Impact Stories
The Impact of our work
Wheels for the world
Appoffie’s story
“She glowed with happiness at joining her old choir to sing her heart out.”
Appoffie from Rwanda was given a new wheelchair which changed her life story.
Appoffie had polio as a child and had to crawl everywhere until given a wheelchair in 2004, which has since become unusable. She cares for her 3 grandchildren, living ‘hand to mouth’, relying on the goodness of neighbours.
Now, regaining her independence with a refurbished wheelchair, as a basket weaver, she plans to set up a small business. Appoffie is now able to return to church and sings with her choir again. What joy!
See Appoffie in her choir and hear more in our Wheels for the World video.
International Roofbreakers
Greg’s story
Meet Greg, a young man from Lagos, Nigeria, who is a wheelchair user. Greg shared his story publicly at our Roofbreaker event in 2025.
Greg contracted polio, aged 5. His father believed Greg’s disability was an attack from the enemy. So he started taking Greg to churches; Greg still has physical scars from them ‘removing the demons’ so that he would walk.
At church, he was isolated because every parent said, ‘I don’t want my child to be like Greg.’ This mentally affected Greg so much that he tried to end his life.
Greg shared that, despite all his negative experiences of churches seeing him as cursed, he was still seeking God.
Through all these challenges, Greg went to university, and tried a nearby church. But to get Greg in his wheelchair into the church they had to lift him, and he was uncomfortable at the attention it brought.
So, instead, he went to a very small church. After Greg visited this church once, by the very next Sunday they’d opened a new door and fitted a ramp. From that day, he started attending that church.
After one month, two other people in wheelchairs started coming – word had spread of an accessible church! Then the church realised it cost Greg a lot of money to get there.
They said “You can’t afford this. We will be taking care of your transport.” Praise God!
As Greg says, “These are the little, little things that we can do and then we will draw people with disabilities, and they will come and worship.”
Roofbreakers UK
The Roofbreaker project began in the UK as a way to break down barriers that prevent disabled people from fully participating in Church and Christian life.
This video explains the crucial work of Roofbreakers and why we want a Roofbreaker in every church!
Sarah’s story
“I have Down’s Syndrome and severe hearing loss… I felt excluded because everyone had a job, and I didn’t… our Churchwardens asked me if there was anything I would like to do. I am now the ‘chief snuffer’… I am happy because I am helping and I feel part of a team.”
Sarah’s church recognised her talents and the Churchwardens acted as Roofbreakers and enabled her to find roles, as Chief Candle Snuffer, but also reading from the Bible in services, and helping to wash up after coffee time.
There are many barriers faced by disabled people to church life. Access to church buildings is just the first step. People can still feel excluded once they are in a church, if they do not feel like they belong, or that their gifts are valued. Belonging and Commission are essential parts of the ABC journey of disability inclusion.
Find out more about the ABC journey and read more of Sarah’s story here. LINK TO https://throughtheroof.org/2024/02/19/news-release-abc-journey-of-disability-inclusion/
Together Communities
Through the Roof is a family and we want to build connections between people, so we fulfil our vision of ‘All people enjoying life together, mutually giving and receiving, as God intended’.
There are many different ways you can join in with our ‘Together’ communities, from online chats ‘Together in the Lounge’, to online Bible and prayer meetings ‘Together at Home’ to in-person gatherings ‘Together on Holiday’ or ‘Together on Retreat’.
There is even a ‘Together’ newsletter! Find out more on our ‘Together’ community pages. [[Link to NEW ‘Together’ fellowship intro pg – with text added to top of https://throughtheroof.org/holidays-and-retreats/ ]]
Becky’s story
Becky shares how much ‘Together’ holidays have meant to her and made her feel truly at home in the TTR family:
“I’m Becky. I’ve always lived with Cerebral Palsy, mainly affecting speech and co-ordination. I now use a powerchair or rollator walker to get around outdoors. I want to share these thoughts…
God can speak through each personal journey. We all belong, we matter and our loving Father never lets us out of sight.
Who particularly comes to mind here? Those who I’ve met through Disabled Christian Fellowship holidays with Through the Roof.
A friend invited me when I was still getting used to life without my dear mum, who never let me hide behind disability, as well as wondering what God had for me beyond university.
I haven’t looked back since that first spontaneous holiday. A momentary panic that I hardly knew anyone there quickly turned into feeling part of a new family where I could be myself and join in the fellowship with much joy and laughter.
I’ve met many more people since who have been hugely encouraging as we share the joys and challenges of living for God with a disability.”
Watch these inspiring stories of Roofbreakers, including many disabled Christians, sharing their lived experience of disability in the church on YouTube.
FIND OUT MORE
To celebrate Disability Awareness Sunday, we’re sharing stories from disabled people as Disability Diaries – about lives transformed by church disability inclusion.
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