| Introduction
" If
bars are
more accessible
than altars,
if theaters
are more
welcoming
than churches,
if the
producers
of commercial
television
are more
sophisticated
about
communication
access
than our
liturgists,
if the
managers
of department
stores
know better
how to
appeal
to those
with disabilities
than our
church
leadership,
if the
publishers
of popular
magazines
are more
knowledgeable
about
alternative
formats
than those
who produce
religious
materials,
then we
have failed
to meet
Christ's
challenge
to us
all."
From "The Wisdom of Human Vulnerability" by Mary Jane Owen
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| Did you know that statistically,
as many as seventeen percent of the people in your congregation have some
form of permanent physical or mental disability? From direct experience
you undoubtedly do know of countless others that have experienced temporary
disabilities such as broken bones, bad knees, severe back problems, eye
cataracts, etc. - all injuries requiring the use of crutches, canes, wheelchairs
or other enabling devices while on the mend. To those numbers add the many
elderly persons in our community who are confronted with the physical and
mental challenges of aging and you can begin to understand why church accessibility
is a key factor in responding to God's call for us to welcome ALL into the
community of faith.
The Presbytery of the Cascades' OPENING DOORS program is designed to
encourage and assist congregations in upgrading their facilities and programs
to make their churches more welcoming to people with disabling conditions.
Our emphasis is on improving awareness, disseminating information, providing
technical assistance, and motivating congregations to action.
|
Help is available from your Committee on Congregations.
It has members in your area who seek to provide you with assistance in:
 Clarifying the application of the Americans with Disabilities Act
(ADA) and State law to your specific circumstance.
Offering training workshops and on-site technical support in interpreting
the requirements for removing physical barriers.
Providing helpful suggestions on ways in which to nurture the gifts
of persons with mental illness.
Providing sources to help you interpret the requirements of the law
as it
relates to your church and the employment of persons with disabilities.
Identifying potential sources of funding to assist your church in
barrier removal.
To receive more information about this important program and its many
useful benefits contact the Presbytery of the Cascades Central Region
Office at (541)465-9173 or (800)926-3223 and they will have a member of
the OPENING DOORS Task Force call you.
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| When John the Baptist sends messengers
to ask Jesus if he is "the One" (Matthew 11:2-6), the evidence
Jesus cites are the messianic signs by which the covenant people would recognize
the ruler who would assure them that God was with them (Isaiah 35:5-6).
These messianic signs were remarkable, not because of their miraculous impossibility,
but because of what they say about God. Throughout the gospels, Jesus' healings
are for the purpose of restoring and reconciling people to community. They
are evidence of God's universal love for all humanity.
It is still true that inclusion in the community of faith is a messianic
sign. To include ALL people in the community of God's people is a matter
of hesed, one of God's defining characteristics. Hesed is also one of
the requirements God makes of the covenant people (Micah 6:8). The word
is difficult to translate into English, but it means loving kindness,
steadfast love, graciousness, and constancy. Expressed in the church,
hesed is a matter of hospitality as well as evangelism.
Hospitality is a priority of Jesus' kingdom. Jesus gives an example of
kingdom hospitality in Luke: "when you give a banquet, invite the
poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind" (Luke 14:13), then he
tells the parable of the Great Banquet. The abused host tells his servant
to
compel the poor, the crippled, the blind, the lame "to come in, so
that my house may be filled" (Luke 14:15-24). This is hospitality
become irresistible, all the more compelling, since the banquet is Jesus'
metaphor for God's coming kingdom.
If the messianic signs of healing are about restoration and reconciliation
to the community of faith, they are also about redemption.
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Accommodation is hospitality and welcome is evangelism, but more than
what humans do, it is God who acts for redemption. Hesed is about redemption.
What is at stake is that we are in the image and likeness of God. Our
image, however, is incomplete. Individuals are too small to be whole reflections
of God. Even when the whole faith community is seen, it is an incomplete
reflection of God.
The beautiful Byzantine mosaics in European cathedrals are made of tiny
glass cubes set into a matrix. The cubes are not smoothed into place,
but pressed in, leaving an uneven surface. Each cube face, set at a different
angle to the ones around it, becomes a facet, a place for light to twinkle.
And that is the desired effect. A smooth surface would only reflect a
single point of light, whereas the irregular surface reflects and spreads,
and magnifies the light, pulling out each and every bit of possible color.
God redeems and calls a diverse humanity to be the church body. Human
diversity is a necessary requirement for the "whole" reflection
of the Light of the World. Human diversity also helps us remember how
utterly "Other" to us our Savior is. In the story of the road
to Emmaus, the Stranger breaks and blesses bread, and in that "otherness"
his disciples see the risen Christ. Unless the church embraces the full
diversity of humanity, the church will not be a whole reflection of the
image and likeness of God. Nor will the church be able to embrace the
hesed of redemption.
The Reverend Eileen K. Parfrey
Springwater Presbyterian Church
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