The Embedded Church Podcast

So, now what? In this final episode of Season 4, Sara Joy and Eric welcome back to the show Josh Yates and Chris Elisara of Ormond Center to reflect on some key takeaways from Season 4 and to offer specific challenges to pastors, professionals, and the 'piqued' to encourage them to seek shalom in their local context.

How can a church help tell a more complete and restorative story in the neighborhoods that have a reputation for problems as well as neighborhoods that pretend they don't have any problems? In Episode 9 of Season 4, Eric and Sara Joy discuss this important question with Jonathan Brooks, pastor at Lawndale Community Church and author of Church Forsaken: Practicing Presence in Neglected Neighborhoods.

How do we love our neighbors when they live in apartment buildings? In Episode 8 of Season 4, Eric and Sara Joy answer that question with Pete Kelly, CEO of Apartment Life, which is a Christian ministry that helps apartment owners care for residents by connecting them to relationships with others in their building.

How does a relatively small church with a "Gideon calling" bring big transformation to their neighborhood? In Episode 7 of Season 4, Eric and Sara Joy talk with Cynthia Wallace, Executive Pastor of Bible Center Church, about how the Oasis Project is seeking a multifaceted shalom strategy in the Homewood neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

What happens when a church asks questions about the neighborhood and their physical relation to the neighborhood before undertaking a major renovation? In Episode 6 of Season 4, Eric and Sara Joy talk with Rob Kaple, lead pastor of Grace Midtown in Atlanta, about how their church renovation became a defining moment for their church's posture towards the surrounding neighborhoods.

How can a podcast help generate love for a place? In Episode 5 of Season 4, Eric and Sara Joy talk with Adam Ward about how he is sharing stories of local leaders serving the kingdom of God in his podcast entitled For Columbus.

Is there a third way to consider the church's engagement in our current culture? How do we be agents of flourishing rather than fall into modes of attack and retreat? In Episode 4 of Season 4, Eric and Sara Joy talk with Dr. Amy Sherman of the Sagamore Institute about the writing and research she has done to exemplify opportunities for churches to cultivate shalom within their congregations and communities.

Is placemaking even possible? Or is place just the given context in which we pursue our mission. In Episode 3 of Season 4, Eric and Sara Joy contend that placemaking is possible and give some ideas of how to go about it as individuals and as congregations.

What makes the places where our homes and churches are located distinct and why should this matter to our mandate to seek shalom? In Episode 2 of Season 4, Eric and and Sara Joy seek to define "place" and bring in Chris Elisara to expound on the topic from his own personal experiences.

What is shalom and is it really a dirty word? In Episode 1 of Season 4, Eric and Sara Joy introduce Wendell Berry's image of a bucket collecting local, natural materials and making soil or "dirt" as a metaphor for cultivating the shalom of a place. They also talk with Josh Yates, Executive Director of Ormond Center, to develop a robust definition of shalom for our listeners that provides a strong basis for meaningful Christian engagement in our communities in the midst of our cultural moment.