New Way

The Rev. Elizabeth Edman is an Episcopal priest and long-time activist who has an incredible story to tell of the significance of community, of family, and pride. She is also author of the moving book Queer Virtue. In part two of our conversation, we speak about the ethical and spiritual demands that queerness makes of those who claim and live that identity, and how might they inform and shape the ethical and spiritual demands of those of us who claim Christian identity; and why we might hold onto - and live into - hope in times like these.

The Rev. Elizabeth Edman is an Episcopal priest and long-time activist who has an incredible story to tell of the significance of community, of family, and pride. In part one of our conversation, we talk about what it was like for Liz growing up in Arkansas; her moving book Queer Virtue; and what a part of the Queer Community teaches her and can teach us about being a faithful Christian.

The Reverend Mindie Moore is planting a Midtown-based church in Indianapolis, Indiana. She's a preacher whose messages are full of love and practicality, and has a realistic understanding of why religion isn't something on everybody's top list all the time. In part two of our conversation, we talk about practicing presence; the spiritual discipline of worrying; and what's at stake for the church in America today.

The Reverend Mindie Moore is planting a Midtown-based church in Indianapolis, Indiana. She's a preacher whose messages are full of love and practicality, and has a realistic understanding of why religion isn't something on everybody's top list all the time. In part one of our conversation, we talk about the community she and others are contributing to in a funky, beloved part of town; and she also reminisces about the formation she experienced as a young child in a church that had very specific answers to her many probing questions.

Pastor (Common Ground NYC), church planter (Kindom Collective), and practitioner of the Circle Way, Chantilly Mers, embodies reverence - in everything from her writings, to singing, to conversations with strangers. In part two of our conversation, our modern ecological crisis; attending to the soil that will cultivate deep reverence; and the power of slowing down.

Pastor (Common Ground NYC), church planter (Kindom Collective), and practitioner of the Circle Way, Chantilly Mers, embodies reverence - in everything from her writings, to singing, to conversations with strangers. In part one, Chantilly offers some generous and helpful insights about what we gain when we attend to what we cannot take for granted; and how the gentle experience of being held by our mother - nature - is a wondrous place to begin.

Noel Musicha (who also goes by Noxy) and Jeremiah Lester have been working with neighbors in Linda Vista, California, for the past six years to start a church called Ebenezer where the goal is to be a people's cathedral: a church of the community, by the community, and for the community. In part one of our conversation, we explore the call to make a commitment; and how a chance encounter in Noel’s homeland of Malawi planted the seeds for a friendship and partnership with others thousands of miles away.

Pastor Rich Hong is a former synthetic organic chemist and groundbreaking software engineer turned pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Englewood in New Jersey, where the goals are “to live boldly; share boundlessly; grow community; and build God's world.” In this episode, we talk about an expansive understanding of mission; worship that prioritizes participation over prescription; and what Rich’s encounter with a neon Mickey Mouse might teach us about living our values out loud.

Pastor Rich Hong is a former synthetic organic chemist and groundbreaking software engineer turned pastor of Englewood Presbyterian Church in New Jersey, where the goals are “to live boldly; share boundlessly; grow community; and build God's world.” In part one, we talk about the difference between the church that strives to be the hero of people's lives and the one that can become a guide for people's own heroic journeys.