Today, we affirm that every person is created in the image of God and worthy of dignity, belonging, and joy. Around the world, people with disabilities continue to face barriers to education, employment, housing, healthcare, and full participation in community life. On the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, we join a global call to remove those barriers and build communities where everyone can flourish.
This year, the United Nations is highlighting how disability-inclusive societies are essential for genuine social progress. For followers of Jesus, this work is not optional. It flows from the good news that God’s kingdom is especially good news for those the world overlooks. As a congregation, we want to practice inclusion, hospitality, justice, and compassion, and to listen carefully to people with disabilities about what real accessibility and shared leadership require.
Today, we remember that people with disabilities are not on the margins of the Church; they are the Church. We give thanks for the gifts, wisdom, and leadership they bring to our community and to the wider world.
Pray Today
- For all people with disabilities in our congregation, our city, and around the world — that they would experience deep belonging, safety, and delight in community life.
- For families, caregivers, support workers, and advocates — that they would receive strength, rest, and practical resources as they offer daily care and companionship.
- For leaders in government, education, healthcare, housing, and transportation — that they would shape policies and practices in consultation with disabled people, honoring the principle “nothing about us without us.”
- For churches, including Bethel — that we would repent of ableism wherever it appears, redesign our spaces and ministries for access, and create opportunities for disabled people to lead and serve according to their gifts.
- For a world that recognizes disability as part of the rich diversity of human life, not a reason for exclusion — so that every person can share fully in God’s good creation.
Learn more here about the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.
