In 1993 the Synod of the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America asked the Reformed Presbyterian Woman’s Association (RPWA) to oversee a disability program for the denomination. For a number of years the Disability Board (as it was known) worked to help congregations by

1) Offering modest financial aid to congregations seeking to modify the physical accessibility of the church building with a view to better serve those with physical handicaps.

2) Offering scholarships for attendance at summer family camps.

3) Offering financial aid to assist in paying the expenses associated with a disabled person’s caregiver at family camp.

After many years, the ministry began to fade. In 2017 the Board of Directors of the RPWA decided it was time to re-energize the ministry. A volunteer steering committee comprised of Pastor Rich Johnston (Second [Indianapolis, Ind.] RPC), Pastor Martin Blocki (North Hills [Pittsburgh, Pa.] RPC), Karen Olson (Seattle. Wash., RPC), Debby O’Neill (Topeka, Kan., RPC), Nola Youngman (Rose Point [New Castle, Pa.] RPC), and Bill Weir (North Hills RPC) was established. The steering committee has met in Pittsburgh four times and has slowly been shaping a vision for ministry within the RPCNA. In 2017 members of the committee led discussion groups at various family camps with three goals in mind:

1) To develop an understanding of the needs related to disabilities within the denomination.

2) To begin to develop a network of individuals interested in ministry to the disabled.

3) To ascertain if there is interest in ministry to the disabled.

To follow up on the information gleaned through these meetings, a brief survey was sent to each congregation in the denomination. Out of the 88 surveys distributed, 53 have been returned. The committee wishes to thank the pastors, elders, deacons, and other congregational appointees who took the time to fill out these surveys. We were able to learn some important information about the state of ministry to the disabled within our congregations. This will help us better serve the denomination moving forward.

The steering committee is still in an organizational and planning stage. After consultation with an attorney, new bylaws have been written and are under review in preparation for adoption this fall. Financial aid applications have been rewritten and new guidelines and limits have been established. We hope to have these available this year. Plans are underway for workshops and discussion groups to be held at the 2020 RP International Conference. Look for details prior to the conference.

Ministry to the disabled is an enormous need and opportunity. Joni Eareckson Tada has said that the largest unreached people group in the United States is the disabled. The steering committee recognizes that the RPWA Disabilities Ministry (the new name) cannot begin to provide for all the varied financial and physical needs that the label “disability” encompasses, nor do we have the expertise to minister to the wide variety of needs that exist. We do hope, as the Lord Jesus leads, to be a source of encouragement, education, and spiritual support to pastors, elders, deacons, and congregations ministering to the disabled and to their caregivers.

Our initial vision for the RPWA Disabilities Ministry is that the committee (and other interested parties) would serve the denomination by providing support to the disabled in our midst and their caregivers, pastors, elders, deacons, and congregation. This support would primarily take the form of education and counsel, although we hope to offer some small but targeted financial assistance. We hope to build a website containing educational material pertaining to:

1) The nature of various disabilities.

2) How to care for those impacted by various disabilities.

3) How to support caregivers.

4) Local, state, and national programs (government and private) that provide charitable help or services in regard to building modifications, vehicle modifications, therapies, etc.

5) Local, state, and national businesses or service providers that provide equipment or support to the handicapped and their caregivers.

6) The development of a network of contacts who have expertise, caregiving experience with various disabilities, or who live with a disability. These people would be available to provide counsel, encouragement, and support to individuals with disabilities and their caregivers, church leaders, friends, family members, and congregation.

In order for effective ministry to the disabled to take place, the steering committee needs your help. We have five requests of those who read this article:

1) If your congregation has not returned the survey, please contact Karen Olson (see below) for a copy and help us understand the needs found in your congregation.

2) If you are interested in ministry to the disabled and would like to be a part of what the Disabilities Ministry is working to achieve, please contact one of the committee members listed at the end of the article.

3) If you have a heart for ministry to the disabled, please consider financial support.

4) If you have skills with website development, we have plans to begin the Disabilities Ministry tab associated with the RPWA website. We hope that over the years this will become a source of educational materials pertaining to various disabilities and people who can be contacted for support regarding various disabilities.

5) Contact us with your ideas about how we could serve the RPCNA in this area. We can’t do everything, but we want to be effective in what we do.

Committee members’ contact information is below.

• Karen Olson: karenlolson@msn.com | 425-485-3600

• Rich Johnston: johnston2rpc@gmail.com | 317-460-0405

• Martin Blocki: mblocki1@consolidated.net | 412-901-3008

• Nola Youngman: spright40@gmail.com | 724-290-7921

• Debby O’Neill: oneill.debby@gmail.com | 785-608-7072

• Karen Olson: karenlolson@msn.com | 425-485-3600

• Bill Weir: wjweir@juno.com | 412-872-7123

Martin Blocki serves as associate pastor of North Hills (Pittsburgh, Pa.) RPC. He is married to Kathy; they have three children and four grandchildren. Their youngest daughter is profoundly brain injured and was born in 1999, the year Martin went to seminary. Prior to seminary, he did an internship with Pastor Dave Long in Lafayette, Ind., and was part of the core group involved in the Elkhart RPC church plant.