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Understanding Adventist Possibilities Ministries: Inclusion and Dignity for All

How can disabilities become barriers to church fellowship and service?

AdventAI

Briefly what is Adventist Possibilities ministries

AdventAI

Adventist Possibilities Ministries is a specialized work centered on the belief that every person, regardless of physical or mental limitations, is created in the image of God and is a candidate for adoption into His heavenly family. This ministry focuses on compassionately supporting those with various infirmities, such as the blind, the deaf, and those with physical disabilities, ensuring they are treated as Christ’s own property and given equal privileges within the church.

Core Principles of the Ministry

  • Restoration of Dignity: The ministry recognizes that physical defects do not disqualify a person from happiness or the right to affection. Every individual, including those who have been "helpless cripples" for decades, is invited to find hope and healing through faith in the name of Jesus.

  • Christlike Sympathy: True ministry consists of relieving the suffering, helping the needy, and speaking comfort to those despondent due to guilt or physical illness. Jesus Himself, as our High Priest, is touched with the feeling of our infirmities and identified with the lowest depths of human woe to rescue fallen humanity Hebrews 4:15.

  • Inclusion and Membership: The church is instructed to guard the welfare of the unfortunate and to ensure that disabilities do not act as barriers to church fellowship or service.

Types of "Possibilities" Addressed

  • The Physically Afflicted: This includes caring for those who are lame or have permanent injuries, following the example of the apostles who ministered to cripples at the gates of the temple Acts 3:1-10.

  • The Sensory Impaired: Special care and mercy are required for the blind, who must never be dealt with in a merciless way.

  • The Weak and Desponding: The strong are called to bear the infirmities of the weak, providing practical help to those who find themselves "compassed with infirmity" Romans 15:1.

Mission and Hope

The ultimate goal of this work is to prepare every member for the "higher school" in heaven where physical infirmities will no longer exist. While the whole creation currently "groans and travails in pain," the ministry points forward to the "redemption of our body" at the coming of Christ Romans 8:22-23. In the meantime, the grace of God is declared sufficient to provide strength even when physical power fails 2 Corinthians 12:9.

Sources · 28
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  2. RH September 17, 1895, par. 7The Review and HeraldEllen Gould White
  3. GCB April 22, 1901, page 406.2General Conference Bulletin, vol. 4General Conference of SDA
  4. WM 240.3Welfare MinistryEllen Gould White
  5. PCO 169.2A Place Called OakwoodEllen Gould White
  6. ARSH March 4, 1862, page 106.5Advent Review, and Sabbath Herald, vol. 19James Springer White
  7. TSB 68.2Testimonies on Sexual Behavior, Adultery, and DivorceEllen Gould White
  8. AA 58.3The Acts of the ApostlesEllen Gould White
  9. RH June 8, 1911, par. 6The Review and HeraldEllen Gould White
  10. CHR 91.1Christ and His RighteousnessEllet Joseph Waggoner
  11. PaM 231.1Pastoral MinistryEllen Gould White
  12. Messenger January 4, 1893, par. 2The MessengerEllen Gould White
  13. GCB February 25, 1895, Art. A, par. 4The General Conference BulletinEllen Gould White
  14. RH May 18, 1897, par. 5The Review and HeraldEllen Gould White
  15. WM 187.1Welfare MinistryEllen Gould White
  16. SITI May 21, 1896, page 323.1The Signs of the Times, vol. 22Ellet Joseph Waggoner
  17. 1EGWLM 408.6The Ellen G. White Letters and Manuscripts: Volume 1Ellen Gould White
  18. LP 56.2Sketches from the Life of PaulEllen Gould White
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  20. 3SP 275.3The Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 3Ellen Gould White
  21. WM 242.1Welfare MinistryEllen Gould White
  22. ST June 21, 1905, par. 4The Signs of the TimesEllen Gould White
  23. 1EGWLM 782.6The Ellen G. White Letters and Manuscripts: Volume 1Ellen Gould White
  24. MPC 116.2An Examination of the Scripture TestimonyJohn Norton Loughborough
  25. HST November 20, 1844, page 118.1The Advent Herald, and Signs of the Times Reporter [Himes], vol. 8Signs of the Times [J.V. Himes]
  26. ARSH July 23, 1857, page 89.12Advent Review, and Sabbath Herald, vol. 10Uriah Smith
  27. GCDB October 22, 1888, page 9.11General Conference Daily Bulletin, vol. 2General Conference of SDA
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