Episode #167 - Mutuality in Ministry with Friends & Nature with Melissa & Ben Conner

In this episode we talk about mutuality in ministry with friends and nature with Melissa and Ben Conner. Melissa Conner is executive director and certified advanced therapeutic riding instructor at Renew Therapeutic Riding Center in Holland, Michigan. Dr. Benjamin Conner is Professor of Practical Theology and Director of the Graduate Certificate in Disability and Ministry at Western Theological Seminary (Holland, Michigan), and the author of Amplifying Our Witness (published by Eerdmans) and Disabling Mission, Enabling Witness (published by IVP Academic). As they share with us in this episode, both Melissa and Ben are committed to a holistic vision of ministry inclusive of people with disabilities and the broader world of nature. In particular, Ben tells us about how his thinkingshifted away from ministering to people with disabilities towards ministering alongside and with them. Along those lines, he helps to organize a center at the Seminary where he teaches, called Friendship House, where people with intellectual and developmental disabilities can live and be integrated into the life of the Seminary. Melissa similarly tells us about how, within her work as therapeutic riding instructor who offers equine-assisted services (EAS) for people with disabilities, she views the horses at her center as having a vocation and calling to serve alongside her and her colleagues as partners in ministry. Team members on the episode from The Two Cities include: Stephanie Kate Judd, Dr. Grace Sangalang Ng, Rev. Daniel Parham, and Dr. Madison Pierce.

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