($40/ticket to join us online).
In-person registration includes conference attendance, a ticket to our Banquet of Belonging, and access to recorded sessions following the conference. Space is limited, register early to secure your spot.
May 7, 2026
9:30AM – 4:30PM
(PST)
May 6, 2026
5:30PM – 7:45PM
(MST)
May 7, 2026
9:15AM to 3:30PM
(MST)
May 7, 2026
8:30AM – 3:30PM (CST)
May 7, 2026
12:00PM – 9:00PM (EST)
May 7, 2026
9:30AM – 4:30PM (PST)
May 6, 2026
5:30PM – 7:45PM (MST)
May 7, 2026
9:15AM – 3:30PM (MST)
May 7, 2026
8:30AM – 3:30PM (CST)
May 7, 2026
12PM – 9PM (EST)
This conference gathers disabled and non-disabled Christians, pastors, and families to explore how discipleship changes when people learn from one another across differences. Sessions will address theology, access, relationships, and lived experience, grounding everything in practices that create shared tables rather than parallel ministries. Each regional gathering includes a shared meal that embodies the call: a community formed by mutual welcome, celebrated gifts, and a commitment to belong to one another.
This conference gathers disabled and non-disabled Christians, pastors, and families to explore how discipleship changes when people learn from one another across differences. Sessions will address theology, access, relationships, and lived experience, grounding everything in practices that create shared tables rather than parallel ministries. Each regional gathering includes a shared meal that embodies the call: a community formed by mutual welcome, celebrated gifts, and a commitment to belong to one another.
After growing up and pastoring in western Canada, Jon wrote a PhD on forgiveness in Scotland and went on to teach ethics in England before returning home to continue his theological work in and for the Canadian church. Jon is married to Angie and they have four grown sons who still gather to watch Liverpool Football Club.
Growing up with cerebral palsy, Sarah has always wanted to encourage others who feel underestimated and not truly known, whether as a consequence of a disability or some other circumstance. She works as a speech-language pathologist, and believes that the opportunity to express ourselves and be understood – whatever form that may take – is a gift from God for all people.
Sarah has been blessed to be part of several amazing church communities, including St. John’s Vancouver Anglican Church, which she has attended for 11 years. Through true friendships built with family in Christ, Sarah continues to learn more about how we can value interdependence and experience Jesus’ great compassion in our pain and weakness, without denying that pain. Dogs are guaranteed to bring a smile to her face, and she enjoys sci-fi TV and fantasy games.
After growing up and pastoring in western Canada, Jon wrote a PhD on forgiveness in Scotland and went on to teach ethics in England before returning home to continue his theological work in and for the Canadian church. Jon is married to Angie and they have four grown sons who still gather to watch Liverpool Football Club.
Growing up with cerebral palsy, Sarah has always wanted to encourage others who feel underestimated and not truly known, whether as a consequence of a disability or some other circumstance. She works as a speech-language pathologist, and believes that the opportunity to express ourselves and be understood – whatever form that may take – is a gift from God for all people.
Sarah has been blessed to be part of several amazing church communities, including St. John’s Vancouver Anglican Church, which she has attended for 11 years. Through true friendships built with family in Christ, Sarah continues to learn more about how we can value interdependence and experience Jesus’ great compassion in our pain and weakness, without denying that pain. Dogs are guaranteed to bring a smile to her face, and she enjoys sci-fi TV and fantasy games.
“Disentangling Christian Community from the Superman- and Barbie-ficiation of the Image of God”.
Jon frames prevailing myths of humanity within various interpretations of the Image of God in order to reorient us to the relational view that is to be modelled in the gift-sharing community of Christ.
In conversation with myths peddled by entertainment and tech industries, Jon will draw from various disability models to portray human goodness in terms of creaturely interdependence.
“Belonging in Family and Faith”
The Sanderson’s explore what it truly means to belong—at home, in the church, and in our wider communities. Rooted in their shared family story and lived experience, this session weaves together faith, vulnerability, and practical wisdom.
Together, they reflect on how families are shaped by love, limits, care, and mutual dependence, and how faith communities can become places where those realities are named and honoured rather than hidden.
