SPRING 2018 | Vol. 27, No. 1
“Olympic Bobsled” is a favorite recess activity for Ruby and her friends.
Ruby and Friends: Delighting in Community “I just wanted my daughter to be in a school where the bell rang, and everyone ran out to recess,” said Philip Douse, as he and his wife, Jodi, recalled their dreams for their twelve-year-old daughter, Ruby. With a smile that lights up a room, Ruby is a joyful girl, full of delight and love for those around her. She communicates with expressions, subtle movements, laughter, and groans most understood by those closest to her. Living with cerebral palsy in a world not accustomed to Ruby’s needs has made her parents’ dreams of birthday party invitations, school supply shopping trips, and recess participation difficult for their daughter. They did not think a traditional Christian education full of genuine friendships, weekly chapels, homework, and school bells was an option for Ruby — until they approached Living Stones Academy (LSA), a CLC Network partner in Grand Rapids, MI. When Ruby’s parents approached LSA in Spring 2017 about her enrollment, the school desired to enroll her and knew their mission compelled it, but they were unsure of what this would entail. Thanks to faithful CLC Network donors, teacher consultants came alongside school staff, providing confidence and tools to help Ruby and her family find belonging within the school’s community. Lauren Newhuis, educational support services teacher, recalled
CLC Network’s challenge to embrace creativity: “We wanted to find a way for Ruby to participate in the school sledding party. Our staff got creative and had Ruby sit with a peer on the sled. It was the most joyful experience for Ruby and everyone involved!” Her friends are creative too. Inspired by the Winter Olympics, Ruby’s friends play “Olympic Bobsled” at recess; it’s not uncommon to hear Ruby squeal with delight as her friends vigorously push her across the playground. They never tire of this fun game!
“We wanted to find a way for Ruby to participate in the school sledding party. Our staff got creative and had Ruby sit with Ruby loves spending a peer on the sled. It was the time with her friends, creating a resounding most joyful experience for Ruby joy that is felt throughand everyone involved!” out the school. Her presence has led to conversations among students about accessibility and the gifts and needs that every person has — a lens that will forever shape how these young students see the world. “Ruby has brought more joy to our school. She’s happy all the time and continued on page 2
Ruby and Friends: Delighting in Community
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very nice to all her friends. She’s changed our classroom,” said her friend, Megan, who is quick to grab her hand in worship, work alongside her in class, and be present with Ruby when she is anxious. Megan continued, “Ruby has taught me that it doesn’t matter what people look like on the outside but what they’re like on the inside. What matters is their heart.” Jodi and Philip are grateful — along with the LSA family — for the community enriched by Ru“Ruby has brought more joy by’s presence and the ways to our school. She’s happy all they are growing together as the body of Christ. “The the time and very nice doctor told us Ruby would never walk or talk, and that to all her friends. lose all our friends,” She’s changed our classroom.” we’d said Philip, “Well, she never walks, and she never talks, but we sit here because we have new friends.” Perhaps the most radical part of inclusion is not the person being included, but the way inclusion makes the community more complete — a vivid picture of the body of Christ.
God’s Giant Puzzle
Central Wisconsin Christian School, a K-12 CLC Network partner school in Waupun, WI, celebrated inclusive community by creating a giant pink and green puzzle — representing the body of Christ — at the beginning of the school year. Using a pink “Inclusive education at CWC is and green puzzle piece, a benefit to all students, not just those with higher needs. each student depicted their strengths (green area) and We are more complete, more struggles (pink area) with empathetic, and more accurately words or images. resemble the body of Christ To read about the activity, visit clcnetwork.org/Gods-giant-puzzle-central-wisconsin-christian
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when we are able to serve more diverse learners.”
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– Mark Buteyn, principal
Dear Friends:
Building on Belief
God’s Spirit is moving, shaping school hallways and classrooms, church sanctuaries and ministry spaces, parent-teacher meetings and child evaluations to reflect the body of Christ. Because of your prayers, efforts, and financial gifts, the individuals and communities we work with are living testaments to the richness of God’s goodness and grace as people of all abilities live, learn, worship, and serve together! This work takes a community. You — our donors, partners, and advocates — are the people that make building inclusive community possible. Your belief that God’s people need one another to be complete is the foundation of our work. Whether it’s due to a personal experience or belief in a core Biblical conviction, you believe in the goodness of belonging within community. Your belief propels this mission forward — and I can’t thank you enough. Your vision for a world where people of all abilities play together during recess, develop God’s giant “puzzle-piece” perspective for community, worship as one body, and toil together in the gap is beautifully manifested in the communities we are blessed to serve. Thank you for your role in moving this mission forward. With Gratitude,
Elizabeth Dombrowski Executive Director
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Your belief that God’s people need one another to be complete is the foundation of our work.
