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WHDL - 00020047

In or Out?: Belonging of families and their children with special needs in a Hong Kong Chinese church – a case study

Nonette Garcia Tsang

Resource Types

Academic (Thesis, Dissertation, Etc.)

Resource Languages

English

Institutional Repository

Description / Abstract

Hong Kong is a fast-paced, densely-populated city where families who have children with disabilities struggle to survive a stressful life with little emotional support. A faith community is a source of help, comfort and hope for these families. This study examines how a Chinese Hong Kong church with a Special Needs Ministry accepts families and their children with disabilities. The study explores three areas of focus: 1) the qualities of a welcoming church; 2) the understanding of belongingness by parents, their children with disabilities, and ministry workers; and 3) the impact of belongingness in the quality of life on families who have children with special needs. This is a qualitative single-case study has three subunits: 1) Parents of children with disabilities; 2) Children with disabilities, all of them with autism, and some with varying co-occurrences; and 3) Ministry Workers (pastor, ministry leaders, and volunteer teachers). The instruments used for data gathering are survey questionnaires, World Café, direct observation, and semi-structured interviews. Qualitative data analysis software was used to analyze the data and find themes and sub-themes. Belonging is a basic human need. It does not happen spontaneously. The findings of this study showed the factors that foster belongingness: 1) An accepting church where people have a positive attitude towards families who have children with disabilities; 2) The presence of ministry workers who are experienced with or trained in disability, committed, caring, and called by God; 3) Programs that support the needs of parents and their children; 4) Participation of families in church activities to consistently engage with the congregation and establish a lasting relationship so that their presence is felt; 5) Opportunities for families to serve in the faith community that give them a sense of purpose and belonging. A belonging framework was conceptualized (The Stages of Belonging - The 5 P’s of Belonging) as a recommendation for churches that want to start a disability or special needs ministry or improve their current one.

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Publish Year: 2024

Subject Index

KeywordsSpecial needs ministy, Children with disability, Church work with children with special needs

Degree AwardedPh.D. in Holistic Child Development

Awarding InstitutionAsia-Pacific Nazarene Theological Seminary

Committee MembersFloyd T. Cunningham, David Ackerman, Nativity Petallar, Larry T. Bollinger, Romerlito Macalinao

Supervisor or ChairLaura Sandidge

Peer Reviewed?No

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Collections With This Resource

Dissertations in Holistic Child Development

13 Resources

Religion - Christianity
Social and Behavioral Sciences

English

This collection contains the dissertations of our graduates that fulfilled the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Holistic Child Development at Asia-Pacific Nazarene Theological Seminary. The program is designed for those preparing to be equipped in leadership, teachers of children, practitioners, and pastors, so that they will have the gifts, skills, and capacity to care holistically for children inside and outside the church.