February 26th marked the second annual Nurturing Care Day of Learning at Nazarene Theological Seminary. Funded through the generosity of a Lilly Endowment, Inc. grant, the Kansas City based initiative supports congregations providing ministry to elementary age autistic children, particularly through prayer and worship practices. Dr. Dean Blevins, Nurturing Care Director and professor of Practical Theology and Christian Discipleship, welcomed more that sixty ministry leaders, community professionals, and students to the NTS campus.

Reverend, Dr. Amy Jacober, a well known scholar, minister, and advocate in disability ministry, provided two addresses under the title Taking Care of the Village: Prayerful Caretaking as an Act of Worship. Jacober, author of the book Redefining Perfect: Theology and Disability, and an active minister in Young Life’s Capernaum disability ministry, guided the audience through a range of important subjects in and around neurodiversity.

Jacober acknowledged that the audience already contained a range of expertise and interest, so she weaved both basic and more advanced information around autism; including an introduction to both the medical model and the social-communication model that both inform this dynamic, unfolding, field. Jacober surrounded information around the core characteristics of autistic children with living narratives, personal examples, and grounded theology, all helping attendees to attend to the humanity underlying each autistic child and his or her family.

One of the many key insights offered by Dr. Jacober included the 4 “As” of Autism. Addressing how churches might make a difference with autistic children, Amy offered four approaches:

Awareness: Educating yourself and other on the challenges, realities, myths, and celebrations surrounding the topic of autism

Advocacy: Being willing to influence systems and invite change from within the organizations and communities you serve.

Activism: Being brave enought o challenge systems and perceptions that dehumanize, isolate, patronize, or harm people on the spectrum

Ask: Include the person with autism and their support system into your leadership as they are able and willing to do so.

Jacober, a gifted communicator, incorporated moments of personal reflection, audience dialog with each other, and a series of robust interactions during a final Q&A. Throughout the event participants were energized by a diverse array of key insights, often intersecting with specific ministry contexts, mutual engagement around shared concerns, collaborative insights, and the practical wisdom that Dr. Jacober brings to these teaching/learning moments.

Dr. Jacober herself appreciated the range of interaction, often provided by consultants and congregational leaders supporting the KC Nurturing Care initiative. Still, Amy left each participant with fresh knowledge, opportunities for reflection, and an invitation to join in the journey of supporting neurodiverse children through worship and prayer.

Nurturing Care incorporates the Day of Learning to support current churches involved in ministry projects/prototypes the initiative supports through mini-grants, and to invite additional congregations to join for future incubators known as “Maker’s Spaces” (Psalm 95:6-7) where each church explores “how might we” make a difference in the lives of autistic children through worship and prayer. NTS will host a “lunch and learn” Monday, March 24, on the NTS campus. Registration information will be available soon. Next year’s Maker’s Space will occur at the Marillac Retreat and Spirituality Center Sept 19-20 for invited congregations.

Dr. Jacober will return next September 22-23 during the NTS Praxis Preachers Conference titled All God’s Children: Preaching Across the Spectrum. Amy will be one of five preachers including Dr. Lamar Hardwick, best known as the “autism pastor” and author of Autism and the Church. The five preachers will be supported by an additional eight workshop leaders providing a full range of topics addressing neurodiverse ministry. Videos from the Day of Learning will be available through NTS Praxis in the near future.