Missio Savannah

Lorrie and Fritz Rumpel had a dream for Savannah.  They wrote a play about Suzy King Taylor and led a production team that performed the play in the Summer of 2022.  

As he was in the midst of bringing the play to life, Fritz sat down with me to talk about his life’s journey that brought him out of Savannah and back again.  Fritz and Lorrie now lead tours in Savannah that emphasize the story of the Black Church in Savannah.  They are also theatre people who are passionate about the power and potential of community theatre. 

This episode first appeared on the Living Creatures podcast.

In 2000 at the “Passion One Day” Conference, Pastor John Piper gave a stirring speech where he challenged this listeners not to waste their lives in pursuit of a retirement on the beach, collecting shells and having a nice boat. John Piper would be glad to know that Clark and Carol put their business, their house on the water and their boat up for sale to answer God’s call on their life.  

Today Clark and Carol are serving as global missionaries working to "equip the saints for the work of ministry" though E412 Ministries. 

They are Savannahians that are using their gift of life to do the work that God has graciously prepared for them.  This is their testimony. 

Wordsmith extraordinaire Aaron Belz is a punchy and pithy poet.  In books like “Soft Launch” and “Glitter Bomb,” Aaron supplies spoonfuls of guffaw-rendering humor that coats poignant moments of pathos and human-reckoning.  
Although he was not in Savannah for long, we are counting him as one of our own.  Thus he joins the pantheon of other short-timer Savannahians of note like  John & Charles Wesley, George Whitefield, William Tecumseh Sherman, Sandra Bullock, Sponge Bob Square Pants, Greg Allman and Dwayne the Rock Johnson.     

Upon completing his two-year of seasons in Savannah he was off to one of his former home towns - St. Louis.  That’s were Aaron joined me for a COVID style video conference interview. 

Int his interview, Aaron talks about the dynamics of community artistic endeavors  in light of SCAD’s formidable presence here.  Aaron talks about what he experienced here that he values and what it was like for him to write in Savannah in comparison to other places.

Aaron offers his perspective the poetry read at the Biden Inauguration, discusses domestic poetry policy, makes poetry recommendations based on Amazon purchases and reads one of his favorite poems and one of his own.  

This podcast is the second half of an interview with John Novicoff. The first half of the interview covered John’s life prior to coming to Savannah in 1972. This second podcast delves into John’s life since coming to Savannah. Here John talks about his time spend at a pastor and counselor as well as his opportunities for ministry in international missions and alcoholics anonymous. In addition, John takes the time to reflect on his wife’s Margot’s spirited tenacity in the face of a debilitating and deadly illness.

John’s life testifies to the steadfast patience of God and the relentless and surprising ways that in all things God works for good of those that love Him. We know the time you spend listening to John’s story will be time well spent.

John Novicoff was born in 1931 in East Los Angeles and lived in Savannah since 1972,

John’s life is a long and winding journey of ups and downs, successes and failures. Yet God faithfully used him John as His servant despite John’s own weakness and struggles. John’s testimony demonstrates God’s steady providence and long-suffering patience. It shows us how grace is not a one time event, but is something that we require again and again.  It shows how God can use our failings and circumstances for his purposes.

John testifies to a God that is with us in times of great suffering. John’s testimony shows how amendment of life can some slowly but surely as God does his slow and steady work in us.

This interview is split into two podcasts. This first podcast takes us from John’s childhood in a turbulent family and Russian upbringing in Depression era East LA’s all the way through John’s call to ministry and military service spanning the wrap up of the 2nd Word War through the wars in Korea and Vietnam.

The second podcast episode will focus on John’s half century of ministry and counseling in Savannah as well as his involvement in international mission work, alcoholics anonymous and his wife’s brave and clear-eyed battle with a debilitating illness.  Missio Savannah hopes you benefit from John's grace-marked testimony. To God be the Glory, great thing He has done!

Covardis "Varde" Broadie is a steady and impactful servant leader at Urban Hope Ministry in Savannah.

In this podcasts, Mrs. Broadie shares about her calling to serve God by working with local children through Urban Hope.  

Brian and Heather Flood are the couple behind Hope Academy.  

Brian Flood talks about what Savannah can expect in terms of a coming diaspora in the wake of the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.  

Brian describes ways that Savannahians can welcome and love the people displaced by conflict and they transition to new lives in the United States.   

Kerri Goodrich talks about the good work that is happening on the East Side of Savannah at Performance Initiatives.  

Savannah Attorney Roy Paul shares about his experience as a volunteer with Kairos Prison Ministry. 

Kristy Crill is the founder of "The Dive Savannah." 

Kristy sits down with Brian Dennison to talk about her call to serve and how God is using her catering start-up to minister to veterans and the homeless.