Word of the Year 2026

Join us as Denise Wynn, ABLE Ministry Director, gives us a recap of all that God has done in 2025 and shares the theme for 2026! 

Mentioned during the episode:

SEEN: Sibling Workbook by Aaron Wynn and Janelle Wynn - Siblings of people with disabilities are often called "transparent children" because, at times, they feel unseen. This book provides the framework for a 12-week series, ministering to siblings. An adult virtual group is available throughout the year. This book is available on Amazon.

Moms Group - Based on Denise Wynn's book When God Says No: Finding the Faith to Accept God's Will and the companion workbook, by Denise and Missi Vaughn, this 12-week virtual group meets twice a year. Connect with others who are walking the same path. 

Silent Sound System Headphones (used at camps, NAYC and General Conference) - connecting to a transmitter which provides the audio of the service, these headphones allow the user to control the volume of the service. We like to say it removes everything but Jesus!

ABLE Ministry is a ministry of the United Pentecostal Church International (UPCI) and is dedicated to assisting individuals and families affected by disability within the church and the community.
Connect with us on Facebook (ABLE Ministry UPCI), Instagram (@ableministryupci), and our YouTube Channel (@ABLE Ministry UPCI)!

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Welcome to the Talkable Podcast, where we explore the intersection of disability and research. Join us for uplifting conversations as we celebrate inclusion, share inspiring stories, and discuss how communities can become more accessible and talkable. Tune in for heartwarming discussions that redefine what it means to be a supportive and inclusive community.

