Resources for Worship

Messages

Litanies

Hymns

  • When Hands Reach Out by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette This hymn affirms the giftedness of all people including people who live with disabilties.  Used by permission.

Devotionals

  • Week 1 and Week 2 (doc) of Disability Emphasis Week devotionals by special education teacher Barbara Newman. These devotionals are available for download in MS Word format. Also, at no charge we will print and send as many paper copies as needed to any Christian Reformed Church wishing to use them.

Banner Idea

  • This beautiful banner, "At the King's Table," was created by people from Mountainview CRC in Grimsby, Ontario. Thanks to them for allowing us to share their idea with others.

Bulletin Inserts

Making Worship More Accessible

  • Using Computers for Inclusive Worship. This list, written by Rev. Dr. John Frank, a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor, gives practical ways that churches can make their communication more accessible to people with visual impairments.
  • Inclusive Communion In this article from Reformed Worship magazine, the Director of Disability Concerns for the CRC, Mark Stephenson, discusses the importance of making the sacrament inclusive of people with disabilities and gives practical examples for a variety of different situations.
  • How Communion Trains Us in God’s Hospitality This article from the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship (CICW) examines communion from the perspective of people with disabilities and concludes, "The cultivation of daily gratitude, receiving all of life as gift—the training for that is at the table."
  • Optimum Readability of Computer Projected, Printed, or Internet Text This article by Rev. Dr. John Frank suggests ways that churches can make their communications more readable (and therefore accessible), and discusses challenges that can get in the way.
  • Accessibility in Worship Architecture: Does your church welcome everyone? This article from the CICW helps church leaders understand the importance of an accessible church facility and gives practical advice for planning and implementation.
  • All God's Children Have Gifts: Disability and Worship This article from the CICW provides perspective on all worshipers as having needs and gifts that they bring into worship. Healthy, God-glorifying worship meets the needs of worshipers and encourages all worshipers to use their gifts in the life of the church. The article gives practical ideas for inclusive worship.
  • Made Like Us When God took on human form, in a very real sense, he became the disabled God. This article in The Banner, considers God's clothing himself with disability in Christ's incarnation, life, suffering, and death. The online version includes discussion questions which could be used in a youth or adult small group especially during Advent.
  • Disability Concerns has several short videos that can be used to present the ministry during a worship service or in some other setting.
  • Suggested Accommodations for Specific Behaviors: Sr. Barbara Cline, M.A., Ph.D., and Director of the Office of Catechesis for the Diocese of Grand Rapids, says that we consider children in class to be problems when WE have not yet learned how to teach them. This list of practical suggestions for responses to challenging behaviors will help Sunday School teachers and others working with children to learn how to teach the precious charges they have been given.
  • Are You Keeping Tony Out?: by Rev. Ron Noorman, parent of several children with disabilities, challenges readers to find ways to include children with special needs in church activities and gives practical suggestions how to do that.
  • Friendship Ministries helps churches and organizations around the world share God’s love with people who have cognitive impairments. Their mission is "to share God’s love with people who have cognitive impairments and to enable them to become an active part of God’s family."
  • Faith Alive Resouces provides many excellent resources for ministry with people with disabilities.

 

Contact Us

We would love to hear from you! Please feel free to call Mark Stephenson at 616.224.0801, toll free at 888.463.0272, or e-mail disabilityconcerns@crcna.org.