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One Body for Everybody Donor Gifts Inspire Inclusive Churches By Tory White, church services coordinator
“I share my story, then, not because I need to be heard, but because people still haven’t noticed how hard it is for some individuals to be in a church building, or participate in corporate worship services or activities.”
Thanks to the generous support of donors and advocates, our latest film, One Body, has been viewed by thousands since its December, 2017 release. Watch the short film at clcnetwork.org/church.
Contracting a debilitating disease was one of the best things that happened to me. Hard, frustrating, agonizing, and challenging in every way, yes. My family was stretched, my kids had fill-in caregivers when I could not function, and my world became increasingly limited. Because of my declining physical abilities, I had to give up all of my part-time jobs, except one. CLC Network’s mission of purposeful, innovative inclusion of persons with varied abilities kept me in my role (though in a more limited capacity) as church services coordinator.
“And that is the epiphany of it all: that each member of Christ’s Body has gifts. We all must fulfill God’s call to praise Him at any stage in life, in any state or level of ability.”
My abilities certainly varied for years. But the ways God has used Lyme disease in my life is something I would not give up for any price. Thanks to generous donors, CLC Network collaborated with Voyage Pictures to create One Body — a short film highlighting my story, particularly my journey with church. More than this, though, the video shares God’s greater story which I have been blessed to experience. As I began participating in groups with other “Lymees,” I found another trend in the sharing of stories – a crusade to be heard. Lyme became their “cause.” And that is when I realized I already had a cause, one which this disease simply brought into sharper focus
for me: proclaiming God’s Kingdom on earth. The Church includes people of all levels of ability, health, and faith. We are One Body – the Body of Christ. Romans 12:5-6 tells us: “…in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us.” And that is the epiphany of it all: that each member of Christ’s Body has gifts. We all must fulfill God’s call to praise Him at any stage in life, in any state or level of ability. I’m grateful for the CLC Network community of donors, advocates, and consultants who know this truth fully and are passionate about equipping communities to be places of belonging, where everybody brings gifts according to the grace given them to worship in community. I share my story, then, not because I need to be heard, but because people still haven’t noticed how hard it is for some individuals to be in a church building, or participate in corporate worship services or activities. Or they have noticed, but don’t know what to do to ensure everyone is included. Or they simply need further encouragement and hope for the journey. One Body is for everybody. View One Body and download FREE resources for your congregation at clcnetwork.org/church. This article originally appeared on the Disability & Faith Forum blog. INCLUSIVE | SPRING 2018 | 3
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P R O F I L E :
David & Marcia Lucas
Although it has been decades since their daughter Andrea attended the Christian Learning Center, David and Marcia Lucas have kept CLC Network close to their hearts. Andrea, who was diagnosed with Down syndrome at her birth in 1978, attended CLC until her sudden passing in January 1986. The Christian Learning Center, as it was known at the time, was a school-within-a-school at Seymour Christian, and one of the only places Andrea could attend to receive a faith-based education. “After Andrea was born it quickly became apparent that our family life had changed,” recalls Marcia. “Although our older son was attending a faith-based school we did not have that option for Andrea in her preschool years. When we discovered the Christian Learning Center based in the Seymour Christian School building, it was an easy decision to send her there.” In 1984, Marcia joined CLC’s board of directors, and served as president of the board until 1989, overseeing the launch of the first inclusive education model at Zeeland Christian School. “As our family grew and I became a board member, we began to desire an even braver experience for Andrea and ALL children: inclusive education, where children of all abilities learn together side by side. What a dream! And it happened and continues to happen.” 4
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The Lucas’ created a named endowment fund, the Andrea Rae Lucas Fund, with the memorial gifts after Andrea’s passing. This named fund allowed them to invite family and friends to give to CLC Network in Andrea’s memory as well. As it grew, they then released those funds for specific projects, such as a suite of four videos equipping church leaders for inclusion.
Andrea at school, taken from the 1985 - 1986 CLC Yearbook.
When David and Marcia Lucas wrote their estate plan, they decided to honor Andrea’s memory through a gift to CLC Network. By doing so, they joined the CLC Network Legacy Circle. “Andrea’s life is important to us, to her extended family and her former teachers, fellow students and friends. We want to encourage and support other families who experience the joy and challenge of raising a child who needs help to be fully included in all parts of family life.”
