Mark Stephenson
After receiving an M.Div. degree, I served as pastor of two Christian Reformed churches for a total of 17 years. From 2006 through 2021, I was the Director of Disability Concerns for the Christian Reformed Church, and relish the close working relationship CRC Disability Concerns has with the Reformed Church in America Disability Concerns ministry. I have served as interim Director of the CRC's Offices of Race Relations and Social Justice since Feb 2020. My wife Bev and I have five living children, two daughters-in-law, and three grandchildren. Our oldest child, Nicole, was born extremely prematurely in the late 1980’s and lives joyfully 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.
Posted in: Nearly 1 in 3 People With Disabilities Live in Poverty
Michele, I pray that God will surprise you with an opportunity you never expected.
Shannon, yes, they are alarming statistics. I would guess that in most societies, disability is part of the lives of many if not most of that society's members who live in poverty. In addition, many people with disabilities are put to death against their will, either through abortion, or infant exposure, or neglect, or euthanasia.
Posted in: Talking about Robin Williams and Suicide
Michele, I appreciate your point that no one is immune to challenges and struggles. The difference between each of us is that the struggles we have are different. I hope that others will respond similarly by starting support groups in their own churches.
Thanks too for sharing a bit of your own journey. Your comment reminds me that readers may be interested in hearing from others who also have been affected by mental illness. Disability Concerns created Stories of Grace and Truth (www.crcna.org/graceandtruth) so that people could share prose, poetry, and visual art that arises out of their own journeys with mental illness.
Posted in: Talking about Robin Williams and Suicide
Two resources specifically for pastors:
Christian Reformed Disability Concerns has been a member of Pathways to Promise* since its beginning. One of the pillars of this organization, Rev. Bob Dell wrote a response to Williams suicide specifically as a resource for pastors with some ideas for responding in a way that is helpful for congregations. Dell reminds pastors that the very public nature of Williams' suicide will touch many people in painful ways including people dealing with depression and people who have lost a loved one to suicide.
Also, the Interfaith Network on Mental Illness produced a series of short videos, posted on the Caring Clergy Project website, that were written "specifically for clergy and staff of faith communities. Learn how to recognize risk factors and warning signs of suicide, how to tell if a person is considering suicide and how to respond if you discover they are. You'll also learn how to respond to families after a suicide and how to plan a memorial service for someone who has died by suicide.”
*Pathways to Promise is an interfaith cooperative of many faith groups. We provide assistance and are a resource center which offers liturgical and education materials, program models, caring ministry with people experiencing a mental illness and their families. The resources are used by people at all levels of faith group structures from local congregations to regional and national staff.
Posted in: The Power of Connection
Thanks to all of you for the kudos.
Kevin McDermott, yes, it's particularly sad and painful when people feel the need to hide their loved ones out of shame created by community stigma. Although this shame may be more prominent in countries outside of North America, stigma is alive and well here too. For example, I had a conversation recently with a man I've known since childhood. He told me that his mother was in psychiatric hospitals much of his youth, and I never knew.
Posted in: The Power of Connection
This article on paralympic athletes in Ghana demonstrates that stigma doesn't have the last word!
Posted in: Let's Have Some Awkward Conversations
Michelle, thanks for your note. Most Friendship groups minister not only with members of the congregation but also with people in the community. That's why Friendship is such a wonderful outreach ministry. In fact, I know of a church plant that started with a Friendship group, then expanded from there.
How wonderful that your feel welcome at your church! I know many people living with mental illnesses who do not. What is your church doing that helps you and others integrate into the life of the congregation?
Posted in: What Does Your Church Do With Those People?
Michele, yes, it's sad that people fear others coming to church. Just a few days ago I just talked with a man who advocated in his own congregation for including people with various disabilities and the importance of making accommodations so that they can participate. He said that one person objected saying, "Well, if we make more accommodations, then more of those people might start coming." What a terrible thing! The church might grow. Oh no!!!!
Of course, this man did not fear church growth. He feared growth via people coming that he did not consider desirable. But the gospels make plain that Jesus was not concerned about the "right" kind of people coming to church. He was concerned about people coming to him, anyone, maybe especially people whom society pushes to the margins.
Posted in: Your Church Can Play a Vital Role in Emergencies
Shirley, thanks for your comment. Having served on church councils for nearly 20 years, I understand that they have a lot on their plate, and most of them are volunteers. What I have found in the past is that it's really helpful if someone invests the time and energy to investigate the needs and come to them with a well-thought-out plan. That puts most of the responsibility on you, but I think that's the best answer to your question - how does one interest the council? Get a couple of interested people from your church, find out what in your mind would be best for your church, then come to the council with a good plan that the can comment on and, one hopes, approve. Blessings!
Posted in: The Case for Hiring A Special Needs Coordinator
Jolanda, thanks for this post. Excellent idea. For churches that simply cannot afford to pay a staff person, Disability Concerns encourages them to ask at least one member to be a church disability advocate to help the church be intentional about ministry with people who have disabilities. Nearly 600 volunteers serve as disability advocates in CRC churches. In addition, our ministry provides a variety of resources for people who serve as volunteer disability advocates or paid special needs coordinators.
Posted in: Your Feedback = Chance to Win
I like the new look. Larger font makes it easier to read. And I really hope that the navigation by topic and type will help people find their interest more easily. Kudos to the Network team.
Posted in: A Law That Can Expand Our Outreach
Lindsey, thanks for your note and encouraging words. I had not heard of the Luke14 project, but I have seen the Wierd Glasses People skit before. I love the line when the non-glasses-wearer says to the glasses wearer, "God bless you for your courage. You're an inspiration." This whole skit captures well the absurdity of many things non-disabled people say to people with disabilities. Looks like you are doing good work with the Luke 14 project. BTW, you have the / in the wrong place in your URL. If others want to check it out, they should go to cbm.org.au/luke14. The video on that page makes a powerful case for the church becoming the kind of community that God calls us to be. I really love Dale Sheppard's comment as a man with a disability, "If I'm not welcome at church, then where the heck am I welcome?" Blessings!
Posted in: Sarah's Death Four Years and Two Months Later
Karl, our son, Dylan, was only 3 1/2 weeks old when he passed away. Our grief is different because mostly we wonder what might have been. Thanks for sharing your story. It's good to read your testimony of God's sustaining grace. I would guess that many of us parents are on this journey.