Lora Carter Nafziger of Goshen, Indiana, was appointed in February 2011 as a Field Associate for ADNet with a special interest in mental health. She is particularly committed to  helping congregations find what they need to include people who require a lot of a congregational resources. 

ADNet Field Associates are long-term volunteers working in the context of their home communities and congregations on projects related to the inclusion of persons with disabilities in churches.

Describing her vision for working with ADNet, Lora writes, "My passion right now is toward developing resources and working with churches to explore how to avoid burn out and stay in relationship with people who require a lot of resources."

Lora would like to connect congregations and their leaders with the growing body of information available about mental illness and how it affects people's lives and families. She is also interested in helping people find and connect to resources outside of their churches (for example individual therapists, case managers or the larger Risking Connection in faith communities program).

Lora sees a need for more resources to assist with boundary setting and maintaining long term relationships.  "I am particularly interested and challenged by congregations who find members who are caught in the intersections between poverty, mental health issues and a lack of family and social support resources," she writes. "I believe that when churches are unable to set appropriate boundaries and get burned out they also lose out on the gifts that are available through long term relationships with people."

Pastor Joel Miller and Lora are collaborating to provide leadership for a weekend workshop at Laurelville Mennonite Church Center. The weekend, "Wrestling with Angels: Bruises and Blessings in Congregational Life," is part of Laurelville's Called to Care series. The original date set for this workshop needed to be canceled. Contact Lora or Laurelville to learn the latest plans.  

As Field Associate, Lora is available for speaking engagements. She will be working to connect people to the resources ADNet has and to help to give people a broader awareness of the organization and resources within ADNet and in the broader community. We look forward to her contributions in this needed area.

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