WEBVTT

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Hello and thank you for joining

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us today.

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My name is Amberlee.

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And I'm Hunter.

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We are thanking God for you

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today because the fact that you're

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here and are watching this video

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is evidence that you're asking a

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very important question.

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A question that is so often

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drowned out by the noise of

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comfort, convenience, and distraction, but that

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could change the lives of millions

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of people.

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That question is this, how can

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my church include people with disabilities?

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Perhaps you're here because you know

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someone with a disability, either very

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well or just barely, and you

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really care about them knowing how

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deeply God loves them.

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Or perhaps, like me, you yourself

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have a disability, and you've come

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to realize how inaccessible the church

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is to the largest minority group

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in the world, people with disabilities.

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Or maybe you've been convicted through

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prayer or by reading one of

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Jesus' many encounters with people with

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disabilities in the gospels, and you

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have a desire to become more

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like him in your engagement with

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people with disabilities.

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For me as a biblical scholar,

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I've been amazed both by how

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central the theme of disability is

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to scripture and how often we

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tend to overlook it.

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Or perhaps God has given you

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a deep drive for justice and

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you have an unshakable burden to

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help make your church a place

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where all people are welcomed into

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the transformative family of God.

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Whatever your story is, we are

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so honored to get to walk

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alongside you as you take your

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next step.

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We started the Banquet Network specifically

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so that no one would feel

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alone as they start this journey

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to invite people with disabilities, the

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vast majority of whom have never

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heard the gospel, into the banquet

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or the kingdom of God.

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The Banquet Network was started out

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of a conviction that the mandate

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Jesus gave his disciples in Luke was not just a

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metaphor.

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It's an actual command that Jesus

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gave to his followers.

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Applied to today's context, Jesus tells

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those who know him, whenever you

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have an opportunity to build community

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and relationships, make sure you invite

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the people who are most overlooked

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by the rest of the world,

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people on the margins, people with

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disabilities.

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We believe that Jesus didn't just

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say this because he cares about

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people with disabilities and wants them

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in his kingdom.

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That's absolutely true.

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He certainly spent much of his

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time on earth reaching this population.

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But we also believe that Jesus

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gives this command because the church

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needs people with disabilities in it,

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in order to truly reflect his

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upside-down kingdom, where the parts of

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the body that seem to be

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weaker are indispensable.

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Being a church that has people

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with disabilities who are fully integrated,

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serving and leading, changes the way

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that the church acts.

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At The Banquet Network, we believe

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Jesus still works through the local

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church.

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And so we exist to walk

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alongside people like you in order

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to help local churches obey this

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Luke command.

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We dream of a world where

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every person impacted by disability is

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invited, accepted, and integrated into a

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local church.

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As part of the Banquet Network,

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we've been able to watch churches

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follow Jesus' command in Luke to invite the poor,

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the

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crippled, the lame, and the blind,

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and we've witnessed the result that

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Jesus promised for so doing.

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You will be blessed.

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We long for you to experience

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that blessing too.

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In this series of videos, we'll

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be taking turns walking through some

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of the basic content

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that we've found to be most

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helpful for churches as they're starting

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to discover how God wants them

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to obey his call to include

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people with disabilities.

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At the end of our time

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together, you will have an initial

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plan for your church to include

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and embrace people with disabilities, which

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we call the IMP, or Individualized

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Ministry Plan.

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Every church is different, so your

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church's plan will be unique to

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your situation, the place that you

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have in your community, the passions

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God has given you, and the

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unique resources and gifts that God

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has put at your disposal.

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Go ahead now and download or

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print the template for the IMP.

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We'll be using this tool throughout

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this workshop as you develop your

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customized plan for your church's disability

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inclusion.

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We'd ideally recommend you watch these

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videos along with a small group

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of people who are willing to

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guide and support your church through

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this journey of disability inclusion and

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to engage in the accompanying discussion

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questions and practical exercises together.

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If at any point you feel

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stuck or have questions you'd like

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to discuss, please reach out to

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our team at The Banquet Network

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for individual coaching.

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We are here for you.

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Let's begin.