CARPENTERS' KIDS
Through the Roof in association with New Frontiers
26 pages. £3.00 + 50p p&p from PO Box 353, Epsom, Surrey KT19 5WS
I have some friends who have just given birth to a spina bifida child. So the theme of this booklet was very much on my mind, and I want to recommend it.
According to US statistics, when disability comes into a family, four out of five marriages end in divorce. Churches greatly need to know how to support such families. The booklet uses simple bullet-point lists to help those outside the family understand the sorts of implications that disability brings to the parents, the marriage and to siblings, as well as to the disabled child.
For churches, clear practical models are set out which enable them to create a supportive environment providing appropriate help, and assisting parents to worship as part of the wider church family. Every disability is different, and the booklet has a closing section with details of many organisations which give further information and specific advice and support.
No doubt the parents of disabled children start off with the best of intentions, but may get worn out in the long run. We need to be there for them.
The re-emergence of heavy shepherds
What would you think if you received a letter from your church leaders that read like this? ‘Are church …