Podcasts about Church World Service

Elaine Heath is the abbess of Spring Forest, a new monastic community in Hillsborough, North Carolina. Spring Forest centers around communal prayer and meals, a vibrant farm, refugee support, and other ministries you can read about here. You can learn more about Elaine's work as an author and speaker on her website, or in articles like this one from the Center for Action and Contemplation.Many thanks to Elaine and her husband Randall for welcoming Ron and I and our audio producer, Colin, to the farm last June. Besides relishing the good company of our hosts, we enjoyed harvesting cabbage, feasting and praying with the Sunday evening group, walking through the woods, and petting some good-natured goats.Dr. Elaine HeathOn the farm.Someone had to help harvest the cabbage, so Ron and Colin and I pitched in.Elaine, husband Randall, and I in their lovely home.TRANSCRIPTElaine Heath If you are nurtured by traditional church—or let's say, conventional church—keep doing it, but also realize that for other people that's not nurturing. It feels dry and lifeless, and it's clear the Spirit is doing something new. So instead of insisting everybody stop doing the new thing, and everybody has to come and do the conventional thing, you can be conventional in your worship and bless and make space for others so that we have a plethora of experiments going on.Debra Rienstra Welcome to the Refugia Podcast. I'm your host, Professor Debra Rienstra. Refugia are habitats in nature where life endures in times of crisis. We're exploring the concept of refugia as a metaphor, discovering how people of faith can become people of refugia: nurturing life-giving spaces in the earth, in our human cultural systems, and in our spiritual communities, even in this time of severe disturbance. This season, we're paying special attention to churches and Christian communities who have figured out how to address the climate crisis together as an essential aspect of their discipleship.Today, I'm excited to introduce you to Dr. Elaine Heath. Elaine is founder and abbess of Spring Forest, a new monastic community centered on a 23-acre forest and farm property near Hillsboro, North Carolina. The farm supplies a CSA and supports food security for refugees and serves as the setting for outdoor programs for kids, cooking classes, potlucks, forest walks and more. But the Spring Forest community is a dispersed network of people who move in and out of the farm space in a variety of ways. They live on the farm for a time, they visit often to volunteer, or they simply join the community online for daily prayer. We got to visit the farm last spring, and I can tell you that Elaine's long experience with new monasticism, trauma-informed care, and contemplative practice make her an ideal curator of refugia space. The vibe on the farm is peaceful, orderly, and full of life. It's a place of holy experimentation in new ways to form Christian community and reconnect with the land. Let's get to it.Debra Rienstra Elaine, thank you for talking with me today. It's really great to be with you.Elaine Heath Yeah, I'm glad to be with you too.Debra Rienstra So you served in traditional parish ministry and in religious academia for many years, and then in 2018 you retired from that work to found Spring Forest. Why a farm and a new monastic community? What inspired and influenced this particular expression of faith?Elaine Heath I've always loved farms and forests. But actually, my dream to do this started about 25 years ago, and my husband and I bought a 23 acre property in North Central Ohio, right when I was right out of my PhD program and I got my first academic job at my alma mater, which is Ashland Theological Seminary. So I went there to direct the Doctor of Ministry program, and we bought this beautiful property. It had a little house that looked like the ranger station, and it had a stream and a big labyrinth cut in the field, and it had beautiful soil to grow, you know, for market gardening. And what we planned to do was gradually develop retreat ministries there. My husband was going to build some hermitages up in the woods, because I did a lot of spiritual direction with pastors who were burned out and traumatized, and we felt like that, you know, as I got older and phased out of academia, that would be something we could do together.So we were there for a couple years, and then I was recruited to go to Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University. And we were very sad to leave our property behind, but we were clear that we were being called to Texas. So we bought a home in the city in a sort of mixed income, racially diverse neighborhood in Garland, and it was a big house with a nice yard, and soon after starting to teach evangelism—which, I kind of created my own path for how to teach evangelism, because I don't believe in selling Jesus or any of those kinds of colonizing things. So I was teaching about living a contemplative life and practicing social and environmental justice and being good news in the world, and being good neighbors to all our neighbors, and thinking of our neighbors as us and not them. And I had them reading Shane Claiborne and the people writing with the emerging church movement at the time, and pretty soon, I had students in my class coming to my office every week. It was a different student, but the same tears and the same kind of narrative: “Dr. Heath, I think I'm going to have to leave the church to answer my call. Tell me what I should do.” And it was because they were being called to do innovative, new monastic ministry, missional, new monastic kinds of things. But our denomination in particular didn't quite get it, even though early Methodism was very much like that.So I realized fairly quickly that this was God calling me through these students to focus my research and writing and my teaching in the area of emergence. Emergence theory, what's happening in the world. How do these currents of emergence intersect with what's happening politically and environmentally, and what's happening, you know, in the economy and with the church. So pretty soon, I don't know, it wasn't very long, I felt God was calling me to gather students and start some experiments outside, out in the city. And so I had a prayer partner, and we were praying for a house to come available, so that we could start a new monastic house. And she came to me one day and she said, “I saw the house coming. It'll be here soon.” And I said, “Okay.” I had no money for a house. You know, kind of a lowly professor, didn't make that much. And within two weeks, one of our neighbors came to me, who didn't really know me well at all, and said, “Hey, my mom has a rental property. It's been in our family for a long time, and we wondered if you might have some students that would like to live there. We won't even charge rent, just pay their utilities and not have drug parties or whatnot.” And I said, “No, that's unlikely,” you know. So I said, you know, I could throw the phone down and ran down to get in her car and go over to this house with her. And we were driving over, and she says, “You know, it's not the best neighborhood.” I said, “Perfect!” But we got there, and it was a really great little three bedroom house in a predominantly Latina neighborhood, and that was our first new monastic house. So I asked three of the students who'd been crying in my office, “Would you be willing to break your leases wherever you live and come and live here for a year?” And I can assign a spiritual director to work with you, and I can write a curriculum for an independent study on the theory and practice of new monasticism. And we can develop a Rule of Life based on our United Methodist membership vows. And they all immediately said yes, and so that's how we got started with our first house.Elaine Heath And then right around the same time, I started a missional house church that was quickly relocated into the neighborhood where most of the refugees are resettled in Dallas, because one of my students brought six Congolese men to our little house church worship, and that that was the beginning of realizing we were called to work with refugees.Debra Rienstra Oh, I see.Elaine Heath So that all got started around 2008. And by 2009, there was a student who came to Perkins who had been a commercial real estate banker on Wall Street. And he came to Perkins as a student. He was an older man. And we were going on my very first pilgrimage to Iona, Northumbria, and Lindisfarne, and Michael Hahn was with us too. He and I team-taught this class, so it was my first one. But it turned out that Larry Duggins, the student, had come to seminary because he really wanted to be equipped to help young adults who were feeling disillusioned with the church but wanted to be out in the world doing good work. And he started describing what he was called to, and I'm like, “Well, that's what I'm doing with these students.” So we joined forces and created a nonprofit called Missional Wisdom Foundation, and within three years, we had a network of eight new monastic communities across the metroplex. They were all anchored at local churches. Some of them were parsonages that weren't being used. And we wove into the expectations and sort of the lifestyle of those houses, urban agriculture.Debra Rienstra Oh, I was waiting for the farm to come back into it. Yeah, because I'm seeing these threads of experimentation and monasticism and place. We're sitting here today on your current farm land. So it's really interesting to hear all these threads being developed early on in an urban context.Elaine Heath Yes, it was quite something. These houses were all in different social contexts. There was one house, the Bonhoeffer house, that was in East Dallas, in a neighborhood that was not only mixed income and racially diverse, but also used to be where the mayor lived. And now there are people who are unhoused living there, and there are also people with nice houses living there. So it was a very interesting neighborhood. So that house, we learned quickly that you needed to take a year to get to know the neighborhood before you try to figure out how you're going to support whatever justice work needs to happen in the neighborhood. But that house got really close with the unhoused community and did a lot of good ministry with the guys and a few women. Then there was one for undocumented workers, the Romero House, and just different social contexts. But all of them had a backyard garden or, you know, some type of growing food kind of thing. And I used to take students to this farm that was an urban farm in DeSoto, which is just south of Dallas, where it was quite small, but these were former missionaries, the type that have crusades and show the Jesus film and everything in sort of poor countries. And then they had an awakening that happened, and they realized they were being called to help people in orphanages learn how to grow their own food in a sustainable way and raise the living standard for the whole village. So they had this little farm, and I would take students there every semester to experience the conversion of thought that this couple had over what mission is, and to experience the beauty and joy of tilapia that provide food for the lettuce, that provide for the bees, you know. So this closed system. So that also affected my imagination about what I really wanted to do in the future.And so gradually, the years—we were there for 11 years, and we lived in community the whole time that we were there. By the time we came here for me to work at Duke, we had a very clear picture of what we wanted to do here. And so we looked for the property back when we had to sell that first farm, when we were so sad about selling it, I had an experience in prayer where I sensed God was saying to me, “Don't give up on this dream. It's sacred, and it will happen in the future on a better piece of property, at a better time in your life for this.” And so when it was time to move here, I said to Randall, “This is the time. Let's look for that property.” So that's how we landed here.Friendly, very contented dairy goats, hanging out in the afternoon.Debra Rienstra Yeah. When talking about your students, you mentioned yesterday that you like to “ruin them for fake church.” So what do you mean by fake church, and how exactly do you ruin them for it?Elaine Heath Well, you know, church is really the people and not the building. You all know that. It's the people and we're called to be a very different kind of people who are a healing community, that neighbor well, that give ourselves away, that regard our neighbors—human and non human—as part of us, whether they think they're part of us or not. We have this sort of posture in life. And when I think of how Jesus formed the church, Jesus had this little ragtag group of friends, and they traveled around and did stuff and talked about it, and they got mad at each other and had power struggles and drama and, you know, and then Jesus would process the drama with them. And he would do these outrageous things, you know, breaking sort of cultural taboo to demonstrate: this is what love really looks like. And so we don't get to do much of any of that, sitting in a pew on Sunday morning, facing forward while the people up in the front do things. And so many churches—maybe you've never experienced this, but I certainly have. The pastor's sort of the proxy disciple while people kind of watch and make judgments and decide whether or not they want to keep listening to those sermons.Debra Rienstra Oh yes.Elaine Heath So when you experience Christian life in a community where it's both natural, it's just the way you live in the world, and it's also liturgically rich, and the life is a contemplative life, and it's also a life of deep missional engagement with the world— that other version of church, it's like oatmeal with no flavoring in it. It makes you, I mean, it's about the life together. It's how we live in this world. It's not about sitting somewhere for an hour once a week and staring forward.Debra Rienstra Right. Yeah, so I would, you know, of course, I would describe what you're describing as refugia, being the people of refugia. You know? Not that I'm—we'll come back to traditional worship and traditional forms of faith and religion. But it seems like what you're doing is living into something you say on your website that we are in the midst of a new reformation in the church, and I certainly sense that too. I think the evidence is all around us, and the research bears out that we've reached this inflection point, and it's a painful inflection point that a lot of people think of as decline, because living through it feels confusing and bewildering and dark and full of loss. So what is your sense of when we are, in this point in history, in particular, for those of us who've been part of church communities, where are we finding ourselves? Why is it so confusing?Elaine Heath I really believe we're in a dark night of the soul as the church in the West and perhaps places in the East too. I know we've exported a capitalist version of church all over the world, sadly. But I believe we're in a dark night of the soul, you know, classically understood, where it's spirit-breathed. It's not that the devil is doing something to us. It's spirit-breathed to detach us from our sort of corporate ego that thinks we get to show up and boss the world around and act like we own