Inclusive Churches Training
Some of us may have attended an online worship service and there is already an area where there is a Sign Language Interpreter (JBI) who is good at moving his hands as sign language. What makes sign language increasingly popular in church?
YAKKUM as a church-based organization engaged in the field of public health and humanitarianism, in one of the missions of the YAKKUM Strategic Plan 2021-2026 is to organize holistic and inclusive health services. As an effort to strengthen partnerships in strengthening inclusive services, the church as one of YAKKUM Hospital’s partners needs to be embraced to better understand disability issues and inclusion strategies.
One of the series of Inclusive Church Training conducted by YAKKUM was held at the GKJ Synod on Tuesday-Wednesday, February 6-7, 2024.
The Church of Inclusion
Disability theology is a new branch of theology. This theology became widespread at the beginning of the 21st century and has grown rapidly until now. Disability theology is a way of theologizing from the perspective of disability. It dismantles ordinary theology that often uses standards of normality and perfection by re-reading traditional church teachings and dogmas and developing Christology, creation theology, soteriology, body spirituality, eschatology, ecclesiology from the perspective of disability (Theology of Disability, Research and Development Department of GKI SW Central Java, 2023).
Ecumenical Disability Advocates Network
The World Council of Churches at its 8th session in Harare, Zimbabwe decided to establish EDAN (Ecumenical Disability Advocates Network) because it realized the importance of the existence of an ecumenical network to focus on disability issues; EDAN together with YAKKUM agreed to follow up on the findings of the Baseline Study on Best Practices in terms of Disability Inclusion in Church Life.
The Baseline study which was held in several countries showed a gap in the lack of knowledge of church officials and congregations regarding disability even though on the one hand most church respondents saw the importance of the issue being considered by the church. Therefore, YAKKUM organized an inclusive church training.
Teologi of Disability
The training was designed to study and use the theology of disability compiled by theologians and academics in the Coaching and Cadre Institution (LPP) network of the Javanese Christian Churches (GKJ) Synod and Indonesia Christian Churches (GKI) SW Central Java, YAKKUM’s empirical experience through disability rehabilitation and inclusion services in hospitals, education units and public health and humanitarian service units together with various disability organization networks.
Through this Inclusive Church Training YAKKUM strives to:
- Provide awareness and basic knowledge about disability inclusion in the church to the target participants.
- Share information about and build networks with communities of people with disabilities in areas where churches want to develop inclusion services.
- Meaningful involvement of people with disabilities in church and community life.
