Welcome to Surge’s Faith, Work, and Rest podcast. Our goal is to help ordinary people discern their vocations and reimagine their occupations for the good of their neighbors and the glory of God.

In this episode we listen to a conversation between Juan Pena and Jim as they discuss what the faith and work conversation looks like for the working class, abolishing poverty, and transformational vocational discipleship.

Juan received his mechanical engineering degree from the University of Massachusetts and his Master of Divinity from Baptist Bible Seminary in Clarks Summit, P.A. While attending seminary, Juan worked as an engineer and planted a multiethnic, socioeconomically diverse church in the Poconos. In 2008, he moved to Denver to be a part of the elder team at Providence Bible Church. He is now the Chief Program Officer of CrossPurpose and a pastor for Providence Bible Church. He is passionate about helping Denver's families escape poverty and pursue their dreams through a year-long career and community development program. When he’s not working, Juan enjoys spending time with his wife and four boys, cheering for the Patriots, and loving his Clayton neighbors.

Juan Pena - Career Services for the Common Good

Now headed into its fourth season, The Faith, Work & Rest Podcast highlights stories of ordinary people of faith doing ordinary work for the glory of God and good of their communities.

Religion & Spirituality

Other

Spirituality

Christianity

Buddhism

Hinduism

Judaism

Islam

In this episode, Bijan Mirtolooi helps us explore how the city of London is experiencing spiritual renewal and religious curiosity giving Christians an incredible opportunity to winsomely declare good news. In his work as a pastor of Reality Church London and The London Project, Bijan has an ardent desire to equip ministry leaders and everyday disciples to see their work as an integral part of their discipleship to Jesus. Yet also to understand that from the first pages of Scripture, God is one who always pairs work with rest and invites us to the same. Would we pray alongside him to see the Church in London steward this incredible moment in history for the city to rejoice because Jesus has been put on display through the unified witness of God’s people. 

Resources related to this episode:

Learn more about Bijan’s church Reality Church London:
https://www.realitychurch.london/

Learn more about The London Project:
https://thelondonproject.co.uk/

Learn more about Gotham Fellowship:
https://www.faithandworkgotham.com/

Learn more about The Global Faith and Work Initiative:
https://www.globalfaithandwork.com/

Learn more about the Surge Network
https://www.surgenetwork.com

Timestamps (Edited Timing)

00:00 Introduction

01:09 How Bijan and his family decided to move to London

4:40 Stories of how London is growing in openness to religion and spirituality

11:42 What is the London Project and how it is facilitating a faith and work movement

15:36 How Lesslie Newbigin in the 1970s encouraged churches to equip every member of their Church when it comes to their daily work

18:39 How Bijan has seen people live creatively and faithfully in their industries

22:14 How rest is integral to discipleship

28:50 Where do you see God uniquely put on display in London and how can we pray for London?

Global City, Gospel Presence: Bijan Mirtolooi

Our guest on the podcast today is Christel Ngnambi, the consultant CEO for Imago Dei, which is a network of professionals seeking to ask questions and seek answers to the biggest challenges of their industry and discover how Christianity might offer good news in that area of human life. 

In the episode, Christel showcases how the increasing secularization in francophone (french speaking) culture is ultimately not an obstacle to the Christian witness but a genuine opportunity. Yet, he suggests, there is power when Christians begin with the questions, concerns, and fears of the people and industries where they find themselves and then egnage those questions deeply with Scripture. In other words, as Christel says, we need to listen to the world around us as we engage the Word. 

Listen in as Christel shares tangible ways Imago Dei has provided pathways for non-Christians to experience a distinct, culturally relevant, and winsome Christian witness. 

Resources related to this episode:

Learn more about Christel’s work with Imago Dei 
https://www.imagodei.fr

Learn more about The Global Faith and Work Initiative:
https://www.globalfaithandwork.com/

Learn more about the Surge Network
https://www.surgenetwork.com


Timestamps

00:00 Introduction

2:25 How Christel partnered to start Imago Dei and their work within many industries

5:35 What the word “francophone” means and how faith and work is unique in the French-speaking world. 

14:20 How we must start first with the questions of the context to explore how the gospel is good news there

19:28 How the fashion industry is a case study for listening and speaking the gospel in relevant ways

24:05 How non-Christians are becoming curious about Christianity through the arts

31:12 What are the next questions coming in Western culture and ways Christians can seek to be a renewing presence in the face of them?

36:05 What is one characteristic of God as a worker that you see reflected in your city and how can we pray for you and your context?

