[Faith-Talk] Serving in Church and Related Issues

[Chris Nusbaum]

Dear Friends:

 

I have been following with equal parts interest and concern the thread
started yesterday by Andrew and PJ, which now contains contributions from
several people who share widely varying perspectives on ministry, the Church
(big C and little c), and even faith as a whole. In some ways there is too
much here to respond to in one message, but I'll try to distill my thoughts
into something that makes sense.

 

Let me first address Andrew and PJ directly. Andrew, I think you have
brought up a problem that far too many of us can relate to. In fact, it may
be true that there are more blind people who have struggled to be accepted
in a church than those who have easily been accepted in one. Perhaps there
are even more blind Christians without a church home than with one. I don't
know if this is also true of other faiths, but I wouldn't be surprised. To
my knowledge, no one has done a study on this to come up with any factual
statistics, so anything I say on the subject would be my own speculation.
Either way, it's a theme that comes up frequently on this list, and we have
had at least 2 panel discussions about it at recent meetings of the NFB
Blind Christians Group at our national convention. Furthermore, the
underlying purpose of the call we hosted last year with the Prayer and
Crisis Referral Network was to introduce our members and friends to a
ministry that is already interested in including blind people and is a
perfect fit for those who are having trouble finding their place in a
church. The same is true of the Phone Faith ministry previously mentioned in
this thread, which I haven't participated in yet but which I probably will
call into soon now that I've heard more about it. I say all this to make the
point, Andrew and PJ, that you are not alone-not by a long shot. In fact, I
believe the great challenge for blind people in communities of faith is how
to balance our desire to be included as equals with our need to advocate for
the accommodations we require. This list, as well as the faith-based groups
of the Federation, exist as a space where those challenges can be brought
into the open and solutions can be developed.

 

Now that I've addressed the problem, let's see if I can suggest a solution
or two. Back in 2015, I wrote an article for Future Reflections (NFB's
magazine for parents and teachers of blind children) titled "Finding My
Niche." Since its main focus was after-school extracurricular activities, I
won't quote it or link to it here; you can look it up if you want to read
it. But the main point of the article applies as much to church life as it
does to after-school life: If our goal is to be included in the wider
community, the first step is to find our niche-the part of that community
that fits our talents and interests. I got involved in the NFB during middle
school and became more involved in student leadership as I went through high
school and college, partly because I had trouble finding a place in the
clubs sponsored by the school, even in the music-related activities that
should have been where I belonged. As I progressed through college, however,
I was blessed to find more acceptance in certain small groups there, and
made friends within those groups. I was also in another state, so I wasn't
as involved in NFB. Now I'm working and have lived in 2 more states, finally
coming back to my home state of Maryland. I have been in a variety of
churches, sometimes finding a niche, sometimes not. But I'm now back in NFB
again at various levels. So, apparently, the blind community is my niche-or,
at least, one of them.

 

The same, I think, is true of a church. Most churches have many ministries
and multiple small groups and Bible studies. So, I urge you to try one out.
If it doesn't work, try another, and another, and so on. Eventually, you
will find your niche. Like any leader, the pastor does not lead a church
alone, nor is it the pastor's responsibility to find a place where each
member belongs. The pastor can provide support and solve problems among
members, but ultimately one's involvement in a ministry is between that
person and the ministry's leadership. So, I urge you: Keep trying until you
find your niche, even when it gets discouraging (notice I said when, not
if). If it's not at one church, it may be at another. Or it may be on the
Prayer Line (shameless plug), in our Christians Group, or in some other
virtual ministry. Whatever it is, as you pray for discernment and keep
trying, I believe you will eventually find it.

 

Finally, I want to try to lovingly and prayerfully address the expressions
of depression expressed in this thread. First, as a brother in Christ and as
a fellow member of our blind community, I'm incredibly sorry to hear that
you are going through this, and my prayers are with you. I also note that
this depression has been solely attributed to the struggles with church, as
if your challenges in gaining acceptance in a faith community defines your
life. If you really feel that you are a "failure," that God has "forgotten"
you, I wonder if that depression really goes deeper than that. I'll just
leave that there for you to think and pray on. Let me also commend to you
these lyrics from an inspiring contemporary Christian song:

 

"The truth is I am my Father's child.

I make Him proud and I make Him smile.

I was made in the image of a perfect King,

He looks at me and wouldn't change a thing.

The truth is I am truly loved by a God who's good when I'm not good enough.

I don't belong to the lies, I belong to You.

And that's the truth." -Megan Woods

 

I have probably gone on too long already, but all of this has been weighing
heavily on my heart, and I'm grateful for this platform which allows me to
share it. Thank you all for sharing your hearts with us.

 

With prayers that the "peace that passes all understanding" will remain with
each of us,

 

Chris

 

Christopher A. Nusbaum

Assistive Technology Trainer for Blind/Low-vision Students and Adults

Board Member, Assistive Technology Trainers Division, National Federation of
the Blind

Cell: (443) 547-2409

Work: (443) 487-6262

Personal email:  <mailto:cnusbaumnfb at gmail.com> cnusbaumnfb at gmail.com

Work email: canaccesssolutions at gmail.com
<mailto:canaccesssolutions at gmail.com>  or cnusbaum at ais-llc.com

 <https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-nusbaum-274384136> LinkedIn

Schedule a meeting with me <https://fantastical.app/cnusbaum/cas> 

 

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans to help you
and not to harm you; plans to give you a hope and a future." -Jeremiah 29:11