Join the CLC Network Legacy Circle Have you thought about including a gift to CLC Network in your will? Would you like to join the Lucas’ and many of our committed supporters by becoming a member of CLC Network’s Legacy Circle? By including a gift to CLC Network in your will, you ensure that the work of creating inclusive communities in schools and churches continues for generations to come.
like you to develop an estate plan which meets your individual and family needs and reflects your values. Barnabas Foundation’s confidential estate planning expertise is available to you at no charge – thanks to the 200 Christian member organizations that make this valuable service possible.
To assist supporters like you in this process, CLC Network is privileged to partner with Barnabas Foundation, a recognized provider of Biblically-based planned giving. Barnabas works with donors
To learn more about becoming a member of the Legacy Circle, please contact CLC Network’s advancement director, Jonathan Helder, at (616) 855-3109 or jhelder@clcnetwork.org or visit clcnetwork.org/legacy.
Donors make 2018 Auction a Huge Success! Because of hundreds of donors, dozens of sponsors, are thrilled to report that donors helped raise more than and many enthusiastic guests, the 2018 CLC Network $64,000 to create inclusive communities for persons of all abilities. Auction was a huge success! On Saturday, February 3, more than 300 donors and guests gathered at Calvary Christian Reformed Church (Wyoming, MI) to enjoy dinner, community, silent auction tables, raffles, and the live auction. This is CLC Network’s largest annual fundraiser and we
CLC Network is blessed to have the support of many committed partners. Together, we do the transformative work of equipping congregations and schools to glorify God through purposeful, innovative inclusion of persons with varied abilities.
The kids’ table is always a popular spot!
A Special Thanks to our Auction Committee, left to right: Sid Helder, Patricia Helder,
Steve Huisjen, Jim Sytsma, Roger Wesorick, Ruth Sytsma, Kathy Heidmann, Sharon Baker, Jan DeJonge, Sue Kuyvenhoven, Sarah Aitken, (not pictured: Jane Bouman, Stephanie Israels)
Getting ready to bid! These two generous bakers helped make the new Bake Shop table a success!
INCLUSIVE | SPRING 2018 | 5 CLC Network board member, Kyle Heys, and his family enjoyed the evening.
Toiling in the Gap By Marji Voetberg, teacher consultant As my youngest daughter and I bike to her school each day, we enjoy a pleasant ride until we near the school and feel the “kathunk” of the bike as it bangs off the sidewalk into the street and then back up again after we cross.
doors. While the construction crew worked to smooth the path, the students were already in the schools. While the crew toiled in the dirt, the teachers toiled in their classrooms to bring about a vision of the Kingdom in which all are included.
My daughter’s Christian school is directly across the street from a neighborhood public school. On our daily ride, I could not help but notice that despite the laws and prevalence of Universal Design in architecture, the sidewalks in front of these two schools are not cut out at the curb. Even though hundreds of students utilize buses and move through the schools’ doors each day — these schools are not fully accessible.
Often schools and churches say they are not ready for inclusion. They say they are not equipped. They say they don’t have the resources. They ask CLC Network how to get ready, hoping we have a list to check off to deem themselves fully prepared to be inclusive. I don’t know that being an inclusive community is that simple or straightforward.
In Becoming a Great Inclusive Educator, Dr. Scot Danforth states, “Successful inclusive educators do not ignore the gap between their ethical beliefs and their daily work in schools. They intentionally toil in the gap.”
Making Change On one of the first days of school this fall, when my daughter and I made our final turn toward school, we were surprised by the scene in the photo below.
“Successful inclusive educators do not ignore the gap between their ethical beliefs and their daily work in schools. They intentionally toil in the gap.”
In fact, I think it is more about a mindset than about equipment and curriculum and physical preparation.
Preparation is a Mindset When my husband and I brought our first child home from the hospital, despite the nursery being set up and the car seat strapped in the car, we were not ready to raise him — but we had committed to the role of parenting. In a similar fashion, a community needs to be first and foremost committed to the desire to be inclusive, though they may not be ready for what that means for them as a school or church. Inclusion is about creating community which can’t be accomplished until you have the people there. As a reformed Christian, I believe inclusion is Biblical. God calls us to be continually working toward the renewal of his kingdom on earth. First Peter 4:10 states, “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” While we are charged to work tirelessly for this renewal and redemption, we know that it will not be fully realized until Jesus comes again. So, for now, we toil in the gap between where we are as a people of God and where we want to be, always striving, always working. For example, we long for authentic relationships to form between students with and without labeled disabilities, but for now we will
The work to make the sidewalks and therefore, schools, more accessible had finally begun! We were pleased that the familiar “kathunk, kathunk” would soon be gone. On a deeper level I was struck that here was a perfect example of Danforth’s “toiling in the gap.” For years these schools had been operating despite the lack of physical preparedness to easily include all who came to their 6
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“In a similar fashion, a community needs to be first and foremost committed to the desire to be inclusive, though they may not be ready for what that means for them as a school or church.”
create an intentional Circle of Friends. We long for another student who is nonverbal to express himself in science every day, but for now we will figure out how he can express himself for the unit on outer space. And for another student who desires to play on the basketball team yet hasn’t developed the required motor skills, we will coach her to bring water to her teammates.
