Colber Prosper and I met at the inception of the Wild Goose Festival's LEAD NOW! program in 2015. We both returned as contributors in 2016. LEAD NOW! applied his teaching and leadership skills while I joined the first-ever GooseCast , a stage dedicated to podcasters. Colber is an author and the founder of Prosper & Partners . Colber's first book, No Entry: Examining the Powers that Undermine Our Full Potential , is a unique breakthrough book. It is accessible like Between the World and Me by...
Mar 27, 2017•29 min
According to Mr. Rogers, Leslie Boyd has a very important job - telling the truth. "Truth-telling is a ministry and it's a joy to be able to do it," Leslie says. And Mr. Rogers is not the only famous reverend to encourage Leslie's truth-telling. Rev. Dr. William Barber, II seems to lend a microphone to Leslie every chance he gets. To learn more of Leslie's story after this interview, we recommend her blog (below) and her book, Life o' Mike . I was happy to have Leslie share about the joy that sh...
Mar 20, 2017•28 min
Rev. Dr. Mark Achtemeier is a minister, author and theologian of the Presbyterian Church (USA). He is well known for his biblical research regarding same-sex marriage and having argued just as passionately against same-sex marriage as he argues for it today. This son to prestigious old and new testament seminary professors presents his case in The Bible's Yes to Same-Sex Marriage. Many of our listeners know that I work at Union Presbyterian Seminary's Morton Library. More specifically, I work in...
Mar 13, 2017•33 min
AmyBeth Willis is the Director of Children and Youth at Southside Presbyterian Church in Tucson, Arizona and an organizer with the national sanctuary movement. AmyBeth comes to the sanctuary movement as an ally and to this podcast with lots of wisdom. AmyBeth and I met at an event at Richmond Hill organized by Lana Heath de Martínez and the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy . AmyBeth was one of the leaders throughout the several-day event. Lana especially wanted me to attend an event ...
Mar 06, 2017•20 min
Katie Hays and I had church. Church happened. And it's happening now, as you read these words. And it will happen again when you hit 'play.' Katie told us about church moments beyond the church hour and walls. She told us about the random moment when a cell phone interruption identified church happening in her living room. Katie didn't recognize church happening then but she recognized it in our podcast . We recognized our church journey as threaded from a moment when she had church in the 'gayb...
Feb 20, 2017•27 min
As an expert on immigration, Dr. Ellin Jimmerson's conversation was a fun, meaningful, and timely. Jimmerson's movie, The Second Cooler , narrated by Martin Sheen, was released in 2013. It has won many awards and been screened at many universities, fund raisers, theaters, and other venues across the US. While we were conducting our interview rallies, marches and protests were happening all across the United States and the world in response to Donald Trump's two-day old executive order banning Mu...
Feb 13, 2017•24 min
Experience New York City, The United Nations, Union Theological Seminary, Columbia University, immigration, and 9/11/2001 through the lens of Lenka Opalena. She is from the former Czechoslovakia and is at the tail end of her Master of Divinity program at UTS in NYC. Acquainted rebellion in her own maturation, Lenka walks with others surviving post-traumatic stress disorder and addictions. I was originally excited to talk with Lenka because of her combined life in seminary and life in the United ...
Feb 06, 2017•34 min
This special episode preceded the special election that took place January 10th, 2017 for a State Senate seat in Virginia. Our special guest is Delegate Jennifer McClellan ! This is a special election to fill a vacancy created by Donald McEachin who won a seat in the U.S. Congress November 8th. Please join us on this episode and, more importantly, join me as I look forward to watching Jennifer McClellan rise January 10th, 2017 and for decades to come. See pics, links, notes and more at The Coffe...
Dec 02, 2016•27 min
Nov 21, 2016•32 min
Sarah Stonesifer is the Digital Missioner and Learning Lab Coordinator at Virginia Theological Seminary . Maybe you'll want to bring Sarah and a VTS e-Formation boot camp to you. She is also the youngest president ever elected to the Episcopal Diocese of Washington Standing Committee ! In this episode you'll learn what these things are and maybe glean some wisdom from the wonderful journey Sarah is taking. Catch her show notes here !...
