Could This Be Your Group or Churches Story Too?

There are many more stories like this that I could share of groups and churches that have recognised how important it is to create accessibility, inclusion and belonging for the one-in-five children and young people who have additional needs of some kind. What about your group or church, does your group or church include children and young people with additional needs, could this be your story too?

How The Faith Of The Canaanite Woman Inspires Us Not To Give Up

There is an often-overlooked short story in the Gospels that many miss but which, while short, is rich with symbolism, meaning, and most of all hope! It’s the story of when a Canaanite woman (sometimes referred to as a Syrophoenician woman) came to Jesus to ask him to heal her daughter, how the disciples and … Continue reading How The Faith Of The Canaanite Woman Inspires Us Not To Give Up

The Happiest Of Birthdays

Just because James didn’t know it was his birthday didn’t mean we could treat it like any other day; we wanted to give James great memories to look back on, for him to know that he is loved, that we care enough for him to make his day extra special anyway. And it worked, it really was the very best of birthdays and James was smiling all the way through.

How Some Disney Pixar Films Can Teach Children That Disability Is ‘Bad’

Do Disney/Pixar movies help our children to develop a balanced and inclusive view of disability, or can they instead teach children that there is something ‘wrong’ with disabled people, including their disabled peers?

Seven Ideas For Your Additional Needs Kit List

I thought it might be helpful to provide a ‘kit list’ of items that can be helpful in supporting children and young people with a range of additional needs. If you are looking for something specific, and can’t find it, email me at markjarnold@gmail.com and I’ll see what I can do!Mark’s Additional Needs Kit List: Start … Continue reading Seven Ideas For Your Additional Needs Kit List

Journeying With Jesus To Easter: Episode 3 – Easter Sunday!

This time we will be looking at the story of Easter Sunday, which is the day that Jesus rose from the dead and left the tomb. He did it to give all of us that believe in him new life, just like he had.

Journeying With Jesus To Easter: Episode 2 – Good Friday!

This time we’ve arrived at Easter and will be looking at the story of Good Friday, which is the day that Jesus died on the cross. He did it so that all the bad things that we have done would die with him, and so we would be free from them all and could be forgiven for them if we asked Jesus.

Journeying With Jesus To Easter: Episode 1 – Palms!

In this session, we learn together about when Jesus entered into Jerusalem riding on a donkey, with all the people calling out to him and shouting “Hosanna!” and “King of Kings!”. It is the time that we remember and celebrate on Palm Sunday and we will be learning about why it’s called Palm Sunday too.

With Jesus In The Wilderness: Episode 3 – Kingdom!

As we go through Jesus' three temptations together in this three-part series we will journey with Jesus, looking at what he said and did that can help us to understand his three temptations better. We’ve already looked at the first two times Jesus was tempted in the desert by the devil, in the sessions called ‘Bread!’ and ‘Angels!’, and in this one, called ‘Kingdom!’ we’ll look at the third and final time that the devil tried to tempt Jesus.

With Jesus In The Wilderness: Episode 2 – Angels!

As we go through Jesus' three temptations together in this three-part series we will journey with Jesus, looking at what he said and did that can help us to understand his three temptations better. We’ve already looked at the first time Jesus was tempted in the desert by the devil, in the session called ‘Bread!’, and in the session after this one, called ‘Kingdom!’ we’ll look at the third and final time that the devil tried to tempt Jesus. Today, we will look at the second time that Jesus was tempted by the devil, 'Angels!'