The Banquet Network: Recent Episodes
The Banquet Network
The Banquet Network hosted an online disability advocate training for individuals and churches on Tuesday November 10, 2020. In this podcast, we share valuable resources to help and support churches in becoming more disability inclusive.
info@thebanquetnetwork.com | thebanquetnetwork.com
Katie Long shares the history of adults with disabilities in the US and where we are now. Katie shares suggestions for the church to step in and reach out to the disability community.
Katie is the Administrative Assistant at Arrowhead Bible Camp, which runs a residential camp for adults with developmental disabilities. Katie has been working with the DD population for 12 years. She is passionate about the developmentally disabled population and equipping others to care for, serve, and educate others to end the stigma against the DD community. To learn more about Arrowhead Bible Camp and Shepherds Camp go to arrowheadbiblecamp.org
aa.arrowhead@gmail.com | thebanquetnetwork.com
In this episode, our guest, Rebecca Wall, discusses the gap between the Church and the adult disability community and shares how the Church can step in to bridge that gap.
Bio: Rebecca has been in the disability space since 2012. She is the the Programs Director at 99 Balloons, a non-profit ministry out of Fayetteville, Arkansas. Rebecca desires to see the church embrace, include, and celebrate each and every person made in the image of Christ.
rebecca@99balloons.org | thebanquetnetwork.com
Jay speaks from an honest and transparent perspective as the father of a child with special needs and how disability has transformed his outlook on life.
Bio: Jay Perkins is a father of 3. He enjoys engaging with his community in Atlanta, GA. In 2008 Jay left his corporate job to build a special needs activity center for his daughter who encounters significant sensory challenges. This led to the development of his current business, Sensory Solutions, where he builds and constructs sensory based spaces in schools and churches for children with special needs.
jay@sensoryroomsolutions.com | thebanquetnetwork.com
In this podcast, Amberle discusses the Pools of Bethesda during a breakout session at the 2020 Together Conference in Atlanta, GA. Amberle shares how Jesus approaches people with disabilities and offers an exercise from our IMP (Individualized Ministry Plan) on how we can do the same in our world today.
Bio: Amberle Brown is the co-founder of The Banquet Network. Amberle also works at World Relief as a Monitoring Evaluation and Learning Advisor for Maternal and Child Health. Amberle has a faithful and kind heart. She loves investing in her community and church, and seeks to invite others into the beautiful fellowship found in Christ.
Here's an article, written by Amberle, for more info: https://www.thebanquetnetwork.com/blog/2020/5/4/outreach-to-people-with-disabilities-finding-todays-pools-of-bethesda
amberle@thebanquetnetwork.com | thebanquetnetwork.com
"It's an image-bearer ministering to another image-bearer. As soon as we kind of think in terms of that kind of language, we realize how much alike we are - that we're all broken people living broken lives in a broken world." - Dr. Hulshof
On this podcast, Dr. Hulshof shares how we can love, serve, and support people with disabilities in our communities. He offers insight on parental grief, being known-loved-&-celebrated, and how disability inclusion doesn't have to begin with a ministry or program.
Bio: Dr. Chris Hulshof is an associate professor for Liberty University’s School of Divinity where he teaches Old Testament Survey, Inductive Bible Study, and a Theology of Suffering and Disability. He also earned an Ed.D from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary where his research focused on the intersection of disabilities, theology, and church ministry.
chhulshof@liberty.edu | thebanquetnetwork.com
Allison Fournier is a military spouse and mom of two. Allison has the privilege of being the Kids Leader at the Church at Servern Run, leading children from birth through 5th grade. In this podcast, Allison shares her recent experience as a mom of a child with special needs during the COVID-19 outbreak. Katie Matthews, the Program Director at the Banquet Network, also guest stars on this episode. We hope this podcast is a helpful resource to you and encourages the Church to extend an extra hand to families and individuals with disabilities during this time in our world.
allison@severnrun.com | katie@thebanquetnetwork.com | allie@thebanquetnetwork.com | thebanquetnetwork.com
Hunter Brown discusses, "Learning Inclusion from the Early Church" during a breakout session at the 2020 Together Conference in Atlanta, GA.
Bio: Hunter is the Director of Operations for The Banquet Network and is passionate about helping churches work together in order to reach people with disabilities with the gospel. Hunter also works as a full-time employee at Goucher College as the men and women's golf coach, and is a part-time student in a Masters of Arts in Theology program at St. Mary’s Ecumenical Institute in Baltimore, MD.
