Dr Kelly Fleming

The Church has over time and not necessarily on purpose, become exclusive. When a visitor enters the Church building, although they may be warmly welcomed, there is an invisible curtain that divides the member and the visitor – the “us” and “them.” Through Church history, exclusion has reigned dominate. It has only been in the… Read more

The Church needs to reclaim this valuable treasure that God has provided. Every effort toward inclusion of disabled people in the Church must be tapped into. There are many well educated disabled people in theology, but their knowledge is not accepted or shared as they are faced with discrimination by the Church and in positions… Read more

God, who said that He chooses who will be disabled and does so to use them for His own purposes has been ignored. In the Old Testament, we see God using disabled people such as Moses to show His strength and power to the world. Disabled people have a strong, united voice that needs to… Read more

St. Lawrence of Rome (225-258) provides us with an extraordinary message of the great treasures of the Church. He was one of the seven deacons serving in Rome under Pope Sixtus II. He was called before the Roman Emperor Valerian during the time when Christians were being massacred for their faith in Christ. The emperor… Read more

When we look back at the Great Banquet explained in detail in Luke chapter 14, we are forced to ask ourselves if our Church building exemplifies the Great Banquet for full inclusion of disabled people. In Christ, we all belong to a tremendous international and eternal family. God wants us to make His Church barrier-free… Read more

There are individuals who have severe allergies which disable them from partaking of potluck lunches after Church services. Many people with an invisible disability due to food severe food allergies do not participate in after-service gatherings due to the risk of being exposed to an allergen that could be life-threatening. Food needs to include allergen… Read more