Ten people gathered ’round the coffee table in the Sojourners Room in June to discuss Rev. Sarah Lund’s recent book on neurodiversity, Blessed Minds: Breaking the Silence About Neurodiversity. As a neurodivergent person herself, Rev. Lund has an upfront and personal understanding of the stigma associated with the condition. Yet she doesn’t linger on those challenges as much as elevate the beauty in human differences: She focuses instead on the many ways people engage in the world, process information, and translate non-verbal cues.

FCC’s Mental Health Awareness team coordinated the book discussion because FCC’s WISE (welcoming, inclusive, supportive, engaged) mental health covenant specifically advocates for people who are neurodivergent. “Neurodiversity might sound abstract and academic,” writes Professor Michael Paul Cartledge of Princeton Theological Seminary, “but it comes from the autism community. Neurodiversity sees differences in brain function and behavioral traits as part of normal variation in the natural world.”

The book group identified segments of the book it appreciated, as well as disagreed with. It also focused on practicalities, such as best and not-so-good practices for conversing with people who self-admit to being neurodiverse.

That’s right, “neurodiverse” is not a medical term but a way people self-identify when their brain has either developed differently or works differently, for a variety of reasons. Rev. Lund notes that people who are neurodivergent have crafted a vocabulary that they believe more accurately reflects both subtle and not-so-subtle aspects of their behavior.

Participants also spent time exploring how faith communities can welcome, support and engage with people who are neurodiverse. For example, some people who are neurodivergent may require spaces that reduce noise levels or noisereducing headphones. Others may benefit from items that calm their restlessness, such as squishy items, fidget toys and rocking chairs.