The Diocesan Vision 2030 is for ‘Every Londoner to encounter the love of God in Christ.’ This includes not only the vast variety of backgrounds, life-styles, and economic circumstances that London contains, but also the infinite range of embodiment and sensory and cognitive shape that is all around us, some of which is labelled by our society as ‘disability.’ More than one in five people have a physical, sensory, or mental shape that means that they are labelled as ‘disabled.’ However, as the church in London, we want to be a place where no one is disabled but all people are regarded as ‘able’ and are able to use their abilities to contribute to the shape and nature of the church.
As a church, we recognise that we have not always been as inclusive and welcoming as we should be. We acknowledge that disabled people have often faced barriers to belonging and participation that have devalued them and their gifts. But, within Vision 2030, the diocese is making a new commitment to diversity and inclusion and seeking to be a church in which all people feel they can belong as unique and valued children of God.