Field Associates Named for Disability Advocacy
ELKHART, Indiana – Anabaptist Disabilities
Network (ADNet) has appointed Ronald Ropp
of Normal, Illinois and Rebekah Flores of Elgin,
Illinois, to serve as Field Associates. They join
ADNet’s team of volunteers who help to extend
ADNet’s reach and resources. Field Associates are
long-term volunteers who work part-time for
ADNet from their home location on projects related
to inclusion and hospitality toward persons with
disabilities in faith communities.
Ron Ropp has spent a lifetime advocating for and encouraging appreciation of older adults. He is available for speaking and consulting with congregations seeking to respond to the needs and gifts of persons who are aging. His wide range of experiences as pastoral counselor and caregiver give him much to offer congregations seeking to respond to the needs of older members. He is available to help congregations evaluate needs and explore plans for dealing with issues of aging and caregiving.
Ropp brings thirty-eight years of experience in pastoral counseling and university teaching on gerontology and death and dying. Experience as a caregiver for aging parents and, more recently for his wife who suffered a stroke, enrich his perspectives on aging well. He attends Mennonite Church of Normal, Illinois. To consult with him or invite him to speak to your church or organization, contact him at 309-452-8534 or email rjroppbarn@gmail.com.
Rebekah Flores is the first Field Associate affiliated with the Church of the Brethren to begin volunteering for ADNet. Her interest in the role arose when she learned about a recently formed partnership between ADNet and the Disabilities Ministry of the Church of the Brethren denomination. She is an active participant of Highland Avenue Church of the Brethren, in Elgin, Illinois. She will be spearheading ADNet’s efforts to serve persons with disabilities in Church of the Brethren congregations, beginning in the Chicago area and expanding outward through Illinois and the Midwest.
Majoring in psychology and special education, Flores earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Barat College in Lake Forest, Illinois, and later attended Bethany Seminary in Richmond, Indiana. She is presently employed as a Qualified Intellectual Disabilities Professional by Little Friends, Inc., where she provides case management and supports adults with disabilities who reside in traditional group homes and in the community. Previously she served five years as an administrator of L’Arche Chicago, a small, faith-based, international intentional community of people with and without disabilities who share life together.
Flores welcomes opportunities to consult and speak about disability-related issues in Church of the Brethren, Mennonite, and other Anabaptist congregations in the Chicago region. Contact her at 773-673-2182, or email her at marchflowers74@gmail.com.
Anabaptist Disabilities Network is a national inter- Mennonite advocacy ministry with offices in Elkhart, Indiana. Organized in 2003, ADNet is committed to supporting congregations, families, and persons touched by disabilities and nurturing inclusive communities. Contact ADNet at 574-343-1362, adnet@adnetonline.org or visit www.adnetonline.org.
Ron Ropp has spent a lifetime advocating for and encouraging appreciation of older adults. He is available for speaking and consulting with congregations seeking to respond to the needs and gifts of persons who are aging. His wide range of experiences as pastoral counselor and caregiver give him much to offer congregations seeking to respond to the needs of older members. He is available to help congregations evaluate needs and explore plans for dealing with issues of aging and caregiving.
Ropp brings thirty-eight years of experience in pastoral counseling and university teaching on gerontology and death and dying. Experience as a caregiver for aging parents and, more recently for his wife who suffered a stroke, enrich his perspectives on aging well. He attends Mennonite Church of Normal, Illinois. To consult with him or invite him to speak to your church or organization, contact him at 309-452-8534 or email rjroppbarn@gmail.com.
Rebekah Flores is the first Field Associate affiliated with the Church of the Brethren to begin volunteering for ADNet. Her interest in the role arose when she learned about a recently formed partnership between ADNet and the Disabilities Ministry of the Church of the Brethren denomination. She is an active participant of Highland Avenue Church of the Brethren, in Elgin, Illinois. She will be spearheading ADNet’s efforts to serve persons with disabilities in Church of the Brethren congregations, beginning in the Chicago area and expanding outward through Illinois and the Midwest.
Majoring in psychology and special education, Flores earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Barat College in Lake Forest, Illinois, and later attended Bethany Seminary in Richmond, Indiana. She is presently employed as a Qualified Intellectual Disabilities Professional by Little Friends, Inc., where she provides case management and supports adults with disabilities who reside in traditional group homes and in the community. Previously she served five years as an administrator of L’Arche Chicago, a small, faith-based, international intentional community of people with and without disabilities who share life together.
Flores welcomes opportunities to consult and speak about disability-related issues in Church of the Brethren, Mennonite, and other Anabaptist congregations in the Chicago region. Contact her at 773-673-2182, or email her at marchflowers74@gmail.com.
Anabaptist Disabilities Network is a national inter- Mennonite advocacy ministry with offices in Elkhart, Indiana. Organized in 2003, ADNet is committed to supporting congregations, families, and persons touched by disabilities and nurturing inclusive communities. Contact ADNet at 574-343-1362, adnet@adnetonline.org or visit www.adnetonline.org.
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