Contact: hunter@thebanquetnetwork.com | thebanquetnetwork.com
The Banquet Network hosted Baltimore QCommons Event 2019 where Christians are educated on how they can bring hope and leadership to their communities in a critical moment in their culture for their city.
Derek Miller, Executive Director of Hope Springs in Baltimore works with those affected by HIV and speaks on how to invite them into your community and family.
The Banquet Network hosted Baltimore QCommons Event 2019 where Christians are educated on how they can bring hope and leadership to their communities in a critical moment in their culture for their city.
Jenny Yang is the SVP of Advocacy and Policy at World Relief. She shares about her passions and work with the refugees and immigrants.
The Banquet Network hosted Baltimore QCommons Event 2019 where Christians are educated on how they can bring hope and leadership to their communities in a critical moment in their culture for their city.
Our co-founder, Amberle Brown, shared a message on how the gospel meets people in their loneliness.
Whether you are aware of it or not, there are people in your church with invisible disabilities. We explore with Josh on how you can proactively extend care as church leaders and members.
Bio: Josh is a full-time student at University of Maryland: Baltimore County studying psychology. He serves as a part-time minister of youth at Bethany Church Columbia, in Columbia, MD.
Contact: Josh@bethanycolumbia.org | bethanycolumbia.org
As someone with low vision, Amberle speaks from her personal experience on ten easy ways to make your church more accessible to someone with a vision impairment and the importance of this type of inclusivity.
Bio: Amberle developed her passion for disability and the church after her own experience of vision loss at the age of 21. She knows life in the church both with and without disability and seeks to use her own experiences to inspire, equip, and resource the whole body of Christ. Amberle longs to see people with disabilities invited into the mission of God's people.
Contact: thebanquetnetwork@gmail.com | thebanquetnetwork.com
Hear from a family’s perspective on what it’s like to serve and lead at a church plant that whose special needs population is integral to who they are and their mission.
Bio: Tommy Rowe is a Church Planter of The Gathering Place Church in Bowie, MD. He has been a pastor for 35 years, serving mainly in local church ministry in pastoral staff positions. He lives with his wife, Cheryl, in Laurel MD.
Bio: Brian Rowe is the son of church planter Tommy Rowe. Brian is part of the church planting start team of The Gathering Place Church in Bowie MD. Brian is a daycare teacher and a certified drum circle facilitator. He lives in Columbia, MD.
Contact: thegatheringplacemd@gmail.com | thegatheringplacemd.org
Bio: Jimmy Painter has a passion for carefully unpacking the truths of Scripture. He has served at Cresthill Church, Bowie, Maryland for over 24 years, and in pastoral ministries going on 35 years. He and his wonderful wife Margot have 2 fantastic daughters and a spoiled rotten dog named Clancy.
Contact: painter@cresthill.org | cresthill.org
Churches start churches. Cresthill and The Gathering Place place an emphasis on their relationship with God and one another as the thing that fuels reaching a highly unreached population.
Bio: Tommy Rowe is a Church Planter of The Gathering Place Church in Bowie, MD. He has been a pastor for 35 years, serving mainly in local church ministry in pastoral staff positions. He lives with his wife, Cheryl, in Laurel MD.
Contact: thegatheringplacemd@gmail.com | thegatheringplacemd.org
Bio: Jimmy Painter has a passion for carefully unpacking the truths of Scripture. He has served at Cresthill Church, Bowie, Maryland for over 24 years, and in pastoral ministries going on 35 years. He and his wonderful wife Margot have 2 fantastic daughters and a spoiled rotten dog named Clancy.
Contact: painter@cresthill.org | cresthill.org
The Gathering Place may be the only church of its kind. Hear the story of pastors working together to plant a church that intentionally welcomes families affected by special needs and disabilities.
Bio: Tommy Rowe is a Church Planter of The Gathering Place Church in Bowie, MD. He has been a pastor for 35 years, serving mainly in local church ministry in pastoral staff positions. He lives with his wife, Cheryl, in Laurel MD.
Contact: thegatheringplacemd@gmail.com | thegatheringplacemd.org
Bio: Jimmy Painter has a passion for carefully unpacking the truths of Scripture. He has served at Cresthill Church, Bowie, Maryland for over 24 years, and in pastoral ministries going on 35 years. He and his wonderful wife Margot have 2 fantastic daughters and a spoiled rotten dog named Clancy.
Contact: painter@cresthill.org | cresthill.org
As more people begin to think through disability inclusion and incorporating it into their church DNA and their personal lives, people who are willing to cultivate leadership skills and self-awareness are needed.
