Promotional graphic for the Banquet of Belonging conference on May 7, 2026. The design features the words ‘banquet of belonging’ with a yellow plate and illustrated cutlery, alongside an illustrated table set for a meal. The tagline reads ‘Disability, Discipleship, & Shared Tables,’ set against a dark background.
Banquet of Belonging conference logo with the date May 7, 2026. The words ‘banquet of belonging’ appear alongside a yellow plate surrounded by illustrated cutlery. Below, the tagline reads ‘Disability, Discipleship, & Shared Tables.
learning at one table
A long, candlelit banquet table set for a shared meal, with plates, folded napkins, glassware, flowers, and bottles arranged down the centre, creating a warm and inviting atmosphere.

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.

Learning at one table
A long, candlelit banquet table set for a shared meal, with plates, folded napkins, glassware, flowers, and bottles arranged down the centre, creating a warm and inviting atmosphere.

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.

Plenary speakers
A close-up outdoor portrait of a smiling person with short dark hair, standing on a residential street with parked cars and trees in the background.

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.

Three people smiling together indoors, with a young woman seated in a power wheelchair between two adults standing beside her in a community gathering space.
Terry and Chantelle Sanderson have dedicated much of their lives to pastoral ministry, serving in London, Ontario, St. Louis, Missouri, and now at Bayview Glen Alliance Church in Thornhill. Their journey has been marked by a desire to follow God’s leading and to serve His people faithfully.
 
A central part of their story is their daughter Jenna. Living with a disability, Jenna radiates joy and creativity, with a love for history, art, and ministry alongside her sisters, Jadyn and Jovanna. Her perspective has opened up new ways for the Sandersons to see God’s presence at work in their family, church, and community. Jenna is a published author often writing about her experiences with disability within a church context.
 
Together, Terry, Chantelle, and Jenna share a testimony of faith, family, and the beauty of God’s image reflected in every person.
A smiling woman with long brown hair and pink-framed glasses, photographed outdoors with purple flowers and greenery in the background.

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.

Plenary Speakers
A close-up outdoor portrait of a smiling person with short dark hair, standing on a residential street with parked cars and trees in the background.
Three people smiling together indoors, with a young woman seated in a power wheelchair between two adults standing beside her in a community gathering space.
A smiling woman with long brown hair and pink-framed glasses, photographed outdoors with purple flowers and greenery in the background.

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.

Terry and Chantelle Sanderson have dedicated much of their lives to pastoral ministry, serving in London, Ontario, St. Louis, Missouri, and now at Bayview Glen Alliance Church in Thornhill. Their journey has been marked by a desire to follow God’s leading and to serve His people faithfully.
 
A central part of their story is their daughter Jenna. Living with a disability, Jenna radiates joy and creativity, with a love for history, art, and ministry alongside her sisters, Jadyn and Jovanna. Her perspective has opened up new ways for the Sandersons to see God’s presence at work in their family, church, and community. Jenna is a published author often writing about her experiences with disability within a church context.
 
Together, Terry, Chantelle, and Jenna share a testimony of faith, family, and the beauty of God’s image reflected in every person.

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.

Workshop speakers
Schedules

9AM - Doors Open

10AM - Welcome & Worship

10:30AM - Site Networking

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.

12:30PM - Q & A

1PM - Break

Coming Soon

Coming Soon

3:30PM - Banquet of Belonging

6:00PM - Dismissal

10AM - Doors Open

11AM - Welcome & Worship

11:30AM - Site Networking

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.

1:30PM - Q & A

2PM - Break

Coming Soon

Coming Soon

4:30PM - Banquet of Belonging

7:00PM - Dismissal

11AM - Doors Open

12PM - Welcome & Worship

12:30PM - Site Networking

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.

2:30PM - Q & A

3PM - Break

Coming Soon

Coming Soon

5:30PM - Banquet of Belonging

8:00PM - Dismissal

12PM - Doors Open

1PM - Welcome & Worship

1:30PM - Site Networking

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.

3:30PM - Q & A

4PM - Break

Coming Soon

Coming Soon

6:30PM - Banquet of Belonging

9:00PM - Dismissal

Resources
Partners