This week on the podcast we’re switching things up: Abby Hutto finds herself on the other side of the interviewing desk in the podcast, being interviewed herself ahead of her teaching this coming Sunday at Formation 45. As enter into our third Scripture emphasis - memorization - Abby shares about why we’re focusing on this valuable (even while challenging) practice. All of this is yours to learn, along with listening to bad vocals of 1999 Billboard Hits like Smashmouth, N’Sync, Cher, and Britney Spears…

This week Abby and Joey sit down in the studio with the one and only Peggy Larochelle! Peggy and her husband Pete are long-time members who will soon be moving away to be closer to family, so we didn’t want to miss this opportunity to sit down with Peggy and capture some of the wisdom that this wonderful saint possesses and has shared with so many at Signal Pres over the years. We talk with Peggy about the gift of discipleship relations and the ways that God has both used others in her life and then used her in the lives of others. And we also hear about Beatitude Living, a ministry that Peggy has helped lead and that offers recovery and renewal for women. Tune in to learn from this woman that we like to call “the Jedi Discipler” here at Signal Pres…

This week on the podcast we’re joined by none other than Jarrell Reeves! Jarrell is a long-time member of Signal Pres, an elder, and the Congregational Care Coordinator here at Signal Pres. Abby and Joey chat with him about how he came to his role, about all the wonderful things that he works to make happen here at Signal Pres, and how he and his wife Barby serve together. The podcast is classier just for being associated with him, and you won’t regret listening and hearing about all the ways that we make space to care for the times when we all need a place that meets us in our pain and need.

This week on the podcast we have a very very special guest this week: Philip James! Abby and Joey sit down with Philip to talk about his family, life, call to ministry, and the path that took him to Signal Pres. Along the way we hear about his formative experiences as a teacher in Memphis City Public Schools, his work as a Pastoral Resident at Second Presbyterian Church, and how he ended up with us here on Signal Mountain. Along the way, you’ll also hear about a providential encounter during a beach volleyball game, Philip’s oddly specific mastery of Latin, and what passage (not) to ask Philip to preach on. Listen in and get to know Philip!

It’s August on Signal Mountain and that means that we are just a couple of weeks away from the return of Wednesday Nights at Signal Pres! We can’t wait to open up our doors again and welcome Kids and Students back. With a new year come some new changes that we’re excited about, and who better to share what’s new and what to expect than Catherine Payne and Camille Ward? It’s not just a chance to get to know them a bit better (Who knew that Catherine wanted to be an airplane pilot? And find out why you want to be friends with Camille if she wins the lottery…) but also to learn more about all the good things you and your family can enjoy on Wednesday nights. Also, Joey discovers the airhorn button in the podcast studio…

This week on the podcast we’re joined by Dr Cliff Foreman - a beloved Bible teacher and recently retired Professor of English at Covenant College. As we come to the Joseph narrative in our summer reading plan of the book of Genesis, Cliff, Abby, and Joey talk about Joseph’s experience in prison and the theme of prison in all of Scripture. Cliff speaks to us out of both his ministry to prisoners at Walker State Prison and also out of his own experience of serving an eighteen-month sentence in federal prison. It’s a wonderful conversation about God’s ability to move and work in the cramped and narrow places in our lives.

This week Abby and Joey are joined by our first guest who isn’t a member of Signal Pres - Mark Grapengater! Mark is an EPC pastor who has also worked in a Michelin-star restaurant, is certified as a sommelier, and who is the founder of The Table Project, a ministry that helps equip the local church for the work of hospitality. After leading a workshop at Signal Pres, Mark stuck around for Abby and Joey to chat with him about his story, about hospitality in the Bible, about how the local church can invite people to God’s Table, and about how to make hospitality easy and accessible work. Listen in!

One of the most beautiful things that happens at Signal Pres is the work we do with our special needs families through Embrace and Night Owls. This week Abby and Joey talk with our two staff members who lead those two ministries, Celestial Allen and Cara Rock, and we talk about what happens in those spaces and how we can better understand our friends and families who have special needs. It’s a beautiful conversation… and of course any time Cara and Celestial are around there’s a lot of laughter. Listen in!

This week Abby and Joey tackle a tough and sensitive topic: forgiveness. What are some of the wrong messages we hear about forgiveness? How does forgiveness of others connect with our relationship with Jesus? What guidance does Scripture give us about forgiveness? And what does it look like even if someone doesn’t reciprocate? We’re talking about all of that and more.

This week, Abby and Joey are joined on the podcast by our brand-new Director of High School Ministry, Lydia Steimer! Lydia joins us to talk about where she’s from, what she’ll be up to with our high school students, and more. Abby and Lydia talk about what it was like to grow up within the church as the daughters of pastors and how they’ve found the Church to be a place not only where they experienced hurt, but also a place of healing as well. You’ll also get to hear some hot tips on how to spend the perfect day with Lydia and a unique position of leadership that Lydia held in college…