[Faith-Talk] serving and connection

Sat Aug 10 04:33:17 UTC 2024

Hey Brian,
I assume that you was me. Awe, thanks. This is a complex topic and I'm glad you 
Liked  my short email. I assume by you saying its said correctly that you also agree and may identify with the lack of connections and lack of options to serve.

I wanted to ask what Andrew meant but also trying to share a snapshot of my own feelings and experience because I think I know what he means despite the poor written message with run on sentences.

I also grew up Christian, actually in a Protestant church and for me acceptance with the other children was a mixed bag. I would have a book if I said much about it.
I was accepted in some activities and not others, to make a long story short.
I participated in nearly all of the church activities other children did. This means I attended Sunday school, had a role in the church plays such as the Christmas pageant, even did children's choir a few years even though I'm not a great singer, and as a teen I volunteered at a DC women's shelter serving food like other teens and adults.
I also went to bible camp at church a few years or whatever they called it.

I felt accommodated  some in Sunday school and the church. My church got me the Sunday school lessons in braille we read for some grades. They also got me a hymnal.

As an adult, I have not done much, but I also did not ask to do much either.
I'm also trying to consider where I might volunteer in a ministry in or out of the church. At least in my area, there are ministries outside the church too that have a Christian focus.
I want to give back to the community and be a witness for Christ but also just help people. 
I have encountered many barriers to volunteering. In the last nonprofit I tried, they did not get back to me after I filled out the application and did the virtual orientation.
Others have said they have already filled the positions when I wanted to do volunteer tutoring.

For Andrew,
These are a few ideas and some general advice because we still do not know what you want in a clear sense.

To find what you might want to do in a church or ministry capacity:

•	Pray about it. Ask for wisdom from God.
•	Examine your strengths and weaknesses. Your talents and gifts. Do you like teaching? Do you want to meet people's basic needs such as giving out food or clothing?
•	Find out from the church what ministries they have and what their connections are and see if you feel a calling to serve there.
•	Once you identify some ideas, reach out to your church and community organizations to see if you can fulfill those needs you have to serve.
•	If you continue to have trouble, get an advocate involved from a disability rights group
•

I have some of the barriers too like transportation and discrimination so I know how it can be. My parents help me out and there is paratransit here, but I cannot get there on time with paratransit because it’s a shared service so I really need a ride.
If some service organization says no, I reach out to others.

To overcome some of the barriers you have:

•	Transportation: ask for rides from the group. Say you want to come to a bible study and see if they can help. You can also ask community groups. Here in the USA we have Lions clubs and Kiwanis clubs; sometimes they are helpful. If nothing comes up to help you, just do a bible study on zoom or some internet chat service.
•	Overcoming liabilities: I had this issue too. I was serving dinner at a shelter but to do it they said to bring along a friend; I did it for a while having my dad as a friend.
•	Advocating for yourself: this is hard especially with other challenges and having people talk to your parents. Tell the potential volunteer staff you can talk and ask you because you know what works best.
•	Educate people: to do this, show them things you can do. You could also maybe bring in articles of successful blind people doing ministry work or service work. There is articles in the Braille Monitor as well as the community service blog from NFB. I think AFB here in the USA might have articles too. If we knew where you wanted to serve, we might have more specific ideas.

Hope this gives you some ideas and helps.

Take care,
Ashley
-----Original Message-----
From: Faith-Talk <faith-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Brian Hatgelakas via Faith-Talk
Sent: Friday, August 9, 2024 11:44 PM
To: Faith-talk, for the discussion of Blindness in faith and religion <faith-talk at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Brian Hatgelakas <bhatgelakas at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [Faith-Talk] serving and connection

you said it 100 percent correctly!

