Ramping up Roofbreakers with new Regional Roofbreaker Co-ordinators
New year 2023 began with praise and thanksgiving for the launch of our plans to ramp up our Roofbreaker project , with an aim to triple the number of UK Roofbreakers by 2025 .
We ’ re excited that God is building on all that our volunteers , donors and staff have done on the Roofbreaker project so far . The project began in 2017 to enable local volunteer disability champions or ‘ Roofbreakers ’ to break down barriers faced by disabled people in church and Christian life .
Get in touch to become part of tripling the amazing work of our Roofbreakers ( photo by Doug Stuart ).
Our plan has always been to reach out to all UK nations and regions . Now , with extra funding from Benefact Trust , and your continued prayers and support , we hope the number of UK disabled people supported will grow from 9,000 to 30,000 within three years .
There are already over 500 Roofbreakers in the UK , organised into more than 20 Roofbreaker networks , connecting people together . We have now recruited part-time Regional Co-ordinators to connect with local church communities and build up local Roofbreaker networks across three different regions of the UK :
• ( North ) covering Scotland , Northern Ireland and northern England
• ( East ) covering London , east and southeast England
• ( West ) covering Wales , west and southwest England .
Details of the East and North region co-ordinators will be coming soon , but we are delighted that one of our current members of staff , Katie Mobbs , has been able to double her hours to become the Regional Roofbreaker Co-ordinator for the west , including Wales . Katie is also our national Outreach Co-ordinator and a wheelchair user ; she said :
“ I think the most important thing is giving people a place to belong within church life . My passion is for disabled people themselves to be empowered ; to see that the disability that they face can be turned into a mission opportunity . Thanks to Benefact Trust ’ s support we can multiply the difference we are making .”
Chloe Ewen , Grants Officer for Benefact Trust ( one of the UK ' s largest grant-making charities ), said : “ We feel privileged to support Through the Roof , as they work to make churches and faith more inclusive for disabled people . Everybody should feel empowered and have equal opportunities to thrive .”
The role of Roofbreaker makes a huge difference in churches . One Roofbreaker used technology to include a Deafblind lady who is partially sighted and uses British Sign Language . It transformed things for her , and the lady told us :
“ I looked at myself as a nobody in the past . I didn ’ t think much of myself because people didn ’ t have much patience with me . But now … I ’ ve started finding identity which I never had before … it ’ s helped me totally accept myself for the first time . You have given me a voice that a lot of people can understand .”
The vision is that every church in the UK will have a Roofbreaker . If your church does not yet have one , please do pray and consider it – you don ’ t need to be an expert in disability : you just need to be available to connect with disabled people in your church . Find out more about Roofbreakers by visiting our website www . throughtheroof . org
We thank God for Roofbreakers and pray that He will guide this new phase of the project .
www . throughtheroof . org