and Bret Welshymer about how they use respite events as an opportunity to minister to families impacted by disability in their church. They share the importance of respite and practical encouragement and advice for how you can put on a respite event. No matter how large or small, your church can provide this time of refreshment as a way to welcome and embrace families impacted by disability.

For more practical advice and tools to execute a successful respite event, download the free eBook, We’ve Got This! at www.joniandfriends.org/podcast

Joni and Friends was founded in 1979 by Joni Eareckson Tada who in a diving accident was left a quadriplegic at 17 years old. Ministry began as Tada, joined by friends around her kitchen table, responded to letters she received from people with disabilities in search of support. Over the past 40 years, the ministry has grown to serve thousands of people impacted by disability worldwide: Joni and Friends has delivered 150,000 wheelchairs and Bibles through Wheels for the World and provided Christian care to 63,000 special needs family members through Family Retreats. The organization also equips individuals and churches with disability ministry training and provides higher education courses through the Christian Institute on Disability.