Compel Them To Come In: Reaching People with Disabilities through the Local Church
Special Touch Ministry has fielded a team of its most experienced communicators and teachers to write Compel Them to Come In. Editor and lead writer Tom Leach has had a lifetime of personal experience with physical disabilities. He was born with mild Cerebral Palsy and at the age of twenty-five a car wreck left him paralyzed from the chest down as a C-6, 7 quadriplegic. His understanding of these conditions has served him well in connecting with audiences through his speaking and writing. In addition he has had eighteen years experience in specialized ministry to those with mild intellectual disabilities. Among his writing credits is the Word Walk Bible curriculum. This is his second book. Tom's wife Gayle combines twenty-six years of caregiving experience with thirty years of ministry as a missionary, teacher, pastor's wife, and speaker. Over nearly thirty years Special Touch President, founder, and nationally appointed missionary Charlie Chivers has invested thousands of hours in ministering and teaching in front of audiences, preaching the gospel and speaking on the subjects of disability ministry, advocacy and awareness. Charlie and his wife and co-founder Debbie have committed their lives to the development and implementation of a comprehensive vision of service, support and spiritual influence among people with disabilities and their families. Under their leadership, Special Touch Ministry has grown from concept to reality as a national organization, ministering to thousands within the disability community every year. Their passion and influence among people with disabilities has led many to discover their own calling to disability ministry, both full and part time, and has paved the way for hundreds to come to know Christ. They also personally coordinate the Wisconsin Special Touch Summer Get Away. Nationally appointed Special Touch missionary Larry Campbell is acknowledged nationwide and across