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Possibility Ministry

April 27, a special Sabbath dedicated to the people with disability.

Possibility Ministry

CD-EUDNews, C.Cozzi. Picture Schutterstock.com

Bern, April 24, 2019. [CD-EUDNews. C.Cozzi]. Each year, the last Saturday in April is designated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church as the Special Needs Ministries Sabbath.

This special day is an echo to the International Day of Disabled Persons, which is observed on December 3rd of each year.
The International Day of Disabled Persons was proclaimed in 1992, by the General Assembly of the United Nations. It aims to promote the rights and well-being of people with disabilities, and to focus on their presence in the political, social, economic, and cultural life of the society where they live.  
The general theme is the involvement of people with disabilities in ensuring inclusion and equality, as part of the agenda which included health and well-being for all.

Disability is a sensitive issue. Apparently accepted, the person with disability lives his or her existence under the shadow of diversity. To be different in our society at all latitudes, however, entails suffering that is difficult to hide.

“For decades, those who have not been able to see, hear, walk or communicate like the majority, have often been referred to as being disabled. While it is important to recognize one’s limitations, being identified in this way can have a limiting effect on the person’s own self-perception. Their horizon can become limited and it can happen in a number of ways,” declared Larry Evans, Assistant to the President of Special Needs Ministries at the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.

Since 2015, the Seventh-day Adventist Church has introduced, in the list of church departments, a ministry dedicated to people with disabilities in order to raise awareness (there are more than 1 billion people with some kind of disability in the world, and it is enough to turn your head to realize that we are surrounded by people with disabilities); to call for acceptance (we are inviting the Adventist churches to be more disability-friendly in every aspect of church life); and, finally, to educate and stimulate into action. This guarantees that everyone can do his/her part to reach the goal of ensuring inclusion and equality.

“This ministry has a unique opportunity of not only proclaiming but also emphasizing the value and dignity of each person. The Christian church is not only known by what it says but also by what it does. Therefore, this ministry exists to coordinate and promote acceptance, support, and inclusion of people who have special needs along with those who care for them,” Evans explained.

This global ministry of the Adventist Church encompasses ministry for and with the blind, orphans, those with mental health and mobility challenges, and widows, as Jesus commended in His mandate. It also includes providing support for caregivers of those with special needs.

At the heart of this ministry is the conviction that all have something to contribute and by contributing, they have entered the journey toward wholeness.

Special Needs Ministries seeks to bring wholeness to all in a world that is broken. It is a rediscovery of the completeness a person has in God.

This year, the Special Needs Ministries Sabbath falls on April 27th and, for this occasion, the Inter-European Division (EUD) has prepared some material that can be downloaded here.
There is a programme for Sabbath School, with a Powerpoint presentation that could be useful for the deaf; a message for children prepared by Elsa Cozzi, EUD Children's Ministries director, and a sermon prepared by Josef Solwík, Special Needs Ministries coordinator for the Czech and Slovak Union.

“We invite all churches to give particular attention to this Special Needs Ministries Sabbath,” encouraged Corrado Cozzi, Special Needs Ministries coordinator for the Inter-European Region of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, “considering the resources made available for this event.”

For more information and resources, browse through the different pages of this resource center:
www.SpecialNeeds.Adventist.org A website for ministries that include the deaf, blind, those physically or mentally challenged, orphans, and caregivers.
www.HopeChannelDeaf.org An internet channel of Hope Channel for the deaf and hard of hearing that focuses on: family, health, Bible study, mission, and nature.
www.AdventistDeaf.org A website dedicated to news and ministry impacting the deaf around the world.