Calgary Banquet Of Belonging Schedule
Wednesday, May 6 – Dessert & Storytelling Night
6:00 PM – 6:20 PM | Welcome & Community Worship
Gather together raising our voices as we open the conversation by singing glory to God and inviting the Holy Spirit to join us in worship.
6:20 PM – 6:30 PM | Vision Sharing & Opening
Our host will open the evening with a warm welcome and share the heartbeat behind Deeper Communion and this year’s theme.
6:30 PM – 6:40 PM | Dessert & Coffee
Find yourself some dessert & drink before the Sweet Conversations begin!
6:40 PM – 7:45 PM | Sweet Conversations at the Banquet of Belonging w/ Ron & Teresa Buschman and Erik & Bonnie Freiburger
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.
7:45 PM – 8:00 PM | Closing Blessing
A gentle send-off as we prepare for a full day together on Thursday.
Thursday, May 7 – Day of Deepening Connections
9:15 AM | Doors Open – Coffee & Community
Arrive early for fresh coffee, tea, and conversation before the day begins.
9:30 AM – 10 AM | Morning Worship
Beginning the day in worship & prayer.
10 AM – 10:50 AM | TED-Style Talks
Ty Ragan – ‘Belonging At The Table’ (20 min.)
Bio: Ty Ragan, Psy. D (Doctor of Psychology) (he/his/him), PTSD, PNES, stroke survivor, neuro-spicy, partner of 1, father of 2 (one medically complex, 1 creative songstress storyteller), advocate, writer, speaker, educator, Trekkie, Whovian, Robin Hoodologist, Ancient Aliens and the Weird, comic geek, mixed heritage Settler and connections with Indigenous folks, Generation X, current events and politics engaged, sober, practical researcher, philosopher and theologian on belonging.
Synopsis: This presentation reflects on Luke’s banquet story through the lived realities of disability, dignity, and belonging in Alberta today. It challenges how church and society often define worth through productivity, normalcy, and social capital—and asks who we assume belongs at the table.
Reading Luke as a disruption rather than a literal invitation list, Ty argues that those pushed to the margins were never an afterthought. Disabled people and the invisible majority were always central to the story.
At its core, this is a call to move beyond charity and toward belonging. The question before us is simple, but demanding: Who do we believe is a person—and what are we willing to do about it?
John Van Sloten – ‘The Parable of Life with a Child with a Disability’ (20 min.)
Bio: John is a Calgary-based theologian and writer who is passionate about engaging God everywhere. For the past 34 years he has been learning about God through his son Edward—who has Down syndrome. His fourth book—Thy Tender Care: What Caregiving and Disability Can Teach Us about God’s Kingdom (Herald Press)—will be available this fall.
Synopsis: “The Parable of Life with a Child with a Disability” In this talk I’ll share stories about how I’ve come to know God more through my relationship with my 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.
11:00 AM – 11:45 AM | Lunch Banquet
Join the Banquet of Belonging while connecting with an inclusive community and share thoughts from the conference over a provided shared luncheon.
11:45 PM – 12:00 PM | Welcome Back For National Speakers
Returning with an introduction to the streaming of the national speakers.
12 PM – 2:00 PM | Keynote Address (Hybrid)
Broadcasted online live from three DC Hubs: Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto
Keynote Speakers in Order:
Vancouver: Sarah Wardlaw (30 min.) [Live Streamed]
Calgary: Jon Coutts (30 min.)
Synopsis: “Disentangling Christian Community from the Superman- and Barbie-ficiation of the Image of God”. In this talk I will frame 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, I will draw from various disability models to portray human goodness in terms of creaturely interdependence.
Toronto: Terry and Jenna Sanderson (30 min.) [Live Streamed]
Q&A (30 min.) – Hosted Through: https://www.slido.com/
2:00 PM – 2:20 PM | Table Talks & Reflections
Small-group conversations to unpack the keynote and connect with one another.
2:20 PM – 2:30 PM | Coffee Break
2:30 PM – 2:50 PM | Panel Conversation
Leaders and participants share stories, struggles, and sparks of hope around living inclusively as church and community. Open Mic
2:50 PM – 3/3:30 PM | Closing Blessing
One last chance to exchange contact info, share encouragement, and celebrate what God is doing among us.