A series of 12 portraits celebrating the life and witness of disabled people who minister and work in the Church of England will be launched at the General Synod this weekend.
Called As We Are spotlights the contribution of those who are Deaf, disabled and or neurodivergent in images taken by portrait and documentary photographer Ruth Samuels. The exhibition will be launched at York Minster on Sunday (July 12) and then will go on tour in four Cathedrals and St Giles Cripplegate in central London.
Alice Kemp, Dean of Women's Ministry, who is neurodivergent and a wheelchair user, and who features in the exhibition, said:
“It is a privilege to be a part of this exhibition, which celebrates the ministry of disabled people. It has been a challenge learning how to inhabit ministry as a disabled and neurodivergent person, and for a long time, I tried to hide that part of myself. But I have over time come to realise that that is all part of the story I need to share; it is an integral part of me and of my ministry, and that by accepting that I am fearfully and wonderfully made, just as we all are, I can more fully inhabit the ministry I have been called to.”
Others featuring in the exhibition include the Rev Melissa Carter, a Team Rector in Dover, the Rev Vanessa Thornborough, of St Edmund of Canterbury in Hayes, Diocese of London, and the Rev Pete Spiers, Archdeacon of Knowsley and Sefton in the Diocese of Liverpool,
The exhibition will be launched days after the General Synod has a debate on affirming neurodiversity within the life of the church.
Helen James, who features in the exhibition, and oversees the Church of England’s Disability Project, said:
"There are many Deaf, disabled and neurodivergent priests and ministers living and proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but often this is unseen or unrecognised as a gift to the church. Disability, neurodivergence and difference are all part of what it means to be human, to be members of the ‘human race’ who are created to reflect the image of God. The breadth and diversity of the human experience leads us to understand more of the breadth and diversity of the God we worship and whose image we reflect.”
The Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, will visit the exhibition on Sunday, 12 July at York Minster, where it will stay until 10 August.
Other venues include:
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Exeter Cathedral (12 August to 19 August)
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Liverpool Cathedral (14 September to 4 October)
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Chelmsford Cathedral (12 October to 9 November)
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St Albans Cathedral (10 November to 26 November).
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St Giles Cripplegate (18th Jan 2027 to 8th Feb).