FIN Community for ALL (C4A) Conference

One of the biggest challenges and needs for individuals and families affected by disability is finding inclusive, strong communities where they can belong and thrive. Please join the Faith Inclusion Network community as we come together to learn how to strengthen communities in congregations, learn from self-advocates and share the most recent knowledge of inclusion in faith communities and congregations, including how faith communities have made adjustments through the Covid-19 Pandemic.

This year's conference will be virtual including our local FIN network and FIN members and friends from around the country. Participants will have access to over 40 presentations with presenters from the US, Canada and Australia. As a registered participant, you will not only be able to participate in the Zoom calls scheduled on Friday morning and afternoon, but you will also have access to all the video presenations until March 31.

You may also be interested in connecting with one of the C4A Community Host Groups around the country. See groups, contacts and their emails below.

Access Services-Intersect- Director of Intersect, David Eckert DEckert@accessservices.org in the Philadelphia, PA area.

Archdiocese of Washington Department of Special Needs Ministry Rachel Chung at specialneedsministry@adw.org in the DC area.

Archdiocese of Newark, NJ Office of Pastoral Ministry with Persons with Disabilities sponsored by Loyola Press Anne Masters at Anne.Masters@rcan.org in the Newark, NJ area.

Church on the Hill, Fishersville, VA. (Western part of VA) Suzanne Eich at eichsuz@gmail.com or 757-647-8020

Heritage Christian Services and the Greater Rochester Faith Inclusion Network Lida Merrill lmerrill@heritagechristianservices.org in the Rochester, NY area.

Stone Belt Arc, Inc Sarah McKenny smckenney@stonebelt.org in the Southern Indiana area.

SHARE-"Sharing Hands a Respite Experience" Jonathan Campbell jcampbell@sharewtx.org in the West Texas area.

First Christian Church in Midland, TX Tom Jones at tomwjones13@gmail.com

Texas Center for Disability Studies at University of Texas at Austin; Critical Disability Studies Program Nick Winges-Yanez at nwingesyanez@utexas.edu

Texas A&M University Center on Disability and Development, Vanessa Richard -vrichard@tamu.edu and Meagan Sumbera-meagansumbera@email.tamu.edu

Crossroads Church, Norfolk, VA-Holly Colonna at hollycolonna@gmail.com

SPRED of VA, Inc.-David Litzinger, davidlitzinger@verizon.net Newport News/Williamsburg area of VA

belong disABILITY Ministry-Highland Park UMC, Dallas, TX, Pastor Ramsey Patton, pattonr@hpumc.org

Eggleston Services, Norfolk, VA

Christian Church in the Southwest-Fortworth, TX Rev. Heather Santi-Brown at revheathersb@gmail.com

About Community for ALL Interfaith Disability Inclusion Weekend

This year’s conference will also kick off the second annual Community for ALL Interfaith Disability Inclusion Weekend. In addition to attending the conference virtually, please consider having your congregation celebrate inclusion by participating in C4A weekend. Information can be found here or on our Community for ALL Facebook page.

AGENDA for Virtual Conference Participants (Participation Via Zoom)

8:45 am-Check into the Zoom group and say hello to your fellow conference participants (Bring a cup of tea/coffee and enjoy connecting)

9:00 am-Welcome to C4A-2021*-Karen Jackson

9:15 am-Opening Address: Are We a Movement?*, Rev. Bill Gaventa

9:45 am-Presentation I:You Have to See IT To Be it…Or So I Thought , Rev. Padraic Collins-Bohrer followed by discussion.

10:30 am- Presentation II: L'Arche USA- “Be Together: Building Relationships Across Difference” * Mary Ruppert, Chris Friedman and Jack Stewart followed by discussion

11:15 am-Presentation III: A Muslim Perspective on Disability Inclusion Shaykh Tariq Musleh with MUHSEN followed by discussion.

12:00 pm Lunch Break

1:00 pm (EST) Live Zoom National Community Conversation entitled, "Faith Communities, Disability, and Public Policy"

*All presentation videos will be available to participants to view independently as well.

