Advancing Our Church

In late February, Vinea Research administered an online survey to a sample of more than 1,500 self-identified Catholics who went to Mass at least once per year. The results of the survey included both positive and negative outcomes for Catholics, with one of the significant negative outcomes being that in-person Mass attendance has decreased and is not expected to be back to pre-pandemic levels by the summer of 2022. Join Changing Our World‘s Jim Friend and his special guest, Hans Plate, the Founder and President of Vinea Research as they discuss this important research and the implications for our Church.

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Recorded May 25, 2022

Daily Spiritual Reflection and Prayers on “Today’s Catholic Prayers”

Are you looking for a prayer partner? Join Jim Friend and his family on Kristin’s Crosses YouTube Channel for “Today’s Catholic Prayers” Click here to visit the YouTube Page and subscribe. If you would like to join the Kristin’s Crosses prayer group on Facebook, click here to request to join.

Changing Our World, Inc.

Changing Our World proudly offers the Advancing Our Church Podcast as an ongoing thought leadership series designed to further the mission of the Catholic Church through evolving discussions on stewardship, leadership, and advancement. We hope you find these podcasts educational and informative.

Who is Changing Our World? We are a dedicated, curious, and visionary team of consultants that strive to impact our Church and our world. We provide philanthropic counsel to parishes, Catholic Schools, Dioceses, and all types of Catholic nonprofits. Our work is a vocation, one through which we pull the common thread of societal change. Each of us wants to do more good in the world and for decades, we have been able to do just that through the power of philanthropy.  

For more information, please visit us at www.changingourworld.com.

We are joined by Emmy Nominated Journalist Natalie Brunell (Linked link) a leading advocate for Bitcoin and the host of the popular podcast Coin Stories (YouTube link) where she interviews leaders in the Bitcoin space. Before turning her career towards Bitcoin full time, Natalie was an Emmy nominated senior news correspondent and investigative journalist. Natalie most recently hosted several panels and discussions at the 2022 Bitcoin conference in Miami. In this show, we talk about the origin of Bitcoin, what Natalie sees as the future, and why so many believe that we can fix our world by fixing the money. Today’s show is not intended to be financial advice. Follow Natalie on Twitter, LinkedIn, or Instagram and find the Coin Stories podcast on YouTube, Apple Podcasts or wherever you download your favorite podcasts.

Additional Bitcoin resources suggested by Jim:

These are some additional resources that Jim Friend has used to learn more about Bitcoin and the cryptocurrency space.

Invest Answers (YouTube link) hosted by James Mullarney

Into the Cryptoverse (YouTube link) hosted by Benjamin Cowen

The Bitcoin Standard: The Decentralized Alternative to Central Banking (Amazon Link) is a book written by Saifedean Ammous and discussed on today’s show

The Mark Moss Show, (Website link) hosted by Mark Moss

Bitcoin Magazine (Website link)

The World Debt Clocks (Website link)

Do you have a suggestion on a resource to share with our community? Drop a comment below.

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Recorded May 12, 2022

Daily Spiritual Reflection and Prayers on “Today’s Catholic Prayers”

Are you looking for a prayer partner? Join Jim Friend and his family on Kristin’s Crosses YouTube Channel for “Today’s Catholic Prayers” Click here to visit the YouTube Page and subscribe. If you would like to join the Kristin’s Crosses prayer group on Facebook, 

Are you looking for some expert Development advice as you begin your planning for the next fiscal year? Join us for this conversation on major/planned giving, annual fund, donor stewardship and, much more. This Catholic Philanthropy Roundtable is hosted by Changing Our World‘s Jim Friend with special guests William M. McLean, Jr., Chief Development Officer, Archdiocese of Hartford and Interim Executive Director for The Hartford Bishops’ Foundation, David Mehr, MA, Special Ministry Campaign Director & Senior Executive Philanthropic Coach, Archdiocese of Denver, Mary Doorley Simboski ACFRE, Managing Director, Changing Our World, Fred J. Roberts, Director of Development for Catholic Education, Catholic Community Foundation of Cleveland, and Kelli Hirsch, Major Gifts Officer, Archdiocese of Denver.

Watch the video presentation of this discussion

Daily Spiritual Reflection and Prayers on Today’s Catholic Prayers

Are you looking for a prayer partner? Join Jim Friend and his family on Kristin’s Crosses YouTube Channel for “Today’s Catholic Prayers” Click here to visit the YouTube Page and subscribe. If you would like to join the Kristin’s Crosses prayer group on Facebook, click here to request to join.

Changing Our World, Inc.

Changing Our World proudly offers the Advancing Our Church Podcast as an ongoing thought leadership series designed to further the mission of the Catholic Church through evolving discussions on stewardship, leadership, and advancement. We hope you find these podcasts educational and informative.