Bio: Having pastored for 10 years in California, Michael wrestled with the call of God on his life to plant a new church in a major U.S. city with a significantly African American population. In 2008, God made it clear his calling was in Baltimore. He is a co-founder of The Banquet Network and chief mobilizer for the church to reach the disability population.
Contact: michael@freedomchurchbaltimore.org | freedomchurchbaltimore.org
You might feel intimidated speaking with your pastor about starting a disability ministry but your ideas are worth celebrating! Pastor Mike Crawford gives encouragement to those eager to move the needle forward.
Bio: Having pastored for 10 years in California, Michael wrestled with the call of God on his life to plant a new church in a major U.S. city with a significantly African American population. In 2008, God made it clear his calling was in Baltimore. He is a co-founder of The Banquet Network and chief mobilizer for the church to reach the disability population.
Contact: michael@freedomchurchbaltimore.org | freedomchurchbaltimore.org
Children at the margins often face multiple layers of marginalization along with disability. Together, the Church has the resources and privileges to step into these areas and respond in love.
Bio: CJ Matthews is the lead pastor of Bethany Church in Columbia, MD. The church is located in the business district of Columbia and has become a beacon of light in a place that doesn’t know it needs one. He loves watching the Dallas Cowboys, playing basketball, fishing, hunting, but most of all his amazing wife of six years, Katie. They adopted their one son, Thomas, from Baltimore City two years ago and this has taught them more about what it means to be adopted by God, to be loved unconditionally, and to trust God when life doesn’t make sense.
Contact: CJ@bethanycolumbia.org
Most of the time, kids with disabilities are expected to fit into the world’s model and expectations. rEcess respite nights allow them to be freed from those expectations and to fully be themselves. Offering respite at your church not only serves the kids in this way, but also shows Christ's love to siblings, parents, and the community around them.
Bio: Rebecca has been in the disability space since 2012 when she started and led rEcess, a respite ministry, and a siblings support group ministry in Dallas. Rebecca is the the Programs Director at 99 Balloons, a non-profit ministry out of Fayetteville, Arkansas, where she seeks to educate, equip, and train churches on 99 Balloons' ministry models for respite, teens, and adults. She desires to see the church embrace, include, and celebrate each and every person made in the image of Christ.
Contact: rebecca@99balloons.org | 99balloons.org
Journeying to experience the blessing of the Luke 14 banquet with people of all abilities. Who are you inviting to come along with you?
Bio: Amberle developed her passion for disability and the church after her own experience of vision loss at the age of 21. She knows life in the church both with and without disability and seeks to use her own experiences to inspire, equip, and resource the whole body of Christ. Amberle longs to see people with disabilities invited into the mission of God's people.
Contact: thebanquetnetwork@gmail.com
The 5 Stages - Changing Attitudes Related Resources: http://bit.ly/2BN7vV0 Graphic (Non-Accessible): http://bit.ly/2QutuZk
Finding unity in the Gospel amidst a church with people of varying abilities, cultures, and languages requires embracing discomfort and celebrating differences.
Bio: Danny Hinton began his career as a licensed professional American Sign Language Interpreter and it was through his work that God revealed his plans for Danny to be a minister amongst marginalized communities. He is the father of three, husband to Tennille, and the founding pastor at Gospel Community Church in Owensboro, Kentucky.
Contact: gccowensboro@gmail.com
Reshaping the idea of success amongst physicians to address the profound disparity of care for people with disabilities in healthcare.
Bio: Abby Fahnestock currently lives in Baltimore, MD where she is a medical student at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. She graduated from Baylor University, with a degree as a "University Scholar," studying Great Texts of the Western World, Spanish, and Medical Humanities. In her free time Abby enjoys running, playing musical instruments, and doing anything and everything outside.
Contact: afahnes1@jhmi.edu
How keeping families at the center of your ministry allows the Gospel to go forth.
Bio: Katie is the parent of a child with special needs, an educator in the public school system, and the director of a special needs children’s ministry called Bethany Blessings in Columbia, Maryland. She is passionate about bringing the gospel to families of individuals with special needs and seeks to train other church members on how to minister to these families.
Contact: katie@yourbethany.org | bethanycolumbia.org
How misrepresentation is stunting faith and causing people with disabilities to feel less than human.
Bio: Matt Curcio is a self-described Speaker, Writer and Advocate. He has been involved with disability advocacy in some form for over 15 years. Matt not only runs his own nonprofit, Break The Roof, to empower people with disabilities and create a more accessible world, but he recently began a venture as a Travel Agent to help families affected by disability to vacation safely and without obstacles.
