Rev'ing Up: Answering the Call of Liberal-Religious Leadership

The holiday season often inspires reflection about our practices of generosity and gratitude. This year, as we continue to recover and heal from the ongoing COVID pandemic, the holidays may be even more meaningful.

On this episode, Carrie and Meagan discuss generosity in the liberal religious context and where it shows up -- or doesn't -- in our congregations. What does true generosity mean and how is it different from practicing gratitude? 

We hope this conversation will inspire you to start or re-commit to a practice of generosity, whatever that means for you. Please let us know what's on your mind by emailing [email protected], commenting below, or joining our Listener Community at facebook.com/groups/revingup.

What does healing look like? In ourselves, in our communities, and in the world?

After a year and a half of the COVID pandemic, we all have healing to do. On this episode, Meagan and Carrie discuss healing on many levels. Meagan, who is dealing with a new and mysterious health issue, shares her reflections about the journey of healing that chronic illness can require. Whether it's bodily illness, spiritual hurts like loss and bereavement, or the general trauma and fatigue caused by the COVID pandemic and a culture that is hyper-focused on growth and productivity, the arc of healing can be long. On today's episode, Meagan and Carrie discuss their personal experiences and how ministers can work to bring healing to spiritual communities and the world.

Community Church offers many virtual programs throughout the week to help you re-connect with your body and spirit, from crafting circles to art appreciation and more. This fall and winter, Carrie will be leading a series called Soul Restore about embodied spiritual experiences. Please check ccny.org/calendar and feel welcome to join us whether you are a CCNY member or a friend from elsewhere.

With thoughts or comments about the show, please email [email protected] or join the conversation in our Listener Community on Facebook: facebook.com/groups/revingup. 

While Meagan enjoys some well-deserved time off with her spouse, Carrie takes a virtual visit to Montpelier, Vermont to hear from our first-ever special guest on Rev'ing Up! Verdis LeVar Robinson is a student at Meadville Lombard Theological School currently serving as an intern minister at the Unitarian Church of Montpelier. Join us for a chat with Verdis on their journey from a Pentecostal upbringing to Unitarian-Universalist ministry and much more. Verdis and Carrie compare and contrast their experiences of intern ministry in Vermont and New York City and discuss the many roles a minister must be ready to play.

We welcome you to join Carrie, Verdis, and Meagan in conversation in our Listener Community Facebook group, accessible at facebook.com/groups/revingup. For those without Facebook or who prefer email, send us a note at [email protected]! Finally, all are welcome at our second Rev'ing Up live event, to be held in mid-December. 

Tis the season of Halloween, All Souls' Day, Samhain, and Dia de los Muertos. A time of transition and turning inward, when the veil between the worlds of the living and the dead becomes thinner. On today's episode of Rev'ing Up, Meagan and Carrie discuss their recent experiences with death and dying. We hear from Meagan on crafting memorial services for two different families this summer, and from Carrie on her personal experience with major grief and the ashes internment of her beloved husband William.

The inevitability of death can give new meaning to life and to participating in a religious community. We invite you to be in community with us by sending us an email at [email protected], joining our Facebook group at facebook.com/groups/revingup, or attending our Rev'ing Up live event in mid-December. 

"I don’t know what I’m doing. But because they trust me, I’m going to do something: live into that role, live into ministerial authority and ministerial presence. That’s what I would want if I were in [a patient's] situation, so I’m just going to do it.” -- Carrie McEvoy

In today's episode of Rev'ing Up, hosts Meagan and Carrie continue their discussion of Clinical Pastoral Education and chaplaincy. Sometimes, being perceived as a source of authority or spiritual presence activates our own ability to be authoritative or present. Hear a powerful anecdote from Carrie about witnessing an intense moment of grief as a chaplain in training, and follow along with Meagan and Carrie's discussion about how this informs their ministerial formation.

We love hearing from you. Please get in touch at [email protected], join the conversation in our Listener Community at facebook.com/groups/revingup, and mark your calendar for our second Rev'ing Up live event in mid-December.