Who is Changing Our World? We are a dedicated, curious, and visionary team of consultants that strive to impact our Church and our world. We provide philanthropic counsel to parishes, Catholic Schools, Dioceses, and all types of Catholic nonprofits. Our work is a vocation, one through which we pull the common thread of societal change. Each of us wants to do more good in the world and, for decades, we have been able to do just that through the power of philanthropy.  

For more information, please visit us at www.changingourworld.com.

Mercy School For Special Learning joins AOC as we celebrate Autism Awareness Month. Mercy’s mission is unique as one of the few Catholic schools in our country that provides a Catholic education for children and young adults. The staff at Mercy afford their students the best opportunity to reach their utmost potential. Mercy’s mission is the embodiment of the Catholic Church’s doctrinal teaching on the Gospel and the sanctity of human life.

Jim Friend welcomes Beth Grys, Principal, Mark Napierkowski, Director of Development and Chris Birkhead, a longtime Mercy Board Member to this conversation. Learn more about Mercy by visiting their website, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram pages.

Join our Catholic Philanthropy Roundtable discussion on May 4th at 1:00 p.m. (ET). CLICK HERE TO REGISTER. For more information, click here.

Watch the video presentation of this discussion

Recorded April 20, 2022

Daily Spiritual Reflection and Prayers on Today’s Catholic Prayers

Join Jim Friend for a daily reflection on the daily gospel on his wife’s YouTube Channel, Kristin’s Crosses on “Today’s Catholic Prayers” Click here to visit the YouTube Page and subscribe. If you would like to join the Kristin’s Crosses prayer group on Facebook, click here to request to join.

Changing Our World, Inc.

Changing Our World proudly offers the Advancing Our Church Podcast as an ongoing thought leadership series designed to further the mission of the Catholic Church through evolving discussions on stewardship, leadership, and advancement. We hope you find these podcasts educational and informative.

Who is Changing Our World? We are a dedicated, curious, and visionary team of consultants that strive to impact our Church and our world. We provide philanthropic counsel to parishes, Catholic Schools, Dioceses, and all types of Catholic nonprofits. Our work is a vocation, one through which we pull the common thread of societal change. Each of us wants to do more good in the world and, for decades, we have been able to do just that through the power of philanthropy.  

For more information, please visit us at www.changingourworld.com.

Join us for a conversation with Kailash Duraiswami on the evolving landscape of using technology in the New Evangelization. Kailash is a technology entrepreneur most recently in the Artificial Intelligence space as the founder of Pantenix. Pantenix is an artificial intelligence platform that automates manual data entry for financial services companies through computer vision. Pantenix was acquired by financial services software provider Orion Advisor Solution in Spring 2021.  He is now a co-founder of Fidei, a technology startup providing software for consumers with Catholic values starting with email. Learn more about Fidei. Join Changing Our World‘s Jim Friend for an informative conversation.

Watch the video of this conversation as it was presented on Facebook LIVE! on March 15, 2022.

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Daily Spiritual Reflection and Prayers on Today’s Catholic Prayers

Join Jim Friend for a daily reflection on the daily gospel on his wife’s YouTube Channel, Kristin’s Crosses on “Today’s Catholic Prayers” Click here to visit the YouTube Page and subscribe. If you would like to join the Kristin’s Crosses prayer group on Facebook, click here to request to join.

Changing Our World, Inc.

Changing Our World proudly offers the Advancing Our Church Podcast as an ongoing thought leadership series designed to further the mission of the Catholic Church through evolving discussions on stewardship, leadership, and advancement. We hope you find these podcasts educational and informative.

Who is Changing Our World? We are a dedicated, curious, and visionary team of consultants that strive to impact our Church and our world. We provide philanthropic counsel to parishes, Catholic Schools, Dioceses, and all types of Catholic nonprofits. Our work is a vocation, one through which we pull the common thread of societal change. Each of us wants to do more good in the world and, for decades, we have been able to do just that through the power of philanthropy.  

For more information, please visit us at www.changingourworld.com.

Today we celebrate Catholic Sisters Week by hearing the vocation story of Sister Jane Wakahiu, LSOSF, Ph.D., the Associate Vice President, Program Operations, and Head of Catholic Sisters at the Conrad Hilton Foundation. Sr. Jane is a member of the Institute of the Little Sisters of Saint Francis, Kenya. She provides leadership and direction of the Hilton Foundation’s Program Department operations budget, contracts, consultant management, and policy implementation. She also contributes to the Foundation’s strategic planning.

