[Faith-Talk] Serving in Church and Related Issues

Fri Nov 7 21:38:37 UTC 2025

Hi, Andrew,

While your idea regarding training and resources is a good one, it is really up to you to be the best advocate for your particular church.

You talked about being a greeter in one  of your posts, which I think can be a really good idea on a lot of different levels. The secret is showing up consistently, even if you haven't been given that job yet. Show up early, let the greeter know that this is something you would like to volunteer for down the road, and would like to start observing and learning. Many churches may stipulate a three or six-month attendance before considering folks, giving them a chance to make sure this is the church of choice, and letting them see your commitment before signing you on.

The greeters will probably be glad to have you, especially if you're paying them the unspoken compliment of using them as examples. 

Doing this also would get you seen on a regular basis. You may also become more familiar with the regulars, and you'll gain confidence, will learn about the church and its programs, and how to direct people.

You are also being visible to church leaders who will come to know you and put you to work later on.

Many churches want to know you are consistent and dependable so they can count on you, so you have to show up regularly. If you cannot make every church service, be consistent with the ones you go to. For instance, you may not be able to make Wednesday evening, but could do Tuesdays and Sundays.

If your transit has limited service on Sundays, the best time for you to greet might be during midweek services. But whatever you do, be consistent.

sent from Judy's Android braille tablet

----- Original Message -----
From: andrew edgcumbe via Faith-Talk <faith-talk at nfbnet.org>
Date: Friday, November 07, 2025 12:41 PM
To: "Faith-talk, for the discussion of Blindness in faith and religion" <faith-talk at nfbnet.org>
CC: andrew edgcumbe <rollercoasterman86 at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [Faith-Talk] Serving in Church and Related Issues

Hi all
The other thing is what if those particular churches don't support maybe
support is the wrong word though but what if  i could say it generally but
i am keeping it faith based for this groups sake but  most sighted people
or pastors or people in leadership may side line blind people and how can
we show pastors we can do stuff because lets say somebody isn't given those
chances to even try and try over and over again.
Why and i am being kind of whatever don't we have articles describing what
blind people can do for or relate to faith community.
Also there should be you tubes we could send to pastors yes we can advocate
all day all we want and not get anywhere.
Sooner or later NFB if they are aware of these issues and yes churches or
whatever it is or community  NFB needs to come up with documents explaining
or even you tube footage to show churches that we can do things.
Why isn't more of that stuff being done  in faith based settings or for
faith based settings.
What if an blind individual doesn't have the tools to work through those
things by themselves when it comes to churches.
It is a running theme and we need to think of a way as a collective body to
deal with this or things won't get better If we want the better world for
christians or blind people there needs to be more consistancy and some
faith based programs that can teach blind people how to minister and how to
whatever I am not talking about jobs here i am just talking about
vollunteer opportunities.
What good are we doing as an orginization if we don't offer support to the
blind population more needs to be done then just say to them go advocate
some may not have experience some may not be the most experienced blind
person from a christian point of view.
After all churches have caused allot of hurt when it comes to disabled
people.  there is plenty of articles online about even just disability
people in churches.
Mom has looked up stuff along those lines because even my Mom has been
trying to help in find out things to.
Because pastors and ministry leaders in my opinion should get trained on
disability and blindness that is how I feel.
We need to come up with resources specifficaly for churches to help them be
able to serve disabled or blind people that is the opinion I have about
that.

On Fri, Nov 7, 2025 at 3:03 PM Chris Nusbaum via Faith-Talk <
faith-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 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
>
>
>
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