_Microsites  >  Sheffield Centre  >  encounters  >  Hidden Treasures

Hidden Treasures

Churches for adults with a learning disability

Stories of church for adults with learning disabilities are an important reminder that fresh expressions of Church continue to grow in surprising places, including vulnerable groups within our society.

Encounters on the Edge author, Claire Dalpra, was astonished to find when chatting to her colleagues in Church Army's research unit, The Sheffield Centre, that almost everyone had a family, friend or work connection to someone with learning disabilities. This is perhaps not surprising when you read that Mencap estimate 1.5 million members of the UK population have learning disabilities.

She admits: 'Within the many and varied types of mission context in which fresh expressions are being planted, I had identified the mission context as important but assumed it would be an isolated and obscure area of research. How wrong I was.'

In the latest edition of the Encounters on the Edge series of booklets - called Hidden Treasures: Churches for adults with a learning disability - Claire Dalpra tells two stories of such churches: Fenland Community Church in March, Cambridgeshire and Focus Service in Sheffield, South Yorkshire.

Both are on an intentional journey towards ecclesial maturity, but what particular opportunities and challenges do they face along the way? And do their experiences have anything to say to others involved with fresh expressions of church?

How have both examples been able to fund their work for over a decade despite a membership who are unable to give financially? And do these examples match up to our existing definitions of what is church, or do they challenge them?

Additional resources as mentioned in the booklet

To view the General Synod report on ministry with people with learning disabilities: http://www.cofe.anglican.org/about/gensynod/agendas/july09/gs1725.pdf

Fenland Community Church's website: http://www.fcc.uk.net/

Focus Service, Sheffield website: http://www.compassionateresponse.org/page11.html

Related articles can be found at Centre for Spirituality, Health and Disability, University of Aberdeen: http://www.abdn.ac.uk/cshad/