Disability Ministries of the Susquehanna Conference
of the United Methodist Church
About
Our Mission
Our Mission is to lead the Susquehanna Conference in creating a culture where people with disabilities are fully included in all aspects of worship, leadership, ministry, and mission. We will work to advocate for the needs of people with disabilities, empower people with disabilities, and educate members of our churches and communities about issues related to disabilities and disability awareness.
Our Members
The members of the Disabilities Ministries Task Force:
Clergy: Rev. Rebecca L. Holland (Chair)
Rev. Mitch Galloway
Rev. Craig Gommer
Rev. James C. House
Rev. Jennett Wertz
Rev. Robert Stump
Rev. Carol Gathagan
Pastor Julie Rosensteel
Pastor Jeffery D. Holland
Pastor Steven Atanasoff
Laity:
Mrs. Pamela Harker, Ms. Abigail Kane,
Mr. Jerry Post,
Mrs. Wendy Albright, Lisa Lupold,
Mr. Alex Ross-Schnaubelt,
Mr. Nate Ross-Schnaubelt, Mr. John Henderson
Partners in Ministry:
Rev. Evelyn Madison
(Mental Health Task Force, Chair)
Rev. Ed Zeiders (Child Advocacy, Chair)
Our History
On January 18 2019, the Susquehanna Conference established a Disabilities Ministries Task Force. The task force comes under the umbrella of Inclusiveness and Connecting Ministries. We also work in close connection with DisAbility Ministries Committee of the United Methodist Church
We also work in close partnership with the Mental Health Task Force of the Susquehanna Conference (Rev. Evelyn Madison, Chair) and Child Advocacy (Rev. Ed Zeiders, Chair).
"Concern for people with disabilities is rooted in our Biblical call as Christians as well as in the church polity of the United Methodist Church."
The Book of Discipline 2016, ¶653, states, “There shall be in each annual conference a committee on disability concerns or other structure to provide for the functions of this ministry and maintain the connectional relationship.” It also states that, “The basic membership of the committee shall be nominated and elected by established procedures of the respective annual conference. Each annual conference shall determine the number and composition of the total membership.”
The Social Principles of the United Methodist Church state that, “We recognize and affirm the full humanity and personhood of all individuals with mental, physical, developmental, neurological, and psychological conditions or disabilities as full members of the family of God (¶162I).”
The Social Principles also affirms that people with disabilities have a “rightful place in both the Church and society,” and the need for the church to be in ministry with “children, youth, and adults,” who have “mental, physical, developmental, and/or psychological and neurological conditions,” or other disabilities that might make it more challenging for them to participate “in the life of the Church and the community.”
Furthermore, The Social Principles urges the church, “to recognize and receive the gifts of persons with disabilities to enable them to be full participants in the community of faith.”