This Collaborative is between the West Ohio Conference Disability Awareness team and Flat Rock Homes, in north central Ohio near Sandusky, a ministry of the East Ohio Conference. Most readers will know the West Ohio Conference, and here is a bit of information about Flat Rock Homes. Flat Rock Homes was founded as an Evangelical Association ministry in 1866. It became affiliated with the Evangelical United Brethren Church by merger in 1946 and eventually began a covenant relationship with the East Ohio Conference by merger and the founding of the present-day United Methodist Church in 1968. Flat Rock began as an orphanage serving “orphan train” children, and in 1978 changed its focus to minister to the needs of individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities. Today, Flat Rock serves youth and adults with a variety of disabilities but with a special focus on adults with significant intellectual and developmental disabilities and severe behavioral disorders. The individuals and families served by Flat Rock come from 28 counties in Ohio, and Flat Rock currently serves 13 Ohio counties, including Seneca, Sandusky, Huron, Erie, Lorain, Wyandot, Morrow, Richland, Ashland, Crawford, Knox, Marion, and Ottawa Counties. Flat Rock’s Church & Community Engagement Coordinators, Rose M Darling, and UMW Deaconess Sherri Buehl reach out to churches and are available for speaking engagements in both the East and West Ohio Conferences.
