Making the Good News Accessible
. . . . in churches and National Christian Festivals
Our nation prides itself on its literary heritage with a full and wonderfully creative language. Nowhere is this better expressed than in our churches through the liturgy and the glorious hymns we sing. If you have a learning disability however, grasping the spiritual truth in worship, teaching and celebration can be tricky.
As Sarah Redgrove explains:
‘I don't mind people knowing that I struggled with church because of my learning disability. I just couldn't understand what people were talking about in church. Then I started going to a Prospects Group. They helped me to learn about Jesus, how he died for us and about forgiving everybody.’Sarah was so thrilled to find faith in Jesus that she helped to start a group where she lives in Lincoln and is now an enthusiastic ambassador for Prospects Ministry.
Most churches give all comers a good welcome and try to be inclusive, and many churches have worked hard to comply with the Disability Discrimination Act, fitting hearing loops, handrails, ramps, automatic doors and, of course, the accessible loo.
The difficulty for many people with learning disabilities is that, despite being able to get into the church and hear OK, they cannot understand what is being said. For them, the key access issue is access to truth.
One of the joys of including people with learning disabilities is in discovering the skills they have – God-given gifts that can bless others. Chris has a gift of welcoming. Lots of people can do welcoming, but if you've been welcomed by Chris, you sure do know and remember it.