the joint.Debra Rienstra We call that church of empire.Elaine Heath Yeah. And so I think that's what's happening. And when, you know, if you study the literature, if you work in spiritual direction, and you're looking at what happens with the dark night of the soul. That's a real dark night, not a clinical depression or something like that, but an actual dark night. You have to go through it. You can't bypass it. You can't work your way out of it. You can't talk your way out of it. And what happens is you find yourself increasingly hungry for simplicity, for a simple but clear experience of God, because it's like God's disappeared. There's a deep loneliness, even a sort of cold hell, to being in a dark night of the soul. And so there's a restlessness, there's a longing for actual experience of God. There's a feeling of futility. Things that used to work don't work anymore. So you know the threefold path? The purgation, illumination and union is one way that we've learned to think about what happens. The purgation part is— we're there.Debra Rienstra We're being purgated.Elaine Heath We're being purgated, yeah. And at the same time that we're having these flashes of intuitive knowing, this sort of illumination is coming. “Oh, let's pay attention to the saints and mystics who lived through things like this. What gave them life? What helped them to keep showing up and being faithful?” And we're having moments of union too, when we feel like, “Oh, discipleship means I make sure that the trees are cared for and not just people. Oh, all living things are interconnected. Quantum physics is teaching us a spiritual truth we should have known already.” So the three parts of that contemplative path are happening simultaneously. But I think what feels most forward to a lot of people is the purgation piece where you're like, “Oh, things are just dropping away. Numbers are dropping. Things that used to work don't work. What's going to happen now?” Sort of a sense of chaos, confusion. Tohu va bohu, yeah.Debra Rienstra Yeah, do you want me to explain what that is?Elaine Heath Yeah, chaos and confusion. From the beginning of time.Debra Rienstra It's the realm out of which creation is formed. So the idea that the spirit is drawing us into this dark night is actually really reassuring. We are where we're supposed to be. And even though it feels confusing and painful, there are these moments of wisdom—that's so reassuring. In fact, one of the things you write: the new reformation is all about the emergence. So this emergence is happening of a generous, hospitable, equitable form of Christianity that heals the wounds of the world. What is your vision about what the church needs to release and hold and create right now?Elaine Heath We need to release everything that even slightly has a hint of empire, that we have thought of as what it means to be the church, because that completely reverts what church is supposed to be about. So giving up empire, we need to take up the great kenotic hymn of Philippians two and actually live it.Debra Rienstra The self emptying hymn.Elaine Heath The self emptying. And it's not—I know that that can be problematic when we're thinking of women or, you know, groups that have been forced to empty themselves in an exploited way. But that's not really what that's all about. It's about showing up to God, paying attention, seeing what God's invitation is, then cooperating with that and just releasing the outcome. That's what that's about, and really finding out, what am I in this world for? What are we in this world for? And being about that and not about something else.Debra Rienstra Yeah, it's hard to release the ways that we have done things. Well, you have a congregation, you have a pastor, you have a sanctuary, you have programs, you want the kids to come, you need tithes, all of those systems. And actually, what you're doing here at Spring Forest—let's talk about that. What you're doing here at Spring Forest doesn't have any of that. Sunday services. There's no church building. You have barn buildings, you have farm buildings. No Sunday school, no adult ed, no choirs, organs, praise bands, any of that stuff, right? Do you think of Spring Forest as a new model for church? Perhaps one among many?Elaine Heath It's one among many. We're definitely shaped by traditional monasticism. We're shaped by early Methodism. We're influenced by the Catholic Worker Movement, and definitely Bonhoeffer's work and a number of others: the Clarence Jordan and Koinonia farms. And so we're influenced by all of those. We do have music sometimes at Forest Feast, if we have someone that can lead it, and, you know, do a good job. But the backbone of our worship life is morning and evening prayer. And that is so wonderful. You were here last night for Forest Feast, and we use the same structure we use for morning and evening prayer, and we have a group of about six people who are writing the liturgies for us, who have been writing for a year and a half now.Debra Rienstra Who are those people?Elaine Heath Well, there's Steve Taylor is our lay leader, and his wife, Cheryl, and then there's Donna Patterson, who's—none of them were here last night. They all had to go somewhere. But some of them are lay people. Some of them are clergy.Debra Rienstra And they don't live here?Elaine Heath No, they live— well, some of the people that write live far away, and they're in our digital community. But, yeah, Steve and Cheryl live in Lumberton, which is, you know, almost two hours away. But they're beautiful. I mean, if you go online and look at some of the last month, look at the prayers and see the—they're just truly beautiful, and they reflect our spirituality of our community.Debra Rienstra Yeah. So the community, it seems to me, you have had people living on the farm itself, but your community, like the Iona community, is both located here on this land, but also dispersed. And so you have that interaction, that conversation between this residential life. So let's try to describe for listeners: there's the farm. You live here with your husband. You have interns from Duke. You have a farm. What do you call Larry?Elaine Heath He's our farm coach.Debra Rienstra Coach, yes, I love that. They have the farm coach who has the farming knowledge that you all sort of follow. You have chefs. They don't live here either, but they come in. So you have a lot of people coming in and out on this farm. And you do regenerative farming. You have programs for kids, you have refugee support, and you can talk about that, trauma informed rest for spiritual leaders. And then a number of other things. The farm produces vegetables and those go to a CSA, and also a lot of it is donated. Why this particular assembly of activities? How does it all fit together? And what are the theological principles beneath each of these endeavors?Elaine Heath The overarching principle is that the Holy Spirit gives gifts to every believer and to every person, let's just be honest. And the job of the pastor, the pastor teacher, is to fan those gifts into flame, to help them have the support they need to use their gifts and that the ministries should be shaped by the gifts of the people, which means you can't use a cookie cutter. And we have numerically a small community, but incredibly high capacity of people. So we have these gifts that they have, and then the ministries are emerging out of those gifts. And it might seem like, why do you have refugee support? And you know, just name anything else we're doing. How does this fit together? The organizing principle—okay, so you have the foundation. These are gifts given by the Spirit. Our ministries are emerging from our gifts. And the organizing sort of a cohesive piece is our rule of life that ties everything together. And so our rule of life is prayer, work, table, neighbor and rest. And that rule of life came about after we lived here for a year, when we first started Spring Forest with—there was another pastor that co-founded it with me, Francis Kinyua, who's from Kenya, and he was my student in Dallas, and did all those other things with me. So we invited him to come. We had to work with three different bishops to kind of make it work. But it worked, you know. Anyway, we just waited for a year to see. We had lots of work to do with getting the farm ready to go and Francis and I went to Church World Service right away to say, “Hey, we have a lot of experience supporting refugees, and we would like to do that here as well.” So we got started with that, but we waited a year and then just articulated, what are the practices that we do that are keeping us grounded here and keeping us right side up. And it was those things, so we named it.Debra Rienstra Okay, you were just doing it, and then you named those things.Elaine Heath Instead of creating sort of an aspirational rule and tried to live into it, we named what was actually working, what was actually grounding us and felt life giving.Debra Rienstra Hi, it's me, Debra. If you are enjoying this podcast episode, go ahead and subscribe on your preferred podcast platform. If you have a minute, leave a review. Good reviews help more listeners discover this podcast. To keep up with all the Refugia news, I invite you to subscribe to the Refugia newsletter on Substack. This is my fortnightly newsletter for people of faith who care about the climate crisis and want to go deeper. Every two weeks, I feature climate news, deeper dives, refugia sightings and much more. Join our community at refugianewsletter.substack.com. For even more goodies, including transcripts and show notes for this podcast, check out my website at debrarienstra.com. D-E-B-R-A-R-I-E-N-S-T-R-A dot com. Thanks so much for listening. We're glad you're part of this community. And now back to the interview.Debra Rienstra You do partner a lot with, you know, “regular church folk.” It's that sort of in-and-out permeable membrane. How do you think about the relationship of what you're doing here, with Spring Forest, with the work of sort of standard congregations, is there like a mutuality? How do you think about that?Elaine Heath It's just like traditional monasticism. You've got a community that have this rule of life they follow. People who are not living in the community can become Oblates to the rule of life and have a special relationship. And usually those people go to church somewhere else. Part of our ethic here is we want to resist competition between churches, so we don't meet on Sundays to do things like programmatically. We usually just rest on Sundays and watch a movie and eat popcorn, you know.Debra Rienstra That's a spiritual practice.Elaine Heath But also, so there's that sort of historic piece, and people from churches come here for retreats. Lead teams come for retreats. People come—pastors, we have a lot of pastors who come here for a retreat. But also we are a mission community, so we're very active with supporting refugees. We're very active with the food programs that we have, and that gives people from a church—lots of churches don't have things like that going on. They don't have the resources for it, or they haven't figured it out. But that way, we can partner with churches and people can come here and they can actually get their hands in the soil, and they can teach somebody to read, and they can see little children learning where food comes from. They can help the chef with her kitchen things, you know. So it's a wonderful way to provide spiritual formation and missional formation to congregations that don't have those resources. And we can do these things together.Debra Rienstra Yeah. And that's that's premised on this being a place, an embodied place, a refugia space that people can come to. Yeah. I think that's a wonderful model. Do you yourself ever feel a sense of loss for “the old ways?” And I'm just thinking of this because at the beginning of your book, God Unbound, which is about Galatians, you write about how Paul challenges the Galatians to let go of their tight grip on the past, and you write about how you, reading that, felt yourself like a little bit of a traditionalist, you know, sort of defending, “But what about the past? What about the old ways?” Which you have loved too, right? So, how would you counsel people who have loved traditional church despite everything, and really do feel this sense of loss and wonder anxiously about what's next?Elaine Heath Yeah, I feel empathy. You know, something was going on in the Middle East at the time. I can't remember exactly the situation. There's always something going on, but it had to do with people's culture being wiped out and being told that what they believed didn't count and wasn't right and everything. And I was feeling such grief for them, and then all of a sudden, you know, I'm in Galatians, and think, “Well, that's how those people felt.” And even myself, there are things in my own daily practice that are—they're precious to me. My way of praying in the morning, the facing into the forest, you know, and things like that, that are rituals for me. And thinking, you know, if somebody told me “that doesn't matter,” how hard that would be. So I think in the spiritual journey, we come to the place, if we keep maturing, where we realize, in Merton's words, that so often we think it's the finger pointing to the moon, we think the finger is the moon. And it's that way about rituals and all sorts of things that we do, and we get to a place where we realize that intellectually and even spiritually, in an emotional way. But you can't force people to get to that point. This is something that happens as we grow and mature as life goes by. So what I have said to many people is, “If you are nurtured by traditional church, or, let's say, conventional church,”—because which traditional church are we talking about? One, right here, middle class, white, are we talking about Brazil? —”So if that nurtures you, keep doing it. But also realize that for other people, that's not nurturing. It feels dry and lifeless, and it's clear the Spirit is doing something new.” So instead of insisting everybody stop doing the new thing, and everybody has to come and do the conventional thing, you can be conventional in your worship and bless and make space for others so that we have a plethora of experiments going on. Because we're in a time of great emergence, as Phyllis Tickle wrote, and we need lots of experiments.Debra Rienstra Yeah. I appreciated what you wrote about trial and error. It's a time of trial and error, and it's okay to try things and have them not work. And that fits the refugia model too, really, really well. I mean, refugia don't always work. They just sometimes fail. Let's talk about a couple of key metaphors that I've noticed in your writings and in the website for Spring Forest too. One is that metaphor of the mycelial network, so the underground fungus that connects the creatures, the beings, the plants, the trees of the forest. I think is a wonderful metaphor too, for the way that faith and climate people, people who are worried about the climate crisis, and also people of faith—it's a great metaphor for how they're finding each other and connecting and building this sort of cultural and spiritual soil where the seeds of the future can grow. How is that metaphor meaningful for you here at Spring Forest?Elaine Heath Well, it means a lot in terms of the first of all, the diversity of expressions of ministry that are even here on the property, but also, especially in our dispersed community, through following the rule of life together, which—we are a practice-based community, rather than a dogma-based community. So as people are practicing those practices where they live and work and play, then they are forming community in a very specific, contextual way where they are. I think of Steve and Cheryl again, the friends I mentioned earlier. He's our lay leader. They live in a, I think a working class neighborhood in Lumberton, which is the land of the Lumbee here in North Carolina. And they have developed a wonderful, just neighborhood ministry there with—and they've been able, through potluck dinners and front yard barbecues and remembering people's birthdays and things like this, they've developed this friendship network in the neighborhood with people that are on complete opposite sides, politically, racially, and this is in the South, where you've got all sorts of issues. And they've taken the sort of ethic of Spring Forest here, but it's caused a mushroom to bloom there that looks really different from here. They don't have a farm, they don't have a forest, they've got this neighborhood. But the neighboring, the praying, the tabling, resting, all of those things are part of how they live there. And so it's fruiting there. And it's the same in other places in the world where we have people that live there.Debra Rienstra It's a good example, too, of how eating together is sacramental, both here and in these other networks that are connected to you. The Garden of Eden and the vision of the New Earth in Revelation are both important to you, that that whole long scriptural arc begin in a garden, end in a garden city, and then the Tree of Life is also your symbol, your logo. So how would you situate our work today as people of faith in that long arc of history, from the garden to the Garden City, and how does the Tree of Life fit into that for you?Elaine Heath There's a way in which the whole story is happening simultaneously. Does that make sense?Debra Rienstra Yeah.Elaine Heath It's all happening beyond time, sort of simultaneously. So sometimes we're living in the garden and we've been deceived, and now we have to figure out what to do, and sometimes we're rebuilding the wall, and sometimes we're on our way to Bethlehem, and sometimes we're in the garden of the new creation. And we can see it, and we're living that truth even while there's still the wall being built. There's a simultaneity to it all. But for me, I think especially of the theology of Julian of Norwich. That's why we have her icon here. There's this vision of love making all things new, that God, Christ, the risen Christ, says in Revelation 21:5, “Behold, I make all things new.” All things, not just a handful of people who get the right doctrine, not just—no, all things: horses and amoeba and all things are being made new in mysterious ways that we can't completely know.Debra Rienstra And that's Colossians one and Romans eight as well.Elaine Heath It's this thread that comes through scripture, and we get to participate in that, even while we don't see all the things completely made new, we get to be part of that. And to me, that's what it means to follow Christ. That's what it means to be a disciple. And to be the love of God enfleshed in this world is to keep participating in the making of all things new. This is why healing has such a central role in my theological vision and my practice, is it's making all things new.Debra Rienstra Healing land, healing people, healing communities.Elaine Heath Yeah, yeah. Healing theology. Theology has been so damaged by patriarchy and philosophy and all sorts of things, you know, and racism.Debra Rienstra Colonization. Yeah, so that embodiment is important even theologically, because we're not aiming for some abstract doctrinal perfection. We're not aiming to become disembodied creatures. We're aiming for this embodied redemption. And so working on the farm, healing, you know, getting muddy, walking through forests, harvesting veg, and you're able to invite people into that embodiment. Little kids doing yoga, I think that's wonderful. You know, just finding this kind of rest in their own little bodies. Eating—one of the most embodied and kinship-with-creation things we do, right? Taking it inside ourselves. And that, I think, is condensed in ritual. So I know that you have been playfully experimenting with rituals. I was able to be a part of the Forest Feast last night with my husband Ron and our friend Colin. And it was this beautifully curated event where we shared table together and then went through this prayer sequence that you described, and it was beautifully participative. I noticed you do a blessing of the animals too on the farm. So good thing these are blessed chickens and blessed dairy goats, blessed dogs and cats. What other sort of liturgical shenanigans have you tried to help people live into this embodied faith practice?Elaine Heath We do so many things. It's so much fun. It's never boring. It's never boring. We have a ritual in the fall, in late November, where we tuck the farm in and put it to bed for the winter, and we have the children come, we get some compost. You know, we've cleared out the beds, and they're gonna rest now. And so the children put some compost in. And we have a liturgy that we use. We light candles, and we thank Mother Earth for the food, we thank God for the opportunities. And so this is one of the things that we do ritualistically. We also have a spring ritual. It's very Hebrew-Bible like, right? With these seasons and the crops and the things with the liturgical seasons, we also have done a bunch of things. My favorite one so far was for epiphany, and this was two years ago. And so I had the interns from Duke Divinity School do the bulk of the planning. I just gave them a little bit of guidance about the four-fold order of worship and just some things like that. So we had a journey through the forest. It started here. We went on the forest trail. Of course, it was dark outside, and they had gone ahead and set up fairy lights at certain places where we're going to stop. And one of the interns' fiance was a musician, so he had his guitar, and he had one of those things where you can play the harmonica and play the guitar at the same time, but he was our troubadour, and all of us were the Magi. So there's this troop of Magi, and we would stop at each station along the way, and there were prompt questions that we would take five minutes, and people could respond to these questions. There would be a scripture reading, and we respond to the question, we go to the next station. And it was so amazing. People shared from their lives in a very deep way. It surprised me how quickly they went deep. Well, it was dark, and there were these twinkle lights, and there was the troubadour. Then we finally got up to the Christ child, and we went into the goat barn. And honestly, I get chills every time I even remember this. But the students had set up in the goat barn—and the goats were in the barn. Okay, they were behind a little chain link thing so they didn't step on the icons and everything. But they had set up an altar at the base of the feeding trough with a big icon of Mary with the Christ Child, candles, and some other things there. There were different icons and some fairy lights. And we went in there, and we all crowded in and began to sing. We sang “This Little Light of Mine,” we sang some Christmas carols, and finished the story. And then we came back to the house and had some snacks and talked about what kind of wisdom was given to us since we were Magi. We were going to be people seeking wisdom and seeking—it was the most beautiful thing. And we've done lots of things like that. We see the land here is a primary text to learn from and to listen to and to observe, not as a metaphor, but as, it's actually a conversation partner. So we do things like that.Debra Rienstra That playfulness is so exciting to me, this sense of using our tradition, using our scriptures, using the skills that we've honed as people of faith over generations, singing together, praying together, but experimenting with those things in new contexts and new ways, in new forms of embodiment that are just faithful and yet playful. And so, as you say, people go deep because they're sort of jarred out of their habitual ways, and that can be such a great formational moment and bonding moment too, and it's very memorable. We remember that in ways—you know, you had such joy on your face as you're describing that. What would you say as you look back over the last, well, let's see, it's been almost eight years? Seven, eight years here at this location. What would you say has given you the most anguish and what has given you the most joy?Elaine Heath Oh, anguish. Which story should I tell?Debra Rienstra Yeah, I don't want to make it sound like it's all been beautiful and romantic and perfect.Elaine Heath Whenever you have community, you have drama. Well, you know, at your typical church, you're gonna have drama sometimes. But what we've found a few times, and it's pretty predictable. This happens in traditional monasteries too, which is why they have novitiate periods that are sometimes quite lengthy and sort of staggered, like you put your toe in the water. People of very high capacity who are deeply grounded spiritually and have a real vision for the gospel, are attracted to community life like this. People who are really hurt, who've had a lot of brokenness, especially from religious institutions or abusive situations, trauma that that is unresolved, that has a lot of unhealed wounds, are also attracted to places like this, often with a sort of utopian hope, because of, you know, life's deficits.Debra Rienstra And they feel that this is a place of healing, and they're right about that.Elaine Heath They're right about it. And so what actually happens is sometimes with the person, the second category of person, will come and join in and just be so full of gladness, because, “Oh, these, these are real people, like they're really doing things in the world. This is what I've longed for.” But then, as relationships form, and we're doing life together, and we all bump up against each other at times, the unhealed wounds fester. And the way I see it is, God's bringing them to a place where, if they'll just do their inner work now, now that it's clear what's the next step—if they'll take the next step, whether it's get some therapy, stay on your meds, get some support for your addiction recovery, whatever the things are—if you'll take the next step, then this is a very supportive community that can help you. It's a village that can be around you and you will heal here in the context of this village. But sometimes people are not willing or not able, or it's not time in their own sense of what they can do, and so then they'll leave. Sometimes when people leave, this happens in traditional churches, for whatever reason, this is a common sort of psychological reaction, they'll create some sort of chaotic drama to be the excuse for leaving, rather than have to face the fact that it was time for me to take the next step, and I was too scared. Because that takes a lot of self awareness, you know, to come to realizations about things like that. So I know from talking to people, from, you know, friends that are in traditional monasteries and convents that this is a common thing that happens there. So it happens here sometimes, and it's never easy. It's always painful and always challenging, you know, but with God's help, we get through it. And so that's the anguish, when those kinds of things happen. We've had a time or two where, over the last 20 years, really, where a person would come in, usually a young adult who's very idealistic, and they're like, “This isn't a new monastic community. You're not forcing people to pray three times a day!” You know, whatever the thing is that they have in their head that is supposed to be, because we're pretty gracious, you know.Debra Rienstra You don't get up at three in the morning.Elaine Heath Yeah, that's not us. We can't do that because, especially if you've got families with children and, you know, you've got to get up and go to work in the morning. So sometimes there will be somebody that figures they know more than everybody else in the room, and they want to take over and run the joint. You know, that's not going to happen. So then that sometimes creates some anguish. What about the joy? The joy is—and there's so much to give me joy. I really, really love seeing people come alive, like I really love seeing people who have, especially people who have been harmed by religion, because of their identity or because of anything, and they find deep spiritual friendship. They find how to connect, in Buechner's words, their deep passion with the world's great need, and start a new thing. And it gives them so much joy. And it's actually helping people. It's helping the world. And just sort of fanning that flame, that gives me a lot of joy. I have so much joy being in touch with the land and the animals. I just really experience them directly mediating God to me. I feel the divine life in them, and I feel, I guess I get a lot of dopamine hits when I'm out there harvesting and when I'm, you know, brushing the goats and talking to the chickens and whatnot.Debra Rienstra They are blessed chickens!Elaine Heath They are blessed chickens.Debra Rienstra What advice would you give to church people who, even though they love their church and their community, recognize that something needs to change, but they don't know where to start? What advice would you give?Elaine Heath To start in their own home, if at all possible, start in their own neighborhood. Start having neighbors over for dinner. Do not tell them we're going to have a Bible study now, because that's—it's not to have a Bible study. It's to form friendships with our neighbors. Start neighboring well. Figure out who lives on my street. Who lives across the street? Invite them for dinner. Have neighborhood potlucks. We did this in Texas, right after we moved there, I think they're still going. We'd have 50 people in our house sometimes. But just invite the neighbors for dinner. Have a potluck. Get to know them. Remember their birthdays, go to their kids' graduation. When you find out their mother died, go to the funeral. It's so simple. It's just such basic neighboring. That's where to start. It's not a church program. It's not making you stop going to church somewhere, to go to church over here. What you're actually doing is living church in your own neighborhood. Start doing that.Debra Rienstra Elaine, it's been such a pleasure to be here on the farm with you and to talk with you, get to know you a little bit. Thank you for what you do, and thank you for spending some time with me today.Elaine Heath It's been a joy. Thank you for the interview.Debra Rienstra Thanks for joining us for show notes and full transcripts, please visit debrarienstra.com and click on the Refugia Podcast tab. This season of the Refugia Podcast is produced with generous funding from the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship. Colin Hoogerwerf is our awesome audio producer. Thanks to Ron Rienstra for content consultation as well as technical and travel support. Till next time, be well. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit refugianewsletter.substack.com

Church World Service (CWS) isn't just an organization; it's a network of communities working together to build a better world. In this episode, we speak with Adam Smedberg from CWS about how they empower local communities through initiatives like Crop Hunger Walks and provide crucial support to those facing hunger, poverty, and displacement. Discover the power of collective action and the importance of supporting our neighbors, both near and far. You'll be inspired by the stories of resilience, hope, and the unwavering dedication of CWS.

On today's program, the Trump administration cancels grants to refugee aid agencies…despite legal battles. We'll take a look. And, a staggering 30 percent of nonprofits don't survive a full decade—but when they go under, what happens to their assets? Our finance writer Shannon Cuthrell digs into the hidden risks and loopholes of nonprofit dissolutions. And, we've released our MinistryWatch list of the 50 Christian ministries receiving the largest government grants.  But first, the U-S Department of Justice has intervened on behalf of a Pennsylvania church trying to expand. The producer for today's program is Jeff McIntosh. We get database and other technical support from Stephen DuBarry, Rod Pitzer, and Casey Sudduth. Writers who contributed to today's program include Kim Roberts, Jack Jenkins, Yonat Shimron, Jessica Eturralde, Shannon Cuthrell, Tony Mator, Bruce Buursma, Brittany Smith, and Christina Darnell. Until next time, may God bless you.   MANUSCRIPT:    FIRST SEGMENT Warren: Hello everybody. I'm Warren Smith, coming to you this week from Charlotte, North Carolina. Natasha:  And I'm Natasha Cowden, coming to you from Denver, Colorado, and we'd like to welcome you to the MinistryWatch podcast. Warren: On today's program, the Trump administration cancels grants to refugee aid agencies…despite legal battles. We'll take a look. And, a staggering 30 percent of nonprofits don't survive a full decade—but when they go under, what happens to their assets? Our finance writer Shannon Cuthrell digs into the hidden risks and loopholes of nonprofit dissolutions. And, we've released our MinistryWatch list of the 50 Christian ministries receiving the largest government grants. Natasha: But first, the U-S Department of Justice has intervened on behalf of a Pennsylvania church trying to expand. Warren: On March 3, the Justice Department section for the Western District of Pennsylvania filed a statement of interest supporting the Hope Rising Community Church in its lawsuit against the Borough of Clarion. The church has outgrown its current facilities and wants to expand using a facility in the city's commercial district. While Clarion allows nonreligious assemblies in the commercial district, such as theaters, the city would not approve the church's zoning use variance request. Officials from the city allegedly said they didn't “need any more churches” because of the loss of property taxes. Natasha: Hope Rising Community Church filed its lawsuit in November alleging the city was violating the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA), a federal law that protects houses of worship from discrimination in zoning. When Clarion filed a motion to dismiss the church's claim, the Justice Department intervened. Warren: The city argued the church had not suffered any concrete injury as a result of Clarion's actions, the DOJ argued that the city's zoning code has “stymied [the church's] efforts to buy and develop the only suitable property for the church in Clarion.” As of March 2024, the DOJ had opened over 155 formal investigations and filed nearly 30 lawsuits related to RLUIPA's Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA) land use provisions, and had filed 36 “friend-of-the-court” briefs addressing the interpretation and application of RLUIPA in privately-filed lawsuits. Natasha: Next, The Trump Administration cancels grants to refugee aid agencies. Warren: President Donald Trump's administration is making moves to shutter a decades-old partnership between the government and a group of mostly religious organizations to resettle refugees, with the State Department abruptly canceling grant agreements with all the agencies despite ongoing legal battles. On Wednesday (Feb. 26), refugee resettlement organizations, such as Church World Service, Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, and the U.S.

In episode 2 of NAWL's Bridging Divides series, NAWL member Autumn Tertin engages in a compelling conversation on immigration with Jennie Guilfoyle from VECINA. They explore the recent shifts in immigration policy and address the critical implications of immigrant-focused disinformation under the new presidential administration. Tune in to learn more about VECINA's volunteer opportunities and discover how you can take action.To learn more about VECINA and how you can actively combat immigrant hate, visit: Get Involved - VECINA. Your support makes a difference. Jennie Guilfoyle is VECINA's Legal Director. She has worked in the immigration field for 25 years. most recently as the former Deputy Director for the Immigration Justice Campaign at the American Immigration Council. Before joining the Council, she spent four years as an Attorney Adviser at the State Department in the Bureau of Consular Affairs, working on issues ranging from citizenship to intercountry adoption. Prior to that, she worked for many years as a Senior Training Attorney at the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, designing and leading in-person and online trainings on a wide range of immigration law topics. She also worked at Church World Service, where she trained refugee resettlement programs on immigration law and program management. She began her legal career as an Equal Justice Works fellow at the New York Association for New Americans, where she represented asylum seekers and VAWA applicants. Jennie studied English as an undergraduate at Harvard, and earned her J.D. at New York University School of Law. Autumn Tertin is an Attorney in McLane Middleton's Corporate and Immigration Department, where her practice focuses exclusively on U.S. employment-based immigration law.  She assists employers across the U.S. with temporary and permanent visa solutions in a wide variety of industries.  Autumn also assists immigrant investors and entrepreneurs, as well as other specialized foreign nationals such as individuals with extraordinary ability, professors and researchers, and those seeking national interest waivers.  In addition, she works with many New England employers seeking short-term staffing solutions through the H-2B visa program.  Autumn also handles I-9 audit and compliance matters, and is a frequent presenter to the HR community on these topics.  She works with area universities on student visa issues and I-17 certifications as well.Autumn serves as Chair of the National Association of Women Lawyers Immigration Law Affinity Group and is a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation. She has also served as the NH USCIS Liaison for the American Immigration Lawyers Association New England Chapter. Autumn was previously selected as a Super Lawyers New England Rising Star in 2021 – 2023, an honor only bestowed upon 2.5% of attorneys per state.  She is a lifetime member of the Polish Women's Alliance of America (now part of FCSLA), and has held various chapter officer positions within the organization.  Autumn is also a former Vice-President of the Polish American Congress of New Hampshire.Prior to joining McLane Middleton, Autumn was an Attorney at GoffWilson for over 10 years.  She has been active in the immigration law field since 2005, having worked as a Legal Assistant/Paralegal for several Metro Detroit immigration firms prior to and during law school. Autumn earned her Juris Doctor from Western New England University School of Law as a Public Interest Scholar, and is a member of the New Hampshire Bar.  She received her B.A. in Political Science, summa cum laude, from the University of Detroit Mercy.

As new legislation and political rhetoric fuel fear and uncertainty in immigrant communities, it's more important than ever to uplift the voices of those on the front lines. In this encore episode of Built By Us, former Democracy Summer communications friendtern Zainab Adamou-Mohamed interviews Yahtrip Abdelgadir, a refugee community organizer with Church World Service Greensboro. Together, they discuss the unique experiences of first-generation immigrants and their critical role as changemakers, storytellers, and advocates for justice. At a time when immigrant communities are under attack, this conversation is a reminder of their power, resilience, and impact in the movement. Tune in.Support the showFollow Us on Social MediaFacebook: @DemocracyNorthCarolinaInstagram: @democracyncTikTok: @democracyncX: @democracync

Episode 80 of Messy Jesus Business podcast, with Sister Julia Walsh. Podcast: Play in new window | Download Subscribe:  Email | RSS | More "I think it goes back to humility, you know, just being willing to genuinely listen to the other side." -Kelly Moltzen IN THIS EPISODE In the latest episode of Messy Jesus Business podcast, Sister Julia Walsh FSPA chats with Kelly Moltzen. They discuss Kelly's early Franciscan influences and how they affected her decision to study health disparity and food justice as a lay Franciscan. "Everything is connected," Kelly says, "and the way that we treat our environment is going to have direct impacts on your health." They also discuss efforts to depolarize our communities, and the work of Braver Angels. The work of reaching out to those who think differently is difficult, but necessary. "I think it's important that we don't get caught up in group think," Kelly says, "that we all are able to seek things out for ourselves." Name Drops: Shane ClaibornePope FrancisThich Nhat HanhFr. Richard RohrImmanuel SwedenborgSimran Kit SinghJohn Duns Scotus Topics Discussed: Franciscan spiritualityintentional communityfood justiceenvironment/ecologycommunion and interconnection with creationdepolarizationinterfaith workappreciating differenceshumilityspiritual entrepreneurship Books Mentioned: The Irresistible RevolutionLaudato SiThe BibleThe Mystic HeartThe Light We Give Kelly Moltzen ABOUT THE GUEST Kelly Moltzen is a co-founder and convener of the Interfaith Public Health Network, which inspires people of faith to be agents of change in transforming communities into ones that promote health and well-being for all. She is a Registered Dietitian, has her Master's of Public Health, and is a member of the Secular Franciscan Order. She is serving as a co-chair of the Justice, Peace & Integrity of Creation commission of the Franciscan Federation, and is part of the core group of the Intergenerational Eco-Justice & Spirituality Network which is supported by the Franciscan Federation. Kelly was a 2021-2022 Abrahamic House fellow, and a 2022 Rockefeller-Acumen Food Systems Fellow. Her Rockefeller Food System Vision Prize proposal, Faith Communities Leading the Way Towards Healthy, Sustainable Food Systems, reached the semi-finalist stage. Kelly has worked to address health disparities in the Bronx with Bronx Health REACH for 14 years, and is also supporting the Chief Impact and Sustainability Office of Church World Service as a consultant, helping to promote faith community engagement in the National Strategy on Hunger, Nutrition and Health. MESSY JESUS BUSINESS is hosted by Sister Julia Walsh.  Produced and edited by Colin Wambsgans. Email us at messyjesusbusiness@gmail.com BE SOCIAL:https://www.facebook.com/MessyJesusBusiness Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MessyJesusBusiness Twitter: @messyjesusbiz Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/messyjesusbusiness SUPPORT US: https://www.patreon.com/messyjesusbusiness

In this enlightening episode of "Walk Talk Listen, Abdi Iftin, a remarkable storyteller and author, discusses his journey from war-torn Somalia to a new life in the United States. This episode delves deep into themes of resilience, hope, and navigating the uncertainties that life presents. Abdi shares poignant memories of his childhood in Mogadishu, painting a vivid picture of life amidst conflict and the challenges he faced growing up in a war zone. We discover how Abdi's passion for storytelling became a lifeline, and he recounts the perilous journey that brought him to the U.S., highlighting the moments of uncertainty and the incredible resilience required to navigate such a path. Maurice and Abdi discuss the cultural and personal adjustments Abdi had to make upon arriving in the United States, including the new challenges he faced and how he overcame them. Abdi offers inspiring advice for anyone facing their own uncertainties, emphasizing the importance of hope, perseverance, and the power of community support. Abdi Nor Iftin was born in Mogadishu to nomadic parents and survived famine, war, and child soldiering. Teaching himself English through American action films, Abdi became a guerrilla journalist, sharing his life stories through the series "Messages from Mogadishu" on NPR, the BBC, and This American Life, and was shortlisted for a Peabody Award. After surviving a bombing at his house in 2009, Abdi fled to Kenya, where he and his brother lived as refugees. In an incredible stroke of luck, he won entrance to the U.S. in the 2014 annual visa lottery, although his journey to America was fraught with challenges that nearly stranded him in Nairobi. Now based in Maine, Abdi is a bestselling and award-winning author with ten years of experience in refugee resettlement and currently works as the communications specialist at Church World Service. As an advocate for the rights of newly arrived immigrants, he is dedicated to uniting people through his stories of survival and resilience. Abdi became a United States citizen in 2020 and graduated from Boston College with a degree in Political Science in 2022 and now pursuing his law degree. He is also a regular columnist for the Portland Press Herald.   For more information on Abdi's work at CWS, check this link. Listener Engagement: Discover the songs picked by Abdi and other guests on our #walktalklisten here.  Connect with Abdi: Instagram, Facebook and  Twitter. Share your thoughts on this episode at innovationhub@cwsglobal.org. Your feedback is invaluable to us. Follow Us: Support the Walk Talk Listen podcast by liking and following us on Twitter and Instagram. Visit our website at 100mile.org for more episodes and information about our initiatives. Check out the special WTL series "Enough for All" featuring CWS, and as well as the work of the Joint Learning Initiative (JLI).

In this episode, we are joined by Noel Andersen who recently spoke at the Ecumenical Advocacy Days 2024 Spring Summit domestic workshop. As the National Field Director for Church World Service he has been at the forefront of mobilizing faith communities across the United States to support immigrants and refugees through actionable solidarity. He brings a rich background of community development and organizing from his time in Central America and along the U.S.-Mexico border. An ordained minister in the United Church of Christ (UCC), Noel is also a co-founder of the UCC National Collaborative on Immigration, a grassroots initiative aimed at galvanizing UCC leaders in the fight for immigrants' rights. His commitment to social change is further evident in his work with the Refugee Leadership Development for Social Change project at CWS, which has empowered thousands of refugees with skills in community organizing. For more information on Noel's work at CWS, check this link. Listener Engagement: Discover the songs picked by Noel and other guests on our #walktalklisten here.  Connect with Noel: Instagram, Facebook and  Twitter. Share your thoughts on this episode at innovationhub@cwsglobal.org. Your feedback is invaluable to us. Follow Us: Support the Walk Talk Listen podcast by liking and following us on Twitter and Instagram. Visit our website at 100mile.org for more episodes and information about our initiatives. Check out the special WTL series "Enough for All" featuring CWS, and as well as the work of the Joint Learning Initiative (JLI).

Today we welcome back Adam Smedberg from Church World Service, an organization committed to transforming communities around the globe through just and sustainable responses to hunger, poverty, displacement and disaster.

Kelly Moltzen is a Co-founder and co-convener of the Interfaith Public Health Network, which helps organizations and faith communities to create impactful relationships to advance public health. She is a Registered Dietitian, has her Master's of Public Health, and is a member of the USA Secular Franciscan Order. Kelly was a 2022 Rockefeller-Acumen Food Systems Fellow. Her 2021 Rockefeller Food System Vision Prize proposal, Faith Communities Leading the Way Towards Healthy, Sustainable Food Systems, reached the semi-finalist stage. She is a steering committee member of the Center for Earth Ethics' Faith and Food Coalition, and was named to Hunter College's NYC Food Policy Center 40 Under 40 Class of 2020. Kelly has worked to address health disparities in the Bronx with Bronx Health REACH for 13 years, and is also currently supporting the Chief Impact and Sustainability Office of Church World Service as a consultant.    Kelly her social media handles are: Twitter/X, Facebook and Instagram and her organization IPHN: Twitter/X, Facebook,  Instagram. The website is: iphnetwork.org   The songs picked by all our guests can be found via  our playlist #walktalklisten here.    Please let me/us know via our email innovationhub@cwsglobal.org what you think about this new series. We would love to hear from you.   Please like/follow our Walk Talk Listen podcast and follow mauricebloem on twitter and instagram.  Or check us out on our website 100mile.org.  We also encourage you to check out the special WTL series Enough for All about an organization called CWS. 

Guest: Craig McIlroy Denver Lead The Light the World Giving Machines came to Denver in 2019.  The Light the World Giving Machines are vending machines for charity, you can buy an item for someone in need.  You decided on the amount you want to spend and the item. This year they are working with five local non-profits and two global non-profits.  This year the local non-profits they are working with the Colorado Hosting Asylum, The Delores Project, Global Down Syndrome Foundation, and Volunteers of America.  The two International charities are Church World Service, American Red Cross.  They are located on Cherry Creek North and will be there from November 16 until December the 24th and 100% of the donations go to that charity.    https://givingmachinesdenver.org/

Rev. Dr. David Vásquez-Levy serves as President of Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, California –a progressive, multi-denominational seminary and center for social justice that prepares theologically and spiritually rooted leaders to work for the well-being of all. A committed pastor, a nationally recognized higher education and immigration leader, and a sought after speaker, Vásquez-Levy leads at the intersection of faith, higher education, and social change.   David is committed to innovation and access in theological education and leadership formation. He serves on the GTU Consortial Council, is co-founder and convener for the Latinx Presidents and Deans of ATS schools, and is a member of the executive leaders group of AshokaU campus network and the Asociación para La Educación Teológica Hispana (AETH). He also serves as Vice-Chair on the board of Church World Service, one of the largest ecumenical development agencies in the world, and the Advisory Council for Encore.org.   He regularly contributes a faith perspective to the national conversation on immigration, including speaking at a congressional briefing, immigration consultations with the both the Obama and the Biden White House, engaging in a series of public conversation with various State Attorneys across the country in an effort to reframe our national conversation about immigration. He has worked on consulted on a number of documentaries on immigration, labor, and human rights and is the author of various publications that explore migration stories in sacred texts and in peoples lives.   David has lived in four countries, including working on refugee resettlement in Canada, and taught courses and led international study and service trips across the globe. He holds a Bachelors Degree in Computer Science from Texas Lutheran University and a Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry degrees from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, including studies at Ludwig Maximilians University in Munich, Germany.     Social media handles of the University: Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter and Linkedin.   The songs picked by all our guests can be found via  our playlist #walktalklisten here.    Please let me/us know via our email innovationhub@cwsglobal.org what you think about this new series. We would love to hear from you.   Please like/follow our Walk Talk Listen podcast and follow mauricebloem on twitter and instagram.  Or check us out on our website 100mile.org.  We also encourage you to check out the special WTL series Enough for All about an organization called CWS.  The 11th 100 mile walk campaign will continue until the summer, find more info via de 100mile.org website. Or go straight to our fundraising page.

Africa is the second largest continent in the world, both in land area and population. It has more than 1.2 billion people — most of them young and poor — living in 54 countries. If current demographic trends continue, Africa will account for a quarter of humanity by the middle of this century.In Africa, conflicts are more often within countries rather than between them. Sudan and Ethiopia are current examples.Today, al Qaeda and the Islamic State are active across Africa. So is the Wagner Group, a lawless private army loyal to Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.And China's ruling Communist Party has become a neo-imperialist power on the continent, exploiting African peoples and resources.Joining host Cliff May to talk about Africa is Joshua Meservey.He's currently a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, where he focuses on African geopolitics, counterterrorism, and great power competition in Africa.He was previously a research fellow for Africa at the Heritage Foundation. He's also worked at the US Army Special Operations Command, for Church World Service based out of Nairobi, Kenya, and he was a Peace Corps volunteer in Zambia. And he's a member of FDD's National Security Network.

Africa is the second largest continent in the world, both in land area and population. It has more than 1.2 billion people — most of them young and poor — living in 54 countries. If current demographic trends continue, Africa will account for a quarter of humanity by the middle of this century.In Africa, conflicts are more often within countries rather than between them. Sudan and Ethiopia are current examples.Today, al Qaeda and the Islamic State are active across Africa. So is the Wagner Group, a lawless private army loyal to Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.And China's ruling Communist Party has become a neo-imperialist power on the continent, exploiting African peoples and resources.Joining host Cliff May to talk about Africa is Joshua Meservey.He's currently a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, where he focuses on African geopolitics, counterterrorism, and great power competition in Africa.He was previously a research fellow for Africa at the Heritage Foundation. He's also worked at the US Army Special Operations Command, for Church World Service based out of Nairobi, Kenya, and he was a Peace Corps volunteer in Zambia. And he's a member of FDD's National Security Network.

THE KELLY CARDENAS PODCAST PRESENTS Vicki Clark is an optimist. She loves people and shows up in the world as a learner and a servant leader. Based in Memphis, Tennessee, Vicki has devoted the past 30 years of her career to building capacity of: for profit and nonprofit organizations and individuals; inspiring community and business leaders to take action.  She is known for her work in the specialty areas of leadership development, diversity, equity, inclusion, accesses and belonging, antiracism and facilitation, board development, strategic planning, volunteer resource development and effective communication. Her work spans dozens of corporate clients, nonprofits and government organizations. She sits on the National Diaper Bank and Youth Volunteer Corps. As a BoardSource Certified Trainer she is a regular facilitator on topics such as Exceptional Boards, Board Best Practices, Imbedding DEIAB into Your Board Culture, Leadership, Leadership Transition for various non profit organizations including United Way, the Association of Junior Leagues International, St. Jude, National Audubon Society, Church World Service, National Association of African American Museums, Sigma Kappa,  American Bar Association, numerous state and local Bar Associations, and the TN Supreme Court .  Her work as a consultant, coach, trainer and speaker have given her infinite opportunities to learn from and share with people from all walks of life. She meets people where they are, never gives up, and believes in the power of prayer. Even at her age and with all that she has experienced, she continues to be A WORK IN PROGRESS.  THE HIDEOUT Be sure to check out my new audiobook SUCCESS LEAVES CLUES (THE 7 P'S THAT CAN SHIFT YOUR REALITY) Thank you to our sponsors PRIVATE MONEY CLUB  USE CODE - KELLY500 MONEY SCHOOL TABLE ONE HOSPITALITY RAVEN DRUM FOUNDATION THE MINA GROUP SECRET KNOCK FAMECAST Findlay Volvo Las Vegas Samaritans Feet Cardenas Law Group Squeeze Dried Agua Hedionda Lagoon Foundation BLING SHINE SERUM-The #1 seller of over 15 years and the only product to be endorsed by my MAMA! MORE KELLY “JOY IS THE ART OF FALLING IN LOVE WITH YOUR CURRENT CIRCUMSTANCES AND ALLOWING MAGIC TO HAPPEN!” EXECUTIVE PRODUCER BROOKLYN CARDENAS --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/kelly-cardenas/message

Jeff and Sharon Kenyon are the Renton CROP Hunger Walk coordinators for close to 40 years now, they share how it started with their daughter and how their walk is now part of the top 100 CROP Hunger Walks in the US. We also talked about both the Sustainable Development Goals as well as the Inner Development Goals. Last but not least, they invite those living in Renton to their upcoming walk on April 31, 2023. Like all CROP Hunger Walk this walk support hunger activities globally through Church World Service.  Locally it supports the work of Salvation Army Renton Rotary Food Bank, South King County Shelter Program (previously ARISE), Margie Williams Helping Hands Center, Society of St Vincent De Paul Food Program, REACH Center of Hope and REACH Meal Coalition. For now, I invite you to support the 11th 100 mile walk that will take place in the Seattle area and surroundings from March 27 - April 1, 2023. For more info go to 100mile.org   The songs picked by all our guests can be found via  our playlist #walktalklisten here.    Please let me/us know via our email innovationhub@cwsglobal.org what you think about this new series. We would love to hear from you.   Please like/follow our Walk Talk Listen podcast and follow mauricebloem on twitter and instagram.  Or check us out on our website 100mile.org.  We also encourage you to check out the special WTL series Enough for All about an organization called CWS.  Stay tuned for the 11th 100 mile walk that will take place from March 27 - April 1, 2023 in Seattle, WA area, find more info via de 100mile.org website. Or go straight to our fundraising page.

CWS Virtual Side Event (Zoom)  The Necessity of Inner Development for the Full Achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)  February 7, 2023 1:15 - 2:30 PM EST CSocD 61 Priority Theme Creating full and productive employment and decent work for all as a way of overcoming inequalities to accelerate the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic & the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development   Event Concept Note At a point approximately halfway through the 15 year time period to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), it is critical that all actors strategize around full implementation and achievement of the 2030 Agenda. Leveraging highly effective partnerships and applying lessons learned from the first seven years of the SDGs are necessary, and community-level engagement and leadership will continue to be critical. The role of the individual, and their personal journey toward their sustainable development will also be a critical lens for program design and implementation over the second half, and throughout the final years leading up to 2030.   The interconnectivity of the goals is also inextricably linked to the complexities of each person and their own capacities, interests, goals and lived experience - to name a few. This session will look at the Inner Development Goals (IDGs) as a key means to help the world achieve the SDGs.    The IDGs (https://www.innerdevelopmentgoals.org/) concern each humans' 1) being; 2) thinking; 3) relating; 4) collaborating, and; 5) acting. These five areas of the individual will be the lynchpin to help sustainably shift toward sustainable interests, habits, efforts, and unleash creativity and innovation.  Panelists will discuss how program models and approaches have shifted since the adoption of the 2030 Agenda in 2015 and how the role of program participants - as individuals - has shifted, including their roles in program design, community leadership and their personal goal setting and action. This will take into consideration inequity in access to basic services and disproportionate consequences - especially for marginalized and displaced people. This will be explored through several perspectives of our speakers with different backgrounds.   Speakers   Maurice A. Bloem, Chief Sustainability and Impact Officer, Church World Service (moderator) Dr. Michael Trice, Director of the Center for Ecumenical and Interreligious Engagement, Spehar-Haliligan Associate Professor, Seattle University Ntombentsha “Portia” Tengani, RDP Project Manager, Church World Service Africa  Sophia Robele, Foresight Specialist Consultant, UNDP Wardah Khalid - Foreign Affairs Officer at the US Department of State, but during this event she (re)presented: Founder and Board President, Poligon Education Fund  

Learn more about local refugees in your community and how Church World Service helps them once they land in our country. Learn how we have started partnering with Church World Service and maybe even get an idea on how you can volunteer with us!

Karen Gonzalez is an immigration advocate and the author of Beyond Welcome: Centering Immigrants in Our Christian Response to Immigration.  In this episode, Karen Gonzalez, helps us understand both the challenges of immigration and how we, the church, can love and bless those who have immigrated in ways that are healthy and lifegiving for everyone. THIS EPISODE'S HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:Karen Gonzalez is an immigration advocate and the author of Beyond Welcome: Centering Immigrants in Our Christian Response to Immigration.Karen Gonzalez shares the story of how her understanding of immigration developed over time.Church ministries that focus on immigration don't generally center on the immigrants; they tend to focus on the church and its people.Think about the words that you use and whether your words are creating an “us and them” or just creating a “we.”The words we use can sometimes be unintentionally dehumanizing.Hospitality should not be one-directional—from the non-immigrant to the immigrant.  Hospitality should be mutual, flowing in both directions.Karen Gonzalez shares the story of a woman who said she appreciates Mother Mary because Mary knows what it feels like to have her son killed by the state—which is how this woman's son died, too.We all do theology from somewhere.Karen Gonzalez describes the richness that those who are not immigrants can experience when they learn from the experiences of those who are immigrants.Ministry leaders should reflect on where their understanding of immigration comes from.Karen Gonzalez offers some ways that people and churches can help immigrants and refugees.To find out how to best help immigrants visit World Relief, International Rescue Committee, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services, and Church World Service.RELEVANT RESOURCES AND LINKS:Karen Gonzalez:TwitterInstagramBooks mentioned:Beyond Welcome, by Karen GonzalezBeyond Thingification, by Markus WatsonImmigration Resources:World ReliefInternational Rescue CommitteeLutheran Immigration and Refugee ServicesChurch World ServiceEngaging God's Mission online course (with special Christmas offer)Growing Where God is Working online course

Diana Muresan, of the Church World Service, sat down to talk with the CEIE Student Affiliates: Prabhjeet Kaur, Sofia Sayabalian, and Zachary Dar. Together, they discussed the importance of Diana's work, religious literacy, and how to not feel overwhelmed when addressing global hunger.More from The Religica Theolab at https://religica.org More from The Center for Ecumenical and Interreligious Engagement at Seattle University at https://www.seattleu.edu/thecenter/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Religica.org/Twitter: https://twitter.com/religica YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPuwufds6gAu2u6xmm8SBuw Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-religica Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3CZwIO4uGP1voqiVpYdMas?si=0k2-TSmwTkuTQC2rgdGObQ Apple Podcasts: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/religica/id1448005061?mt=2 The Religica Theolab is a comprehensive online platform at the axis of religion and society that provides non-sectarian, coherent, integrated and accessible awareness about the role of religion in society, with a focus on strengthening local communities.

Joanne Rendal is the CFO and Senior Vice President at Church World Service. Joanne who joined CWS in 1985 has been mentioned by several WTL podcast guests as a person who embodies what CWS is all about. After all these years with CWS, she is not only still very passionate and committed about the work, but also has a lot of faith in the future: " I do have a lot of confidence in them (younger generation) and it will be better and it will be a different world. Invigorating". You can also follow her on Facebook.   We made a special Playlist #CWSsongs consisting of songs chosen by many of our podcast guests.   Please let me/us know via our email innovationhub@cwsglobal.org what you think about this new series. We would love to hear from you.   Please like/follow our Walk Talk Listen podcast and follow @mauricebloem on twitter and instagram.  Or check us out on our website 100mile.org (and find out more about our app (android and iPhone) that enables you to walk and do good at the same time!

William (Bill) Wildey, took early retirement from Church World Service following 31 years of service. During his tenure at Church World Service, Bill traveled to many countries around the world. He has taught workshops on effective public speaking, storytelling, major gift fundraising, and more. Bill has hosted and been a guest on many radio and television programs through the years. Early in his career, he worked with singer/songwriter Harry Chapin in his efforts to address global hunger. Throughout his career, he has worked with various performers, including Pete Seeger, Lou Rawls, Noel Paul Stookey (Peter, Paul, and Mary), Tim Janis, and others. Following his retirement, Bill served as Interim Pastor at Zion United Church of Christ in South Bend, Indiana before he and his wife, Maureen, moved to Ponte Vedra. At present he is the Adult Ministry Director of Palm Presbyterian Church in Florida. You can find them on Instagram and Facebook. 

This is an interview with Rev. Craig B. Mousin, an Adjunct Faculty member of the DePaul University's College of Law, Refugee and Forced Migrations Studies Program and the Grace School of Applied Diplomacy. The podcast celebrates all those who worked to defeat the amendments that tried to codify Title 42 in August, 2022.  In addition, as we celebrate Labor Day 2022, we give thanks for all those immigrants who came to our nation, offered their skills and fostered families that have contributed to the common good.ACTION STEPS Thank your Senator(s) if they voted to defeat the anti-immigrant amendments to the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.  If your Senator(s) voted for an amendment, redouble your efforts to urge them to convince them to end Title 42.   Urge Congress to pass the Afghan Adjustment Act.  Church World Service provides you with a link to send your email at:  https://cwsglobal.org/action-alerts/take-action-urge-congress-to-swiftly-pass-the-bipartisan-afghan-adjustment-act/Faith leaders are invited to urge the Biden administration to increase the number of refugees to be resettled in the next fiscal year to 200,000.  Church World Service provides you with a link to send your email: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScphVDWU93gJA5Q6ZLYcYyCbDsFwPYKjCindlkhO2Bz-dgC9Q/viewformAll are urged to encourage Congress to increase refugee resettlement to 200,000.  https://cwsglobal.org/action-alerts/take-action-urge-congress-to-welcome-refugees-rebuild-the-u-s-resettlement-program/To be most effective please respond prior to Tuesday, September 6.  Thank you.RESOURCESInformation on the efforts to amend the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 came from Greg Chen's “Senate Passage of Legislation Without Immigration.”  You can find additional information on the congressional action in his post:  https://thinkimmigration.org/blog/2022/08/08/why-were-celebrating-the-senates-passage-of-legislation-without-immigration/Find John McCutcheon's research about the deportees who died in 1948 and his version of Woody Guthrie's song, “Deportees,” at:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxsPL4uEo34 Visit his website at:  https://www.folkmusic.comFind Emma's Revolution song, “Bound for Freedom” at:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uo9PVE_RxMI  Visit their website at:  https://www.emmasrevolution.comWe welcome your inquiries or suggestions for future podcasts.  If you would like to ask more questions about our podcasts or comment, email us at: mission.depaul@gmail.com  

Rick Augsburger has worked for more than 25 years as a leader in the international development and humanitarian sector, focusing on leadership, staff resilience, program growth and strategy and is he a founding partner of the Konterra Group.   Prior to joining the KonTerra Group, Rick served as the deputy director of the Headington Institute (2007-2008), Director of Emergency Programs (1996-2005) and Deputy Director (2005-2007) for Church World Service, an international relief and development agency. He has a BA in Business Administration and is a graduate of the Harvard Business School Executive Leadership program in Performance Measurement and Management for Nonprofit Organizations.   Rick was also regional advisor for the United States Agency for International Development-OFDA in East Africa and the associate director for Mennonite Disaster Service. He brings more than twenty years of experience in humanitarian programming. He has traveled extensively working on relief and development programs in more than 70 countries. He has also led disaster rapid response teams and participated as a trainer and consultant for numerous humanitarian agencies.   From 2000 to 2005 Rick served as the co-chair of InterAction's Humanitarian Policy and Practice Committee. Prior to that he was a member of InterAction's executive board of directors and represented the U.S.-based humanitarian community on the United Nations Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) Working Group.   My conversation with Rick Augsburger took place in 2021.   For more info about CWS, please check out this website. The Konterra Group is on Facebook and Twitter. You can also find Rick on Facebook.   We made a special Playlist #CWSsongs consisting of songs chosen by many of our podcast guests.   Please let me/us know via our email innovationhub@cwsglobal.org what you think about this new series. We would love to hear from you.   Please like/follow our Walk Talk Listen podcast and follow @mauricebloem on twitter and instagram.  Or check us out on our website 100mile.org (and find out more about our app (android and iPhone) that enables you to walk and do good at the same time!

Richard L. Santos is the President and CEO of Church World Service. Prior to assuming this role in 2021, Rick was the President and CEO of IMA World Health. He led IMA World Health through several strategic pivots that positioned the agency well for the future. Immediately before becoming the President and CEO of CWS, Rick spent about two years assisting nonprofit CEOs and boards of directors to develop comprehensive approaches to building organizational resilience and relevance. He provided strategic advice and consulting services to U.S.-based, senior non-profit leadership as they consider adaptive and technical strategies and supports efforts of civil society organizations, faith-based organizations, networks and facilities to achieve organizational change and build capacity, focusing on leadership and governance, both in developed and developing country contexts. Rick was not new to CWS when he became President and CEO. Earlier in his career, Rick spent more than a decade with CWS. He began as a Program Officer with our team in Vietnam before rising through the ranks to eventually become Coordinator of Strategic Planning and Evaluation. He went on to serve as the Director of Communication and Advocacy at International Relief and Development before joining IMA World Health. In total, Rick has more than two decades of experience working for and with faith-based organizations, including more than a decade of living and working in Asia. Rick is an expert in engaging and partnering with civil society in the development process, and his developmental approach includes building and prioritizing robust local and regional partnerships—communities, organizations and networks—which he believes are the key ingredients to successful and sustainable development work. Rick holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Johns Hopkins University's Carey Business School, a Masters of Theological Studies degree from Harvard Divinity School, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from George Washington University.   This is part 2 of two episodes with Rick Santos.   For more info about CWS, please check out this website.  Rick is on Twitter and Facebook.   We are also making a special Playlist #CWSsongs consisting of songs chosen by our podcast guests.   Please let me/us know via our email incubationlab@cwsglobal.org what you think about this new series. We would love to hear from you.   Please like/follow our Walk Talk Listen podcast and follow @mauricebloem on twitter and instagram.  Or check us out on our website 100mile.org (and find out more about our app (android and iPhone) that enables you to walk and do good at the same time!

Richard L. Santos is the President and CEO of Church World Service. Prior to assuming this role in 2021, Rick was the President and CEO of IMA World Health. He led IMA World Health through several strategic pivots that positioned the agency well for the future. Immediately before becoming the President and CEO of CWS, Rick spent about two years assisting nonprofit CEOs and boards of directors to develop comprehensive approaches to building organizational resilience and relevance. He provided strategic advice and consulting services to U.S.-based, senior non-profit leadership as they consider adaptive and technical strategies and supports efforts of civil society organizations, faith-based organizations, networks and facilities to achieve organizational change and build capacity, focusing on leadership and governance, both in developed and developing country contexts. Rick was not new to CWS when he became President and CEO. Earlier in his career, Rick spent more than a decade with CWS. He began as a Program Officer with our team in Vietnam before rising through the ranks to eventually become Coordinator of Strategic Planning and Evaluation. He went on to serve as the Director of Communication and Advocacy at International Relief and Development before joining IMA World Health. In total, Rick has more than two decades of experience working for and with faith-based organizations, including more than a decade of living and working in Asia. Rick is an expert in engaging and partnering with civil society in the development process, and his developmental approach includes building and prioritizing robust local and regional partnerships—communities, organizations and networks—which he believes are the key ingredients to successful and sustainable development work. Rick holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Johns Hopkins University's Carey Business School, a Masters of Theological Studies degree from Harvard Divinity School, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from George Washington University.   For more info about CWS, please check out this website.  Rick is on Twitter and Facebook.   We are also making a special Playlist #CWSsongs consisting of songs chosen by our podcast guests.   Please let me/us know via our email innovationhub@cwsglobal.org what you think about this new series. We would love to hear from you.   Please like/follow our Walk Talk Listen podcast and follow @mauricebloem on twitter and instagram.  Or check us out on our website 100mile.org (and find out more about our app (android and iPhone) that enables you to walk and do good at the same time!