First World, then Word- Christel Ngnambi

In this episode, we are privileged to hear Pastor Mila Palozzi share, with joy and vibrancy, how the gospel gives us a lens to see beauty everywhere in our city and through our work. She shares practical ways she has cultivated a faith and work perspective in her local church through a variety of avenues that hopefully will encourage and inspire you in your context. Mila challenges those in her culture- and us- to not see work as a necessary curse but rather to see work as the unique contribution we get to make for our city and ultimately for the Kingdom of God. We hope Mila’s gospel radiance inspires you to imagine afresh the city and work God has placed you in.


Resources related to this episode:

Learn more about Mila’s church:
https://www.hopera.co/scopri-la-fede

Learn more about The Global Faith and Work Initiative:
https://www.globalfaithandwork.com/

Learn more about the Surge Network
https://www.surgenetwork.com


Timestamps

00:00 Podcast Introduction

01:43 The work and life of Mila Palozzi as a pastor in Rome

3:36 How Mila’s previous career in banking drew her into the faith and work space

7:47 How Mila pursues four main avenues to help people capture a vision of faith and work in her church

14:00 How Mila started new communities around variety of subjects

17:40 How Mila has experienced the depth of the gospel in her city

26:27 What is an aspect of God that you see on display in Rome and how can we pray for the church in Italy?

The Eternal City: Mila Palozzi

In this episode, Teena is joined by Amma Amegashie who serves as the West Africa Operations Manager for City to City Africa. She currently leads the Purpose Beyond Paycheck cohort in Accra, Ghana. Amma loves the Lord, loves the city which she lives in, and hopes to see the city, its people and all the industries being renewed by the gospel of Jesus Christ. She lives in the city of Accra with her beloved husband, Selasi, and enjoys reading, listening to music and watching God's beautiful nature. 

What is clear from this conversation is that Amma resists any form of a truncated gospel that compartmentalizes the Christian life to a single day of the week. The cohort she leads works to imagine what a Kingdom presence might look and taste like in various spheres of society and work.  

Would you be encouraged by her words to us:

“If your identity is truly in Christ Jesus, it doesn’t matter if you are the CEO or the least in rank. You don’t find your identity in any of this but you find your identity in Christ Jesus and what he has done on the cross. That he deeply loves you, and we are his children.”

TIME STAMPS:

00:00 Introduction and Amma’s Bio

1:40 Where Amma lives and works

4:33 How an episode of the Faith and Work podcast helped Amma re-imagine administration

7:56 What drew Amma into the Faith and Work space

11:25 What is the church like in Ghana?

14:41 How Amma has helped people experience a gospel for all of life

20:30 How insurance can be for the glory of God

26:40 Where do you see brokenness in the industries of your city and how God longs to restore

33:40 How visiting a cookie factory changed one person’s perspective on work

37:40 If you had to pick just one characteristic as a worker that you see on display in your city, what would it be? How can we be praying for the church in Ghana?


Resources related to this episode:

Learn more about the Ghana Fellowship of Evangelical Students 
https://ghafes.org/who-we-are/

Learn more about The Global Faith and Work Initiative
https://www.globalfaithandwork.com/

Learn more about the Surge Network
https://www.surgenetwork.com/

CEOs to Custodians: Amma Amegashie

In this podcast episode, Teena Dare gets to have a conversation with Marcelo Robles who lives in Buenos Aires and is a pastor, practitioner, and key participant in the movement of God in his city. 

What’s clear from the interview is that Marcelo captures the vision perfectly of seeing our everyday work and our understanding of our faith deeply integrated in all of life. But he didn’t always share this vision. Listen in as Marcelo unpacks how was able to deconstruct the false dichotomy of sacred and secular through his work at a university, in his ministry, through personal challenges, and a myriad of church planting experiences. The Church has much to learn from this faithful brother who encourages us to remember our one calling in the gospel with many occupational expressions.

Resources related to this episode:

More Info About Marcelo Robles and his ministry
https://globaloutreach.org/giving/missionary-details/marcelo-robles

About La Misión Church https://iplamision.org/sobre-nosotros/

About the RUE University Network https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1037300417189588

Learn more about The Global Faith and Work Initiative here.
https://www.globalfaithandwork.com/about

 Learn more about the Surge Network here
https://www.surgenetwork.com

Timestamps

00:00 Introduction and Marcello’s bio

1:49 Where Marcello lives, serves and does for work

2:53 How the city of Buenos Aires is unique and an expression of a variety of cultures and cities

4:50 Why we need to stop using the term: bi-vocational and instead use: “co-occupational”

13:12 Why we need a holistic and integrated gospel for all of life

16:30 Stories of how God is at work in the university

22:45 How one person’s proximity with the poor forever changed his life

29:30 How God is displayed as a worker in Buenos Aires and how you and I can pray for Buenos Aires

Juan Pena - Career Services for the Common Good

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