On Fri, Aug 9, 2024 at 11:15 PM Ashley Bramlett via Faith-Talk < faith-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:

> Hi,
> It sounds like you are lonely.
> It sounds like you want someone to assist you with walking and getting 
> out in the community for fitness participation and social activities.
> I'm going to a church with my dad which is also small and most members 
> are older or maybe adults middle age with families.
>
> I have not exactly asked to serve but I suspect they would be fine 
> with most activities. I have considered helping out with the youth 
> group.
>
> I am also seeking a fitness buddy to have nature walks with or simple 
> trail walking or tandem biking.
> But, so far I did not find anyone. I asked our nearest chapter of 
> Achilles international, dc chapter, But did not find anyone; no 
> response yet.
> So, I know what you mean about needing a guide to do activities with 
> and finding no one. I can and do exercise alone at a gym such as by 
> using the seated bikes or treadmills but I do so much desire to do 
> some outside walks or biking and go with someone so I can focus on the 
> walk and exercise, not my mobility skills.
> I also want more social connections either from the church or elsewhere.
>
> It sounds like you have other disabilities given how this is written 
> and how you write here. I do not know your full situation. I'm just 
> speculating.
> It would be helpful to know what you really mean. So far your emails 
> are vague saying that You simply are not accepted and you are not 
> finding connections.
> What do you want to do? Some examples? What were some things you tried 
> and were rejected from?
> Saying you have lack of opportunity does not tell us much.
>
> I do not mean to be critical but you have written things like this 
> before and it comes up year after year.
> Only by getting specific can we help some.
>
> Writing things like this
> " It is like people have been so hazatant to do anything or to support 
> me or help me find those opportunities either as part of a church or 
> even ministry and stuff like that."
> Does not say much.
>
> Have you tried finding connections through a community website? Here 
> we have www.meetup.com, but I'm not sure you have that.
> I've not used this myself, but I know it's a way to find groups to 
> meet up with.
>
> I do hope you find something. If there is a Christian ministry for the 
> blind in Canada where you are, maybe you can help them, even if its 
> remotely.
> Here in the USA we have Christian Record Services and Lutheran Braille 
> Workers; both are far from my home of VA but I've considered trying to 
> do something with them  remotely. Maybe writing something or 
> conducting something over a video platform like zoom.
>
> You have to educate people about your abilities too. You may not be 
> asked to help as they do not know what you can do or how you can do 
> it, so do educate them.
>
> Anyways, with more specifics, maybe we can give more suggestions.
>
> Ashley
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Faith-Talk <faith-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of andrew 
> edgcumbe via Faith-Talk
> Sent: Friday, August 9, 2024 10:27 PM
> To: Faith-talk, for the discussion of faith and religion 
> <faith-talk at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: andrew edgcumbe <rollercoasterman86 at gmail.com>
> Subject: [Faith-Talk] serving and connection
>
> Hi
> My name is Andrew for those who don't know me.
>
> I have just had struggle after struggle with  just being able to serve 
> as part of a church body and stuff like that other then maybe music 
> and stuff like that.
> To me the experience is they don't know what to do with me because of 
> my blindness and stuff like that.
> It is like people have been so hazatant to do anything or to support 
> me or help me find those opportunities either as part of a church or 
> even ministry and stuff like that.
> The answer I always get is just pray about it while we should do that 
> and i been doing that all along but faith should be followed up by 
> action to and stuff like that.
>
>
> While I don't know other area's speciffically my church is a very 
> small church so it is limited but I want to find christian ministries 
> who actually let blind people serve even if it is from home or some 
> other way.
>
> The other area is that i have trouble making connections that really 
> foster into more then just sunday morning fellowship.
> I have tried to find hiking partners and finding other things.
> i reached out to couple of the other churches for walking buddies and 
> stuff like that and just other people whom perhaps i can really make 
> connection with from a church to do coffee with or do other things 
> with and I don't know they are afraid of the fact i am blind I don't know what it is.
> I just been really looking for answers as to what to do with myself 
> like i have few people in building i connect with but they have 
> disabilities that keep them from doing walks with me or  other 
> adventures I would like to be able to go on and stuff like that.
>
> I struggle making connection through or  church or community  like I 
> said even a buddy of mine has tried to talk to t others about  others 
> about walking with me or what not but there is great hazatation and 
> never had any luck weather it is walking or ki hiking and stuff like 
> that.  or even people to really connect with.
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*Brian P. Hatgelakas | *
318 Washington Road, #212, Pittsburg, PA 15216
C: 412.862.8644  *I* E: bhatgelakas at gmail.com _______________________________________________
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