Perspectives: First Church San Diego Pastors Podcast

Advent—the time in between—is here. But many of us struggle to feel “Christmas-y” when life isn’t where we hoped it would be. If peace feels out of tune for you right now, this episode is for you.

Join Rev. Trudy and Rev. Brittany – two of the three female pastors of First United Methodist Church of San Diego – as they discuss their Advent Mixtape, exploring how ancient and modern songs can ground us in peace in a world that never stops moving.

While most Christmas songs feel light, airy, and escapist – giving the false perception that peace is only achievable in stillness and calm, David’s Psalmody, Psalm 96 – one of the “lesser-known songs of Christmas” – provides a more honest and hopeful vision of peace.

In this progressive digital Bible-study conversation, explore:

We invite you to keep the conversation going as you journey through Advent. Join our in-person Convergence group, visit our Patreon Channel, or gather friends and family to discuss these reflection questions:

Want to hear the rest of Our Advent Mixtape? Join us for Season 3, Episodes 14-16, for reflections on hope, joy, and love. New episodes drop Sunday mornings.

In today’s episode, we share a selection from Psalm 96 (NRSV), and, as a bonus treat, the full psalm from The Message translation below. As you read it, consider: What tune do you think would fit this modern translation of the ancient song?

Psalms 96

1-2a Sing God a brand-new song!
Earth and everyone in it, sing!
Sing to God—worship God!
2b-3 Shout the news of his victory from sea to sea,
Take the news of his glory to the lost,
News of his wonders to one and all!
4-5a For God is great, and worth a thousand Hallelujahs.
His furious beauty puts the other gods to shame;
Pagan gods are mere tatters and rags.
5b-6 God made the heavens—
Royal splendor radiates from him,
A powerful beauty sets him apart.
7Bravo, God, Bravo!
Everyone join in the great shout: Encore!
In awe before the beauty, in awe before the might.
8-9Bring gifts and celebrate,
Bow before the beauty of God,
Then to your knees—everyone worship!
10Get out the message—God Rules!
He put the world on a firm foundation;
He treats everyone fair and square.
11Let’s hear it from Sky,
With Earth joining in,
And a huge round of applause from Sea.
12Let Wilderness turn cartwheels,
Animals, come dance,
Put every tree of the forest in the choir—
13An extravaganza before God as he comes,
As he comes to set everything right on earth,
Set everything right, treat everyone fair.

Scripture taken from The Message, copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

In this episode of Perspectives FUMCSD Pastors Podcast, we’re asking: What is it that we do when things seem so horrific? What do we think? What do we want? What is our hope in situations like that? We'll see what Isaiah has to say about it.

Rev. Trudy and Rev. Hannah – two of the female pastors of First United Methodist Church of San Diego – use a progressive theological lens to visit the prophet Isaiah’s radical vision of God’s new world, delivered in Isaiah 65:17-25. They’re words delivered to ancient people who have been beaten down and lost all hope, and the pastors are surprised by how relevant it all still is.

If you’re at a point in your life when you want to burn everything down and start over again, this episode is for you.

If you’d like to dive deeper into the themes of this digital Bible Study, we invite you to reflect on these questions:

And if you’d like to discuss the topic with others, you’re invited to join one of our discussion groups:

Our Patreon community is open to all — wherever you are on your spiritual journey. It’s free to join and connect over weekly questions, with optional paid tiers for bonus content and deeper engagement.

Progressive Christian Podcast on Faith, Justice & Reconciliation — Weekly Scripture: Micah 6:8 — “Do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with God.”

Join Rev. Brittany and special guest Leo Djamson for an inspiring and deeply honest conversation about faith, racial justice, and cultural understanding through the lens of First United Methodist Church of San Diego’s Sankofa Pilgrimage to Ghana – exploring the lasting effects of the transatlantic slave trade and how it’s shaped the beautifully diverse and resilient people of Ghana. It’s an impactful journey of discovery for all involved regardless of heritage, upbringing, personal experiences, and political beliefs.

This pilgrimage is one of the ways that the church lives out Micah’s call to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God. It’s all about embracing racial justice and loving kindly as we uncover and unpack some of the history of our ancestors that influence our implicit biases and contribute to today’s continuing racial tensions.

Leo is a member of church who grew up in Ghana. Listen in as he shares about his childhood, how Ghana shaped his life, and the cultural similarities and differences than the US. They also discuss the misconceptions the US has about west Africa and how Ghana honors its history and participation in the transatlantic slave trade.

This conversation models an effective, healthy way to connect with others at a deeper, more meaningful level to expand our awareness and appreciation of other cultures – finding shared experiences as well as the mosaic of beautiful differences that shape the way we interact with and understand the world and our communities.