So, is your community ready? I believe you are. You make the commitment to bring forth a fuller version of God’s Kingdom at your school or church and then you toil daily in the gap, working through each “kathunk”, between where you are now and a full, perfect, complete inclusion of all peoples with their amazing and messy differences. Just like when we brought that new baby home from the hospital, you will learn each day how to provide care that meets each individuals’ needs. You will grow and learn together. You will become a family, a community, while toiling in the gap. This piece was excerpted from Toiling in the Gap by Marji Voetberg. Read the complete article at clcnetwork.org/toiling-in-the-gap.
Welcome Jonathan Helder, CLC Network’s New Advancement Director! “It is such a pleasure to join the CLC Network team and be a part of the organization’s incredible mission. I am blessed to have been raised in an inclusive education model and I’m thrilled that my children worship and learn in inclusive communities cultivated by CLC Network. As the new advancement director, it is my privilege to share CLC Network with others and together have a significant impact on the communities we serve.” — Jonathan Helder, advancement director To learn more about how you can become part of CLC Network’s mission, contact Jonathan at (616) 855-3019 or jhelder@clcnetwork.org
CLC NETWORK
MEMBER SCHOOLS 2017-2018 ILLINOIS OUR MISSION Calvin Christian, Faith Christian, Illiana CLC Network equips congregations and schools to glorify God through purposeful, Christian innovative inclusion of persons with IOWA varied abilities. Hull Christian, Netherlands Reformed Christian, Orange City Christian, Rock THE INCLUSIVE NEWSLET TER Valley Christian, Western Christian is published in spring and fall by the MARYLAND CLC Network Advancement Office. Annapolis Area Christian Editors: Katie Barkley, Jonathan Helder, MICHIGAN Sue Kuyvenhoven Ada Christian, Adams Protestant Reformed Christian, Allendale Christian, BOARD OF DIRECTORS AnchorPoint Christian, Ann Arbor Doug Rottman, President Christian, Borculo Christian, Byron Vivian Minnema, Vice President Center Christian, Divine Providence Dan Day, Secretary Academy, Dutton Christian, Father Kyle Heys, Treasurer Gabriel Richard Catholic, Fremont Tom Bratt Christian, Grand Haven Christian, Grand Jennifer Camota Luebke, EdD Rapids Christian, Holland Christian, Steve Huisjen Nancy Kwasteniet Hudsonville Christian, Jenison Christian, Kevin Timpe, PhD Lamont Christian, Legacy Christian,
Living Stones Academy, Moline ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF Christian, Muskegon Christian, New Katie Barkley Era Christian, Northpointe Christian, Director of Marketing and Communications Plymouth Christian, The Potter’s House, Doug Bouman, S.Psy.S. Providence Christian, St. John Vianney Director of Evaluation Services Catholic, St. Patrick Parnell Catholic, Jonathan Helder St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic, South Christian, Unity Christian, West Highland Advancement Director Christian, West Side Christian, Western Elizabeth Dombrowski Executive Director Michigan Christian, Zeeland Christian, Zion Christian Barbara J. Newman PENNSYLVANIA Beaver County Christian VIRGINIA Fredericksburg Christian WASHINGTON Lynden Christian WISCONSIN Central Wisconsin Christian, Heritage Christian
Director of Church Services
Becky Tubergen
Director of School Services
Sharon Ward
Business /Office Manager
CONTACT US info@clcnetwork.org (616) 245-8388 clcnetwork.org
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Students Celebrate Inclusive Community at Connections Event Thanks to the generous support of donors and efforts of student volunteers, nearly 200 students and alumni of all abilities came together on Saturday, March 3 to celebrate inclusive communities at The Pinnacle Center (Hudsonville, MI). The Connections Celebration, an annual event planned by students from NorthPointe Christian, South Christian, and Unity Christian high schools, brings together students, alumni, and organizations from across West Michigan for an evening of fun and friendship between people of all abilities. To view more photos from the event, please visit facebook.com/CLCNetwork.
Attendees wore festive pajamas and even participated in a pajama-party costume contest!
For many individuals, meeting new friends and reuniting with alumni is a highlight of the event.
Participants celebrated friendships at the pajama-party-themed event through games, activities, dinner, entertainment, and dancing.
Often with tears in their eyes, participants end the evening by joining hands and singing, “Friends are Friends Forever” by Michael W. Smith.