Episode 45: Rev. Margaret Ernst

In this post-election episode, we talk with Margaret Ernst, program manager for Faith Matters Network. When we planned this interview, we knew we would talk about post-election resilience and what it means to be a white clergy leader in movement spaces. We didn’t know that Walter Wallace, her neighbor in Philadelphia, would be killed by police just days before our conversation. So you may hear the anxiety and heartbreak in our voices.  

In this conversation, Margaret lays out a timely call to action for white faith leaders. We talk about movement chaplaincy, the labor of spirit care work, and Margaret’s parent Carla - and Carla’s wisdom always to imagine themself forward. Margaret, who began her career in faith-rooted organizing with Faith in Action affiliate POWER Interfaith, is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ and a program manager with Faith Matters Network. Show Notes:

• The Role of Movement Chaplaincy in Social Change, by Micky ScottBey Jones and Hilary Allen 
• a 30-Day Wellbeing and Survival Plan https://bit.ly/2JnoaoB
• "Kyle Rittenhouse, Whiteness, and The Responsibility of White Faith Leaders: Notes from Conversations with Ruby Sales"  from Radical Discipleship