The Sanderson’s invite us to consider how belonging grows through relationships rather than programs, and how family life—especially when shaped by disability, difference, or caregiving—reveals a deeper vision of faith marked by grace, patience, and shared life.
Coming Soon
Coming Soon
“Sweet Conversations at the Banquet of Belonging”
The Banquet of Belonging isn’t just a fabled dream — it is something that happens when people gather around a table of hospitality, share stories, and discover they are not alone.
Join us Wednesday evening for a relaxed dessert night as Ron & Teresa Buschman share conversation with Erik & Bonnie Freiburger about marriage, relationships, and building a life together while navigating spinal cord injuries and disability for most of their lives. Centred around dessert and conversation, they’ll share honest stories of love, challenge, humour, faith,
and the unexpected ways disability can shape partnership and deepen connection with one another and the communities we are a part of.
Like any good banquet, this evening isn’t about having all the right answers — it’s about gathering together, listening well, and discovering how belonging grows when we learn to support one another with vulnerability, grace, and mutual care.
Come enjoy dessert, settle in, and be part of a conversation that reminds us God’s table is wide, welcoming, and always being expanded.
“The Parable of Life with a Child with a Disability”
John Van Sloten share stories about how he has come to know God more through his relationship with his son Edward. With few words Edward communicates a deep wisdom about what it means to be yourself, receive life, and embrace weakness. He’s taught me more about God than anyone else.
“Disentangling Christian Community from the Superman- and Barbie-ficiation of the Image of God”.
Jon frames prevailing myths of humanity within various interpretations of the Image of God in order to reorient us to the relational view that is to be modelled in the gift-sharing community of Christ.
In conversation with myths peddled by entertainment and tech industries, Jon will draw from various disability models to portray human goodness in terms of creaturely interdependence.
“Belonging in Family and Faith”
The Sanderson’s explore what it truly means to belong—at home, in the church, and in our wider communities. Rooted in their shared family story and lived experience, this session weaves together faith, vulnerability, and practical wisdom.
Together, they reflect on how families are shaped by love, limits, care, and mutual dependence, and how faith communities can become places where those realities are named and honoured rather than hidden.
The Sanderson’s invite us to consider how belonging grows through relationships rather than programs, and how family life—especially when shaped by disability, difference, or caregiving—reveals a deeper vision of faith marked by grace, patience, and shared life.
Coming Soon
“Disentangling Christian Community from the Superman- and Barbie-ficiation of the Image of God”.
Jon frames prevailing myths of humanity within various interpretations of the Image of God in order to reorient us to the relational view that is to be modelled in the gift-sharing community of Christ.
In conversation with myths peddled by entertainment and tech industries, Jon will draw from various disability models to portray human goodness in terms of creaturely interdependence.
“Belonging in Family and Faith”
The Sanderson’s explore what it truly means to belong—at home, in the church, and in our wider communities. Rooted in their shared family story and lived experience, this session weaves together faith, vulnerability, and practical wisdom.
Together, they reflect on how families are shaped by love, limits, care, and mutual dependence, and how faith communities can become places where those realities are named and honoured rather than hidden.
The Sanderson’s invite us to consider how belonging grows through relationships rather than programs, and how family life—especially when shaped by disability, difference, or caregiving—reveals a deeper vision of faith marked by grace, patience, and shared life.
“Disentangling Christian Community from the Superman- and Barbie-ficiation of the Image of God”.
Jon frames prevailing myths of humanity within various interpretations of the Image of God in order to reorient us to the relational view that is to be modelled in the gift-sharing community of Christ.
In conversation with myths peddled by entertainment and tech industries, Jon will draw from various disability models to portray human goodness in terms of creaturely interdependence.
“Belonging in Family and Faith”
The Sanderson’s explore what it truly means to belong—at home, in the church, and in our wider communities. Rooted in their shared family story and lived experience, this session weaves together faith, vulnerability, and practical wisdom.
Together, they reflect on how families are shaped by love, limits, care, and mutual dependence, and how faith communities can become places where those realities are named and honoured rather than hidden.
The Sanderson’s invite us to consider how belonging grows through relationships rather than programs, and how family life—especially when shaped by disability, difference, or caregiving—reveals a deeper vision of faith marked by grace, patience, and shared life.
Coming Soon
Coming Soon
