Calling from the Edge by Ann Memmott Autistic, arthritis, faceblind, spinal scoliosis, cancer survivor Follower of Christ

Matthew 5:13 Salt and Light “You are the salt of the earth Matthew 5:13 Salt and Light “You are the salt of the earth....” Something vital for life. Without it, food often tastes bland and pointless. Without it, we die.

“You are the salt of the earth. ” Do disabled people keep faith fresh “You are the salt of the earth....” Do disabled people keep faith fresh? Do disabled people prevent faith groups from ‘silting up’? Do disabled people help prevent others from slipping into glib ableist ideals, in our faith? The picture shows a pile of white salt crystals

Matthew 5: 14-16: Light “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do men light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” Do some disabled people hide from the world out of fear? Is the light we bring to it hidden by others, and what it their motivation? The picture shows lots of small candles, alight

Stuck in “Charity Mode”: The Disabled Christian as Tragedy or Eternal Child Disabled people are victims, to be pitied. Our situation is tragic, and we are suffering. Or we are eternal children who are a set of ‘behaviours’ Example: A church charity College for disabled young adults 19+ “A minority of students access sexuality and relationship education... too few progress into voluntary work or supported employment... Students learn to manage their behaviour well”

Anger If Jesus is angry, that’s good. If non-disabled people are angry, that’s understandable. If I am angry, it is a behaviour to be analysed, managed, and prevented.

Prophecy and Religious Inspiration Non-disabled? Prophet, or inspired by God. Disabled? “Poor dear is having delusions”

Disabled Christian Leaders, or Tokens? Tokenism: Pick a very smiley, compliant photogenic person with a disability that isn’t too ‘scary’. Give them zero power and zero control. Announce that you now have ‘disabled representation’ in your church group. Make sure they’re not in the meetings that actually count. Put their smiley face on the front cover of your publication. Undermine disabled experts, and replace them with parents-of-disabled-children. Or people with a certificate in disability.

How it feels to be the ‘prophet’ – to speak truth to power The cartoon shows 12 identical businessmen sitting round a boardroom table with one woman. She is looking dejected. The men are looking at her. One man says, “Well, you’re the only one who thinks we’re a sexist organisation”

How do we speak truth to power? Disabled people are loved by God, just as we are. We are people, not tragedies, or burdens, or incompetent We are vital to the list of ingredients in every setting We bring light, not darkness We need to be heard, not as tokenism, but as an authentic voice of our faith. Our pain at how we are marginalised is not a ‘behaviour problem’ to be managed, pitied or ignored. Or a bad attitude that proves we’re not worth listening to.

Uncomfortable Truths from the Edge - Autism 1 in 30 people. Male and female. 1 in 30 of our clergy team members already, arguably. 1 in 3 are part of the LGBT community. The church is doing great damage by telling very literal autistic LGBT people that they are the destroyers of society...worse than murderers. Shameful and sinful. The suicide rate amongst autistic people is 9 times higher than for others, because of the multiple hatreds and difficulties piled onto us by society. We die on average 16 years sooner than others. Our churches too often assume we are non-empathetic ‘behaviours’ that will ‘disrupt’ everything. We are not. No more likely than any other sort of person.

Are we seen as potential prophets Are we seen as potential prophets? As leaders of faith that have very real things to bring to understanding of God? Or ‘just charity advocates’? Question to audience

A prayer Loving God, we are called by you. We are called by name. We are called, as we are. We are called, through your grace, to be our authentic selves. Our calling is from the edge. Help it be a powerful call. For truth, for love, for friendship, for true enablement. For mutual sharing and learning. In the name of Jesus, our Lord Amen Photo by Twiga269 on Flickr. It shows a woman walking along the top edge of a sand dune, into sunlight.