We invite you to continue this conversation model! Join our in-person Convergence group or our online community at patreon.com/fumcsd. Our groups are open to all — wherever you are on your spiritual journey. As a progressive church, we provide a safe space to dig deeper into your faith and beliefs.

About the Sankofa Pilgrimage:

The Sankofa Pilgrimage is more than a trip. It is a sacred journey of study, travel, and reflection, rooted in the West African Adinkra symbol Sankofa, which means “It is not foolish to go back and get that which you have forgotten.” Together, pilgrims remember the humanity of all people, confront painful truths about the church’s complicity in racism, and explore how God is calling us to be builders of justice and reconciliation today.

The Sankofa Pilgrimage welcomes people of all faith backgrounds. Teens 14+ may attend with a trusted adult. Classroom learning is free and open to everyone, even for those not traveling.

Based on John 21:1-13

In this episode of Perspectives FUMCSD Pastors Podcast, Rev. Hannah and Rev. Trudy explore what it means to respond to God’s call — both personally and as a faith community.

Inspired by the “postscript” chapter of John’s Gospel, this conversation dives into the miraculous breakfast on the shore: a moment that combines miracle, relationship, and eucharist — reminding us that the resurrection isn’t just about following Jesus, but about how we live, belong, and serve together.

Join the female pastors of First United Methodist Church of San Diego as they unpack what this story means for our stewardship journey and how we live out our life’s call:

This is a story of recommissioning — a reminder that the call continues and the story is still being written.

We invite you to continue to think about how we can respond to God’s call as a faith community today. Join our in-person Convergence group or our online community at patreon.com/fumcsd.

Here are the discussion questions for this episode:

Our Patreon community is open to all — wherever you are on your spiritual journey. It’s free to join and connect over weekly questions, with optional paid tiers for bonus content and deeper engagement.

Series Recap: Season 3, Episodes 7-10 invited us to reimagine how we view and use our resources — not just as individuals, but as a community called to generosity, participation, and response. Be sure to check out the other episodes in the series!

What if God’s idea of “holiness” isn’t about perfection — but about liberation, equity, and rest for all creation? In this week’s episode of Perspectives, Rev. Brittany and Rev. Trudy reimagine the ancient practice of Jubilee (Leviticus 25:8–12) as a radical vision for community, justice, and healing. Together, they explore what it means to reset our lives and our systems toward freedom, forgiveness, and shared flourishing.

As the people of Israel prepared to enter the Promised Land, they were asked to imagine a new way of living — one marked by rest, release, and restoration. The Jubilee year invited them to reset by freeing servants and forgiving debts. It was a remembrance that everything ultimately belongs to God.

The female pastors of First United Methodist Church of San Diego explore:
• How holiness is dynamic — something practiced with intention and vigilance
• What Jubilee teaches us about community, stewardship, and freedom
• Why imagining a new way of being is the first step toward living it
• How modern communities can embody Jubilee through inclusion, acceptance, and generosity

Through the digital Bible study, we’re reminded that even though Jubilee may seem impossible to live out on a large scale, there’s incredible power in small, grassroots acts of forgiveness and freedom.

We invite you to continue to reimagine Jubilee for the modern world. Join our in-person Convergence group or our online community at patreon.com/fumcsd to discuss the questions for this episode:

Our Patreon community is open to all – no matter where you align in your spiritual beliefs. It’s free to join and connect over the weekly episode questions. There is also an optional paid membership that unlocks additional content. Check it out at https://www.patreon.com/fumcsd!

Imagine a community where everyone has enough — not because of charity, but because justice is built into the system. That’s the bold vision of Deuteronomy 15, and in this episode of Perspectives, Revs. Hannah and Brittany explore what it means to practice release, generosity, and rest in a world that thrives on accumulation. It's a radical vision and economic rhythm that reminds us: If you have, you give.

Deuteronomy 15 outlines God’s vision of releasing debts, providing rest, and granting freedom every seventh year – helping community members by opening our hands and hearts, releasing debts, and providing financial freedom and relief to others.

The female pastors notice it’s a story of abundance, acknowledging that as a church community, we’ll always have more than enough, so there is no need for an inward focus of hoarding personal assets instead of having an external focus of communal support and prosperity.

They also use this digital Bible Study to discuss:

There are a lot of concepts packed into this short conversation, so we encourage you to engage with others as you uncover your thoughts about financial release. You can do so through our in-person Convergence group or joining our online community at patreon.com/fumcsd.

