Anglican Churches Engaging with People Living with Disabilities

215 Pages·2017·3.2 MB·English

Anglican Churches Engaging with
People Living with Disabilities
By Monica Short
With an essay by Dr Louise Gosbell
Anglican Churches Engaging with People
Living with Disabilities
By Monica Short
With an essay by Dr Louise Gosbell
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Published in 2018 by The Bush Church Aid Society of Australia,
Level 7, 37 York Street, Sydney, NSW 2000 Australia, and
CBM Australia’s Luke 14 Program,
PO Box 348, Box Hill, Victoria, Australia, 3128.
Printed in Australia by The Bush Church Aid Society of Australia
and CBM Australia’s Luke 14 Program, 2018.
Cover photo by Raymond Howes
Anglican churches engaging with people living with disabilities
By Monica Short, Charles Sturt University, with an essay by
Dr Louise Gosbell
ISBN: 1864673028/9781864673029
Disability–religion–Christianity–spirituality
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Contents
Acknowledgements ________________________ 9
Foreword_ ________________________________ 12
Executive Summary________________________ 16
Introduction ______________________________ 25
Background ______________________________ 27
Aim, Research Questions and Purpose_______ 27
Section One: Informing the Narrative _______ 30
Key Concepts _____________________________ 30
Faith __________________________________ 30
Christian Faith __________________________ 31
Rurality ________________________________ 33
Church and the Anglican Church of Australia 35
Disability ______________________________ 36
Engaging Literature _______________________ 39
Method __________________________________ 42
3
Section Two: The Narration
(Findings, Themes and Discussions) _________ 47
Introducing the Diocese of Canberra and
Goulburn _________________________________ 47
Introducing the Rural Population Centres
and the Churches _________________________ 49
Braidwood _____________________________ 49
St Andrew’s Anglican Church, Braidwood ___ 50
Goulburn ______________________________ 51
Refresh F5, Goulburn ____________________ 52
Junee _________________________________ 54
St Luke’s Anglican Church, Junee __________ 54
Marulan _______________________________ 55
All Saints’ Anglican Church, Marulan _______ 56
Tumbarumba ___________________________ 57
St Jude’s Anglican Church, Tumbarumba ____ 57
Yass __________________________________ 59
Yass Valley Anglican Church ______________ 60
A Brief Refection about Rural Churches ____ 60
4
How do Rural Anglican Churches Engage
with People Living with Disabilities and How
are the Engagements Perceived? ___________ 62
Observations: Intentions, Impacts and
Implications ______________________________ 65
Intentional Engagements __________________ 66
Accessible Pastoral Care __________________ 67
Jasmine’s testimony _____________________ 68
Intentionally Overcoming Challenges of
Beautiful Old Buildings, Conficting
Legislation and Structural Exclusion ________ 73
Intentionally Establishing Socially Inclusive
Rural Communities of Faith, Trust and
Learning _______________________________ 77
Joy’s testimony _________________________ 82
Impacts of Engaging ______________________ 85
Respecting the Gifts of People Living with
Disabilities and Hearing their Stories about
Faith and Love __________________________ 87
Jack’s testimony ________________________ 89
Symbols Representing Social Integration ____ 91
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Social Integration _______________________ 92
Joan’s testimony ________________________ 93
Social Capital ___________________________ 94
Joseph’s testimony ______________________ 95
Social Justice ___________________________ 96
Being Virtuous and Displaying the Fruit of
the Spirit Attracts People Living with
Disabilities _____________________________ 98
Implications of Engaging _________________ 105
Belonging Builds Up Everyone ____________ 107
Visit to a day-centre church service _______ 109
Dignity from Conception to Passing _______ 111
Experiencing God’s Love and Comfort Can
Give People Living with Disabilities Hope
and Identity ___________________________ 116
Joel’s testimony ________________________ 119
Mission—Reaching a Community through
an Individual’s Networks ________________ 121
Limitations ______________________________ 126
Conclusion ______________________________ 127
6
Recommendations _______________________ 128
Postscript ________________________________ 133
References ______________________________ 134
Essay: The Experiences of People
Living with Disabilities in Three Urban
Anglican Churches _______________________ 147
Methodology ____________________________ 148
Experiences of People Living with
Disabilities in Urban Australia _____________ 149
The Urban Churches ______________________ 154
St Paul’s Manuka, Parish of Manuka,
Region of South Canberra _______________ 154
St Paul’s Ginninderra, Parish of
Ginninderra, Region of Belconnen ________ 158
St Stephens Kambah, Parish of Kambah,
Region of Tuggeranong _________________ 161
Engagement with People Living
with Disabilities __________________________ 163
Observations: Intentions, Impacts
and Implications _________________________ 168
Intentional Engagements _________________ 168
7
Intentionally Establishing Inclusive
Communities of Faith and Connection ____ 171
Intentionally Overcoming Physical Barriers to
Inclusion ______________________________ 175
Intentionally Overcoming Non-physical
Barriers to Inclusion ____________________ 180
Impacts of Engaging _____________________ 183
Implications of Engaging ________________ 185
Future Recommendations for Study and
Ministry _________________________________ 188
Final Conclusions _________________________ 192
References ______________________________ 194
Final Thoughts and Prayer ________________ 199
Appendix A: Permission, Statement,
Consent Forms, Introductions and
Participant Information Script _____________ 201
Appendix B: Semi-structured
Interview Themes ________________________ 213
Appendix C: Ethics Approval ______________ 213
Monica Short Principal Researcher and
Principal Author _________________________ 214
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Acknowledgements
Thank you to the 20 precious, inspiring and
anonymous voices featured in this publication. You
are a shining light illuminating to all the beauty of
God, your local church and your community. Thank
you for taking the time to teach us about church
engagement.
Thank you to Bishop Stuart and Mrs Jane
Robinson, Bev Forbes, Archdeacon Des McGuire,
The Reverend Ken Rampling, The Reverend Wayne
Landford, The Reverend Glen McDonald, The
Reverend Adam Mannion, Donna McLean-Beehag,
Rob Nicholls, The Reverend Andrea de Vaal Horciu,
Dr Louise Gosbell, The Reverend Dr Brian Douglas,
The Reverend Doug Newman, The Reverend Dr Gary
Mulquiney and Bishop Matt Brain for your invaluable
advice, faithfulness and willingness to believe in this
project—you made this book possible.
An additional warm thank you to Dr Louise
Gosbell for generously complementing the book
with your thoughtful and fascinating essay, and
to all the wonderful people and churches who
participated in your investigations into the feld.
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