Prior to joining the Foundation, Sr. Jane was the executive director of the African Sisters Education Collaborative (ASEC), where she implemented many programs by working closely with leadership conferences, major superiors, religious congregations and institutes, twenty-three partner colleges and universities in the United States and Africa, and major foundations. Sr. Jane has taught extensively at the undergraduate and graduate level and has a breadth of teaching and administrative experience from leading a high school in Kenya and as a leader of women’s organizations. She is the author and editor of two books and serves as a contributing writer for the Global Sisters Report and her peer-reviewed articles have been published in national and international journals. Sr. Jane holds a Ph.D. in human development from Marywood University, a Master of Arts degree from Saint Bonaventure University, and a Bachelor of Education from the Catholic University of Eastern Africa.  Today we’re Celebrating Catholic Sisters Week, a national celebration of Catholic sisters because they shine a light on mission, and spirituality while building community together. 

*NEW: Stay in touch! Sign up to receive email updates about new and upcoming shows or when we GO LIVE!

Daily Spiritual Reflection and Prayers on Today’s Catholic Prayers

Join Jim Friend for a daily reflection on the daily gospel on his wife’s YouTube Channel, Kristin’s Crosses on “Today’s Catholic Prayers” Click here to visit the YouTube Page and subscribe. If you would like to join the Kristin’s Crosses prayer group on Facebook, click here to request to join.

Changing Our World, Inc.

Changing Our World proudly offers the Advancing Our Church Podcast as an ongoing thought leadership series designed to further the mission of the Catholic Church through evolving discussions on stewardship, leadership, and advancement. We hope you find these podcasts educational and informative.

Who is Changing Our World? We are a dedicated, curious, and visionary team of consultants that strive to impact our Church and our world. We provide philanthropic counsel to parishes, Catholic Schools, Dioceses, and all types of Catholic nonprofits. Our work is a vocation, one through which we pull the common thread of societal change. Each of us wants to do more good in the world and,

Julianne Stanz joins Jim Friend to discuss her new book, Braving the THIN Places. A “thin place” is where God’s grace is waiting to happen. Your thin place might be an important threshold, a soul friend, a fresh chapter in your own life story, a painful secret or fear, or a time of hardship. Whatever the circumstance, a thin place is where God and humanity meet in a mysterious way. These moments open us to places of rawness and beauty. When we enter into a thin place, something seems to break open inside us, and words are inadequate to describe what we are experiencing. In these moments, we feel a sense of breakthrough as we break free of the ordinary and experience the extraordinary amid our daily lives. For more information about Julianne, her book and where she will be presenting next please visit her website.

Watch the video presentation of this discussion

Recorded: March 6, 2022

Daily Spiritual Reflection and Prayers on Today’s Catholic Prayers

Join Jim Friend for a daily reflection on the daily gospel on his wife’s YouTube Channel, Kristin’s Crosses on “Today’s Catholic Prayers” Click here to visit the YouTube Page and subscribe. If you would like to join the Kristin’s Crosses prayer group on Facebook, click here to request to join.

Changing Our World, Inc.

Changing Our World proudly offers the Advancing Our Church Podcast as an ongoing thought leadership series designed to further the mission of the Catholic Church through evolving discussions on stewardship, leadership, and advancement. We hope you find these podcasts educational and informative.

Who is Changing Our World? We are a dedicated, curious, and visionary team of consultants that strive to impact our Church and our world. We provide philanthropic counsel to parishes, Catholic Schools, Dioceses, and all types of Catholic nonprofits. Our work is a vocation, one through which we pull the common thread of societal change. Each of us wants to do more good in the world and, for decades, we have been able to do just that through the power of philanthropy.  

For more information, please visit us at www.changingourworld.com.

Join Clark Bartram and Jim Friend for a conversation about health, fitness, and spirituality. Clark Bartram is an inspirational Christian, professional fitness model, published fitness writer, and ISSA Master Personal Trainer from Ohio. He is well-known as an online trainer and TV fitness show host. Most recently, Clark has made it his personal mission to help men over 50 live healthier lives by the creation of CBX Nation, an online coaching service for men with over 10,000 members. For more information on Clark’s program, you can view the video he mentions on the six-week solution and men who have experienced this program here. You can find download his App, join his Facebook page, or follow him on Instagram.

Watch the video presentation of this discussion

Recorded: February 22, 2022

Daily Spiritual Reflection and Prayers on Today’s Catholic Prayers

Join Jim Friend for a daily reflection on the daily gospel on his wife’s YouTube Channel, Kristin’s Crosses on “Today’s Catholic Prayers” Click here to visit the YouTube Page and subscribe. If you would like to join the Kristin’s Crosses prayer group on Facebook, click here to request to join.

Changing Our World, Inc.

Changing Our World proudly offers the Advancing Our Church Podcast as an ongoing thought leadership series designed to further the mission of the Catholic Church through evolving discussions on stewardship, leadership, and advancement. We hope you find these podcasts educational and informative.

