Rev. Melissa Collier Gepford is the Intergenerational Discipleship Coordinator of the United Methodist Great Plains Conference, in which she helps congregations establish healthy kids and youth ministries. She grew up in East Texas and graduated from Perkins School of Theology, and as an ordained deacon, she connects church people to the world. Melissa is a writer, speaker, and most recently, the creator of Dandelion Marketplace. She enjoys drinking good coffee, working out, and testing her semi-green thumb. Melissa and her husband Bill enjoy dancing when they can and love playing with their son, Finnegan.

GenOn’s Training Director, Betsy Dishman, also serves on staff at her local church in Virginia. Helping churches evaluate where they are with intergenerational ministry and guiding them to develop their own pathways to realize their specific vision and goals is her passion. Her favorite quote to explain her work is: “It’s a process, not a program!” 

Brittany has the opportunity to catch up with Lindsey Krinks—a street chaplain, activist, and nonprofit leader who has worked for over a decade on the front lines of social justice movements. She is the co-founder of Open Table Nashville, a nationally acclaimed interfaith homeless outreach nonprofit. Check out her book Praying With Our Feet: Pursuing Justice and Healing on the Streets.

A native of Texas, pastor Fernie moved to Louisiana in 2015 after getting his MDiv at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Chicago, IL. While living in Chicago, Fernie served at First UMC of Palatine as the Director of Contemporary Worship. His main responsibility was to recruit, hire, and train a team of people to launch a new worshipping community within the walls of a long-standing church. By the end of his time there, a new contemporary worship service had been launched, a partnership was built with Garrett-Evangelical to make the church a training ground for future pastors, a new breath of life was injected into that church, and the first mission trip the church had done in about 15 years was planned and executed to Detroit, MI.

Rev. Dr. Jennifer Strickland is a Senior-Co Pastor of Claremont United Church of Christ, along with her husband. They are the proud parents of their (almost) 2-year-old daughter, 3 dogs, and 2 potbelly pigs. Jen is also the creator of This Little Light Ministries, through which she offers progressive Vacation Bible School curricula and worship liturgy.

www.thislittlelightministries.com

Katie Lemaire is a Catholic writer, homeschooling mom of two, and military spouse currently stationed in California. Originally from South Louisiana, she takes great pride in her Cajun heritage and finds solace in a big bowl of seafood gumbo. Follow her writing on katiewonders.substack.com and on Instagram @katiewonders.

Welcome to Messy but Graceful, a podcast where we explore God, spirituality, caregiving and parenting, and how those things change us, help us grow, and bring us closer to ourselves, our kids, and our God. In this second episode, Brittany Sky interviews Brian McLaren. Listen to hear his answers to the five questions Brittany asks all of her guests.

Brian D. McLaren is an author, speaker, activist, and public theologian. A former college English teacher and pastor, he is a passionate advocate for “a new kind of Christianity” – just, generous, and working with people of all faiths for the common good. He is a core faculty member and Dean of Faculty for the Center for Action and Contemplation. and a podcaster with Learning How to See. He is also an Auburn Senior Fellow and is a co-host of Southern Lights. His newest books are  Faith After Doubt (January 2021), and Do I Stay Christian? (May 2022). His next release, Life After Doom: Wisdom and Courage for a World Falling Apart, is available for pre-order now and will release in May 2024.

Welcome to Messy but Graceful, a podcast where we explore God, spirituality, caregiving and parenting, and how those things change us, help us grow, and bring us closer to ourselves, our kids, and our God. In this first episode, you'll meet your host, Brittany Sky, and hear her answers to the five questions she asks all of her guests:

Join her and her BFF, Christy, to hear how she answers these questions, today at least. 

Brittany Sky is a mama, writer, kids pastor, and researcher who loves kids and the adults who care for them. She holds a BA and MA in Christian Education and an MBA for good measure. Brittany is the author of Raising Good People, the Celebrate Wonder Bible Storybook, and the Bible Basics Storybook, and a contributing author to Safer Sanctuaries and the Deep Blue Bible Storybook, and countless curricula. She is the Project Director of the GenOn grant-funded Christian Parenting Project and serves at St. Ann's Episcopal Church. She lives in the land of the Cherokee (Nashville, TN) with her child, Rowan, her dog, Lily, and her two bunnies, Carl and Ellie.