Embracing Ministries provides pastoral care, spiritual support and developmentally appropriate programs for children and especially families in the Canberra area who live with disability. The program has seen incredible growth over the past year, in spite of the challenges of COVID-19.
According to Director, Andrea De Vaal Horcui, families feel they have found a place where they feel accepted, loved and embraced. “Embracing Ministries welcomes people of all ages and abilities. We don’t just care for the child living with a disability, but for their parents and siblings too. The ministry truly offers a safe place for people to feel free to speak the truth, ask questions of each other, and offer support and care. We are now connected to over 70 Families, 25 mentors and a growing number of schools and churches.”
Following the cancellation of the 2020 Easter program, one grateful mother shared this testimony:
The season of Easter this year was a quieter and more reflective one as we all had to experience it within the confines of our homes. There was none of the traditional festivities that one enjoyed within the community of church.
But what was really lacking was something for my 9-and-a-half-year-old son with autism, who is non-verbal. What could I share with him about this momentous event of our faith? The answer came in the form of a call from Andrea who said she had an Easter package for him. I was very touched by the thought that my boy was being gifted Easter eggs by his community. But actually, it was much, much more than that.
The package, besides the Easter eggs and some thoughtful sensory activities, had the Story of Jesus, His death and resurrection and His great love for us. It was prepared in a language of visuals that my son could understand. I’ve always believed my son came to us as the most precious gift of God. And tied to that belief is that our boy knows the heart of God better than we do because of the purity of his soul. But as a parent, it was still so precious to read through that special story of Easter and have my boy place the red heart on the page and to tell him that he is loved by God and is so precious in His sight.
That package became the gift of Easter for my family this year because it showed that we live with people of God who share His message of love and hope and that no one is excluded or forgotten under His eye. Thank you, Embracing Ministries and Anglicare!
Embracing Ministries operates by engaging a network of volunteers and partners through schools, churches and other nongovernment organisations. It is a recognised ministry under ECMU (Exploratory Ministries Chaplaincy Unit) of the Anglican Diocese of Canberra and Goulburn.
