[Faith-Talk] Serving in Church and Related Issues

Sun Nov 16 13:53:44 UTC 2025

Andrew,
I will write more later when I have time. 
But just a bit for now as I need to get ready for an outing.

Please stop saying the same stuff over and over because its getting old. I can relate to being an outcast as growing up I had few friends.
Its very hard to get into a group you do not know. I know from experience.

It take courage and advocacy to be involved.

We do not know your abilities or full situation.

We are suggesting you get out and try and advocate.

Nothing will happen if you keep saying the same things over and over and we are not in Canada to help you.

What activities does the church do you wish to be volunteering in?

Why not go to some event and try it.

If the church needs volunteers for Christmas decorating or perhaps some youth activity, how about volunteering for that?
To advocate say something like,
"I'd really like to help and please show me what needs to be done."

They can show you hand over hand.

I've not done much at the church but I did stuff Easter eggs with candy at home for the teens and kids to do their egg hunt.

Just get out and try. There are articles and videos about blind people volunteering and I can pull some up later to share.

Doug, thanks for the uplifting story!

Thanks,
Ashley

-----Original Message-----
From: Faith-Talk <faith-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of andrew edgcumbe via Faith-Talk
Sent: Saturday, November 15, 2025 8:23 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

I have tried everything for years but i have been met with so much resistance.
Just telling somebody just to get out there and show themselves is not the thing to do when there is so much resistance. i feel i just get yelled at for just trying to express myself by people like Linda and stuff like that.
I am done trying i guess because people don't try to understand me.
I pray all i want but i need to more then just pray what if nobody is able to give me the skills i need to do something nobody abvailable to teach me how to serve and stuff like that i am just nothing I am just a horrible person for even trying that is the thing. I been told to pray and pray i need to be able to do stuff like do vollunteering as i need to feel good about myself sitting around is not going to help my mental health and stuff like that nobody unst understands me at all.

On Sat, Nov 15, 2025 at 8:13 PM Ericka via Faith-Talk <faith-talk at nfbnet.org>
wrote:

