This year’s Summer Friendship Gatherings had many great stories and even more lessons needed by every person attending. One story, or lesson was particularly meaningful to me. 

It was the middle of July and we were in the midst of all the Gatherings. I was wearing down.  The lesson that night was about Jesus calling Peter to step out of his boat and walk on the water with Him in the middle of a storm. Peter sank, and like Peter, that night I felt like I was sinking.

As a service project, volunteers set up a table with materials so our friends could make cards for people they thought needed a card.

Three of our friends with disabilities worked together to make a card for me and gave it to me as we headed in for worship and the large group lesson.

They picked out a caption and pasted it on the cover of the card. That caption read, “You were made for such a time as this.”

These were the same words Mordecai shared with    Esther to encourage her when she needed to speak with the king about Haman’s plans to kill all the Jews (Esther 4:14). Esther was risking her life.

In our lesson that day, Peter was walking out on water in the middle of a storm. I was not in a storm; I was just tired. Yet, three of our friends with disabilities lifted me up by making this simple card with the very words I needed.

The friends and volunteers at all the Gatherings, wrote the names of people they care about on paper fish. These were the people who are close to them, and they wanted to encourage them through their prayers. They included family members, their staff, roommates, and just maybe your name was on one of those fish.

The fish where clipped to a large fishing net so the    entire group could pray for them over the three days.

I share this story with you because Jesus is calling all of us “out of our boats (or comfort zones). It doesn’t have to be all that hard to show love for others. These three friends stepped out to show love for me with a simple card. Others offered a moment of prayer. How is God calling you out of your boat to love someone?

Who is God calling you to love today? It may be a simple card of encouragement and a smile.

Drawing Closer
When Jesus calls us out of our boats (out of our comfort zones), He is not asking us to walk alone. We walk with Jesus and each other. This is why we come together each week in our Friendship groups.

Connection Ministries wants to welcome Castleton Community Church who is starting a new Friendship group this fall. We are eager to meet the new friends with disabilities who will become part of this Friendship group with their volunteer companions.

Be sure to update your Friendship application, especially if you moved, changed your phone number, or email.

We recently mailed “Letter to a Friend” to our friends with disabilities. For those who came to the Summer Friendship Gathering we included the large group photo. Too many letters were returned undeliverable because the addresses changed. We don’t want to lose contact with you.

The handwritten registration is no longer on our website. You will need to use the online application. If you need help, you can ask your Friendship group leaders or call the    Connection Ministries office, 317-646-5067.

Click on the button below for the Online Registration!

This month I turn 7 years old. It’s hard to believe, but I have been coming to your Friendship groups for 5 years, and I love it.

But there is one part of coming to see you that I don’t like. It’s riding in the car. I get anxious and pant like a dog when I’m riding in the car (especially when Don is driving).

Don has been talking a lot lately about stepping out of his boat, but I think he is really talking about stepping out of his comfort zone. I am in my “comfort zone at home, going for walks in my neighborhood,  taking naps by the front door, or chasing the squirrels off the bird feeder.

I try to stay away from the car. Sometimes I hide from Don when He is getting ready to go to a Friendship group. But when I hide, I don’t get to see my friends. I miss out on the singing and the crumbs on the floor. Maybe you miss all your friends (and me) when you don’t come.

I’ll make you a deal! I’ll get in the car and come to Friendship, if you get out of your house and come too.

Does your group have some new volunteers who were   never trained? Maybe you feel a training refresher would help, or you want to dig in a bit deeper. 

A new Friendship group at Castleton Community Church starts training on Tuesday evenings, August 29 at 7 pm for three consecutive weeks. College Park Church will start training on Monday evenings, September 18 at 7 pm for three consecutive weeks. You are welcome to sit in all or some of these training sessions.

Connection Ministries also has a video training series called “Indispensable” for churches and volunteers who want to improve the way they minister with adults with intellectual disabilities.

This series is presented in 22 episodes, covering nine topics that include, “Vision,” “Necessary Elements,” “Leadership Buy-In,” “Leadership Teams,” “Raising Awareness and Networking,” “Effective Teaching,” “Companion Training,” and “Administration and Safety.”

Connection Ministries continues its search for a new Executive Director to replace Don Boden. We spent the past 8 months looking within our constituency along with some select Christian school job boards.  It is still our hope to find a candidate from within our ministries. If you would like to talk with us about this opportunity, send us an email.  Conversations will remain confidential;  connect@connection-ministries.org. 

In September we will expand our search with fee-based job boards. It is still our hope to identify a candidate before the end of 2023. This will allow Don to work with the candidate through 2024.