wfn.org | UCC General Synod calls on churches to be accessible to clergy with

[George Conklin <gconklin@wfn.org>]

disabilities 

United Church of Christ
Office of Communication
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contact: Barbara Powell
phone: 216-736-2222
email: powellb@ucc.org
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PROVIDENCE, RI - July 6 1999 -
Resolution urges churches to be accessible to clergy with disabilities
by Clifford L. Willis
        General Synod 22 today reaffirmed the United Church of Christ’s
commitment toward accessibility to all, as well as being multicultural and
multiracial in scope.
        “Don’t forget the ‘as,’” said Charles Danforth of the KansasOklahoma
Conference, author of the resolution on “The Calling of Clergy with
Disabilities.” He saw the measure as enabling persons with and without
disabilities to serve in UCC congregations and ministry settings.
        Despite several previous Synod actions, “barriers remain within local
churches, conferences and national boards in calling clergy with disabilities
to serve,” says the Synod resolution. The initiative calls for an aggressive
campaign to assist clergy persons with disabilities in the call process.
        In addition, the Office of Church Life and Leadership (or its successor
body) and the National Committee on Persons with Disabilities was asked to
develop educational programs and resources to help address discrimination
against clergy with disabilities. 
        While UCC pastors with disabilities must overcome tremendous obstacles,
passage of the resolution means “we value your abilities,” Danforth said. He
also encouraged the Synod to send a message to seminaries to more effectively
meet the needs of aspiring ministers. “Accessibility is worth the cost,” he
said.
        Sophia Dewitt of the Northern California Nevada Conference testified to
the number of barriers facing seminarians. She joined the call to make UCC
seminaries “fully accessible to all.”