Nov 14, 2016•26 min
Irene DeMaris referenced everything from Genesis and Matthew to Donald Trump and abortion. Tying a bow on recent discernment and graduation from Seattle University School of Theology and Ministry Irene is available for hire! She is serious about ministry, discernment and faith without losing her happiness and joy. Personal mission statement: She is a public and highly practical theologian rooted in social justice that is fueled by grace to be an ally, advocate, and agitator who walks with others...
Nov 06, 2016•34 min
Come enjoy Baptist Theological Seminary of Richmond professor of ethics and theology Beth Newman's personal stories. They are interwoven with a theme of 'unity in the Church' because today is the 499th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. As a Baptist professor at St. Mary's Catholic College in Indiana Dr. Newman truly lived a 12 year struggle embodied in a special participation in The Lord's Supper during her last baccalaureate mass. How would this Protestant be received by her Catholic s...
Oct 31, 2016•27 min
Rev. Katy Cuthill Steinberg is the pastor of a creative church plant in Florida called Missing Peace. She studied at Columbia Theological Seminary, The University of Dubuque Theological Seminary, and The University of Florida. Ordained in the Presbyterian Church (USA), Katy previously served as the Children's Minister at Port Orange Presbyterian Church. Katy's ministry with Missing Peace will give you ideas about church and ministry as well as challenge your thinking about faith and who God is, ...
Oct 24, 2016•23 min
In her words, Jory Micah is, "a Christian, an evangelist, and a feminist, in that order." You can find her online with @BreakingTheGlassSteeple and tag her with #BreakingTheGlassSteeple. This girly-girl professor, writer, speaker enjoys setting the world on fire with her words for Jesus and social justice, especially for women and girls. She recently secured a book deal and lives near Pittsburgh with her husband, Luke, and their six pound chihuahua, Noella. This episode was sponsored by United F...
Oct 17, 2016•22 min
A Jew and a Gentile Walk into a Bar ... Mitzvah , that's the name of the podcast hosted by Charles Bretan (The Jew) and Chris Henson (The Gentile). Their friendship has developed because of shared interests in God, cigars, humor and mental health. Read their blog - surf their galleries - swim in their web pages - they are living out rough, messy, unpolished lives engaged with God's Word. "The struggle is real," as people say, and yet, so is the love.
Oct 10, 2016•47 min
The Coffeepot Fellowship is happy to further introduce the supremely kind and intelligent Marina Ghaly. Marina is a 2nd year student at Union Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond. She's taken classes at Liberty University and says, "I love Jesus, I love music, I love the Middle East and I love sports." Get the Marina experience right here.
Oct 03, 2016•15 min
My guest today is not Amy Butler, the senior pastor at The Riverside Church in NYC. This episode is unusual because I'd like you to hear from a guest who is not here. The time I'd like you to spend with Amy Butler today will, true to our Coffeepot Fellowship tradition, involve her sharing personal stories and, also true to our tradition, it will be a short podcast episode on the Faith Foward Podcast. The gateway to the Amy Butler episode is on the show notes page at http://coffeepotfellowship.co...
Sep 28, 2016•4 min
Elle Dowd is a founding member of the #decolonizelutheranism movement. She is a wife and mother. Elle also recently transitioned from being the Youth Missioner for the Diocese of Missouri to being a first year student at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago.
Sep 26, 2016•28 min
Rev. Tom Baynham Jr. brought his kind, gregarious personality back to Richmond. Now catch what's news today, right here on Tom's first full interview on The Coffeepot Fellowship Podcast. He had been on a previous show of mine but it was before he finished his masters in Sacred Music and Hymnody at Boston University's School of Theology. Tom is just as engaged in life and the world but has taken his "game to the next level."
Sep 19, 2016•18 min
You may know Frank Schaeffer for his most recent book, New York Times best seller Why I'm an Atheist Who Believes in God: How to Give Love, Create Beauty and Find Peace or as the subject of the 2016 movie Let Me Be Frank. You may also know him as the heir apparent to influential fundamentalist, evangelical parents Francis and Edith Schaeffer. When Frank was on board with the hellfire and brimstone preaching circuit Jerry Falwell lent his plane to Frank. Listen to find out why Frank got off the p...
