Ministries Partnering Together on Special Needs Webinar
The Pentecostal Theological Seminary in partnership with the Church of God Department of Youth and Discipleship, the Church of God of Prophecy Children’s Ministries Department, and Pathway Press is providing a free webinar on Ministry with Special Needs Children and their Families. The online event is designed to introduce to the participants the challenges and opportunities of ministering to this important but often overlooked part of the Body of Christ.
The webinar will convene on April 18 at 6:30 p.m. It will be 60-90 minutes in length and will include a variety of brief presentations. In addition to an overview of the types of special needs congregations are facing, Mitch and Sharon Maloney will share their testimony as parents of twin brothers, each of whom is autistic. There will also be reports from local congregations that have developed special needs ministries. Participants will have opportunities to interact with presenters via the internet.
The webinar is in part an outgrowth of a course on ministry with special needs children and their families that has been offered at the Seminary for over fifteen years. It was introduced into the Seminary’s curriculum by Dr. Jackie Johns, Professor of Discipleship and Christian Formation, who was motivated by his experiences as a long-term pastor of a congregation with many special needs members. Dr. Marcy Williams Webb has from the beginning served as the primary teacher for the course. Dr. Webb’s doctoral dissertation focused on congregational ministries with autistic children and their families.
Dr. Cheryl Bridges Johns, Robert E. Fisher Professor of Spiritual Renewal and Christian Formation, has spearheaded this project. It was her vision to make the webinar a joint project of the four partnering ministries A team of representatives from each of the sponsoring agencies has designed the event.
“This webinar would not be possible without partnership with the Church of God of Prophecy,” stated Dr. Cheryl Johns. “Kathy Creasy, who leads their department of Children’s Ministry, has provided her expertise gained from extensive experience producing webinars. Their headquarters is generously providing the facilities, equipment, and personnel for the production. Webinars have become a significant medium for their denominational communication and training programs.”
To register for the webinar, please visit http://cogop.org/children/pts-registration-form/
