The Association of Physically Challenged Ministers (APCM)
About the APCM
The Association of Physically Challenged Ministers (APCM) is a national caucus in The United Methodist Church that has been in existence since 1990. Our main purpose is to encourage and support men and women who sense the call to ministry, who exhibit the gifts and graces for ministry, but also live with a disability. A current concern is that while the number of people with disabilities is increasing, the number of persons with disabilities in the United Methodist Church who are either in professional ministry or preparing for professional ministry seems to be decreasing. The task of the APCM is to alert the denomination and others in faith communities to the ways attitudinal barriers have discouraged such ministry.
The ongoing agenda of the association is to increase dialogue with the United Methodist denomination at every level of leadership. This includes the ongoing educating and consciousness-raising for United Methodists and others in the faith community, a continuing legislative effort through Annual Conference and General Conference petitions, and the encouragement and networking with all interested persons, those with and without disabilities. A continuing hope is to be a support to those who are facing difficulties in their churches or conferences because of the response of others (including those in leadership positions) to persons with disabilities.
Theological Statement
Adopted October 1994
We believe that God is a creating and loving God. We believe that all persons are made in the image of God and that all Christians are members in-corporate of the Body of Christ. The wholeness of the Body is dependent upon the participation of all its members.
We give testimony that God calls us as persons with disabilities and sends us into all capacities of leadership in the total ministry of the Church. Our bodies are the earthen vessels which God has chosen as the medium for the fulfilling of this ministry.
Jesus explicitly separated sin and disability. We proclaim this biblical truth that disability has no relation to sin. Further, because we are all made new in Christ, we proclaim that disability has no relationship to imperfection.
Human touch can be sacred and sacramental, part of the Mystery of Grace. We who have been touched with tenderness and handled with harshness have felt the comforting caress of God's Spirit.
We believe that our spiritual journeys, made in bodies with disabilities, have given us insights which are important to the vitality of the Church. All persons share the bond of pain and suffering; all persons have some form of disability: physical, emotional, mental, or spiritual. The quality of shared pain and joy is central to what it means to be a human being. We affirm that cure and healing are separate and distinct, and that wholeness is the deepest need we all share.
In the name of Christ we are hosts and agents of hospitality. We are the church. We claim our place with others in reconstructing the table of Christ so that all may approach it together as brothers and sisters in Christ, one Body, united and whole.
Membership
We welcome all who are interested in supporting the ongoing efforts and hopes of this caucus. For those wishing more information, considering joining APCM, and/or renewing their membership and/or financial support, please contact:
The Rev. John A. Carr, Executive Director
Association of Physically Challenged Ministers of the United Methodist Church
1249 Yale Avenue
Wallingford, CT 06492
1-203-284-8278
jcarr01@snet.net