Author Anne Lamott says that there are three essential types of prayer: HELP, THANKS, and WOW. On today's episode, Meagan and Carrie discuss learning new ways to pray as part of their chaplaincy training in Clinical Pastoral Education. From learning from colleagues of other faiths about their prayer traditions to praying for patients on the burn ward, Carrie and Meagan share their reflections on the nature of prayer and speaking with the Divine from a liberal-religious perspective. 

We welcome you to join our community conversation. Email us at [email protected] or join our Facebook group at Facebook.com/groups/revingup to share your thoughts and comments! We appreciate your taking the time to listen to this Community Church of New York podcast. If you would like to support our work, like and subscribe to our channel or tell a friend about the show.

“Clinical Pastoral Education was the moment where I felt like a minister.” -- Carrie McEvoy

Welcome back to Rev'ing Up! 

It's been a busy summer for our hosts Carrie and Meagan. Catch up with us in this episode where Meagan and Carrie begin a discussion of one of this season's major themes: Clinical Pastoral Education, or CPE. Today we hear about Carrie and Meagan's experiences during the summers of 2020 and 2021 being Unitarian-Universalist intern ministers undergoing their chaplaincy training in interfaith environments.

We love staying connected with you and responding to your comments and questions. Whether or not you are pursuing a life in ministry, please feel welcome to contact us to discuss the show. You can email us at [email protected] or find us on Facebook at facebook.com/groups/revingup. Mark your calendar for our second Rev'ing Up live event in mid-December! 

Our first season of Rev'ing Up: Answering the Call of Liberal-Religious Leadership is coming to a close! Join us for our live event on CCNY YouTube (youtube.com/c/ccnyuu) at 7pm Eastern on Thursday, May 27 and bring your thoughts and questions. 

On today's show, Carrie and Meagan continue their discussion about intern ministership during the COVID-19 pandemic. This week, we focus on self-care and the ongoing question of how to make ministry sustainable for the people who pursue it. 

The concept of self care originates in the work of radical poet and activist Audre Lorde. If you'd like to investigate the concept outside of a consumerist framework, the Audre Lorde Project provides resources to do so: https://alp.org/breaking-isolation-self-care-and-community-care-tools-our-people

This episode also references the book Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer. Learn more or pick up a copy: https://milkweed.org/book/braiding-sweetgrass. 

Join our Listener Community at facebook.com/groups/revingup or drop us a line at [email protected]!

As our first season of Rev'ing Up moves toward its close, Meagan and Carrie take time to discuss a question we saw frequently in the responses to our Rev'ing Up initial community survey: what the heck is it like to learn ministry during a pandemic? From opening meetings with spiritual readings and personal check-ins to cultivating gratitude for new tech tools and competencies, today's show discusses the ins and outs of ministry during COVID. We are living in a time filled with grief and anger, and effective ministers are very much needed. 

This episode references Emergent Strategy by adrienne maree brown. 

Read more about emergent strategy: https://www.colorlines.com/articles/three-lessons-adrienne-maree-browns-emergent-strategy

Or purchase the book: https://www.akpress.org/emergentstrategy.html

Next week we will discuss self- and community-care from an intern minister's perspective. We hope you will join us for that and for our LIVE SHOW on Thursday, May 27 at 7pm! Meagan and Carrie will be chatting and taking your questions on our CCNY YouTube channel at youtube.com/c/ccnyuu. In the meantime, join our Listener Community at facebook.com/groups/revingup or drop us a line at [email protected]. 

Thank you for joining us for another episode of Rev'ing Up: Answering the Call of Liberal-Religious Leadership. Today, Meagan and Carrie have serious news to share regarding our colleague Anthony Cruz, whose journey at Community Church has come to an unexpected end.

From that announcement, the conversation moves into a meditation on the importance of collegiality for ministers in formation. We don't have to go it alone. 

You are heartily invited to the Rev'ing Up live event, which will be streamed on CCNY YouTube on May 27. Join our Listener Community at facebook.com/groups/revingup or email us at [email protected] with questions, comments, or suggestions for topics you'd like to see us discuss.