Episode 30: Urshan with Professor Nancy Norris

S2.E7: Ministry During Uncertain Times

Good Morning and welcome to the podcast. This is Season 2, Episode 7 and today we are talking about ministry during uncertain times.  I have struggled this week to stay focused on everything. I am used to working from home. I home school my kids here too and have for the past nine years. I should be used to this right? Well I just feel so distracted. We will find our groove soon I'm sure.

I want to encourage you all to keep pushing in your ministries. Keep looking for ways to stay connected and make an impact. This is only a season. Things will get better. 

Parents you are facing new challenges and new circumstances that feel overwhelming right now, but you will get through this too.  I believe in you. I'm also here to help with brainstorming ways to help while you all are stuck at home.

I think as families that are impacted by disability we are uniquely prepared for this "new normal," maybe in ways we have not even thought of yet. I'd love to hear how you all are managing and learn how your dealing.

Check out today's episode about ministering during uncertain times and let us know if you need us.  Email us at [email protected]. Check out our website for other conversations and ministry resources that we offer free of charge. 

Have a fantastic week. I hope you have been inspired! 

S2.E6: Meet Miranda

Good Morning and welcome to episode six of Season 2 at Steps Talk. Today we sit down with a gifted ministry leader and teacher Miranda Wallace.  Miranda is new to the Steps Care board and has such a heart for this ministry.  We are excited to see what she brings to the table.  Miranda has a heart for adoptive/foster families.  We look forward to see what this passion leads to in forms of advocacy here at Steps Care.  Stay tuned! I think you'll be inspired!! 

S2: E5: Disability Ministry Training that Is Inspiring

Hello Welcome back to the podcast this is Episode 5 of Season 2. Today we talk about the importance of providing disability ministry training that is inspiring! Often times I only hear and see the negative presented at ministry training's. Maybe I'm attending the wrong conferences? LOL  Today on the podcast we will be talking about the need to bring usable tools that will get teachers thinking out of the box and thinking more about inclusion that supports all abilities throughout the faith Community. 

• Let's teach our staff and ministry leaders  how to differentiate a curriculum. 
• Let's teach our staff and ministry leaders how to understand sensory needs and how to support students and people with these needs. 
• Let's teach our staff and ministry leaders how to build amazing and successful teams. 
• Let's share how incredible and impactful this ministry is to those that we serve. 

Let's make sure we all know 

This week I'll be heading to Little Rock for Partners for Inclusive Communities. I joined the board at the first of the year as a representative for inclusion in faith communities.  To find out more about this program check out https://uofapartners.uark.edu/ for more information. 

To learn more about what we do here at Steps Care go over to our website at https://stepscare.org  If you have questions do hesitate to reach out. Our email is [email protected] 

Come back next week as we talk with Miranda Wallace, our newest board member here at Steps Care. Thanks for joining us this week and we hope you have been inspired. 

S2.E4: Importance of Building a Team

Welcome to Season 2's Episode 4 as we talk about the importance of building a team.  I think the best teams are the diverse teams. Getting others involved no matter the age, or ability. We are seeing beautiful things in the special needs ministry that we have at our church in Rogers, AR. 

Student volunteer, Chariti was a huge support yesterday. The students love her. She is their favorite person. We have students that like to play pretend dress up with her. Some students like to steal her breakfast bars. She is just a gift to serve with on Sundays. I love that we can count on her and more importantly the students can too. 

We have older and wiser volunteers like Vicki who is my constant. She is always available to help out when needed. The student love her and look up to her.  Older volunteers tend to bring the peace to the storm when needed. I love that about them. 

We have mom volunteers who show up who have students in our ministry and they too have so much to offer. They often are the most comfortable around our students. The live everyday with special needs. They often worry about getting involved because they know that they need a break. But what they find in serving is just what they need. 

We also have volunteers that have little to no experience in serving in serving those with special needs. They too bring so much to the table. I think they tend to learn the most while serving. The experience and community is a unique and special gift. They are blessed by the excitement of the students when they see them. It's really incredible. 

There is so much going on in our ministry that goes beyond what I can say here on the podcast. It's so beautiful. The community and the sense of belonging that is felt by all (students included) is worth the leap to start this ministry in your own faith community.  

For question about this weeks podcast email us at [email protected] or set up a time to talk with us over the phone. 

We can be heard on 9 different platforms: Anchor, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Breaker, Google Podcast, Radio Public, and Stitcher

To donate or get involved with what we are doing here at Steps Care Please check out our website at https://www.stepscare.org

We look forward to hearing from you soon. Join us back here next Monday! We hope you have been inspired!

S2.E3: MLK DAY

Welcome every one. Happy Martin Luther King Day. What an inspiring man Martin Luther King was. Here are a few of my Favorite quotes from Martin Luther for you in honor of today. “The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character that is the goal of education.” “Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle.” “If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.” “I have a dream... that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.” “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” “Life’s most persistent and urgent question: What are you doing for others?” “We must live together as brothers or perish together as fools” These are great quotes to remind us of the great Dr Martin Luther King. I know that changing perception has been a challenge since the days on MLK. I see this in Special needs ministry. While I’m thankful that things are changing, perceptions are still not what we would hope they would be. A story that I read this morning about a young boy with autism went to see Santa. The boy was enjoying the lights and the snow man as he waited to see Santa. He was excited and flapping his hands and vocalizing when people started noticing the young boy. As they progressed in the line, the young boy took a seat on a bench off to the side of the line. A young girl who was curious about the young boy came and sat by the boy and said hello to him. The mother of the boy could feel the mother of the girl zoning in. The mother of the girl came and got her and told her not to sit there. The mother of the boy was heart broken. It is wonderful to see children without special needs engaging with those that do. I have had students venture into my class where we serve students with special needs and parents have can in and told them that they had to leave. That this was not their class. Many of them the peer age of those that were in the class. As we have events throughout the year, my hope for our faith community is less of “us versus them” and more us supporting one another. To learn more about what we do here at Steps Care Please check out our website at Stepscare.org We are a 501 c 3 nonprofit that runs on the financial support our listeners and those that we serve. If you are interested in getting involved with what we do or want to give financially feel free to shoot us an email at [email protected]. Donations can be made over at the website or you may send a check to PO BOX 1134 Bentonville, AR 72712. We look forward to hearing from you. See you next Monday.