In-person registration includes conference attendance, lunch, and access to recorded sessions following the conference. Space is limited, register early to secure your spot.
Welcoming people with disabilities and their families into ministry spaces requires an “overall stance of flexibility and adaptability” (Erik Carter et al., 2023). This one-day conference is designed to inspire and equip Canadian church leaders, families, and volunteers to think imaginatively about creative practices of welcome.
Through meaningful discussions and workshops, participants will explore ways to foster accessibility and belonging within their ministry practices. Expect to hear about innovative approaches to hospitality that are grounded in theological reflection and practical application.
Join us as we reimagine Christian hospitality through the lens of faith and compassionate creativity — building spaces where everyone is truly welcome.
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9:30AM | Doors open; Registration
10AM | Welcome & Worship
10:30AM | Session: Mutuality in Care
Mutuality in Care: Guesting and Hosting
Lead by: Dr. Thomas Reynolds
The experience of disability is often connected with care. Yet care can be a problem, a vehicle for disrespect and abuse. Churches and caregivers often see it as a one-way dynamic, something done ‘to’ or ‘for’ others who are perceived as ‘in need.’ This misses a more fundamental dynamic: care as being ‘with’.
Drawing from personal experience and building on interactive discussion, this workshop will explore care as mutual hospitality, a giving and receiving that embodies a deeper relational wholeness. Care is witness as with-ness. And this means becoming artists together in responding to each other in way that reflect shalom.
11AM | Getting Creative
More details coming soon.
11:50AM | Art Teaser
12PM | Lunch & Exhibits
1PM | Session: Images of God
Images of God: Through the Lens of Disability
Lead by: Dr. Keith Dow, Becky Jones, and Artists
The Images of God project is a small grant project that’s part of a University of Birmingham Psychology Cross-Training Fellowship for Theologians. (Read about the project proposal.)
In the Christian tradition, we are all made in God’s image (Imago Dei). We are created and creative beings. We relate to God in many ways, including but not limited to our thoughts and words. Artistic endeavors capture insights that go beyond words.
As part of a psychology cross-training fellowship for theologians, Dr. Keith Dow interviewed eleven Ontario-based Christian adults with intellectual disabilities about their understanding of God and themselves. Each participant created a collage that represents who they are. Each participant also completed a photovoice exercise, taking photos that reminded them of God and journaling about the process. They then spoke about why they took these pictures and identified other photos that reminded them of God.
2PM | Break
2:15 | Workshops
Christian Belonging: Union with Christ and Other Christians
Lead by: Lynne Leyland, Jenna Sanderson, and Cynthia Tam
Belonging is a sense of acceptance and connection within a group. However, as Christians, our sense of belonging is not merely social. Bringing theology and lived experiences with disability together, this panel of speakers emphasizes that for Christians, belonging is first and foremost grounded in our union with Christ. Unconditional acceptance and love that flows from Jesus unites the Body and gives each member, disabled or not, a true sense of identity and purpose in life and community. Experientially, belonging to a Christian community for members with disabilities involves creative ways to welcome, love, and value every person, regardless of abilities or disabilities, as a participatory member of the Body of Christ in the community’s life and ministry.
Redeeming Contradictions: Embracing Tensions and Diversities within the Bible.
Lead by: Dr. Francis Pang
Paul’s words in 1 Cor 12:22 are often cited to encourage the church to embrace and empower people with disabilities. Yet, the Bible also includes problematic portrayals of disability, raising concerns for faith communities. Disability theologians suggest examining whether these messages arise from the text itself or from ableist interpretations. Some advocate rejecting problematic texts as cultural products, while others seek to redeem them. Drawing from James A. Sanders, this workshop will explore how Scripture itself models both rejection and redemption, showing how exclusionary texts are recontextualized into messages of inclusion. This “redeeming contradiction” offers a path forward for churches to embrace and empower people with disabilities.
3:15PM | Worship & Benediction
3:30PM | Dismissal
