Calling from the Edge

 

'Calling from the Edge' marks 5 years of conferences on Disability and Church, a partnership between St Martin-in-the-Fields and Inclusive Church. As part of our commitment to share the learning and experience we have taken the booklet to General Synod this week where it is the focus of a stall in the marketplace. 

We also opened the ideas to a wider audience with a lunchtime pop-up event today at Central Hall Westminster, when several of our conference speakers brought the booklet to life. The chair was The Very Revd Dianna Gwilliams, Chair of Inclusive Church, and the speakers included: Emily Richardson, Ann Memmott, Fiona MacMillan and Revd Tim Goode.

Fiona MacMillan said, 'We are all a combination of needs and gifts. When our needs are met, our gifts can flourish.' Emily Richardson told us how twitter has helped her find her voice; finding new and creative ways to communicate can be the role of prophets calling from the edge. For Emily, “Being a Twitter prophet means 'making every character matter'.” 

Tim Goode told us that God has a plan for all human flourishing. The disability conference, he thought, enables the Church to hear prophetic voices that haven't been heard in 2,000 years. Ann Memmott told us about her varied experience of being autistic in churches; sadly she has sometimes experienced ignorance, myth, praying away the autism etc. She has 'tried to respond with love,' but it is hard.

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U2 - Song For Someone.