Children, adults and families impacted by disabilities have much to contribute to the body of Christ, yet they are much less likely to attend church than those without disabilities. Local churches must be intentional about welcoming and fostering the unique gifts of each member.
Disability & The Church (DATC) is an excellent in-person conference hosted each year by Key Ministry, with title sponsorship provided by the Tim Tebow Foundation. The next DATC conference will take place April 29 – May 1, 2025 in Washington, D.C. at McClean Bible Church.
This conferences addresses a variety of topics related to disability, mental health and effective church inclusion. Hephzibah62:4 recognizes the value of this event and is offering grants to our partner churches to help cover conference expenses and remove barriers to attendance.
Make plans for DATC2025!
STEP 1: Is your church a Hephzibah62:4 Partner? DATC conference grants are available for Hephzibah62:4 partner churches. Not a partner? Not a problem. Click here to explore partnership details and benefits, and to join.
HEPHZIBAH62:4 PARTNER CHURCHES: This year we are offering up to two, $600 one-time/person grants per partner church, to help make attendance possible. This grant is offered as a reimbursement for eligible expenses shortly after the conclusion of the event, unless prior arrangements are made. To indicate your intention to claim your DATC grant/s, simply register at the link in Step 2 below and e-mail us your DATC2024 registration confirmation. If you are unsure, please contact us with questions about grant information and eligibility before you register your pastors, church staff and lay leaders. Note: Churches may choose to use conference grants for one conference per partnership year. Conference choices include DATC and CAFO Summit.
NEW! Returning Attendee Grants: If you are a staff member or lay leader of a Hephzibah62:4 Partner Church who has used your one-time/person DATC grant, a limited number of Returning Attendees Grants will be made available as a reimbursement for your conference registration fee only. Preapproval is required. Contact us for more information.
STEP 2: Registration opens in January. Full conference information and registration can be found here.
STEP 3: Complete a brief survey about your conference experience. We will send this via email after the conference.
STEP 4: Submit an expense report along with your receipts for reimbursement. You can find the reimbursement process along with our expense report template here.
DATC Conference made such an impact on me personally, as a leader, and in my ministry.
As a pastor and a foster mom of kids with special needs, I wanted more to offer my children in ministry. Inclusion is very important to me. I really didn’t know how to start as the awareness of people with special needs is only now starting to grow here on the island of Newfoundland. After attending the conference, I quickly realized that I was not alone and that many churches out there already started down the path I wanted to go. The conference was full of information in all areas and I made some beautiful friendships in the process. – Rev. Jennifer White (far right)