YL Capernaum Everywhere

This letter came from our friend Kathy, who is a part of YL Canada. We thought this was a beautifully thoughtful letter. As you read it, have you considered this view point before? We recognize that there may be a variety of theological point of views on this and appreciate Nancy Eisland's as one many of us without disability have not considered. Praying friends, ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”         Rev 21:4    I’ve just started reading this book entitled “Becoming Friends of Time. Disability, Timefullness, and Gentle Discipleship. by John Swinton” and it is rocking my world. Growing up with a brother with a disability and now being so heavily involved in Capernaum I feel like my sense towards disability is quite progressive. But then I read a book like this and am humbly force...

Game - Dice of Chance                  Have two giant dice (cover cardboard box with paper). Write things to do on them. Each kid got a chance to roll the dice of chance. What ever it lands on they do 30-second dance party (whole room) Group selfie Pie a leader in the face Mustache a leader (bought at dollar store. kids gets to pick a leader to put the mustache on) Cup stack Build as much of a puzzle you can in 30 seconds No music dance party Pick a treat from candy bag Just Dance – Happy                    Mixer- Rock Paper Scissors: Play rock paper scissors. If you lose form a train cheering for your team leader. Eventually it comes down to two trains. Before you play this game prepare leaders and buddies to adapt. If a kid doesn't have good...

Message from Pam Harmon, VP YL Capernaum Ministry As we think and pray about healthy sexuality within our mission, I am reminded that "People with intellectual disabilities are sexually assaulted at a rate more than seven times that for people without disabilities.” In this time when many women are courageously posting “Me too,” I wonder how many of our Capernaum friends need to have the opportunity for someone to hear them say, “Me too." Please read this article and then share it with other staff and volunteers to increase our awareness of the need to watch for signs of abuse and of our need to have conversations with our friends around the best ways to protect themselves from sexual harassment. Let’s not be unaware that we are living life with a community of people who are very vulnerable. Here is the link… https://www.npr.org/2018/01/09/572929725/for-some-with-intellectual-disabilities-ending-abuse-starts-with-sex-ed If you’re not sure how to engage in this...

Mixer: Football fumble - Blow up enough brown balloons for each kid. The goal is to keep your balloon in the air for the longest time. Only rule is you can’t hold it...you can hit it up, kick it, pass back and forth, or whatever you wish! If you fumble...or drop the balloon on the ground you’re out. Last person standing wins Just Dance - You Don’t Know You’re Beautiful  Mixer: Field Goal Tag - We loved this game! Choose one male leader to wear a yellow shirt with black tape creating a field goal shape large on the front and back. Cut out brown paper footballs and put tape on the end of each. We did a guys round and a girls round. First up were boys. Each “player” got two football cut outs with tape on them. We let all buddies and leaders play as well! When the music started the guys chased the field goal guy around trying to tag him with their football. If they made it in the field goal they got 10 points, and if they made it outside the field goal they got 5. You ca...

by Tasha Taylor- Chicagoland Regional Coordinator When preparing club talks for my Capernaum friends, one obstacle I am always thinking through is how to avoid an “adult or program voice.” You know - that voice that we are overly familiar with using when we are up front that may speak over a question being asked or a comment being made. That voice that is easy to tune out. That speaker’s voice that becomes like the mom in Charlie Brown. Muffled noises. This can be true in Capernaum if you have one leader who gives the majority of the talks at club and Campaigners. Their voice can become overly familiar. Capernaum’s collective journey to find the most engaging way to share the Gospel with all our friends has pushed us to explore answers to this challenge. The Jesus StoryBook Bible does a wonderful job of telling the Bible stories, but still I have found when I am the one reading them when giving the club talk, my “adult or program voice” can take effect. So, for a couple years now I h...

Mixer Pac-man: With tape set up a giant Pac-Man game. Basically a big maze! Cut a yellow poster board to look like Pac-Man. Assign one kid to be Pac-Man. Disperse everyone else in the course. Pac-man is trying to tag as many people as he can. Last one standing wins. Remember, you can’t cross over lines! Tic-Tac-Toe: Using tape set up a big tic-tac-toe board. Split the room in half. Have different color plates for each team. One at a time the teams play each other (person 1 from green team makes first move, then person 2 from blue team, now person 2 from green team) until the game is over. Game Egg Walk: just like the typical game, but with spoons and giant eggs…AKA balloons! Two players race each other to make it to one side of the room and back without dropping the egg. If they do, they can put it back on but have to stop moving to do so and must start off in the place they dropped. Song Lips are moving- Megan Trainer Beautiful things ...

By Sara Webb- Western Great Lakes Regional Coordinator This fall I have participated in a book club at Calvin College. Together we read and discussed the book Becoming Friends of Time: Disability, Timefullness, and Gentle Discipleship by John Swinton. Before this I had never thought so intentionally about time. After a morning of getting my middle school aged child off to school, I realized I may have a very unhealthy relationship with time. Here is how my morning sounded: “It is time to get up, please don’t be late.”   “Does it really take you that long to get dressed?”   “What are you doing in there?”   “I wish you would have thought about this last night, we just don’t have time to do this in the morning.”   “Is what you are doing right now a good use of your time?”   “How long does it take you to eat? It is almost time to leave.” In the short time with my child that morning, almost everything I said had to do with time. Time is such a driving f...