New Chaplain amongst the Deaf Community
The Diocese of Oxford is pleased to announce the appointment of a new Chaplain amongst Deaf People.The Revd Dr Hannah Lewis will join the diocese and the Oxford Diocesan Council for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (ODCD) at the end of January 2022.
The Revd Dr Hannah Lewis will be an advocate for the Deaf community, working with our bishops, clergy, diocesan staff, church and parish leaders, congregations, and local Deaf centres and communities to find new ways of being church, improving church facilities for the Deaf, developing outreach and reflecting the needs and views of Deaf people across the diocese in the Thames Valley. The Diocese of Oxford celebrates the inclusion, contribution, and ministry of Deaf and disabled people, recognising that the church community is only complete when all are welcome. This important chaplaincy role supports the diocese to tackle the barriers facing Deaf and hard of hearing people in the Church, to continue to develop the Church as a place that is accessible to all people, and to learn from one another to become a more Christ-like Church. The Revd Dr Hannah Lewis shares her hopes for the new chaplaincy role:
The Revd Dr Andrea Russell, Director of Formation for Ministry, said:
Reflecting on the appointment, His Honour Christopher Tyrer DL, Chair of the Oxford Diocesan Council for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, said:
About the Oxford Diocesan Council for the Deaf and Hard of HearingThe ODCD aims to promote the spiritual, social and general wellbeing of those who are d/Deaf or hard of hearing in the counties of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire. The Deaf community includes all people who are deafened, hearing impaired and hard of hearing, as well as those who are DeafBlind. About the Revd Dr Hannah LewisPrior to joining the Diocese of Oxford, Hannah was an Interim Minister in the Diocese of Liverpool and Pioneer Minister among the Deaf community there. Hannah studied theology at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, trained for ministry at Queens College, Birmingham, and was ordained in the Diocese of Lichfield in 1997, before completing her doctoral studies at the University of Birmingham. Hannah later published her thesis in Deaf liberation theology in 2007. |