Meet in the Middle

Rev. Dawn Lynn Check talks with  Lt. Colonel Rev. Dr. Jonathan Bell who is a chaplain serving in the 171st Air Fueling Wing out of Pittsburgh. Jonathan, who is a United Methodist pastor, is just back from a seven month deployment.  Bell shares his experiences of being a deployed liaison for religious faiths, compassionate care,  and personal freedoms .

Rev. Zayzay Kpadeh talks with Dr. Elizabeth Hoorn Petersen and Rev. Zukisa Fumba of the South African Faith and Family Institute, talking about struggles in Southern Africa, and how SAFFI works for the betterment of those in need. First of a two part show.

Meet in the Middle co-hosts Rev. Dawn Lynn Check and Rev. Renee Mikell discuss the Senate confirmation hearings of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to replace Justice Steven Breyer on the U.S Supreme Court.

Bishop Thomas J. Bickerton of the New York Conference joins Pastor Zayzay Kpadeh. Bishop Bickerton  helped to launch the Global Health Initiative and currently chairs United  Methodist Church's Global Health Initiative , which works on a variety of issues such as global poverty to the church's fight in eliminating and dismantling killer diseases. 

Rev.  Ryan Pusch of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA) joins Rev. Renee Mikell this week to discuss the value of  Ecumenism and the benefit of a collaborative approach to social justice issues. 

Pastor Drew Gordon talks with Rev. Jeff Bobin, who brought his presentation on Human Trafficking to the Pastors of the Franklin District.  Jeff shares his insight, as well as helping us to remember that human trafficking can happen even at our back door.

Rev.  Dawn Lynn Check talks with Steve and Cathy Tanaka. Steve is a first generation Japanese American. His parents and grandparents were in internment camps during WWII. Forty percent of  those in camps died in captivity. 

Pastor Zayzay Kpadeh talks with Jeffrey Polley, a therapist in Clarion County in Western PA and  Pastor Timothy Harmon, .Senior Pastor of the 2nd Presbyterian Church of Oil City, PA. “Together We Can,” seeks a community approach in fighting for social change and racial justice in Venango County, Western Pennsylvania. 

Deven Clarke   KPRC-TV Field Reporter describes himself as a southern Yankee, native Brooklynite, turned proud Texan. Pastor Drew Gordon talks with him this week about his start and development in the communication field. From his first time in front of a camera to recently covering the story of a Texas Death Inmate, Deven shares his thoughts on the status of the media today. 

Rev. Dawn Lynn Check talks to Rev.  Michael Airgood, a former United Methodist missionary to Ukraine, and to Nazar Yatsysshyn a working Christian publisher and former United Methodist Church fellow. They discuss their history, and current situations in Ukraine.