Join us this week as we welcome back Fred Oduyoye! Fred first aired on the Be The Difference podcast in episode four! He lives in Cincinnati, Ohio and is the Founder of Reachable Reconciliation, Inc.

Fred draws on his nearly twenty years of experience bridging urban and suburban communities to create intentional spaces for conversation about race, diversity, and responsibility in a small group setting. The goal of Reachable Reconciliation is to move a community from where they are to new places of understanding, empathy, and action.

In this week’s episode, Fred answers a key question: why? Why Reachable Reconciliation? And why is it important to reconcile with ourselves, first? He takes us back to his childhood in Columbia, Maryland and how what he grew up seeing and understanding wasn’t actually what he would see everywhere as he grew up and left.

Hear Fred share why he loves figuring out what makes people tick, why ongoing relational learning is key, and why he believes that if we are not having conversations, we aren’t doing the right work.

Links to learn more:

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For more information about Reachable Reconciliation Inc. or to join a virtual cohort today, check out https://www.reachablereconciliation.com/

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Today is Be the Difference Podcast’s 50th episode! Thank you to all our faithful listeners for joining us in this journey of talking to everyday people about the remarkable ways they’re being the difference.

In this episode, Chris and Sammy discuss a staggering statistic on teens who age out of the foster care system and are thrust into the world. Hear how this impacts them both individually and with the global work Back2Back does, what being a safe adult in the life of a teen with trauma means, and how, as safe adults, we can see coping mechanisms as leadership skills worthy of development. Lastly, we want to know who you know that is making the difference in the life of a vulnerable teen and who understands the glaring need for connection and relationship.

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The Video Sammy mentions: https://drive.google.com/file/d/19D0NsU3QnohUDMuOH7whtG7j_VSutcrU/view?usp=sharing

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Jes Biondo is a daughter, a former Back2Back staff member, a traveler, a teacher, lifelong learner, creator of Sprezza Foundry Shop, and Executive Director and Podcast host of Collected Ministries & Podcast. Jes attributes her desire to say yes, even when she doesn’t know the outcome, to her parents and a teacher from her childhood.  She has taught English camps in Thailand, served the vulnerable in Mexico, and held teaching workshops in Kenya, among many other things. She believes serving is never one-sided - we can both teach and learn everywhere we are, and this model allows for sustainability within communities.

In this episode, Jes shares how she knows when God is leading her to something or asking her to reroute. Hear how she believes leaders can best serve and love their single staff members, why loneliness and singleness are not mutually exclusive, and why cultural representation is imperative in the classroom.

Links to learn more:

Collected Ministries & Podcast: https://www.collectedministries.org/

Sprezza Foundry Shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/SprezzaFoundry

Kilgoris Project: https://www.kilgoris.org/

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Who do you know? When Be the Difference Podcast began, the goal was simple - highlight everyday people making the difference at their jobs, in their communities, and around the world. We realize, though, people don’t often know where to be the difference if there aren’t eyes to see and speak on the difficulties and hardships in the world.

In this episode, Chris and Sammy discuss a staggering statistic around childhood literacy. Hear how this impacts them both individually and with the global work Back2Back does, what you can do right now to help children gain access to books and adults who read, and how you can help the podcast grow! We want to hear from you and those you know who are being the difference for one!

To nominate someone to be a guest on a future episode of Be the Difference, fill out the form at this link! 

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Another full year of stories of how everyday people are being the difference for one! Together, we’ve listened to stories of grit, determination, following promptings without knowing how things will end, and how people, everyday, choose to show up for others and leave an impact that won’t be forgotten. Thank you for joining us, sharing with us, and gathering around others to ensure they feel known and loved.

In this episode, Sammy and Chris share a Back2Back tradition called “picture of the day” and share each of their own “pictures of the year” from the podcast. You’ll hear about moments they’ve loved, felt challenged, and grown as a result of people sharing their stories. Hear about their highlights from Season 2 as they review the last year of change-makers.

