The Ministry of Hymns - Part 1

Joni Eareckson Tada is an esteemed Christian stateswoman and respected global disability advocate. Her story began when a 1967 diving accident left her a quadriplegic. She emerged from rehabilitation with a determination to help others with disabilities. She serves as the CEO of Joni and Friends, a Christian organization which provides programs and services for thousands of special needs families around the world. Joni recently celebrated 40 years on the air with her daily radio broadcast, which offers encouragement to those who suffer and are living with a handicap. President Ronald Reagan appointed her to the National Council on Disability, and she was reappointed by President George H.W. Bush. The Americans with Disabilities Act was passed and signed into law during her tenure on the council. Joni is the author of many books, including Joni, which tells her unforgettable story, along with Where's My Miracle?, Place of Healing: Wrestling with the Mysteries of Suffering, Pain, and God's Sovereignty, and Glorious Intruder: God's Presence in Life's Chaos. She is also an accomplished artist and served as general editor of the Beyond Suffering Bible, a special edition published by Tyndale for people with disabilities. Joni and her husband, Ken, reside in Calabasas, California.

Robert Wolgemuth is the founder of Wolgemuth & Associates, Inc., a literary agency exclusively representing the writing work of more than one hundred authors. Dr. James Dobson has been one of his clients. Robert is a speaker and best-selling author of over twenty books including She Calls Me Daddy, The Most Important Place on Earth, and What’s in the Bible: The Story of God through Time and Eternity, co-written with R.C. Sproul. His other collaborative works include Men of the Bible, The Most Important Year in a Man’s Life, and She Still Calls Me Daddy. Among his professional accomplishments, Robert has served two terms as the chairman of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association. Robert has two grown daughters, two sons-in-law, and five grandchildren with his late wife, Bobbie. He is married to Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth, and they reside in Michigan.

Bobbie Wolgemuth was a Bible teacher and the author or co-author of several books, including God's Wisdom for a Mother's Heart and the four-book “Gold Medallion” best-selling series, Hymns for a Kid's Heart with Joni Eareckson Tada. In October 2014, Bobbie went home to be with the Lord. She is survived by her husband, Robert, two married daughters, two sons-in-law, and five grandchildren.