Short answers to common questions about sight loss and the church, helping you to welcome and include blind and partially sighted people in your congregation.
Where is the coffee? Who is here? Who is available to talk to?
These are questions which people with sight loss ask on a weekly basis at coffee time. However, there are some simple things that you can do to make it more enjoyable for them. Join us on this episode to find out more.
To contact the Sight Loss Friendly Church team at Torch Trust, call 01858 438260, email [email protected] or visit torchtrust.org/sight-loss-friendly-church.
People with sight loss have unique gifts and abilities just like everyone else, and this episode explores how churches can encourage them to be used.
For registered Sight Loss Friendly Churches, this topic will be discussed in more detail as part of our “Focus On …” series, on Monday 6 June 2022 at 1:30 PM.
To contact the Sight Loss Friendly Church team at Torch Trust, call 01858 438260, email [email protected] or visit torchtrust.org/sight-loss-friendly-church.
Torch Trust is pleased to be partnering with Thy Kingdom Come, the global prayer movement, to offer the prayer journal in braille. Keren Mallinson, Client Services and Resources Team Leader at Torch Trust, joins us to tell us more.
Matthew and Linn then share their own experiences of using and obtaining accessible Christian literature.
To order the Thy Kingdom Come prayer journal in braille, call 01858 438260 or email [email protected]. For large print and audio versions, visit thykingdomcome.global.
To contact the Sight Loss Friendly Church team at Torch Trust, call 01858 438260, email [email protected] or visit torchtrust.org/sight-loss-friendly-church.
Whilst not technically sacraments, funerals are nonetheless key life events in the Christian religion and present unique challenges for people with sight loss in terms of funeral planning, following and playing a part in the service, grieving and participating in the wake.
To contact the Sight Loss Friendly Church team at Torch Trust, call 01858 438260, email [email protected] or visit torchtrust.org/sight-loss-friendly-church.
Weddings can be stressful occasions for anyone, especially the people getting married! For people with sight loss, there is even more to consider. However, with careful planning, people with sight loss can maintain their dignity when getting married and participate fully in the wedding services of others. In this episode, Linn shares her own experiences of getting married as a blind person, and Matthew shares his experiences of singing in weddings in the Cathedral choir.
To contact the Sight Loss Friendly Church team at Torch Trust, call 01858 438260, email [email protected] or visit torchtrust.org/sight-loss-friendly-church.
Confirmation usually takes place in teenagers and adults, and often marks the point at which a Christian can begin to receive communion. In this episode, we discuss confirmation classes, the confirmation service and receiving communion for the first time.
To contact the Sight Loss Friendly Church team at Torch Trust, call 01858 438260, email [email protected] or visit torchtrust.org/sight-loss-friendly-church.
If you are christened as a baby, chances are you won’t remember it! However, many people are baptised later in life, and we discuss this from the perspective of a person with sight loss. We also talk about people with sight loss attending the baptism of a friend or family member, especially as they may not be familiar with church.
To contact the Sight Loss Friendly Church team at Torch Trust, call 01858 438260, email [email protected] or visit torchtrust.org/sight-loss-friendly-church.
On this Good Friday, we talk about how to include people with sight loss in the vigils which lead up to Easter, and look ahead to Easter services. We share experiences of reading braille in the cold, handling candles, walking in procession and, of course, Easter breakfasts!
To contact the Sight Loss Friendly Church team at Torch Trust, call 01858 438260, email [email protected] or visit torchtrust.org/sight-loss-friendly-church.
Most church buildings are more sight loss friendly than people realise: steps do not exclude people with sight loss! In this episode, we explain why and offer some practical advice around tactile markings, colour contrast, lighting and signage.
To contact the Sight Loss Friendly Church team at Torch Trust, call 01858 438260, email [email protected] or visit torchtrust.org/sight-loss-friendly-church.
This is a potentially controversial question, and many people with sight loss have strong personal opinions about it. Many people do, but equally many people don’t. We explore both sides of the question in this episode, and discuss how to appropriately pray for people with sight loss who do not wish for their sight to be healed.
To contact the Sight Loss Friendly Church team at Torch Trust, call 01858 438260, email [email protected] or visit torchtrust.org/sight-loss-friendly-church.
