Empower

Adventist Possibility Ministries

All are gifted and treasured!

Seven broad ministry categories for Adventist Possibility Ministries are the deaf, the blind, the physically challenged, the emotionally and mentally challenged, orphans and vulnerable children, the widowed, and caregivers.

The mission for Adventist Possibility Ministries is to inspire, equip, and mobilize those who are differently-abled to serve God and community as expressed in the mission statement of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

For decades, those who have not been able to see, hear, walk or communicate like others have often been referred to as being “disabled.” While it is important to recognize one’s limitations, being identified this way can have a demoralizing effect on the person’s own self-perception.

First, the value and significance of each person is emphasized. In God’s sight, each person has a purpose. Each person is special. God has a plan for every individual (Jeremiah 29:11). As a result, when this understanding is comprehended, thinking and actions change. With God at the center and not one’s disabilities or what one lacks, hope is revived. Life becomes more about possibilities than impossibilities.

Secondly, when others see those with “disabilities” or who have suffered loss in multiple ways, they relate differently. A few decades ago, an important life-changing principle was stated about the impact others can have. “If we wish to do good to souls, our success with these souls will be in proportion to their belief in our belief in, and appreciation of, them” (Ellen G. White, Fundamentals of Christian Education, p. 281). Whatever the challenge, we should have more engaging conversations about hope and what is possible.The power of self-motivation comes more easily when it is understood that someone believes in and understands them!

Thirdly, to speak of others as being “disabled” or as being “incomplete” suggests that others don’t have their own limitations. This simply is not true. All are in need of wholeness. While Adventist Possibility Ministries does recognize an individual’s limitations, it doesn’t stop there. Nor does the ministry simply focus on trying to “fix” a perceived need. Simply put, the person matters. Regardless of what is perceived as a disability or as a loss, possibility thinking looks for opportunities and seeks to instill confidence. The focus of Possibility Ministries is less about what a person can’t do (the disability) and more about releasing the person from stigmas and marginalization so they and their community experience the possibilities God has placed within their reach.

RESOURCES

PDF Booklet, Keys to Special Needs Ministries

PDF document, The 3-A Strategy

Adventist Possibility Ministries News

Adventist Review, February 20, 2020, My Kind of Church, by Larry R. Evans

Adventist Review, December 11, 20215, Why Adventist Church Is Placing New Emphasis on Special Needs, by Larry R. Evans