The Rooster Crows LPCC Podcast

The Sistine Chapel in the Vatican has the world's most famous Christian images, but do they still matter? That's what Canadian author Jeannie Marshall has been thinking about for the past 20 years, since she moved to Rome. Join us for a fascinating personal meditation on how these 500 year old images can still be meaningful, even in our secular culture.  To listen to the podcast, click here [ put in the url for the podcast on our website], to see it on YouTube, click here [ https://youtu.be/92CjyAec_HQ?si=Syk-an-Rfh_hUpaH].

In our latest podcast we tell the amazing story of the formation of Canada's first union for the homeless. The Toronto Underhoused and Homeless Union (TUHU) was created just over a year ago. Rev. Stephen Milton talks to two of the union's founding members, Rev. Angie Hocking and an African refugee, who has asked to be called Iya. It's a fascinating story of the unexpected formation of the union, and the equally surprising ways it has been helping people who are  victims of the city's housing crisis.

Rev. Roberta speaks to Tim Kennedy and Jeanette Unger, chaplains with the Ecumenical Chaplaincy at U of T, who are a part of the critical piece of spiritual care for young adults.

For as long as humans have been around, there have been people that we would identify today as a part of the LGBTQ2S+ community. Cultures and histories from across time and space have shown people resisting oppression, creating families and communities, exploring the depths of human emotion through arts, and sharing stories. 

In this edition of the Rooster Crows Podcast, Rev. Stephen Milton poses a simple question: if a healthy person were forced to live on the streets tomorrow, what would happen to their health? Stephen interviews Roxie Danielson, a street nurse in Toronto who works with people who are experiencing homelessness. Roxie has been doing this work for nine years, and used to sit on the steering committee for the Shelter and Housing Justice Network in Toronto.

Rev. Roberta speaks with Joseph Lauren of Restorative Justice Housing Ontario (RJHO) who assists former prisoners by providing safe, affordable housing. This gives them the stable foundation they need to become positive members of their communities. It will also lead to lower rates of re-offence and safer neighbourhoods, which helps the city as a whole. 

In our final podcast of the year, we feature some of the weird backstories behind Christmas traditions. Why did kids have to go on strike to get  Christmas vacations? Who was the real Saint Nicholas?  If you haven't been following Stephen's daily emails about Christmas, this is a good way to catch up, and get some killer trivia for Christmas dinner. 

In this episode of our podcast we're talking about contemplative Christianity - what is it, where did it come from, and why don't many people know about it? We talk to Justin Coutts of NewEdenMinistry.com, an online contemplative community hosted from Manitoulin Island. Justin and Rev. Stephen talk about the ancient roots of this form of Christianity, which focuses on meditation and prayer, rather than judgemental morality. This could be the kind of Christianity you hoped could exist - and was there all the time. 

In a special Halloween edition of the Rooster Crows, Stephen and Roberta dive into some ghost stories that come from United Churches across the country. Why do so many churches have ghosts? What does the UCC think about ghosts? And why are they so focused on the pipe organ?