Have you ever thought about opening your heart and community to those around you with disabilities?

In this inspiring episode of the Collide Kids Podcast, host Christen Clark sits down with Jess Berryhill, disability minister and founder of Terre Haute Friendship House. Jess shares how authentic friendship, inclusion, and stepping out of our comfort zones can reshape family life, discipleship, and the way we practice faith at church and in our communities—revealing how every person has value and purpose in God’s eyes.

• [00:05:23] Jess explains what it’s like to live in intentional Christian community with people who have disabilities
• [00:09:18] How stepping into disability ministry helped Jess—and her church—grow in faith and compassion
• [00:14:31] The “origin story” of Terre Haute Friendship House
• [00:19:29] Why heart work and friendship are key to spiritual growth

Resources:

• The Terre Haute Friendship House website: thfriendshiphouse.org
• Contact email: jessberryhill@gmail.com
• Website: collidekidspodcast.com
• Instagram: @collidekidspod

Clip Finder:

Empowering Disability Voices: "You can only stand in like a prayer circle or sit at a dinner table or, you know, you know, have conversations with friends and people you love for so long, and like hear those dreams come up over and over and over again until you're like, God, maybe, maybe it's me. Like, maybe we're the vessel for this. Maybe like you're trying to move my feet and not just have me hear these things."

— Jess Berryhill [00:05:53 → 00:06:14]

Adulting and Accessible Transportation: "That's not just us, right? 'Cause part of figuring out adult life is figuring out how we're gonna get to places."

— Jess Berryhill [00:08:17 → 00:08:22]

Viral Topic: How Disability Ministry Began by Meeting One Need: "But I think God had other plans, much bigger plans."

— Jess Berryhill [00:10:53 → 00:10:56]

Unexpected Lessons in Creativity: "God has taught me that, like, he equips us in ways that we may not expect."

— Jess Berryhill [00:13:13 → 00:13:17]

Inclusion in Theater: "I feel like we're missing, like, we're missing the opportunity to see her talent shine."

— Jess Berryhill [00:13:41 → 00:14:31]

Building Community for People with Disabilities: "That ministry has grown from about 6 to 8 to about 100 individuals with disabilities every week and a whole slate of like opportunities for community and belonging."

— Jess Berryhill [00:15:56 → 00:16:06]

Building an Inclusive Community: "What if part of our identity as a church became sort of being a church that welcomes people with disabilities?"

— Jess Berryhill [00:17:41 → 00:17:46]

Making Communities Accessible: "But I don't wanna bring them out if everyone can't participate. And so it actually led to a conversation where we were able to make the bike park more accessible."

— Jess Berryhill [00:18:06 → 00:18:14]

The Power of Relationships in Disability Ministry: "I can teach you about autism, I can teach you about Down syndrome, and those— that knowledge is so important, but it's actually the heart work, it's how God's gonna change your heart that's actually gonna matter."

— Jess Berryhill [00:19:31 → 00:19:41]

Viral Topic: Rethinking Social Circles for People with Disabilities: "A lot of times, like, people that would fall in our acquaintance circle would fall closer to their middle. And also a lot of those folks in their circles are paid to be with them."

— Jess Berryhill [00:20:51 → 00:21:01]

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