National Community Conversation: "Faith Communities, Disability, and Public Policy"

Moderator, Mr. David Morstad, M.Ed, FAAIDD

Panelists Include Rev. Padriac Collins-Bohrer, Imam Nadim Bashir, Curtis Ramsey Lucas, Rachel Chung and Aaron Kaufman

People with disabilities have long faced discrimination in housing, education, and basic accessibility. In the age of COVID, access to basic healthcare has emerged as an additional discriminatory practice in many states. What is the role of faith communities when it comes to public policy? The Book of Proverbs offers wisdom. As one translation puts it, “Speak out on behalf of those who have no voice, and defend all those who have been passed over.” (Proverbs 31:8) As with every civil rights movement, people of faith are called to confront injustice and speak truth to power. How can we most effectively come alongside disability advocates and our sisters and brothers with disabilities and support efforts for more enlightened policies?

Presenters and Presentation Titles

Detailed descriptions and bios

WELCOME VIDEO: Karen Jackson, Founder and Executive Director, Faith Inclusion Network of Hampton Roads

OPENING ADDRESS VIDEO: Rev. Bill Gaventa, M.Div. Founder and Director Emeritus, Institute on Theology and Disability-"Are We a Movement?"

I. FAMILY AND CAREGIVERS TRACK

• Rev. Bill Gaventa, M.Div., Founder and Director Emeritus, Institute on Theology and Disability, and Meggie Beaudoin-Kobb (Texas)- Coping with Grief in the Lives of People with Intellectual Disabilities and/or Autism
• Jolene Philo, Author and Speaker, (Iowa)- The 5 Love Languages for Families Affected by Disability and The Mess That Stress Builds and What To Do About It
• Lisa Jamieson, Exec. Director, Walk Right In, (Minnesota)- Parenting Special Siblings and The Energized Caregiver: Tapping Your Unique Strengths
• Maureen Pratt, Author and Speaker, (California)- The Spirituality of Caregiving
• Tom Jones, Founder of SHARE (Texas)- Parent Connection-A Movement toward Wholeness
• David and Mercedes Rizzo, Authors and Speakers (New Jersey)- Balancing Children, Marriage and Self Care in a Special Needs Family
• Karenne Hills, Ph. D. (Autstralia) - Spirituality in the Context of Nonverbal Autism
• Ken Atkins, (Virginia)The World Needs Your Story

II.SELF-ADVOCACY TRACK

• Angela West, (Virginia)- "Roll Called... Living with a Purpose”

• Rev. Padraic Collins-Bohrer, (New York)You Have to See IT To Be it…Or So I Thought
• Pastor Joanna French (Kansas)-Weeping together: When a Minister Struggles with Mental Health
• Ron Sandison- (Michigan) Living with Autism and Growing in Faith
• Lorraine Friedman-(Texas) A Path Forward – Helping Empower People with Disabilities to Find their Voice through Self-Advocacy