Sammy’s Clips

30 | Impossible Made Possible | Kevin Schwieger

32 | Patience and Perseverance | Rick and Lisa Bursey 

42 | Everyone is Creative | Brad Wise

26 | Weightless Anchor | Andrea Holtman 

27 | Open Doors & Red Carpets | Hope and Cheque Garcia

36 | Presence & Proximity | Mike Wilson

Chris’s Clips

25 | Saying Yes in Every Season | Sammy Mathews 

29 | Cross Worship | Troy Culbreth 

31 | The Power of Presence | Dynette Clark

24 | Being a Young Life Leader | Garrett Dexter

33 | Voices of the Next Generation 

45 | From Planting to Preaching | Steve and Kelly Carr

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‘Tis the season! For two seasons of the Be the Difference Podcast, we have gathered together to hear of everyday people making an impact in the lives of those around them. We don’t need fancy job titles or a lot of money to come alongside others and offer our time, energy, and resources. As Sammy and Chris reflect on the stories we’ve heard and the lives changed as a result of those stories, they are inviting us to be the difference right now, in the midst of the Christmas season!

In this episode, join Chris and Sammy as they share personal anecdotes and 12 ways you can be the difference today, as we await the celebration of our King’s birth. Hear how they’ve each been impacted by the guests who have shared their own difference-making ways and prepare for the final episode of 2022!

12 ways to be the difference this season:

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Kelly and Steve Carr are husband and wife and Co-Founders of Echo Church in Walnut Hills, Cincinnati, Ohio. Steve formerly led the church, but in recent years, Kelly has stepped into the Lead Pastor role. Echo Church was founded in 2005 and is a body of believers united by common relationship with Jesus. They believe when we listen to what God is saying, we begin to see the world in a different light, and invite others to journey with them as they ask questions, seek Jesus, and work out their faith.

In this episode, Kelly and Steve share how they named their church, what Steve wanted to call it before Kelly stepped in with a different suggestion, and why they landed on Echo. Hear about why O’Charley’s and the produce department at Kroger were pivotal points in their lives and how Steve taking a sabbatical made room for Kelly to step into a lead pastor role.

Links to learn more:

Learn more about Echo Church

Learn more about the Steve & Kelly

Read Steve’s bi-weekly thread for thinkers

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Michayla White is a wife, mother, lover of Jesus, and Executive Director of International  Network of Children’s Ministry (INCM). INCM exists  to connect children’s ministry leaders to what they need - training, resources, and community. Michayla attributes her passion for children’s ministry and those who lead it to her mother, a volunteer children’s ministry director, and seeing her commitment to investing in children and seeing them as important to the family of God.

In this episode, Michayla defines children’s ministry and what INCM believes is the best possible curriculum for children’s ministry leaders to possess. Hear about her own challenges as a woman in leadership, how we can all make the future more equitable for women in leadership, and the questions that keep her up at night.

Links to learn more:

Learn more about International Network of Children's Ministry

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November is here! This means many things, but for the Be the Difference Podcast, it means a month of new guests who bring their own stories and experiences in being the difference. It also means we are highlighting a new topic: voices in leadership! To kick off, Sammy and Chris meet with special guest, Beth Guckenberger, and ask for her insight on women in leadership and why it matters.

Beth is co-executive Director of Back2Back Ministries, as well as an author and speaker who has long held leadership positions within the evangelical world. She is currently writing a new book about the very topic of women being used by God in leadership positions. In this episode, hear a little bit more about the heart behind this month’s topic, why Beth’s next book started as a secret between her and Jesus, and how her heart has grown and expanded on this topic. Hear words of encouragement as we engage in this conversation and who Beth’s own examples of women in leadership are. And please join us throughout this month to hear from two other women who lead within their own spheres of influence and ministry, and how we can each support the women in our lives who are leading with grace and love.

Links to learn more:

Hear more from Beth at Reckless Faith

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Brad Wise is a husband, a father, a creative, and the founder of Boonrise - a video production company that exists to tell a better story through videos, experiences, and workshops that spark hope and action. Brad loves looking at things one way and asking if there’s a better or different way to do it; this intrigue and passion started in his adolescence when, instead of writing a paper on the effects of steroids, he asked to do a video instead. What began as a way to make his friends laugh and do work he actually enjoyed has turned into creating space and content where people can share and listen to each other’s stories. Brad shares, “When we tell our stories and we listen with kindness and imagination, something transcendent happens.”

In this episode, Brad shares his own definition of creativity and art, and how everyone can belong within that world. Hear about a woman named Joan he could listen to for hours and the story she shared that is one of his favorites, what exactly Boonrise means, and why Brad and his team chose it for their organization, and what is next for their team and why he is excited for what’s to come. 

Links to learn more:

Learn more about Boonrise

Learn more about Leadercast’s upcoming event Amplify

Learn more about Bespoken Live.

Follow Boonrise on Social Media:

Instagram | Facebook

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