[Faith-Talk] Serving in Church and Related Issues

Fri Nov 7 22:28:04 UTC 2025

Hi All,

I see we've expanded far beyond even what was covered in my long-winded, multi-topic email! Nothing wrong with that as long as we can keep up. :)

I think Judy has some great ideas, both for Andrew and PJ. Andrew, I agree with Judy that the greeting ministry is a great place to start, both as a welcoming figure in the church and as a visible representative of a blind person being part of his community as an equal participant. My church hosts a Christmas craft show which has gained a lot of popularity in our area, and I'll be serving as one of the greeters—a first for  me. We'll see how it goes. As for training pastors and other leaders on blindness and other disabilities, there is an organization called the Faith Inclusion Network which is putting together a toolkit designed as a resource for that very purpose. Our own Linda Mentink is part of the group putting that together, and several of the members of our Christians Group are contributing thoughts and resources. I had a meeting yesterday with the director of that organization, and he seems to be doing great work, though he and his colleagues still have a lot to learn about blindness—something he readily admitted. So, if you are passionate about developing training resources for churches to better include blind people, I'm sure the people who are developing that toolkit would welcome your input.

Regarding PJ's suggestion of a Facebook group and Judy's response: I don't see why we couldn't create one under the name of the Blind Christians Group, but I wonder if it would be redundant. We already have this listserv and a membership roster through which we communicate. However, as Judy points out, something could certainly be created as its own entity outside the sponsorship of an NFB group. It's an idea worth considering—thanks for bringing it up.

Blessings,
Chris Nusbaum

> On Nov 7, 2025, at 5:03 PM, Judy Jones via Faith-Talk <faith-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Ah, PJ, I really like your idea of a Facebook group, for blind Christians, but why would it have to be under the NFB umbrella, if the goal is bringing blind Christians together?
> 
> Last year, I started a Faith-Walk Influencers e-mail group on groups.io. Not very active, but is a place where blind folks can talk about church and world issues as they relate to the church and Bible.
> 
> A few years ago, God was also leading me to reach out to other women in some kind of ministry, and I ended up starting the Skagit Women's Bible Study And Fellowship page and group  on Facebook. I wanted a place for women to go to learn about Christ if they had no church home, or were interested in making new Christian friends, not to get them into a church, but to be a space outside the church where they could still get Bible and fellowship.
> 
> The group itself now is 198 women, and I've gotten to know some wonderful ladies. The actual studies themselves have been quite small. We've had them at my house or I've scheduled a conference room at the town library. Not very many people post, yet it does get likes, views, etc. I have led Bible studies, others have posted some, and I heard from a new lady a few weeks ago who is housebound in another town in our county, yet wanting to start one. Two other ladies have had studies as well. All of them small, but I told God this belonged to him, so doesn't matter how large or how small, as long as people are being reached.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> sent from Judy's Android braille tablet
> 
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Pj Navarro via Faith-Talk <faith-talk at nfbnet.org>
> Date: Friday, November 07, 2025 01:29 PM
> To: "Faith-talk, for the discussion of Blindness in faith and religion" <faith-talk at nfbnet.org>
> CC: Pj Navarro <psnj16 at gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [Faith-Talk] Serving in Church and Related Issues
> 
> PJ here, & the only reason I'm here is because Norma Crosby introduced me
> to you'all a couple years ago after getting mad at me. Apparently the main
> reason we're all stuck in this private conversation of back & forth emails
> is because we're not allowed to create a public Facebook group for
> Christians in the NFB, which is what i tried to do. It was going to be
> a group where hundreds & even thousands can benefit & be inspired by
> faith-talk. Don't you'all understand how misleading it is given that my
> own local NFB Chapter meetings are held in a church called Love & Grace? In
> the beginning of last year, after being elected a board member for the
> Coastal Bend Chapter over here in Corpus Christi, Texas, I ended up just
> leaving the group soon after due to poor leadership & the small group's
> lack of enthusiasm. Not to mention I was continuously excluded from the
> messages but that's besides the point. The main point is I tried my best to
> fix what's broken in the NFB Andrew, but maybe you have something I lack,
> use your perseverance & succeed where I failed.
> PS- I tried attending the local White Cane Day March for Independence last
> month, yet upon my arrival, why was I not surprised to learn that it was
> cancelled on the spot?
> PPS- The main thing our chapter has done was fundraise for everyone's
> attendance at national convention, but even with all that money, even my
> donations of over $350, not a single member has been able to attend for
> years! All of you say we're not forgotten, BUT SOME OF US MOST CERTAINLY
> HAVE BEEN!
> For Shame,
> 
>> On Fri, Nov 7, 2025 at 2:41 PM andrew edgcumbe via Faith-Talk <
>> faith-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>> 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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