Birds Who Pray

She's got a loud voice, good pitch and no shame and she's not afraid to use them. Reverend Elizabeth Smith's podcast is cosmic and offers more than a breath of fresh Aussie air. 

Join us in this upside down chat between Kalgoorlie, Western Australia and the not so glamorous, Essex.

Merry Christmas one and all and thank you for supporting the labour of love, that is, Birds Who Pray.

Music credit: https://www.purple-planet.com/ Thank you.

Archbishop Kay Goldsworthy brings hope, peace and love to the Birds Who Pray podcast this Christmas. A lot's happened since we last spoke at her home in Perth a year ago, here she shares her experiences of the global pandemic, the loss and learnings of life during coronavirus and her Christmas message.

Season's greeting from Watts Where Media.

This call was recorded on Zoom.

From Islam to Christianity, Reverend Valentina Emmanuel grew up as a Muslim in Iran, now she's an Anglican Priest in Melbourne. Here, she tells why she risked everything to become a Christian and how she hopes freedom is something her children prize rather than take for granted. 

This recording was made in Melbourne, Australia in November 2019.

Harlow based pastor, Reverend Alison Taylor shares her experiences of the coronavirus pandemic. From the dark art of technology to the dark times that have challenged her community, she's remained "cup half full" as Covid-19 has taken hold. She's also doing her best to understand and respond to the Black Lives Matter campaign. 

Music track provided by https://www.purple-planet.com thank you

Reverend Elizabeth Smith's a mine of information when it comes to theology, which is quite apt for a woman whose parish is in the heart of the Australian goldfields. Here she shares her thoughts on the coronavirus pandemic and how it affects her community in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia. 

Extracts of this recording appear in the Together In Isolation podcast.

Easter. It's the biggest weekend on the Christian calendar, but the church buildings are closed thanks to the coronavirus pandemic. Clergy across the world are adapting and meeting their congregations online. But why's COVID-19 happening, or more specifically, why's God letting it happen? It's a question that all of the clergy in this podcast have addressed, along with others. 

All of the contributors recorded their responses to the same questions.
UK Prison Chaplain, Elaine Wykes
Anglican Priest, Melbourne, Victoria: Valentina Emmanuel
Anglican Priest for the parish of the Goldfields, Western Australia: Elizabeth Smith
Pastor, Highland Park Baptist Church, Austin, Texas: Cheryl Kimble
Archdeacon of Essendon, Victoria: Vanessa Bennett
Vicar and Area Dean of the Bellarine area Deanery, Victoria: Elizabeth Breakey
Parish of North Beach, Perth: Reverend Frida Lemi

Music tracks provided by https://www.purple-planet.com thank you.

Here's a transcript of this podcast: https://www.wattswhere.co.uk/transcript-together-in-isolation

Reverend, or Mama Frida has made a new home for herself and her family in Perth, Western Australia. It's far far away from her birthplace in South Sudan, a place she will always call home but was forced to leave. Can you imagine, leaving everything you own and moving four children to a country you've never been to, with just your faith and the support of strangers to rely on? This former refugee has no idea how impressive she is. Respect.

Please note: Frida references her favourite verse as Jeremiah, but she meant to say Isaiah. So it's Isaiah chapter 6, verse 8: Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!"

If women are changing the narrative of the church, then Bishop Genieve Blackwell is at the centre of that change in Melbourne. She's a no-nonsense campaigner who respects and challenges in equal measure, in order to build a better future for the church and beyond. There are many causes on her list, amongst them, the prevention of violence against women.

Leadership and courage were the subject of discussion by some of Australia's leading Anglican women at the inaugural Women in Leadership conference in Perth. 

Hosted by Archbishop Kay Goldsworthy, here's a snapshot of their thoughts and experiences as women of the cloth.

Watts Where would like to thank the Archbishop and all of the delegates for inviting me to tell their stories.

Bishop Kate Prowd's whisky has been blended with tears over the last year as she's overcome the challenge of her new role. It's not that she's not capable, it's just that she never expected to be a bishop. Kate was ordained before becoming a clinical psychologist, a career that was jogging along quite nicely, thank you very much. 

Then, one day, she went to a fateful meeting, where she was expecting one thing and came out with something entirely different. It happens and it's an appointment that's made her one half of the only brother-sister bishop combo in the world.