The news site of the Anglican Church Southern Queensland: nourishing and connecting our faith community

Inclusion

Thursday March 23

Welcoming and including autistic people in our churches

Two Australian Anglicans – a young woman with autism and the parent of a child with autism – share their stories of inclusion and respect in parishes: “The overwhelming impression I got was that the parish community members were there for the common good rather than for their individual needs. As a result of their experience, both my primary-aged children understand church and want to go to church”

Being Together: a new inclusion and respect dialogue resource for Anglican parishes

“In his ministry, Jesus used narrative to share knowledge, initiate discussions and connect with people. This is why personal stories centred on specific parish experiences have been sourced to form the backbone of the new Parishes and other Mission Agencies Commission resource,” says Dr Stephen Harrison

"Key to becoming allies for the disabled community is accepting and celebrating disability as a deliberate part of God’s creation and celebrating the diversity of gifts that come with disability" (Mel Maddox, Parish of Freshwater Synod Representative and Equitable Access Working Group member)

My Body is Not a Prayer Request: Disability Justice in the Church

“I stopped disclosing my disabilities after one conversation when I said I was autistic and had been having a hard time with sensory issues, and the person responded by saying that this was happening to me because I wasn’t praying enough. I saw this book, and my immediate thought was, ‘Yes! Someone gets it!’,” says Mel Maddox, Parish of Freshwater Synod Representative and Equitable Access Working Group member

Renewing the Church from the edge with disruptive prophets and uncomfortable conversations

“If the Church is to be renewed from the edge it must make space for the edge to come to the centre. That space needs to be open to disruptive prophets and uncomfortable conversations – and accessible,” say Fiona MacMillan and The Rev’d Jonathan Evens from St Martin-in-the-Fields

Tips when talking to people with Asperger’s Syndrome

“Like all people with lived experience of ASD1, I have insights that can assist neurotypical people seeking to understand how we see the world and how we can be better engaged. This is important so we can participate more equitably, which is what being part of a Church is all about,” says Gubbi Gubbi descendent and Equitable Participation Working Group member, Tom Hammer

Creating a grace zone

“…inclusion is part of a culture that welcomes and nurtures who people are and not who we want to make them,” says The Rev’d Michael Stalley, from St Bartholomew’s, Mt Gravatt