Just Love
16 June is near 📆🔔
In New Zealand, Disability Awareness Sunday (DAS) is observed on the third Sunday in June. This year it is on 16th June 2024.
Disability Awareness Sunday is an opportunity to be intentional about disability awareness and education within the church. It is also about celebrating and encouraging people with disabilities in their gifts and ministries and recognising how we all contribute and are valuable members of the Body of Christ. This year's theme was 'Just Love'.
Disability inclusion is often seen as something to be assigned to those people who either have experience or passion in 'that area'. However, God calls us to love our neighbour. This has no exceptions attached to it. This year's Disability Awareness Sunday we encouraged people not to overcomplicate disability inclusion, just love!
We chose 5 concepts that sit under this theme to help people to think deeper of how they can 'just love' others. They are:
- We all need Jesus: He whanaungatanga tāngata te mea nui ki a Ihu Karaiti.
- We all have a story: Whakatika ōu arotahi.
- We all need connection: Hononga tāngata.
- We all want to belong: Kaua e whakawehewehe.
- We all make mistakes sometimes: Kia pai tō korero hē.
Ways You Can Observe Disability Awareness Sunday
Often people haven't had the opportunity to get to know a person living with a disability so it can be difficult to understand or be aware of what life with a disability can be like. We find that the best way to gain a better understanding is to hear from people with disabilities themselves! Is there someone in your church who has a disability that would be willing to speak in church? If not there are some amazing speakers we could recommend.
Other ways you could observe DAS is by accessing some of the free resources below, including posters that you could include in your church's media slides or print them off and hang them on the wall, and a 3 part bible study series that could be used in small groups or by yourself.
Free Resources:
Posters
One great way of supporting DAS is by helping us promote it. Please see below a 'Save the Date' and a DAS 2024 poster you can download and share with your church or other Christian community group.
Also, you can download posters of each of the five concepts that talk to this year's theme.
DAS Bible Studies📕🗨️📞
For DAS 2024 we have created a three-part Bible Study called "Just Love".
The studies are for you to use by yourself, with your Church, life group, family, or with friends to begin conversations about how we see and treat people who may be different from us, especially people with disabilities. Go and begin perspective-changing conversations! Kia kaha. Be strong.
Christian Leaders Articles
Our Christian leader's articles are written by either people who have a lived experience of disability or who are experts in their fields. They topics range from unity, honour, contribution and love, as well as discussing how the church can better create places of belonging for people with disabilities.
Click here to view the articles
Our Stories
Sometimes it's not always practical to have a visiting speaker or you might live in an area where someone isn't available. So we have a collection of professionally filmed videos of people's lives and lived experiences of disability that you are welcome to use instead. Many of these stories highlight the importance of hope. These are available for you to show and share.
Disability Awareness Service Ideas
Needing some ideas for how your church can observe Disability Awareness Sunday?
We created this booklet with a variety of suggestions and examples of what you could do on Disability Awareness Sunday.