Sessions

Session 1: Robin Smart

Caring For Yourself: while giving care to another. This talk will focus on the wide variety of stresses partners in care might face, how stress can manifest, and suggestions for reducing stress.

Session 2: Jack VanderVeer

An interactive workshop to help equip deacons, elders, pastors and other congregants to support caregivers whose daily bread includes grieving.

Session 3: Brenda DeJong

This workshop explores the experience of growing up in a family with a sibling with a disability. The challenges, joys, and lessons learned are shared in this interactive workshop that invites participants - family members, church leaders, others - to learn from each other about coming alongside a person with a disability or a care-giver.

Session 4: Marlene VanRootselaar

Whether you have a special needs child by birth or adoption or foster care, the church should be seen as an invaluable resource! Our family grew through foster care and adoption as well as birth children. We realized we cannot do it all by ourselves and it is important for us to reach out to those within the church to help with our God given task to raise these children! Whether it is by having the children attend the local Christian school, Sunday school, or visiting or respite by others we need to explore how we as a church community can support families walking this road. Often it is hard to reach out and ask for help, but we are doing an injustice by choosing to walk alone. We will be exploring ways we can reach out and engage our church community in the task of caring for these special members of the communion of saints.

Session 5: Mark Stephenson

The Bible calls believers to love our neighbors as we love ourselves (Lev. 19:18), and even to love others as Christ loved us (John 13:34). Sometimes, God calls people to love as caregivers to spouses, children, parents, or other loved ones. Showing love can be costly to our bodies, our time, our social relationships, and our spirits. When showing costly love, duty can replace desire. Other times, giving care to another fills us with joy at the opportunity. Scripture invites all these emotions, and calls Christians to love one another, to support one another, to give care not as isolated individuals but in community.

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