Here are the discussion questions for this episode:

Our Patreon community is open to all – no matter where you align in your spiritual beliefs. It’s free to join and connect over the weekly episode questions. There is also an optional paid membership that unlocks additional content. Check it out at https://www.patreon.com/fumcsd!

Rev. Hannah and Rev. Brittany are back in the Video Studio continuing their discussion on money, the church, and what it means for modern Christians. This time, they’re talking about the concept of helping community members by opening our hands and hearts and releasing debts, providing financial freedom and relief to others. It’s a conversation they’ve titled: Our Money Story – Release.

The two female pastors are inspired by Deuteronomy 15 and God’s vision of releasing debts, providing rest, and granting freedom every seventh year. Through the biblical passage, they notice it’s a story of abundance, acknowledging that as a church community, we’ll always have more than enough, so there is no need for an inward focus of hoarding personal assets instead of having an external focus of communal support and prosperity.

They describe it in this straightforward way of thinking: If you have, you give. The women clergy of First United Methodist Church of San Diego also use this digital Bible Study to discuss:

There are a lot of concepts packed into this short conversation, so we encourage you to engage with others as you uncover your thoughts about financial release. You can do so through our in-person Convergence group or joining our online community at patreon.com/fumcsd.

Here are the discussion questions for this episode:

Our Patreon community is open to all – no matter where you align in your spiritual beliefs. It’s free to join and connect over the weekly episode questions. There is also an optional paid membership that unlocks additional content. Check it out at https://www.patreon.com/fumcsd!

We all worry about having “enough” — enough money, enough time, enough security. But what if God’s invitation is to trust that we already have what we need? In this first episode of Living Out Our Purpose, Revs. Hannah and Brittany reflect on Exodus 16 and how the wilderness story of manna still speaks to our modern anxieties around finances, fear, and community care.

Through this conversation series, we'll look at how churches — and each of us — can remember how God provides, even when we’re tempted to hold on too tightly. Some themes and ideas they uncover include:

Ultimately, they ask: If our resources come from God, who should authority of it over God? Why do we control resources and gatekeep what others can access?

It’s a lot to consider, so we encourage you to engage in conversations with others as you dig deep to uncover your thoughts about money and the church. You can do so through our in-person Convergence group or joining our online community at patreon.com/fumcsd.

Here are the discussion questions for this episode:

Our Patreon community is open to all – no matter where you align in your spiritual beliefs. It’s free to join and connect over the weekly episode questions. There is also an optional paid membership that unlocks additional content. Check it out at https://www.patreon.com/fumcsd!

We all worry about having “enough” — enough money, enough time, enough security. But what if God’s invitation is to trust that we already have what we need? In this first episode of Living Out Our Purpose, Revs. Hannah and Brittany reflect on Exodus 16 and how the wilderness story of manna still speaks to our modern anxieties around finances, fear, and community care.

Through this conversation series, we'll look at how churches — and each of us — can remember how God provides, even when we’re tempted to hold on too tightly. Some themes and ideas they uncover include:

Ultimately, they ask: If our resources come from God, who should authority of it over God? Why do we control resources and gatekeep what others can access?

It’s a lot to consider, so we encourage you to engage in conversations with others as you dig deep to uncover your thoughts about money and the church. You can do so through our in-person Convergence group or joining our online community at patreon.com/fumcsd.

Here are the discussion questions for this episode:

Our Patreon community is open to all – no matter where you align in your spiritual beliefs. It’s free to join and connect over the weekly episode questions. There is also an optional paid membership that unlocks additional content. Check it out at https://www.patreon.com/fumcsd!

In this week’s podcast, Rev. Trudy and Rev. Hannah of First United Methodist Church of San Diego confront the hypocrisy of the church through the ages as they wrap up the conversation series: “What We Really Mean When We Talk About…”

They look to the Old Testament Book of Isaiah to see if today’s shifts in the church are new to modern culture, or if definition of worship and church have changed since the biblical times. (Spoiler alert: Our current moment in culture isn’t as unique as we may think from a church perspective!)

The conversation has a lot of twists and turns – looking back at the past – to inform and bring comfort to those who are seeking new ways to experience worship and church in our forever changing environment.

It’s a lot to consider, so we encourage you to engage in conversations with others as you dig deep to uncover your thoughts about church. You can do so through our in-person Convergence group or joining our online community at patreon.com/fumcsd.

Here are the discussion questions for this episode:

Our Patreon community is open to all – no matter where you align in your spiritual beliefs. It’s free to join and connect over the weekly episode questions. There is also an optional paid membership that unlocks additional content. Check it out at https://www.patreon.com/fumcsd!