Richard O. Stimson is the Founder and Director of The Special Gathering, which is a community-based ministry to people who have cognitive disabilities.
He has directed The Special Gathering for the past 27 years. This growing ministry has eight programs in Florida and South Carolina with over 450 persons in attendance each week.
Reverend Stimson has a BA from Southeastern College in Elementary Education and
Christian Education. He received his special education training from Florida Southern
College and his Masters of Arts in Ministry from Moody Graduate School. He taught as a special education teacher for Polk County, Florida school system and served as a chaplain for Developmental Services, Inc. in Orlando, Florida.
Reverend Stimson believes that a successful ministry empowers the whole person; he has
geared his ministration to the physical, mental, and spiritual needs of people who are
developmentally disabled. An important key to his work has been to become an active part of this community. Therefore, his ministry has branched into different aspects of service to persons who have developmental disabilities, including advocacy, education, and social activities. Using a spiritual program as the basis, Reverend Stimson endeavors to meet the needs of members before those needs become chronic problems.
An active speaker at disability conferences, Reverend Stimson has spoken at the AAMR National conference and serves on the Journal on Disabilities Editorial Board.
He has served on the Christian Council of Persons with Disabilities Board of Directors, a national consortium of disability ministries, and he remains an active member of the organization.
He is past chair of the Human Rights Advocacy Committee for Children and Family Services, District 7 in Florida. Reverend Stimson has also served on The ARC Board of Directors for Brevard County and on the founding board of the Very Special Arts of Brevard.
Please visit http://www.cilsflablog.org/
Contact us at mdubin@pobox.com.
