Disabilities
New Wine leaders Trudi and James Sang serve as catalysts for New Wine’s connection to the disability community. The aims in this domain are as follows: bring awareness of the disabilities that are in all communities; bring understanding to those dealing with disabilities; offer sincere hospitality to those dealing with disabilities; bring value to all that are challenged with disabilities as people with purpose and contribution to the community; and to advocate for the needs of those with disabilities. Together with Steve Hanamura, the Sangs have played pivotal roles in helping to shape New Wine’s thinking in this domain. Dr. Metzger’s son Christopher’s traumatic brain injury in 2021 has also stretched him to see life through the eyes of people enduring life-altering experiences involving severe injuries.
Trudi serves as President of the Interfaith Disabilities Network of Oregon and engages in various ways with such organizations as Quiet Waters Outreach, Every Body Athletics, Guidelight (formally The Elisha Foundation), and Neurotherapeutic Pediatric Therapies, Inc.
New Wine hosted a conference on this subject. The conference served as a catalyst for other related initiatives. Check out Cultural Encounters’ recent journal issue on disabilities as well as the documentary and panel discussion New Wine produced on this topic.