Archbishop Marks 60th Anniversary of Leonard Cheshire Disability

Dr John Sentamu, speaking in St Paul's Cathedral at a service of thanksgiving for the 60^th anniversary of Leonard Cheshire Disability (LCD), urged people to follow the examples of Jesus and the charity's founder – rather than self-help gurus like hypnotist Paul McKenna.

"Americans spent a whopping $668 million on self-help books in 2005. Similar trends were seen in Britain in the same year when five of the top-selling books were about self-help, with hypnotist Paul McKenna's 'I Can Make You Thin' the most popular at number four.

"Jesus demonstrates a different model of service," he told the congregation.

"Whilst the world becomes obsessed with self-help and with an inward looking focus, Jesus calls us to service, to unselfish-help, to focusing outwards and on the needs of others.

"As Leonard Cheshire discovered such service can be transformative and inspirational. If you truly want to help yourself, put others needs first. The needs of others call us out of our self-absorption and self-pity and give us the way of becoming truly human."

The Archbishop praised the work of LCD which supports over 21,000 disabled people in the UK and works in 52 countries, campaigning for change and providing innovative services that give them the opportunity to live life their way.

He said the charity was making an "immense" difference in his own country of Uganda and the world "could not afford" to be without it.

"There is much discussion of disability and its place within the providence of God," said Dr Sentamu.

"People disagree about whether disability is a problem to be solved or actually a special kind of giftedness. The wisdom, wit, and fellowship experienced by people with hearing or seeing impairments, or indeed with other disabilities, is to be treasured and celebrated."

The Archbishop said he "took exception" to the term 'service users' in relation to disabled people as all members of society were all called to serve.

He described how he was moved to tears by the story of a ten-year-old boy carrying his older physically-disabled brother on his back.

"A bystander said, "It must be a real burden to carry that disabled person who is older than you, on your back" The ten year old replied, "It is no burden at all. He is my elder brother"." He added: "We are all called to serve, and to follow the example set by Christ – one way or another we are to care for each other, to build each other up, to make up for each other's deficiencies – to wash one another's feet."

* For more information about Leonard Cheshire Disability log-on to their website at www.lcdisability.org

The full text of the Archbishop's sermon is available Service of Thanksgiving for the 60th Anniversary of Leonard Cheshire Disability.