{"id":28988,"date":"2025-09-23T16:59:10","date_gmt":"2025-09-23T14:59:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/clone\/?p=28988"},"modified":"2025-10-06T17:23:08","modified_gmt":"2025-10-06T15:23:08","slug":"belong-creating-community-for-disciples-with-autism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/belong-creating-community-for-disciples-with-autism\/","title":{"rendered":"Belong: Creating Community for Disciples with Autism"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

“I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well<\/em>.” \u2013 Psalm 139:14<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are you a disciple with autism? Do you have a friend or loved one with autism who you support? Some of the most prominent people of our time have shared their gifts with the world through their unique perspectives as people with autism. From mathematicians to actors and inventors to professional athletes, their contributions to science, entertainment, business and more have influenced and benefited our society in more ways than we’ll ever know. As the number of people with autism continues to increase through a combination of better diagnosis, changes in diagnostic criteria and an overall increased awareness, it’s important that we recognize that the number of disciples with autism also continues to increase, and does so to the glory of God! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether you are a disciple with autism or not, we here in the DFW Church want to shine a light on this growing population and help raise awareness, acceptance and ultimately develop a greater sense of belonging <\/em>in the church for everyone. To that end, we are excited to announce “Belong,” a growing community within the church of people with autism and those who support them. As we are guided by the Holy Spirit, we are in the early stages of gathering information from across our fellowship that will be used to inform and help us develop an in-person event designed specifically for disciples with autism, would-be disciples with autism, spouses of people with autism and in general those who support a friend or family member with autism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Although a specific date for “Belong” has yet to be set, we are looking at an event in 2026 in the Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas area. Some early areas of interest include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n