SPEAKER_00 0:24

Hello, here we are. It is 2026, and this is our first official podcast for Talk Able for the new year. We have many more episodes planned with topics and speakers that you are going to be blessed to connect with. I love so much about being the director of Able Ministry, but today I am especially grateful for this privilege, this honor to launch the year off with you. So I want to share my theme for the year. For the past 10 years, I've been choosing a word or a theme for the year as an alternative to those traditional and restrictive resolutions. This word or theme provides a guiding principle for all of my decisions, my priorities, and my focus for areas of growth, depth, for study, and for enjoyment. I don't do New Year's resolutions. I used to, and then I found myself celebrating National Quitters Day with 80% of my fellow Americans, where it's estimated that our New Year's resolutions are blown by the second week, the second Friday, actually, in January. Yeah. But I have found that somehow this word, this theme, I pray about it, I contemplate, I ask the Lord. I start like November, usually right after general conference, I just start to ask the Lord, you know, what's next? What's coming next year? What do I need to align with? And I have found that somehow my life aligns with the theme in ways that I plan, but even more in unexpected ways that God has planned. Last year, my word was expansion. Yeah. I was praying that some things would expand, lots of things would expand, but that others would not. But the word expansion was the perfect word for my life and for our ministry last year. Our family expanded with the birth of our first grandbaby, who is now my new favorite human. And our church expanded by an over 50% increase. And I'm telling you, that is just, it's been 10 years, and the miracle that we have seen this growth is absolutely divine intervention. And we are having so much fun, just you know, loving God and loving people together. It's been fabulous. It's been a great year. And then ABLE Ministry expanded by joining the UPCI Church Advancement Team. We now stand alongside all of our national and international ministry departments. ABEL operates under the leadership of our national superintendent, David K. Bernard, or as most of us call him DKB, or as I call him Super DKB, because you know I'm extra like that. So ABL has expanded to global missions with ministries in Europe, Mexico, and Australia. And at General Conference this past year, we had invitations from Germany, Spain, Guatemala, the United Kingdom, Brazil, the Philippines. Those are the ones off the top of my brain I can remember. But we had so many people visit the booth and tell us about the need that they have in their countries. So it's not just the United States of America, it is the whole world that is that is impacted by disability, and the whole world needs Jesus. Our Facebook group has grown to over 7,000 members. I checked it today and it was like 7.3. Okay, so we just continue to grow and to share our lives together on there. And we did something really neat last year. We launched a siblings initiative. We have a small group study guide that was written by my son Aaron, who, hello, knows what it's like to be a sibling of someone with a disability and how he was the third parent to his brother Sean. And he and his wife, who is a social worker and a licensed therapist, she, along with him, they wrote this incredible study guide workbook to just help siblings, you know, work through the stages of grief, work through, you know, the difficulties that they faced, and to be able to find, you know, just healing with their peers, with people that understand the unique lives that they have led. And they're now hosting a virtual support group using that manual. So I'm very proud of that uh part of expansion. We've also expanded to having a dad's virtual group. Um, our mom's groups continue to grow and expand. And we now host a Spanish-speaking group with our missionary to Mexico, Angela Marquez. We've created ways to include individuals with disabilities and their families in their churches, in their districts. And at general conference, we had events that we have offered accommodations that are sensory friendly and just make everyone feel welcome to come into the same spaces. We have at least five districts that are including disability-friendly experiences for camp, where children, teens, and adults are receiving the Holy Ghost alongside of their peers. We are able, the training manual was published. Churches can receive and individuals can receive a certificate of training for able ministry. I got to celebrate a 10-year anniversary of my book, When God Says No, by writing and publishing another book. And I titled that one called Discovering Yes When God Says No. And it tells all the wonderful things that have happened with the no that God gave me because his yes, if only he knew how incredible and impactful that it was going to be. So these are just a few highlights of how we've expanded our ministry. Really, we've expanded the kingdom of God by creating church culture that includes everyone. So this year, okay, when I heard my word, when the Lord dropped that word into my spirit, I wanted to do cartwheels. And then I wanted to take a nap because the Lord knows me better than I know me. And um I know me pretty well, but he knew that I needed extra confirmation with this word. So he gave me a word, he gave me a scripture passage, and he gave me a song. And all of them perfectly align with this idea of a theme of possibility. So the word is possibility. The Bible verse is Isaiah 43, 18 through 19, and the song is new thing coming. So possibility. The future holds untold possibilities with each new day. There's possibility for opportunity. Um, Isaiah 43, but forget all that. And I just love God's sense of humor because I'm I'm bragging about everything he's done, you know, these past 10 years and especially last year was such a growth year. And he says, forget it, you know, or if you're from North Jersey or Philly or New York, you say, forget about it. Come on, God was saying, forget about it, forget all that I have done. It is nothing compared to what I'm going to do. For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun. Do you not see it? Yes, I see it, God. He said, I will make a pathway through the wilderness, I will create rivers in dry wasteland. Just let that sink into your spirit for a moment. I just I was so overwhelmed when the Lord gave me this verse of scripture. What is he up to? What is he gonna do? Where are we going? And then that song. Um, several people do it. The verse, the the version that I uh I heard first was Elevation Worship, and the lyrics that have really stood out to me are there's an anointing to destroy the yoke. So tell every stronghold, you gotta let me go. Something really powerful is happening. There is a freedom that I've never known out of the shadows into the overflow. Something really powerful is happening. Oh, it's happening. Darkness bow down to the day. Mountains get up out of my way. Breaking out of yesterday, I've got a new thing coming. Because I can see a cloud heavy with rain, and it sounds like freedom, it's heading our way. I can see a cloud heavy with rain. I love this, and it looks like Jesus. He's headed our way. I just wish I could sing right now. I wish I wish God had gifted me with that ability because this song is so powerful. Go play it until it, you know, seeps down into your bones and you are believing God for new things coming. I want you to see the possibilities. I want you to know that God has an amazing life plan for you. And in your family, there are possibilities. In your ministry, there are possibilities. And I'm just thinking, you know, as we run into this new year, it's brand new. You've got to know who you are. You have to know whose you are. You know that you are able. And I love our acronym. It means you are accepted, you are believed in, you are loved, and you are embraced every day by a mighty God. Most importantly, God is more than able. He's not limited by our imagination. And I have a great imagination. He's not limited by our prayers. He works best in our weakness. I don't always love that. I don't love that, you know, the mission comes from misery sometimes and that testimonies come from difficult tests, but God works through our weakness. He works through our difficulties, and he allows us to use that to show his glory. And I want to leave you with one of my favorite passages. It's Ephesians 3, 20, and 21. It's probably printed in almost everything I've ever written because this scripture just means so much to me. And it is my prayer that it is going to mean everything to you. Take it into your spirit and believe this word is for you. Now unto him who is able, through his mighty power within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations, forever and ever. Live to fulfill his purpose and his possibilities for your life to become endless. I'm looking forward to what God is going to do in 2026. Stay tuned, watch the upcoming episodes, get connected on Facebook, and stay in touch with Able Ministry and be a part of what we're doing. We need you. We are changing culture, we are changing lives, we are growing the kingdom together. Uh God is more than Able.

SPEAKER_01 13:34

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