III.CONGREGATIONAL AND MINISTRY TRACK

• Angela West-(Virginia) Roll Called…Living with a Purpose
• Bronwyn Murphy, Inclusion Coordinator (California)-Building the Next Inclusive Generation: Partnering with Youth, Children and Families to Create Inclusive Communities and Room to Breathe: Creating and Sustaining Supportive Community Groups for Parents of Children with Disabilities/Special Needs
• Howard Blas (Connecticut)-The Tikvah Program at Camp Ramah: 50 Years of Inclusive Camping and Still Evolving
• Pastor David Eckert, Director of Intersect-(Pennsylvania) “Mental Illness: What is it and why does it matter for your faith community?” and “Supporting Those with Mental Illness in Your Congregation and Community”
• Jeanne Davies, Executive Director Anabaptist Disabilities Network (Indiana)- We Are Able: Offering Inclusive Service Opportunities for Youth and Young Adults
• Pastor Joanna French (Kansas)-Weeping together: When a Minister Struggles with Mental Health
• Rev. Justin Hancock, Co-Founder, The Julian Way (Texas)- Reading our civic text in order to form coalitions within and beyond the disability community
• Rachel Chung, Disabilities Coordinator ADW DSNM (Washington DC) - Faith and Advocacy: Engaging our elected leaders for changes at local & national levels
• Rebekah Dyer, Ph. D. (Arizona)- Successful Inclusion of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Disability Ministry Programs
• Shelly Christensen, MA, Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer, MA, and Howard Blas- B’nai Mitzvah: Creating Meaningful Coming of Age Ceremonies for Jewish People with Disabilities
• Shelly Christensen. MA and Debby Fisher, PsyD- Opportunities for Professional Caregivers to Promote Faith and Spirituality in Person-Centered Planning
• Shelly Christensen, MA. Inclusion Innovations (Minnesota)- Belonging in Action
• Samantha Jones, CEO and Founder, Benevolence United-Building Your Disability Ministry Team and Starting your Disability Ministry
• Maureen Pratt, Speaker and Author (California)- How Do We Keep on Learning? Religious Education and Congregational Belonging for Adults with Disabilities
• Mary Ruppert, L'Arche USA- “Be Together: Building Relationships Across Difference”
• Imam Nadim Bashir, (Texas) “Special needs in the Muslim community: Past, present, and future”
• Schipani, Sister Kathleen , (Pennsylvania) Cyber Catechesis – We Can Adapt! Part I and We Can Adapt: Materials and Methods that really work! Part II
• Catherine Boyle (Virginia)-The Future of Discipleship and Special Needs Ministry
• Shaykh Tariq Musleh (Illinois) A Muslim Perspective on Disability Inclusion
• Michelle Munger (Virginia) - "I'm Trying to Get My Family To Church" and "Why is This Parent So Angry?"

IV. DISABILITY AND THEOLGY TRACK

• Anne Master, Ph.D., FAAIDD , (New Jersey)Reconsidering Charity Within the Body of Christ
• Jasmine Duckworth, Christian Horizons (Canada)- Accessibility, Ableism and the Church
• Pastor Joanna French (Kansas)-Show Me: The Biblical Backing for Special needs Ministry
• Rev. Justin Hancock, Co-Founder, The Julian Way (Texas)- The gospels and the models of disability
• Karenne Hills, Ph.D. (Australia)- Spirituality in the Context of Nonverbal Autism

SPONSOR/VENDOR DETAILS

C4A GLOBAL Community Level Sponsor $1000+

In addition to the ads and promotional benefits, you will be providing one faith community of your choice a $300 grant towards a disability or inclusion program that supports families affected by disability in their congregation.

• Full page on printed program
• 60 Second Video Ad
• Individualized Facebook Ad-Interview about your organization
• Large icon with link and description on FIN website

C4A NATIONAL Community Level Sponsor-$500

In addition to ads and promotional benefits, you will be providing one of our national FIN speakers (or one of your choice) a $150 stipend to further their work in the field.

• Full page ad in printed program
• 30 Second Video Ad
• Individual Facebook recognition
• Listing on FIN website with link to your organization

C4A REGIONAL Community Level Sponsor -$250

The Regional Community sponsorship includes the following:

• Half page ad in the printed program
• Recognition on Facebook
• Lisiting on FIN website with link to your organization

C4A COMMUNITY HOST Group -$250

The Community Host Level is the fee to participate as a Community Host Group. Please contact us at faithinclusionnetwork@gmail.com if you would like to lead a Community Host group.

• The group ticket gets one group access to all video presentations including Rev. Bill Gaventa’s opening address, Welcome video from K. Jackson, Exec. Director of FIN, videos for all tracks and music presentation.
• Access to networking-related presentations and zoom meeting
• Access to live Community Conversation at 1:00 PM EST on Zoom and the recording
• 20 Digital passes for participants

• OPTIONAL additional digital passes for $10 (requires an individual email for each)

• Conference Book Resource List-includes all conference authors and links to purchase their books
• Promotional Material templates that you can customize for your group/area.
• Recognition on FIN website and Facebook page of your group.
• OPTIONAL swag box to purchase (C4A buttons, FIN item, Printed Conference Programs)

Virtual Vendor-$20

Vendors will need to provide virtual links to your website and online resources to post on conference resources page. The resource list will be sent to all conference participants.