Friday Fun: Lent Cartoon? Yes!

H/T: @BrendaAKeller, blogging at Peace, Love, Jesus and Coffee.
Image: Dave Walker, The Cartoon Blog.

#ChSocM Tweetchat: February 21, 2012

#ChSocM Tweetchat

February 21, 2012

The topics: 

Topic 1: What online accessibility issues do church communicators need to know about/be sensitive to?

Topic 2: How could social media help transform ministry to the disabled and/or homebound?

Topic 2a: What are the current gaps in disability ministry that social media might bridge? 

Topic 3: Are some social media tools better than others for disability ministry?

Topic 3a: How can our favorite tools be tweaked to become more accessible? 

Topic 4: What could #chsocm enthusiasts do to support ministry to the disabled and homebound? #chsocm

Ash Wednesday

A few resources for Ash Wednesday offered by #ChSocM chat regulars. Please feel free to add yours in the "Comments" box:

Ash Wednesday Communion Service at Liturgy Link from @danielhayward (Daniel Hayward)
Ash Wednesday Collect, Ash Wednesday Service at Liturgy from @liturgy (Bosco Peters)
Ash Wednesday Service [on PPT] from @Pastor4you (Chris Johnson)

Social Media and Disability Ministry

Earlier this month, Ruth Harrigan* (@rampracer) put up a post on WHEELIE cATHOLIC about our weekly  chat, inviting more involvement from people with disabilities. Ruth, who has been involved with #ChSocM from the get-go, made this observation:

"...although folks spoke about meeting the needs of seniors, widows, singles and divorcees, there was little, if anything, said about those with disabilities or illness and issues and needs they may want addressed in a pastoral context or via social media on relationship issues. I'm also noticing how absent folks with disabilities are in the group and am posting about it hoping that more show up... those involved in disability ministries have an opportunity to make an important impact."

I agree. PWD need to get more involved. People without disabilities need to understand what gets in the way of involvement. But even when physical barriers are modified or eliminated, cultural barriers persist. Can social media make a difference? I think so.

Because it blasts through conventional definitions of time, place, and space, social media expands opportunities for PWD to participate in -- everything, with or without disclosing the disability.

Slow to respond? Churches. Why is that? How could social media help transform ministry to the disabled and/or home bound? Are some social media tools better than others? How can our favorite tools be tweaked to make them more accessible? What online accessibility issues do church communicators need to know about?

To be continued! On Tuesday, February 21 at 9:00 PM (ET) we'll chat about using social media to change perceptions about disability and provide new ways to participate. Check out Ruth's Pinterest board about Disability and Faith Groups here. An excellent Religion & Ethics piece with video about Faith Communities and Disability here.

*Ruth and I have a long and fabulous history together. Learn more: Life As a Personal Aide.

Pinterest Examples from a #ChSocM Chat Regular

After this week's chat, I invited folks to provide examples and explanations about their engagement with Pinterest. Here's what landed in my email box from Regina Heater (@reckshow). Please feel free to post links to some of your favorite boards in the comments box or over on our Facebook page. Yes! We're now on FB!

I’ve been on Pinterest for about a year, but didn’t use it much until this past Fall when I started renewing my effort to do engage in creative projects. Although it’s a form of social media, I didn’t set out to pin things to share with other people. I still pin mostly for myself! Sharing is a by-product. 

My favorite things to pin are inspirational quotations, geeky stuff from Doctor Who, and ideas or artwork specific to a church season or reading I’m engaging with as I pray. I recently started creating my own printable word art, inspired by ones I’ve found on Pinterest. 

• General images of saints here.
• Ideas and images for Lent here.  
• Collection of art for epiphany here.  
• Quotations that inspire and bring me joy (my favorite board) here.          
• My board of geekdom, especially Doctor Who, Star Wars, and Firefly. I’m including this board because I dream of a Christianity that’s as compelling to people as Doctor Who is to its fans, where people are inspired to create and share images and ideas with one another because it’s just so darn cool.

P.S. Check out what UUCA (Unitarian Unversalist Congregation of Atlanta) is doing here. Love how they pin things onto boards that correlate to their core beliefs and principles,