26th July 2026 

Summer Holiday Reads:
Belonging without Barriers - Triona Brading, Lois Bunyan and Claire Wood

The summer holidays have started and, with them, the first in my series of summer holiday reading recommendations. "Belonging without Barriers", my first recommendation, is a book about building accessible Christian community. It would be an excellent follow-up for those who came to the workshop with Growing Hope  a few weeks ago, and a great read for all of us who are involved in welcoming and working with the hugely diverse community who come through our doors week by week.

The first section of the book outlines a theology of accessibility and inclusion. The authors begin from the premise that every human being is made in God's image and that, therefore, in every human being, we encounter something of God. From this starting point, inclusion and accessibility become not an optional extra, but a fundamental part of our response to the God who knows us in all our gifts and all our limitations, and loves and calls us. The subsequent chapters deal with community, sacrifice and the New Creation. It's clear and readable - you definitely don't need a degree in theology to follow it. The authors are keen that readers of the book should read these chapters in some detail, because they are the foundation for all that follows.

The second part of the book is practical. It outlines a wide range of additional needs which we might encounter in church life, giving a brief description of what that need might look like in a church context and of things that are often helpful or unhelpful in enabling belonging. One repeated reminder is that every person is unique, so there is never any substitute for gently asking an open question: "Is there anything I can help you with?", "How do you like to join in?"

I found this book to be a hugely informative and very readable introduction to both theology and practice in this area, with very helpful suggestions as to how we can enable each person who comes through our doors to belong and participate. What I most appreciated was the wide range of personal stories and testimonies. Particularly moving was the short piece "Welcome to Holland". The writer, describing her experience of raising a child with a disability, likens it to planning a holiday in Venice, preparing, packing, going to the airport and then, suddenly, finding yourself in Holland. Every assumption as to what the holiday would be like has to change...

I would recommend this book to anyone involved in our children and young people's work, in welcoming, leading, preaching or pastoral care - in fact to everyone!