Contributors

Amy Jacober is a theologian, pastor, professor, and caregiver. She is the author of Redefining Perfect, The Adolescent Journey, and numerous articles on youth ministry, theology, and disability.

Avery Arden has a scholar's spirit, a poet's heart, and a neuroqueer bodymind that's never still! Visit binarybreakingworship.com to connect with their ministry, which uplifts trans and disabled people of faith as both recipients and crucial agents of divine blessing.

Avery Williams is an African American studies major with a minor in creative writing at Princeton University.

Brianna Stone loves to draw and loves God. Other kids who love God became her friends at church and in art club. Swinging under the stars makes her happy and feel like God is close.

Carmelle Beaugelin Caldwell is a Haitian American multidisciplinary artist and curator whose work blends gestural abstraction and theology to explore diaspora, faith, and cultural memory. Beyond her studio practice, Caldwell serves as Associate Director of the Missing Voices Project at Flagler College's Center for Religion and Culture.

Chris Larocque's ministry stretches across Pentecostal, United Methodist, and Presbyterian (USA) congregations. He is a staff member and a co-founder of Bethlehem Inclusive Church, an ability-inclusive worshiping community.

Cody J. Sanders is Associate Professor of Congregational and Community Care Leadership at Luther Seminary in Saint Paul, MN. He has authored several books, including A Brief Guide to Ministry with LGBTQIA Youth and Spiritual Care First Aid: An All-Hands Approach for Church and Community.

Deborah Huggins serves as Associate Pastor for Christian Education at Central Presbyterian Church, where she supports families as they find connection to God and community. Her research focuses on leadership and belonging with disabled youth.

Elliot Freebourn is 16 years old and in their junior year of high school. They love being a part of the school community through the costume crew/theater department, the National Art Honor Society, and art classes. Elliot also works with preschool and kindergarteners at church every weekend as a Sunday school teacher. Their artworks express the transition from youth group to teaching and the joy found in that new role.

Erik Carter holds the Luther Sweet Endowed Chair in Disabilities at Baylor University. His research and writing focus on fostering inclusion and belonging in schools, congregations, and communities for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families.

Hunter Steinitz is a graduate of Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and a Co-Moderator of Presbyterians for Disability Concerns. She is also affected with Harlequin Ichthyosis, and is one of the first generation of survivors with her condition.

Lamar Hardwick, also known as "the autism pastor," is a pastor, cancer survivor, scholar, and award-winning author whose research is focused on the intersection of disability, race, and religion.

Len and Andrew Scales are the Chaplains and Executive Co-Directors with Princeton Presbyterians, a Presbyterian Church (USA) campus ministry in central New Jersey. In addition to their work as campus ministers, Andrew teaches worship and preaching courses as an adjunct professor at Princeton Theological Seminary, and Len serves as the Associate Pastor for Faith Formation, Mission, and Outreach at Nassau Presbyterian Church.

Michael Paul Cartledge is a practical theologian whose research and teaching focus on neurodiversity, mental health, youth ministry, and Christian education. He currently serves as Associate Director of Grants and Projects at Flagler College's Center for Religion and Culture.

Morrigan Clarke is a high school student in Lawrenceville, New Jersey, who is an advocate for children with disabilities. They also have a younger brother with autism.

Pepa Paniagua is the Coordinator of Innovation and New Ministry Development for Grace Presbytery in North Texas. Paniagua views ministry through the lenses of inclusion and abundance and has formed many of her understandings of ministry from her experience growing up with her sister, Debbie, who lived with multiple disabilities.

Rudolph P. Reyes II is Assistant Professor of Christian Ethics and Latinx Studies at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary. He is a multiply neurodivergent Latino social ethicist who researches how theology and ethics help or hinder liberation from interlocking systems of oppression.

Sara Gaver is a mouth artist who creates vibrant acrylic paintings. She is grateful for the opportunity to contribute her art to this project.

Sarah Griffith Lund is an advocate, author, and pastor who is passionate about partnering with others with hope and joy to build a more just world. She serves as senior pastor of First Congregational Church of Indianapolis and as the Minister for Disabilities and Mental Health Justice on the national staff of the United Church of Christ.

Sylvia Hemenetz creates art that reflects personal experiences and universal themes, often exploring identity, emotion, and perspective through vibrant colors and expressive brushwork.

Zach Grant is a Presbyterian minister and co-founder of Bethlehem Inclusive Church, an ability-inclusive worshiping community. He has been blessed to lead and be led by young people with disabilities in every stage of his career.