Sunday, January 13, 2013

Braille first for South Wales discipleship course

A popular discipleship course running across churches in South Wales has been made available in Braille for the first time.

The Living Faith, or Exploring Christianity course, was developed out of a partnership between the Church in Wales dioceses of Monmouth, Swansea & Brecon, and Llandaff, and the Church of England dioceses of Bath & Wells, Exeter, Bristol and Portsmouth.

Lisa Tregenza, until recently Learning Development Adviser for Monmouth Diocese, said: “As far as we are aware, this is the first time Braille users have had the opportunity to participate on an equal basis in a course of this sort. I am excited about this initiative which will allow more people to engage with resources to nurture their growth as disciples.”
 
The six modules encourage Christians to go deeper in their faith and the course is used in some dioceses as the first stage of training for lay ministry.

Rebecca Blaevoet, who transcribed the course into Braille, said: “I have found a new and fresh perspective to my Christian faith through transcribing the modules for this series.”

The Reverend Jennifer Cole, Education for Discipleship Officer for Bath & Wells, which originally developed the programme, added: “This is a good example of what can be achieved when dioceses work together in partnership. The course as a whole has benefitted tremendously from the experience and expertise of all involved and sharing the costs of this exciting initiative makes the course more accessible and inclusive.”