Let's Talk: Faith & Justice

Tune in to this special podcast episode with Brandy Brooks, a new friend of Ivy's through our "When We Walk By" book group, but a longtime friend of BFJN! In this discussion Brandy and Ivy discuss their faith journeys, what brought them to BFJN, the importance of aligning one's actions with God's teachings, and the need for Christians today to live out their faith authentically. They explored the disconnect between Christian values and actions, emphasizing the importance of repentance, community building, and understanding God's nature through His word, making reference to various passages throughout both the Old and New Testament. Brandy expresses hope and praise for God's truth shining through despite human error, distortions and failures and proposes a vision for faith leaders in Massachusetts coming together to lament, confess, and recommit to living out God's word with a deep focus on justice.

Tune in to this podcast episode with special guest Jennifer Frye, Executive Director of WARM (Welcoming Refugee Alliance Ministry). shared her life story, highlighting her early experiences with God and how they shaped her sensitivity to the marginalized and underprivileged. She discussed her decision to become a nurse, her desire to use her skills to help those with limited access to medical care, and her realization of never having read the Bible cover-to-cover. This led her to take a class called Perspectives on the World Christian Movement, which inspired her to form the nonprofit, WARM, who seeks to see the Church welcome and care for every refugee God has brought to our cities.

Join Elizabeth and Ivy for a time of reflection after finishing BFJN's book club reading of "When We Walk By: Forgotten Humanity, Broken Systems, and the Role We Can Each Play in Ending Homelessness in America".

This book, written by Kevin F. Adler and Donald W. Burnes recasts chronic homelessness as a byproduct of twin crises: the failure of both our social services systems and our humanity. The book also uses social analyses, economic and political histories, and the real stories of our unhoused neighbors to demonstrate what we stand to gain when we embrace our humanity and move toward evidence-based people-first, community-driven solutions.

In this episode, we talk with Cristina Rathbone. Cristina, author and congregational coordinator at the Mass Council of Churches, recounts her transformative time at the US-Mexico border. Her book, “The Asylum Seekers: A Chronicle of Life, Death, and Community at the Border”, born from these experiences, invites us to reconsider what our faith has to say about injustice and see the humanity in those we might be inclined to “other”. We also discuss her new role at the Mass Council of Churches, where she's bridging the gap between faith communities and vital support for refugees and migrants. A conversation that challenges and inspires.

Tune into this episode for a casual conversation between the Let's Talk Faith & Justice Podcast hosts, Elizabeth and Ivy, to hear about some exciting new updates and a high level overview of what God has in store for 2025!

We are kicking off Season 3 of the Let’s Talk Faith & Justice Podcast with special guest Aimee Mitchell, the CEO of Places to Thrive, an organization focused on collaboration and leadership development with a particular emphasis on people experiencing displacement. Our conversation focused on her journey to her current role, her passion for helping people and how she has learned from and with vulnerable communities in some really hard situations. Aimee has an unshakeable belief in what people can do in community and her current project - HomeShare is an innovative program launching soon to serve families in MA experiencing homelessness. Aimee shared about how she sees the faith community playing a role in this program and how this is a way we can live out our values. This is an episode you do not want to miss!

Fran Graveson is the Migrant Project Coordinator for the Worcester Area Mission Society (WAMS), an organization that helps churches engage with immigrant neighbors through direct helping opportunities (food collections, diaper donations, etc.), advocacy and education. WAMS works with existing organizations - connecting congregants with their work, so that they can participate in the ways they are equipped and called.

Our immigration system is a complicated one and as people navigate it there are many opportunities to come alongside and work to dismantle biases. Tune into this special episode to hear more!

Tune in to this episode with our guest, Christa Lee-Chuvala! Christa reflects upon her faith and vocational journey, and the theme that she recognizes - being troubled by economic injustice in the United States and across the globe. Sharing also how she views intentionality and connectedness as integral components to how she generously gives and engages with justice issues. Additionally, Christa shares a little about B corps and how to support good business while also journeying toward more simple living.

Policies are a symptom of the deeper illness within the US. We need to learn from our history - at every pivot point we could have made better choices as a nation, but we didn’t. This means we could choose rightly now. The future can be different!

Tune into this podcast episode with guest, Joel Edward Goza, author of Rebirth of a Nation: Reparations and Remaking America!

Tune into this special podcast episode with Kyle who shares about his work at the intersection of faith and technology, his upbringing and identity. Growing up Kyle felt he was offered a clear pathway for what it looked like to be a Christian involved in politics (i.e. it meant you were a Republican) - there were specific convictions and policies to adhere to. Kyle questioned this packaged identity after a while - seeing the bias in the criminal justice system helped open his eyes to the other ways of seeing things. Mis and dis information are huge challenges for all of us seeking truth; sharing our own story can be a really powerful way to enter into conversation with people across political (and other) difference.