I found this great video by Reverend Eric H.F. Law from the Kaleidoscope Institute. The title of the video is “Inclusion” and the key question asked and answered in the video is :

“How do you know when you are included?”

I would love for you to watch the video and then respond to the question in the comments.

Sunday morning is usually a time for Sunday school and worship in my congregation. This past Sunday I found myself at the conference of the Down Syndrome Association of Atlanta. I heard no hymns sung and there was no sermon preached ,to my knowledge, but I left feeling empowered and changed by an encounter with something sacred.

I had the privledge or moderating a panel discussion between a really fabulous young woman with Down Syndrome and the father of a young man with Down Syndrome.

The presenters told stories of connections made and missed. They told stories of G_d’s people reaching out and and failing to do so. The young woman and the father told stories that painted pictures of both exclusion and embrace. It was heart breaking an uplifting in turns.

The stories of both of the families repesented on the panel ended on this day in ways that offer me hope that we can all find communities where we can be welcomed, loved and challeged to become out best selves.

I encountered G-d in the stories of connections made and opportunities afforded. I am so thankful that I was invited to be a part of this extraordinary conversation.

Thank you to the Down Syndrome Association of Atlanta and to the two amazing conversation partners I had on Sunday.

It is my hope that we cultivate many more opportunities to hear and tell truth that arises out of lives lived in families with people with disabilities. I pray that each time I am challenged to sit and listen that I will have the opportunity to worship in unconventional places like the Down Syndrome Association conference.

Here is a link to the information about the events sponsored by the Duke University Center for Reconciliation.  The events take place in Durham, NC November 8-10, 2008.

Jean Vanier is the Founder of L’Arche and Stanley Hauerwas is one of the leading American voices in the explanation of a Christian Theology of Disability.

These events should be enlightening, hope-filled, and challenging.

Update: Here is a great article written prior to the event

Here is a link to the audio of the presentations during the event.