About Me
Welcome to Disability Concerns. My name is Mark Stephenson. I’m here to help you find the best ways for your church to become an accessible, warm, hospitable, and loving place for people with disabilities. At Disability Concerns we like to say, “Everybody belongs. Everybody serves.”
After receiving an M.Div. degree, I served as pastor of two Christian Reformed churches for a total of 17 years, and I have served as the Director of Disability Concerns for the Christian Reformed Church since July 2006. My wife Bev and I have four living children, including our oldest child, Nicole, who was born extremely prematurely in the late 1980’s and lives with severe, multiple impairments. That label does not define her. She loves magazines, loves interacting with people, loves roller-coasters and wild amusement park rides, and she loves to worship and to pray with God’s people. In any group, she shares her own unique gifts.
God used Nicole to lead me into a variety of involvements with people with disabilities and their families including these:
- Chairing the board of Special Education Ministry of Holland (a Friendship group)
- Serving with working groups for various ministries with people with disabilities
- Directing the Disability Concerns ministry of my denomination.
I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to speak to groups across North America about church and inclusion, and welcome such opportunities. Likewise, I welcome this opportunity to assist you and your congregation. If you cannot find a resource that you would find helpful, or if I can assist you in some way, please be in touch.
My Topics
| Type | Date | |
|---|---|---|
| Blog post | Aroma Therapy or Aroma HeresyMay 15, 2013 | |
| Article | Q & A on the ADA: The Church and the Americans with Disabilities ActMay 7, 2013 | |
| Blog post | Grounded in Faith: Resources on Mental Health and Gun ViolenceApril 30, 2013 | |
| Blog post | How to Work Well with Siblings when Caring for An Aging ParentApril 24, 2013 | |
| Blog post | Get Ready: May is Mental Health MonthApril 15, 2013 |
My Comments
Rod, thanks for sharing. Because each family situation is so different, the process of arriving at consensus is as important as the consensus arrived at. Good communication is essential, and hard...
Geri, Besides the accessibility audit, Disability Concerns has many other resources for raising awareness as well. You will also...
I'll answer my own question. Coping with Depression Workshop: A free presentation for individuals with depression, caregivers and those who want to increase their understanding of depression...
A few days ago, an insightful article was posted by the Washington Post about how churches are responding to mental illness by congregants:...
Henk, thanks for your comment. It's painfully true that many people with mental illness end up in our prisons in Canada and the U.S. Sadly, when the large institutions were closed and former...