> We’ve all been trying to be patient and non-judgmental here. Email is 
> not a good place to understand someone’s tone of voice. From what I 
> can see no one is yelling at you telling you you’re wrong. We’re just 
> telling you that perhaps your tone of voice when you try to explain 
> yourself to people in person isn’t working. Here it does in words 
> sound like you’re complaining all the time and have already given up. 
> W We don’t know what it’s like to live in Canada. We don’t know what it’s like to have a developmental delay.
> But we do know how it feels to be unseen and unwanted and unloved. 
> Remember God doesn’t answer prayers when we want them. He answers them 
> when he knows it’s most appropriate. Just let one thing fall into 
> place at a time and keep praying not for what you want, but where thy 
> will his will who you is there’s a lot of things I wanted to do with 
> my life that God decided I wasn’t ready for. I’m still waiting on 
> answers and like I said before I’m
> 54 years old. I do know that when things work you have use the fruits 
> of the spirit in your life. Why don’t you check out Galatians and find it.
> Pray about these and see where you can gain skills that help you show 
> the world, your family, and your community who you really are by 
> showing the gifts of the spirit.
>
>
> Ericka Nelson
> K E9DYN
> Proud general class him license owner
>
> > On Nov 7, 2025, at 8:51 PM, andrew edgcumbe via Faith-Talk <
> faith-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> >
> > PJ is right I should not be told I am complaining and stuff like 
> > that Like I said  I have tried and tried and tried that is the thing 
> > and
> nobody
> > for the likes of them is trying to understand me.
> > I am not complaining so  people need to just start giving me some 
> > understanding for a change.
> > you might say you do but i am accused of complaining when i am 
> > giving my true feelings maybe if you don't like us sharing our 
> > frusterations me and PJ will go else where to start our own thing simple put.
> >
> >> On Fri, Nov 7, 2025 at 9:36 PM Pj Navarro via Faith-Talk < 
> >> faith-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> >>
> >> I don’t recall speaking with a Linda Mentink a couple years ago so 
> >> sorry about that. A lot has changed since then because my one goal 
> >> was to
> assist
> >> in getting more blind folks out of their homes, up until I’ve 
> >> become trapped myself. I took my dog for a walk earlier for the 
> >> sake of just getting the body moving. Nothing has changed over here 
> >> in Corpus
> Christi,
> >> nothing ever happens for the blind community in this town whether 
> >> it be adaptive sports or the goals of our local chapter, it’s 
> >> depressing &
> with
> >> great shame, i have to say I’ve given up. My brains already fried & 
> >> so
> now
> >> there’s not much else I can do but pray I don’t become homeless, 
> >> the
> last
> >> job I had was paying too much so I made the mistake of canceling 
> >> SSI,
> after
> >> being laid off late February, I was unaware that I won’t be 
> >> receiving my first disability check for about a year or 2. Thank 
> >> God my family has
> been
> >> assisting me financially since no other employer is hiring me. 
> >> Andrew &
> I
> >> are simply laying down the obstacles we’ve come across to perhaps 
> >> find
> some
> >> clarity in overcoming them. I’m not sure how old Andrew is but we 
> >> should never tell another adult that they’re just complaining when 
> >> he or she is trying to open up. Even his mom has been doing her 
> >> best to help
> out,
> >> like how my mom is the reason my utilities have been paid for. I 
> >> used
> to be
> >> strong, energetic, & optimistic, but then life happened when I 
> >> tried
> over &
> >> over to get a life. People who I thought could help ended up 
> >> bailing,
> Jesus
> >> Christ is the only one I could depend on now. Everyone in my family
> drinks
> >> beer so I was just tired of being alone. It’s only with them when I
> drink,
> >> it’s not like I can afford to get my own beer.
> >>
> >> Is the information in this link still accurate?
> >> If so, is there Blind Christian Group Meeting coming up on Thursday 
> >> of
> next
> >> week at 7:00pm?
> >> https://nfbks.org/chapters-divisions/blind-christian-group
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> On Fri, Nov 7, 2025 at 6:54 PM Linda Mentink via Faith-Talk < 
> >> faith-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> >>
> >>> Good evening All,
> >>>
> >>> First, I'm starting a new message because you all have forgotten 
> >>> to
> >> delete
> >>> old stuff when replying, and the string is WAY too long!
> >>>
> >>> I have been busy and have not had time to respond. So here goes 
> >>> from
> me!
> >>>
> >>> First, Andrew, we have tried to help you on this list many times.
> There's
> >>> absolutely nothing we can do from here to help you. Again you've 
> >>> been
> >> given
> >>> some ideas of things you can do. My suggestion is that you work on
> being
> >>> content with where the Lord has planted you, and do your best to
> improve
> >>> what you can in yourself. Concentrate on being a faithful church 
> >>> member
> >> and
> >>> on making friends with people there who will learn to understand 
> >>> you
> and
> >>> your needs as a blind/learning disabled Christian. Complaining to 
> >>> us
> here
> >>> without making any changes is not productive.
> >>>
> >>> PJ, I was surprised to read your  post about things like drinking 
> >>> beer
> >> and
> >>> being a loser. That doesn't sound like the same person with whom I 
> >>> corresponded a couple years ago. I had sent you my telephone 
> >>> number so
> >> that
> >>> we could talk about things like a Facebook page, but you never 
> >>> followed through. There are plenty of good leaders in the TX 
> >>> affiliate with whom
> >> you
> >>> could talk about the issues with the local chapter with which you 
> >>> were involved. Also, you should learn some skills of blindness so 
> >>> that you
> >> don't
> >>> have to be frustrated with tunnel vision. By staying at home, you 
> >>> are isolating yourself—never a good idea.
> >>>
> >>> I remember that you sent me a link to something in your church. It
> >> sounded
> >>> like a good church, and I find it shocking that you seem to have
> dropped
> >>> your relationship with your Lord. Being blind is no reason to give 
> >>> up
> on
> >>> life! Please get out of the beer and into the Bible!
> >>>
> >>> As Chris shared, we are working on a multi-faith toolkit for 
> >>> clergy and congregations to help with inclusion of blind/low vision individuals.
> >>> Coloborators are by invitation of the executive director with the 
> >>> Faith
> >> and
> >>> Inclusion Network. There were some categories in the outline where 
> >>> we didn't have much written, so, with his permission, I sent an 
> >>> email to
> the
> >>> members of the NFB Blind Christians Group a couple weeks ago. It 
> >>> is a
> >> work
> >>> in progress, and I hope it will be a done project soon.
> >>>
> >>> I must get back to things I need to read for a meeting tomorrow
> morning,
> >>> so I will sign off. I wish you all a good weekend and a blessed
> >> Lord's-Day!
> >>>
> >>> In Christ's Service,
> >>>
> >>> Linda Mentink
> >>> _______________________________________________
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> .com
> >>>
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