On June 6, 7, and 8, 2025, an event took place, in Costa de Lavos, that will go down in history for the Seventh-day Adventist Church (IASD) in Portugal. The 1st meeting of the Adventist Ministry of Possibilities (MAP) was held at the JA camping park, bringing together people with disabilities, supporters, local MAP leaders, pastors, and families for a moment of learning, welcome, and study of the Word of God. This event aimed to promote inclusion and the appreciation of people with disabilities within the IASD.
The main topics were presented by Dr. Josef Slowík, a professor of special education at the Faculty of Education of the University of West Bohemia, in Pilsen, Czech Republic. For years, he has actively worked with people with various disabilities, especially focusing on the fields of education and social services. Among his research and publications is a book he authored, titled “A Person with Special Needs in a Christian Community.”
Also present was Pastor Rainer Wanitscheck, director of MAP in the EUD, who similarly sought to provide practical guidance and deep spiritual reflections during his presentation, reaffirming the Church's commitment to the mission of welcoming and valuing each person as an essential part of the body of Christ. For him: "True inclusion creates an environment where everyone has a voice, a place, and value. This mission reflects God's love, which desires to save everyone, without distinction."
MAP: A Ministry of Possibilities
This remarkable meeting of the Adventist Ministry of Possibilities, which seeks to create an inclusive and welcoming environment for people with disabilities and their families, was the focus of the lectures and activities. The topics addressed were based on the 7 areas of MAP’s action.
MAP’s Areas of Action
MAP is focused on seven main areas, each directed at specific groups of people with unique needs or challenges: the deaf, people with mental health challenges, blind individuals and those with low vision, people with reduced mobility, the bereaved, caregivers, and orphans or vulnerable children.
"The first meeting of MAP, in addition to being inspiring and exciting, was also educational and guiding," explained Pastor Daniel Bastos, leader of MAP in Portugal. "Participants left here more prepared, with knowledge and tools to start the mission in their churches." A sense of gratitude and commitment was present throughout the event, reflecting the vision of a God who values and loves every human being.
Testimonies of Love
Among the most moving moments of the meeting were the testimonies of some participants with disabilities, and family members who shared their daily struggles and resilience, bringing tears to the eyes of those present while inspiring them.
The Matos family shared the life journey of Andreia, a young woman with cerebral palsy, who, despite her limitations, entered the world of music in an extraordinary way. They also shared their own testimony regarding their professional path in creating braille content for the blind, having given several training sessions at JA Training School.
Áurea Bastos shared her journey with her son, who has autism, and how, with God, she found love amidst all the challenges faced so far. She presented her book "This Son I Embrace," which highlights all the love God has placed in her life and how a support network is significant to families with children with disabilities.
Luis Vasconcelos, who is blind, writes his own songs and sings them. He has appeared on television and has been invited to sing and share his story of resilience and faith in many places. From a certain point in his life, all his songs speak of our God!
Maria Beatriz Silva, a young deaf woman who grew up between the two worlds of the deaf and hearing, decided to create her possibilities not only in the Church but also in her academic and professional life. In her almost-completed Master's of Museology program, she guided museum visits for various groups of people with special needs.
Nuno Pereira, with an 80% physical disability, continues to work as a teacher and is also a photographer. In 2016, he received the first prize in the "Inclusion in Diversity" competition—from the Portuguese Center for Photography—with a photo of Julieta, a doctor who has been an amputee since the age of five.
The testimonies of these families and participants highlighted the importance of MAP as a concrete response to the needs of many other families.
The Mission Continues
The 1st meeting brought awareness, instruction, and inspiration. Our goal, now, is for local churches to develop practical actions that welcome these people and integrate them into the family of God. MAP not only receives these individuals but helps to reveal their gifts for the preaching of the gospel. For MAP, everyone is talented, necessary, and valuable.
Focus on Mission
The Church now moves forward with the commitment to create truly welcoming and accessible environments where everyone can serve and be served, loving and being loved. Because, in the Kingdom of God, every person is precious, every life has value, and every talent can be used for His glory.
"The Church's mission will only be complete when it includes everyone, when it empowers those who have been silenced, and when it provides opportunities for those who have been forgotten. God made us with a purpose. May we, as a Church, continue to welcome, learn, and create opportunities for everyone to find their mission and place in the body of Christ," concluded Pastor José Lagoa, president of the Portuguese Union of Seventh-day Adventists (UPASD).
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