On Tuesday 18th March, 2025, ETC organised a workshop for “Inclusion of people with neurodivergences into church life.” The workshop was facilitated by Dr. Mary Peterson, from Texas USA. She shared from her experience and knowledge, since she provides training internationally in educational and the public health sectors. She has studied and worked with autistic children and people for many years and is a mother of autistic children. The Conversations around autism are important to Dr. Peterson along with spreading awareness of autism. The more people are made aware of autism, trisomy 21, ADHD, dyslexia and other neurodivergence, the less these persons suffer. Around 45 people from various churches attended. They were people in various ministries in their respective community of faith: children ministry, bible study leaders, deacons, elders – as well as parents, teachers of pre-primary, ETC students. Participants identified needs for churches and Christians to address: are we aware that there are neurodivergence in our churches? Do they feel included? Are they valued? Are worship services and other church activities accessible? What about arrangement of the physical environment? Participants learnt about sound volume, physical touch, eye contacts, use of pictures and illustrations, proper use of language, and other important matters we need to consider to become an inclusive church. ETC will look into providing further assistance with the help of persons involved in this area of neurodivergence. “If you can’t read so well, have earing difficulties, speak a different language, have working memory difficulties, or find it hard to sit and listen, then a visual image is there for longer than the words you speak.” (includedbygrace)