Ideas for Ministering to Parents

I often share ideas about ministering to children with special needs, but thought I would take a minute to share some ideas for the parents that need support.  Over the years we held a variety of outreach and ministry events.  Here are 25 ideas to get started:

• Family Picnic
• Parents Only Potluck
• Parents Prom Night
• Parents Game Night (just for fun!)
• Parents Night Out (they go out for the evening)
• Parenting Class (how to modify traditional parenting courses to the family with special needs)
• Have a superintendent, administrator, counselor, or teacher talk about "How to Fight for the Rights of Your Child While Keeping Your Christian Witness"
• Have parents of older children share their story on how to keep the family intact
• Have a speaker on keeping the marriage strong
• Have someone speak on independence options for the adult child with special needs
• Have someone speak on financial issues, wills, etc for the family with special needs
• Have someone speak on "How to Have an Effective ARD Meeting"
• Have a speaker on adult children with special needs and navigating adulthood (employment, dating, etc.)
• Have a variety of speakers on autism, Down Syndrome, sensory integration, etc.
• Have a speaker on "How to Meet the Needs of Siblings"
• Have a speaker on "Resources Available to the Family With Special Needs"
• Have speakers on behavior modification, restraint, and calming techniques
• Provide a resource fair for families
• Provide a day of effective workshops for families
• Provide a lending library available to families with a variety of resources and encouraging books
• Have a fine arts evening where students can display their artwork, poetry, etc.
• Have a talent show
• Have an evening of celebration (anniversary, something God has done, change in leadership, facility addition)
• Ladies Night (a speaker addressing the specific needs of mothers)
• Men's Night (a speaker addressing the specific needs of dads)

I hope these ideas spur on some evenings of great ministry.  If you have some ideas to share I would love to read them!

Blessings,

Deana