Ellie Axford, a former special education teacher, serves as special needs director for the Embrace Ministry at Brentwood Baptist Church. She founded the ministry with four friends affected by disability, and it has since grown to support more than 140 families through Sunday programming, respite events, and an adult day program. Ellie loves equipping individuals and churches to develop effective special needs ministries and is passionate about helping congregations recognize the richness they gain by fully including these families. She lives in Brentwood with her husband Tommy and their four daughters.