Who is Changing Our World? We are a dedicated, curious, and visionary team of consultants that strive to impact our Church and our world. We provide philanthropic counsel to parishes, Catholic Schools, Dioceses, and all types of Catholic nonprofits. Our work is a vocation, one through which we pull the common thread of societal change. Each of us wants to do more good in the world and, for decades, we have been able to do just that through the power of philanthropy.  

For more information, please visit us at www.changingourworld.com.

On August 6, 2021, Bishop Koenig, Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Wilmington, announced Ms. Sheila O’Hagan McGirl, CFRE, would take the reigns as the new Director of Development for the diocese. On today’s show, Changing Our World’s Jim Friend talks with Sheila about her career path to this new role and how God guided Sheila and her family each step of the way. Sheila shares her focus for the office and this important mission.

Sheila O’Hagan McGirl, CFRE

Ms. McGirl comes to the Diocese of Wilmington from the Central Association of the Miraculous Medal in Philadelphia, where she was Senior Director of Institutional Advancement. Prior to that, she served the Diocese of Camden, New Jersey as Associate Director of Development. She also held positions in the Camden Diocese’s Family Life and Youth, Young Adult, and Campus Ministry offices, as well. Ms. McGirl holds degrees in Business Administration from Gloucester County College and Liberal Studies from Rowan University. She serves as Founder and Chairperson of the Board of the Catholic Business Network of South Jersey, and is a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Planned Giving Association, International Catholic Stewardship Conference, and Board of the Irish American Building Society. She is a Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE).

Diocese of Wilmington

The Catholic Diocese of Wilmington was established in 1868 and comprises 56 parishes, 18 missions and 27 schools serving the State of Delaware and the nine counties of Maryland’s Eastern Shore. There are over 240,000 Catholics in the diocese. Information about the diocese is available at www.cdow.org.

Kristin’s Crosses – Today’s Catholic Prayers

Jim offers a daily reflection on Kristin’s Crosses and the Friend family offers you daily prayers through “Today’s Catholic Prayers” Click here to visit the YouTube Page and subscribe. If you would like to join the Kristin’s Crosses prayer group on Facebook, click here to request to join.

Changing Our World, Inc.

Changing Our World proudly offers the Advancing Our Church Podcast as an ongoing thought leadership series designed to further the mission of the Catholic Church through evolving discussions on stewardship, leadership, and advancement. We hope you find these podcasts educational and informative.

Who is Changing Our World? We are a dedicated, curious, and visionary team of consultants that strive to impact our Church and our world. We provide philanthropic counsel to parishes, Catholic Schools, Dioceses, and all types of Catholic nonprofits. Our work is a vocation, one through which we pull the common thread of societal change. Each of us wants to do more good in the world and, for decades, we have been able to do just that through the power of philanthropy.  

For more information, please visit us at www.changingourworld.com.

The Association of Catholic Mental Health Ministers was born out of a need for education, resources, and servant laymen and women to respond to mental health crises. On today’s show, Jim Friend interviews the organization’s President, Deacon Ed Shoener of the Diocese of Scranton. Deacon Ed will share that he was inspired to join with other dedicated people to establish the Association after his daughter Katie died by suicide in 2016 after a long battle with bipolar disorder.  The response to his daughter’s obituary made it clear to Deacon Shoener that there is a real need for mental health ministry in the Church. Together with the ministry’s chaplain, Bishop John Dolan of the Diocese of San Diego, Catholic MHM has guided parishes through the process of creating a mental health ministry to provide spiritual support for those struggling with mental health issues, for their families, and for the entire parish community.

As his prayer intention for the month of November, Pope Francis called on the Catholic Church to “pray that people who suffer from depression or burnout will find support and a light that opens them up to life.” The Holy Father requested these prayers in a video via the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, made with the guidance and support of the Association of Catholic Mental Health Ministers (Catholic MHM).  

Watch the video presentation of this discussion

Recorded on November 16, 2021

Changing Our World, Inc.

Changing Our World proudly offers the Advancing Our Church Podcast as an ongoing thought leadership series designed to further the mission of the Catholic Church through evolving discussions on stewardship, leadership, and advancement. We hope you find these podcasts educational and informative.

Who is Changing Our World? We are a dedicated, curious, and visionary team of consultants that strive to impact our Church and our world. We provide philanthropic counsel to parishes, Catholic Schools, Dioceses, and all types of Catholic nonprofits. Our work is a vocation, one through which we pull the common thread of societal change. Each of us wants to do more good in the world and, for decades, we have been able to do just that through the power of philanthropy.  

For more information, please visit us at www.changingourworld.com.