Calendar of Events

Webinar: 'Kinship in the Household of God'

What:

Cynthia Tam will explore the concept of belonging to a church community from the perspective of autistic people who are not using speech or language as their primary means of communication. Cynthia will describe a participatory action research project in which she explored how two young persons entered their church community with the support of a circle of friends. Reflecting on their experiences, she will discuss how we should see differences in the Body of Christ as gifts of God. The household concept invites the audience to reconceptualize Christian relationships as covenantal kinship.

Who:

Cynthia Tam is an ordained minister and the national coordinator for disability ministries with the Alliance Canada. She is a pastor of The Living Room Church in Toronto. Cynthia is research fellow at McMaster Divinity College, and an instructor at Ambrose University.

Webinar Invitation June 2024.pdf

When: 11 October 4pm – 5:30pm BST

Who: Stewart Rapley, author of Autistic Thinking in the Life of the Church. Stewart is a member
of the Centre for Autism and Theology’s Advisory Group, and of the Board of Trustees of the
National Autistic Society.

What: Stewart Rapley will share with us about his recently published book Autistic Thinking in
the Life of the Church. This book is based on qualitative research in which Rapley explores the
distinctive thinking of autistic people in relation to aspects of faith and church engagement.

There is a growing awareness that autism is a common condition, and that many persons with autism are involved in churches and other communities of faith. For them, or for those around them, the experience of autism cannot be separated from their faith commitments or from their participation in faith communities. Other members of these communities, however, can struggle to understand the distinctive needs of those with autism, often because their thinking about the condition is based on outdated or stereotypical descriptions. Those providing support from within the healthcare communities, meanwhile, may have little awareness of the significance of faith commitments to how autism is experienced and processed by Christians, often assuming that faith commitments can be compartmentalized from other areas of life.

The Centre for the Study of Autism and Christian Community (University of Aberdeen), is partnering with Alma Autism—an organization that works with families and churches to support and raise awareness of the spiritual needs of people with autism—to run a workshop on autism, healthcare and the church. The workshop is intended to open conversation about the challenges faced by those with autism and their families as they experience the world of the church, on one hand, and the world of healthcare and support, on the other. The workshop will consider the role that the church can play in the lives of those with autism, while dealing frankly with the challenges that often accompany this. It will also facilitate reflection on the barriers to greater integration between the “worlds” of scientific research into autism and healthcare and of faith community.

The workshop is open to all who are invested in this issue. We particularly welcome involvement from pastors and from those involved in healthcare provision and advocacy support for those with autism, including, of course, those who are themselves autistic. There is no charge for attending the workshop, but we would be grateful if anyone planning to attend would email d.robbins.18@abdn.ac.uk, so that we can estimate numbers.

Date and Time: 2^nd March, 2019. 10:30–3:30pm.

Venue: Salvation Army Hall, 3-11 Albion Way, Lewisham SE13 6BT,

Speakers: Professor Grant Macaskill, Kirby Laing Chair of New Testament Exegesis and Director of the Centre for the Study of Autism and Christian Community, University of Aberdeen.  Kirstyn Oliver, M.A., Founder and Director of Alma Autism.

Programme: