SeaPres Podcast

Seattle Presbytery will soon be celebrating the 10th anniversary of a missional partnership with the Presbytery of the North Coast in Barranquilla, Colombia. Pastors and members of over 9 Seattle Presbytery churches have participated in this ministry. Join Haley Ballast (Wallingford PC), Phil Lewis (Union Church), and Eliana Maxim (Presbytery staff)  and hear about the distinctiveness of this partnership, what we are learning, and how you can be a part of this growing community.

Featuring: Rev. Eliana Maxim (Co-Executive Presbyter, Seattle Presbytery), Rev. Dexter Kearny (Parish Mobilizer, One Parish One Prisoner, Underground Ministries), Rev. Deanna Gemmer (Pastor, Hagar's Community Church).

January 2024 SeaPres update with Co-EPs Eliana Maxim & Scott Lumsden. Seattle Presbytery website

August 2023 SeaPres update with Co-EPs Eliana Maxim & Scott Lumsden. Seattle Presbytery website

February 2023 update from Co-EPs Revs. Eliana Maxim and Scott Lumsden.

Featuring: Rev. Dr. Tali Hairston, Rev. Paul Kim & Rev. Eliana Maxim.  You're invited to the Thriving Congregations Leadership Forum Sep. 31-Oct. 1. The Leadership Forum is not the usual conference with speaker and listener.  The Forum is a space for robust dialogue among pastors, staff, and senior leaders about the church's place in a most critical time in the history of the church.  The church has experienced decline exacerbated during pandemic and social unrest.  Some are not returning after two years of online church, others are tired of a church that appears at a loss on social issues, and still others wonder about the relevancy, both now and in the future, of our churches in our communities. This week's podcast continues the conversation about themes that are emerging as we work with Thriving Congregation Initiative cohorts, dialogue with leaders and practitioners nationwide, and present opportunity in spaces like the Leadership Forum. We invite you to the Leadership Forum as we engage in dialogue about where we are as a church and what resurrection might mean for the church.  Consider the spiritual practice of learning as a way of engaging community-based knowledge and assets.  Interact with leaders who are concerned for the welfare and future of our churches and communities.

Featuring: Rev. Dr. Tali Hairston, Rev. Maggie Breen & Rev. Paul Kim.  You're invited to the Thriving Congregations Leadership Forum Sep. 30-Oct. 1. The Leadership Forum is for pastors and senior leaders (e.g. staff, elders) to develop capacity to lead learning congregations.  We will be interacting with fellow colleagues and community leader-practitioners including leaders from the Presbytery of the Coast in Barranquilla, Colombia.  We anticipate a rich time for robust dialogue, reflection, and learning for everyone. Learn more & register.  Registering by Sept 15 or earlier would be a great help!  (Note: for Friday there is an online option!)

June 2022 update from Co-EPs Revs. Eliana Maxim and Scott Lumsden. Online: June 21st stated meeting information.

Eight years after embarking on a unique partnership with the Presbytery of the North Coast (Presbyterian Church of Colombia), Seattle Presbytery staff discuss this pivotal time of deeper engagement and mutual learning invitations. Join Revs. Scott Lumsden, Tali Hairston, Maggie Breen, Paul Kim, and Eliana Maxim as they talk about what this means for our local congregations and communities. More: see pictures from the 2022 Colombia partnership trip.

New episode: SeaPres Podcast. Co-Executive Presbyters Eliana Maxim & Scott Lumsden recap the October presbytery meeting, look ahead to the next few months, and share an important message for our pastoral leaders.  Scott and Eliana shared this written report at the October SeaPres meeting. 

Revs. Tali Hairston (Director of Community Organizing, Advocacy, and Development), Maggie Breen (Community Education & Assessment Specialist), and Eliana Maxim (Co-Executive Presbyter) reflect on Christians’ response to the insurrection in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6.More conversations: NPR’s Sam Sanders—”The Lies We Tell Ourselves About Race”PC(USA) Stated Clerk discusses attack on the Capitol

Election Day has come and gone and ballots are still being counted to determine the outcome. But now what? Where do we go from here?Listen to a conversation with Revs. Tali Hairston, Denise Anderson (Coordinator for Racial and Intercultural Justice in the Presbyterian Mission Agency and former PC(USA) Co-Moderator), and Eliana Maxim as they reflect on what they’ve learned from this national election and what comes next.Hear more about radical reconciliation by watching Tali’s interview with Allan Bosek and Curits deYoung.

Leading Change: Join a fireside chat with Co-EPs Eliana Maxim, Scott Lumsden, and Tali Hairston, Dir. of Community Organizing, Advocacy, and Development.

Join a fireside chat with Co-EPs Eliana Maxim, Scott Lumsden, and Tali Hairston, Dir. of Community Organizing, Advocacy, and Development. Read June 12 SeaPres update from Scott Lumsden.

SeaPres Conversations: Co-EP Scott Lumsden talks with Pastor Susie Beil (Summit Avenue Presbyterian Church, Bremerton) about transformation, change, and the church.

Public Health, Faith, & Race: A conversation with Tali Hairston, Dir. of Community Organizing, Advocacy, and Development and Rev. Dr. Curtiss Paul DeYoung. Read the Op-Ed Dr. DeYoung co-wrote with Minneapolis NAACP President Leslie Redmond: https://m.startribune.com/white-privilege-shines-with-covid-19/569903692/. 

Co-EP Scott Lumsden talks with Pastor Becki Barrett (Overlake Park Presbyterian Church, Bellevue) about life and ministry, including reimagining the church’s future and questions about coming “back”, and how Jesus may be calling us to survive a pandemic. 

SeaPres Co-EP Eliana Maxim has a conversation with Rev. Dr. J.Herbert Nelson, Stated Clerk of the Presbyterian Church (USA) on the contextual changes needed to be navigated for the PCUSA in the 21st century, particularly in light of the pandemic.

In the midst of a global pandemic, it can be hard to hear the pain of others. This podcast episode considers faith that listens to the other in difficult times. This week, Tali Hairston, Dir. of Community Organizing, Advocacy, and Development chats with Haley Ballast, Ruling Elder at John Knox Presbyterian Church in Seattle and member of the Presbytery's Race and Equity Task Force. Read Haley's e-news update mentioned in this episode.

Join a fireside chat with Co-EPs Eliana Maxim, Scott Lumsden, and Tali Hairston, Dir. of Community Organizing, Advocacy, and Development. It's Easter! Wait, we're still on Lock Down? We need to not only take the long view, but we need to be thinking about what has changed about church life and ministry, and orient ourselves around new practices and ways of being. There's no going back.  

Chaplains provide spiritual support and comfort in a variety of settings in our communities. What does their ministry look like in this time of the Covid-19 pandemic, and what can we all learn from them? This week, Eliana Maxim spends time with Revs. Leah Klug, Mollie M'anao, and Charlie Scoma.

Join a "fireside" chat with Co-EPs Eliana Maxim, Scott Lumsden, and Tali Hairston, Dir. of Community Organizing, Advocacy, and Development. In this episode, they discuss the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact on our congregations and communities.  We pray this will be yet another way to stay connected to our churches and leaders, give an update on what's happening in the Presbytery and PC(USA), and looking ahead at what could be next.