New Way

We welcome back to the podcast Gina Brown, who founded an inclusive and diverse space for conversations about the intersections of our intuition, wisdom, and lives. It's called the Faith Studio. In part one, we discuss the kind of attention it takes to welcome the wisdom in the room; the role curiosity plays in transformative conversations; and how people in Gina's community are endeavoring to sort out the role religious traditions may play in their story and in the faith they live daily.

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We continue our conversation with Jon Mathieu. Jon founded - and now co-pastors - the church called Harbor Online, which gathers - you guessed it - online. In part two of our interview, John shares some recent innovations at Harbor, including the adoption of a multi-staff model with three part-time co-pastors. We explore that. John details for us the ends and outs of a weekly gathering at Harbor, and why this church gives you permission - and even gentle encouragement - to miss that gathering when you need the space.

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We are happy to welcome Jon Mathieu back to the podcast. He founded, and now co-pastors, a church called Harbor Online which gathers - you guessed it - online. In part one of our conversation, we discuss how Harbor came to be, and why; what it means to find a niche in the marketplace of Christian community; and the deeply participatory nature of their weekly gatherings.

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The Rev. Jess Cook is the co-founder of a community in Richmond, Virginia, called Every Table. If you visit on a Sunday night, you will probably hear some version of these words: “Jesus didn't have a table; he ate at tables where he was welcomed. Every table where Jesus is welcomed is his table, and every table where he is welcomed also welcomes the disenfranchised masses. Everybody is precious; everyday is holy, every place is sacred.” In part two of our conversation, we talk about Every Table - what it practices and stands for - and we discuss everything from sacred plant medicine to the enticing lure of late-stage capitalism - even in the church.

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The Rev. Jess Cook is the co-founder of a community in Richmond, Virginia, called Every Table. If you visit on a Sunday night, you will probably hear some version of these words: “Jesus didn't have a table; he ate at tables where he was welcomed. Every table where Jesus is welcomed is his table, and every table where he is welcomed also welcomes the disenfranchised masses. Everybody is precious; everyday is holy, every place is sacred.” In part one of our conversation, we talk about the impact the last few years have had on Jess’ life - which have fostered what Jess describes as “an incredible experience of openness.” How did Jess get to that point? What changed in their own life that led to that newfound joy?

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The Rev. Amy Miracle is Pastor of Broad Street Presbyterian Church in Columbus, Ohio. She not only wins the prize for most ideal match of last name with vocation; but someone who loves the adventure of her work, and the people with whom she practices her faith. In part two of our conversation, sermons about sex, and the impact of living our actual lives with God - and not some idealized version of them.

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The Rev. Amy Miracle is Pastor of Broad Street Presbyterian Church in Columbus, Ohio. She not only wins the prize for most ideal match of last name with vocation; but has managed to love her work and the people with whom she does it, all well being a self-described “less anxious leader”. These days, that in itself seems like a miracle. In part one of our conversation, we talk about Amy's commitment to less anxious leadership; and why her church focuses on connecting people to one another over prioritizing institutional survival.

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The Rev. Pepa Paniagua is a pastor, New Worshiping Community leader (Kin·dom Community), and co-founder of Kin·dom Camp. She has a beautiful and tender story to tell of the significance of community, the exploration of one's own identity, and pride.

In part two of our conversation, we talk about what success looks like at Kin·dom Camp; the importance of equipping people to affirm LGBTQIA+ youth; and navigating conversations on faith, especially in the midst of harmful theologies.

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The Rev. Pepa Paniagua is a pastor, New Worshiping Community leader (Kin·dom Community), and co-founder of Kin·dom Camp. She has a beautiful and tender story to tell of the significance of community, the exploration of one's own identity, and pride.

In part one of our conversation, we talk about the founding of Kin·dom Camp as an intentionally safe environment for LGBTQIA+ youth; the importance, and challenge, of doing so in a place like Texas; and how the camp's focus on freedom gives young people the chance to explore the complex landscape of identity.

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The Rev. Elizabeth Edman is an Episcopal priest and long-time activist who has an incredible story to tell of the significance of community, of family, and pride. She is also author of the moving book Queer Virtue. In part two of our conversation, we speak about the ethical and spiritual demands that queerness makes of those who claim and live that identity, and how might they inform and shape the ethical and spiritual demands of those of us who claim Christian identity; and why we might hold onto - and live into - hope in times like these.

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