Please note:
• Child care is not provided.
• This is a fragrance-free event.
• Please let us know in advance if you have a special dietary need or an alternative format such as sign language, Braille, large print, etc.
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Thank you so much for your interest in the Disability and Ministry Conference. We are sorry to inform you that the conference planned for October 22 has been cancelled due to low registration. Anyone who has already registered will receive a full refund. You can find many resources for including people with disabilities in church life by investigating the websites of the sponsoring organizations. Questions? Write us! |
From Brokenness to Community
A Conference for pastors, other church leaders, seminary and college students, volunteers, Friendship mentors, and parents
Saturday, October 22, 2011
9:30 AM to 3:00 PM
Calvary Church
707 East Beltline NE
Grand Rapids MI 49525
On the East Beltline & I-96
Cost (includes lunch and Jean Vanier's book From Brokenness to Community): $35 per person; $30 for students with ID
Erik Carter, Keynote Speaker
Erik Carter is an associate professor in the Department of Special Education at Vanderbilt university. He completed his graduate work in the area of severe disabilities at Vanderbilt and his undergraduate work in Christian education at Wheaton College. His research and teaching focuses on strategies for supporting meaningful school inclusion and promoting valued roles in school, work, and community settings for children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. He is author of the book Including People with Disabilities in Faith Communities (Brookes publishing).
Jean Vanier, Devotional Writer
Though not speaking at our conference, copies of Vanier's devotional, From Brokenness to Community, will be distributed to all registrants who attend the conference. Jean Vanier is the founder of L'arche, an international organization that creates communities where people with developmental disabilities and those who assist them share life together. in 1964, Vanier became aware of the plight of thousands institutionalized with disabilities. Jean felt led by God to invite two men to leave the institutions where they resided and share their lives with him in a real home. Wherever it exists, the goal of L'arche is to enable people with developmental disabilities to play their full part in society, helping to make it a more friendly place. L'arche does this by creating outward facing communities where people with and without disabilities can share life, affirming one another's unique values and gifts. There are over 130 L'arche communities in 30 countries.