Sep 12, 2016•32 min
Rev. Yolanda Norton is an professor of Old Testament at San Francisco Theological Seminary. She previously worked as an faculty member in biblical Hebrew at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington D.C. She is also working towards her PhD in Hebrew Bible and Ancient Israel at Vanderbilt University. Her research focuses on Genesis and Ruth, and the ways in which insider-outsider paradigms in Scripture influence constructions of identity. Enjoy.
Sep 04, 2016•21 min
Jonathan Zur is the President and CEO of the Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities (VCIC). Jonathan was a finalist for the Richmond Times Dispatch’s 2015 Person of the Year, and he was named one of Richmond’s “Top 40 Under 40″ in 2009. He has been a facilitator and consultant on issues of inclusion and diversity nationally, internationally and statewide.
Aug 25, 2016•18 min
Greg Keeler works at WSKG in Binghamton New York, my home town. Greg loves singing and directing choirs. I actually met Greg when I was in high school and he was my choir director at West Presbyterian Church! Greg blessed me with his love of music and love of directing. We haven't connected for over 25 years so you will hear some friendly catching up throughout this podcast.
Aug 21, 2016•22 min
Reverend Chris Davies is studying as a doctoral student at Andover Newton Theological Seminary in Massachusetts. She works for the United Church of Christ at the national level as an ordained UCC Coordinator of Congregational Assessment Support and Advancement. She is also spearheading an endeavor called The Queer Clergy Trading Cards. Self identifying as white, queer, high fem, Chris explains how her self-identity and queer theology work together to shape her ministry.
Aug 14, 2016•42 min
Winnie Varghese is the Priest for Justice and Reconciliation at Trinity Wall Street. She has been on staff at St. Mark's-in-the-Bowery and Episcopal Campus Ministry at Columbia University. She's studied at Union Theological Seminary in NYC and Southern Methodist University in Dallas. She has lived in Dallas, Los Angeles, and now New York! Some of Winnie's shared stories spring from her parent's roots in Kerala, South India. Enjoy.
Aug 07, 2016•20 min
Rev. Jordan Ware (aka "Mother Ware") is a Yale Divinity School graduate. She now lives in Fort Worth, Texas where she has served for three years at All Saints' Episcopal Church. Jordan is married to an elementary school teacher and has a retired greyhound dog - not a bus - named Thor. As of today(!) you can pre-order her book! Check it out at coffeepotfellowship.com!
Aug 01, 2016•30 min
Most of you know that in addition to having a full time job and hosting The Coffeepot Fellowship Podcast I am the Executive Director of another ministry called United Faith Leaders. United Faith Leaders often sponsors episodes of The Coffeepot Fellowship Podcast. Some people have assume that the guests on the podcast are the paying members of United Faith Leaders. What they have in common is the aspiration to expand humanity’s understanding of itself, faith and God. This episode of the podcast, ...
Aug 01, 2016•11 min
I am a thirty-something writer and facilitator who schemes ideas for better belonging. I want to live in Seattle when I grow up, but these days I’m putting down roots in Durham, NC. I call myself a Jesus follower, and a feminist too. I work remotely for the Center for Courage & Renewal to develop programs that deepen the leadership formation of people of faith and support healthy congregational life. Locally, I am a board member of the Resource Center for Women and Ministry in the South and ...
Jul 25, 2016•28 min
This is an abbreviated bonus episode with Rev. Tom Baynham.
Jul 23, 2016•12 min
Dr. Jacqui Lewis is Senior Minister at Middle Collegiate Church in the East Village of Manhattan in New York, NY. Middle Church is a dynamic 900-member multiracial, multicultural, inclusive congregation in which everyone is welcome just as they are as they come through the door. Jacqui is also the Executive Director of The Middle Project , an institute that prepares ethical leaders for a more just society. Jacqui is an author, speaker, activist, spouse and more. This episode was recorded live at...
Jul 19, 2016•37 min
