Keeping Community: Disability & COVID
Monday, May 23 at 7:00 p.m.
The COVID pandemic has challenged the church’s ability to be present to one another in community, none more so than for members living with disabilities. Join us for a roundtable discussion, followed by questions and answers, about practical concerns of the disability community arising from the pandemic and what it means to be truly included in the conversations about re-opening the church as we move into a new phase of a world with COVID.
Our Panelists:
Rev. Lisa Heffernan – Coordinator for ELCA Disability Ministries and the Lutheran campus pastor at the University of South Dakota in Vermillion, SD. Rev. Lisa was born with spina bifida, using a wheelchair to navigate through life. As an advocate for others with disabilities and pastor, she seeks to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ while working for a barrier-free church and society.
R
ev. Harold “Russell” Ewell II – Pastor of Terrace Lake United Methodist Church (Kansas City MO). Additionally, he is the Chair Emeritus of The United Methodist Association of Ministers with Disabilities, and serves as a board member of Missouri Faith Voices. Russell distinguished himself by becoming the first blind student to graduate from Eden Theological Seminary in its 168-year history.
Rev. Sarah McKenney – Spiritual Support Coordinator for Stone Belt Arc. Sarah is a leadership member of Presbyterians for Disability Concerns and president of its mother non-profit PHEWA. She is acting Vice President of Board of Directors of Fallen Walls Ministry, which supports PWD in ministerial leadership. An ordained minister by Presbyterian Church USA, Sarah experiences life through the lenses of Dyslexia and ADHD.Rev. Sarah McKenney.
Jacob Nault – Member in Discernment in the Wisconsin Conference of the United Church of Christ, preparing for ordained ministry. He is currently serving as licensed sabbatical minister of First Congregational Church of Oshkosh. In addition to pastoral ministry, Jacob is a singer, pianist, and compose. An important part of his vocation is writing and sharing disability-affirming musical and worship resources based on his lived experience with cerebral palsy.