Contact: mattpcurcio@gmail.com | breaktheroof.org
On discipling people with disabilities within the Church to reach the local and global community as God has gifted them.
Bio: Alisha Williams is a wife and mother first. Her and her husband, Rev. Frank Williams Jr., have four wonderful children Sheila, Steven, Joshua and Josiah. She loves serving the Lord in every area of her life. She’s a Contracting Officer’s Representative and Budget Analyst for the Center of Medicare and Medicaid Services. She serves in Sunday school, the choir, Woman’s Missionary Union (WMU), Drama Ministry, Hands of Glory Deaf Ministry, Ebenezer International Ministries and the Inspire Special Needs Ministry at Colonial Baptist Church. She is also a veteran who served twelve years in the Maryland Army National Guard. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, presents your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus”. Philippians 4:6-7
Contact: inspire@colonialbaptist.org | http://www.colonialbaptistch.org
When a neuro-typical teen graduates from high school, we say "this is the beginning of your future” or “you can be anything you want to be.” When a teen with special needs that is unable to attend college or hold a job graduates, what is left for them? Lainie Browning partnered with her church to assess the needs of these young adults and worked to fill the gap.
Hunter Brown shares how experiencing the Salvation of Jesus manifests itself in ministry at the margins.
Bio: Hunter is a board member at The Banquet Network and spouse to our co-founder, Amberle. He’s currently studying Theology at St. Mary’s Ecumenical Institute in Baltimore and is the men’s and women’s golf coach at Goucher College.
Contact: hunterbr340@gmail.com
There are five common fears church leaders face when considering disability inclusion. Pastor Mike Crawford shepherds us through these fears and helps us debunk them as we do with myths.
Bio: Having pastored for 10 years in California, Michael wrestled with the call of God on his life to plant a new church in a major U.S. city with a significantly African American population. In 2008, God made it clear his calling was in Baltimore. He is a co-founder of The Banquet Network and chief mobilizer for the church to reach the disability population.
Contact: michael@freedomchurchbaltimore.org | freedomchurchbaltimore.org
What do I say to my pastor or my church leadership if I’m trying to get my church to be disability inclusive or involved in disability ministry? Listen in as Pastor Mike Crawford shares his thoughts.
Bio: Having pastored for 10 years in California, Michael wrestled with the call of God on his life to plant a new church in a major U.S. city with a significantly African American population. In 2008, God made it clear his calling was in Baltimore. He is a co-founder of The Banquet Network and chief mobilizer for the church to reach the disability population.
Contact: michael@freedomchurchbaltimore.org | freedomchurchbaltimore.org
Dr. Thomas Hentrich from EcumenAbility points us to full inclusion and belonging in the Church and each person’s unique ability to contribute to the Kingdom across denominations and globally.
Bio: I am an independent Theologian, who, for personal reasons, also has an interest in brain injuries and other disabilities. Following the publication of my book “’Abgestempelt’. People with Disabilities in Ancient Israel and the Ancient Near East” and having worked for a Canadian ecumenical organization, it became clear to me that there are deficits in the congregational life of people with disabilities. Unfortunately, because they are a rather marginal group, they will likely not get the exposure that other social issues are enjoying. EcumenAbility© is attempting to fill this void.
Contact: hentricht@hotmail.com | thomashentrich.page4.com | FB @EcumenAbility
Dr. Bergina Isbell, MD shares her unique perspective as a psychiatric professional on how churches can help families cope with the impacts of disability or special needs.
Bio: Bergina Isbell, MD is a Mayo Clinic trained and Board Certified Psychiatrist specializing in the clinical treatment of patients with history of trauma and special needs, including those on the autism spectrum.
Contact: drbergina@gmail.com | ledlifepublishing.wixsite.com/mysite
Jim Baker shares about how to move away from being insular and how Jesus' presence is uniquely seen in the margins of society, particularly those with disabilities.
Bio: Jim leads the Marginal Mission Network as part of his responsibilities with the Europe Division Leadership Team of ReachGlobal, the international mission of the Evangelical Free Church of America. He and his wife Liz have served in cross-cultural mission since 1994, when they moved to Kyiv, Ukraine – to this day the place they truly feel they “belong.” They have served in student ministry, evangelism and discipleship, and church planting there. Their home base today is in central Virginia, from where they work to “mobilize the church to the margins and grow the church from the margins.” They have four adult children.
Contact: jim.baker@efca.org | millpondporch.com