Betty Voskuil was the chair of the Church World Service board from 2004-2007 and represented the Reformed Church of America for many years on the board of CWS. She lives in Holland, Michigan and studied at the University of Wisconsin - Madison in Wisconsin. She wrote Reformed Church in America's (RCA) booklet entitled The Ministry of the Deacon. She has been the Coordinator of Reformed Church World Service for many years as well.   For more info about CWS, please check out this website.  The Facebook page of Betty is: Facebook.   We are also making a special Playlist #CWSsongs consisting of songs chosen by our podcast guests.   Please let me/us know via our email incubationlab@cwsglobal.org what you think about this new series. We would love to hear from you.   Please like/follow our Walk Talk Listen podcast and follow @mauricebloem on twitter and instagram.  Or check us out on our website 100mile.org (and find out more about our app (android and iPhone) that enables you to walk and do good at the same time!  

On this episode of Feudal Future, hosts Joel Kotkin and Marshall Toplansky are joined by Dan Hanniher of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service and Erol Kekic of Church World Service. This show discusses the ever pressing issues of refugees.Erol Kekic is a senior vice president at Church World Service (CWS), where he leads the Immigration and Refugee Program. CWS is one of nine refugee resettlement agencies in the United States, and it also operates the Resettlement Support Center Africa in Nairobi, Kenya.Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) is the largest faith-based nonprofit dedicated to serving vulnerable immigrants, asylum seekers and refugees in the U.S. For more than 80 years, LIRS has been a champion for migrants and refugees from around the globe.BRAND NEW:From Chapman's Center of Demographics & Policy, Joel Kotkin & Marshall Toplansky co-author the brand new report on restoring The California Dream.If you haven't downloaded the report, see it here: https://joelkotkin.com/report-restoring-the-california-dream/Visit Our Pagewww.TheFeudalFuturePodcast.comSupport Our WorkThe Center for Demographics and Policy focuses on research and analysis of global, national, and regional demographic trends and explores policies that might produce favorable demographic results over time. It involves Chapman students in demographic research under the supervision of the Center's senior staff.

Virtual Voices of Divinity is an ongoing conversation series that showcases the unique impact of HDS alumni in the world. This talk featured Palwasha Kakar, MTS '04, Interim Director of Religion and Inclusive Societies at US Institute of Peace, Rick Santos, MTS '92, President and CEO at Church World Service, and Karen Tse, MDiv '00, Founder and CEO of International Bridges to Justice. This event took place on March 1, 2022. Learn more: https://hds.harvard.edu/alumni-friends

Today on the show we've got Rick Santos, CEO of Church World Service, and Patricia De Jong, Board Chair for Church World Service.  CWS is one of the longest standing humanitarian agencies in the country.  They do disaster relief work.  They work to make sure people across the world have food and clean water.  And they are one of the largest agencies helping resettle refugees, settling over 800000 in the US.  

Join us for the third event in a 4-part series by the Center for Constitutional Rights and Haymarket Books marking the 20th anniversary of 9/11. In “Stories of Survival: Surviving the post-9/11 human rights crisis and reclaiming rights for all,” we are honored to hear from survivors of the U.S. government's so-called “War on Terror,” who have resisted the U.S.' campaign of human rights abuses, from endless wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, to the global export of the nebulous and discriminatory “terrorism framework”, and the proliferation of domestic policies of surveillance and detention that reinforced existing systems of oppression. From Kabul and Mombasa to Omaha--panelists will share the impact of the harms and together demand accountability and imagine a world repaired. Panelists: Marie Ramtu holds a master's degree in Peace Studies and International Relations from Hekima University College. She's a lobbyist with grassroots, regional, and international niches. Her experience in humanitarian, the human rights and social justice sectors spans at least 14 years. Marie has operated to safeguard the rights of the marginalized refugees and asylum seekers. She has also had a specific focus in influencing a shift in attitude, policies, and practices in the specific protection on the rights of sexual and gender minorities. Before joining Muslims for Human Rights (MUHURI) as the Executive Director, Marie worked with regional and international non-governmental organizations that include the Coalition for the Independence of the African Commission (CIAC), the Network of African National Human Rights Institutions (NANHRI), and Church World Service. Born in Kabul, Afghanistan and raised in rural Washington state, Gazelle Samizay's work often reflects the complexities and contradictions of culture, nationality and gender through the lens of her bicultural identity. Her work in photography, video and mixed media has been exhibited across the US and internationally, including at Whitechapel Gallery, London; Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery; the California Museum of Photography, Riverside; the de Young Museum, San Francisco; and the Slamdance Film Festival, Park City, UT. In addition to her studio practice, her writing has been published in One Story, Thirty Stories: An Anthology of Contemporary Afghan American Literature and she is a founding member of the Afghan American Artists and Writers Association. Samizay has received numerous awards and residencies, including from the Princess Grace Foundation, NY; Craft Contemporary, Los Angeles; the Arizona Community Foundation, Phoenix; Level Ground, Los Angeles, the Torrance Art Museum, and Side Street Projects, Los Angeles. She received her MFA in photography at the University of Arizona and currently lives in San Francisco. www.gazellesamizay.com. @gsamizay. Naveed Shinwari is a plaintiff in Tanvir v. Tanzin, a case brought in 2013 on behalf of American Muslims who were placed or kept on the No-Fly List by the FBI for refusing to spy on their Muslim communities. He was repeatedly questioned and harassed by the FBI as they attempted to recruit him to spy on others. As retaliation for his refusal to do so, Naveed was placed on the No-Fly List and unable to travel to Afghanistan to visit his wife and daughters for two years. His fight to hold government officials accountable for their abuse of power continues. Moderator: Samah Mcgona Sisay is a Bertha Justice Fellow at the Center for Constitutional Rights, where she specializes in international human rights and challenging inhumane immigration policies and abusive police practices. Prior to coming to the Center for Constitutional Rights, Samah worked as an Equal Justice Works Fellow at African Services Committee. Watch the live event recording: https://youtu.be/1bClT5GmLJk Buy books from Haymarket: www.haymarketbooks.org Follow us on Soundcloud: soundcloud.com/haymarketbooks

PHaith Stories: Saints, Sinners, & Spicy Takes! Rev. Kathleen McMurray and Rev. Jay Clark Global Ministries has worked closely with a partner in Afghanistan (since 1966) addressing community health and community development needs. You can support this work through the Advance #3020522. See: Community-Based Health & Development in Afghanistan – Global Ministries (umcmission.org) UMCOR (United Methodist Commission on Relief) is responding to the immediate humanitarian needs of people in Afghanistan. Donations to UMCOR's International Disaster Response can be made at: https://umcmission.org/international-disaster-response/ Church World Service, a Methodist partner organization, is working on the resettlement of Afghan families in the USA. To find out how to support this work, go to: https://cwsglobal.org/take-action/afghan-siv-and-refugee-program/ Finally, there is an urgent need for advocacy to protect all Afghans who are fleeing violence or who fear persecution. Church World Service offers helpful guidance at: Take Action: Urge the Administration to Expand Refugee Protections for Afghans Fleeing Violence and Persecution | CWS (cwsglobal.org)

Mary Catherine Hinds of Church World Service talk about the Ration Challenge. This is now a yearly event in which people pledge to eat for one week the same rations that a refugee eats in a camp after fleeing their country. The Ration Challenge will be held from Sunday, June 13 – Saturday, June 19, 2021. As stated on the CWS website: Conflict and disaster-affected communities around the world are among the most impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. A hand up—not a handout is what the challenge is about. In the podcasts is a reference to several YouTube videos, of which, the links are provided here: To find out about the ration challenge is this link: https://www.rationchallengeusa.org and to donate: https://www.rationchallengeusa.org/donate YouTube link to Ration Challenge video https://youtu.be/Us7KdEDGLgk Second video https://youtu.be/Sz93YUFyUQg Ration Challenge | Message from Fatima Third video https://youtu.be/S9LuuzWqD-g Production Kitchen Please consider making a difference by joining this challenge.

Host Naomi Prioleau checks in with Prince and Laurette Mushunju about their experience emigrating from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and how they are trying to bring family members to the U.S. We also hear from Megan Shepard, the director of Church World Service in Greensboro, about the organization's efforts to help refugees land on their feet when they come to the Triad.

Rev. Jack Amick, Director of Global Migration, United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR).  He directs UMCOR’s Global Migration portfolio and represents the global migration work of the General Board of Global Ministries.  In his coordination of Global Migration work, Amick serves on the United Methodist Immigration Task Force, on advisory committees for Church World Service, the board of NJFON, the ACT Alliance Migration and Displacement Reference Group, and maintains relations with several migration/refugee organizations. He has been serving at UMCOR for over seven years, 4 years of which involved the direction of disaster response programs. Amick served as pastor at local United Methodist Churches for seven years. Prior to being ordained as a United Methodist elder, Amick served two years with the Refugee Admissions Office of the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration at the U.S. Department of State and two years as Vice-Consul for Economic Affairs at the US Consulate in Mumbai, India.  As Desk Officer for Eastern Europe at the Peace Corps, Amick designed crisis responses to flooding in Central Europe and post-war recovery in Bosnia and Herzegovina.  In 1985, he volunteered for one year as director of Christian education for the seven Methodist Churches in the Caribbean nation of Grenada.  He has led the response to disasters in different contexts, including managing disaster damage assessments and family services with the American Red Cross.  Amick spent one year working with homeless individuals in the suburbs of Washington, DC.  He has been part of UMVIM teams that responded to needs in Grenada and Liberia as well as in the United States.  Amick has a Bachelor of Arts in International Service and Economics from The American University in Washington, DC, a Master of International Management from the Thunderbird School of Global Management in Arizona, and a Master of Divinity from the Boston University School of Theology.  Amick enjoys the outdoors, playing bagpipes, and writing liturgical prayers and poetry.  He is the father of two young adults and the husband of Rev. Susan Amick, United Methodist Deacon, who serves as Chaplain with Wesley Woods Senior Living in Atlanta.

In this episode of Different Boat, Same Storm, Atharv and Abhay talk with Rev. Dr. Michael Reid Trice.     Michael Trice is an Associate Professor of Constructive Theology and Theological Ethics and Director of the Center for Religious Wisdom & World Affairs at Seattle University.   Trice studied at Loyola Jesuit University, Duke University, the Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago, and Ludwig Maximillian Universitaet in Munich, Germany.     He served as Executive Associate for Ecumenical and Interreligious Dialogue for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and on the Board of Directors for Church World Service; he currently serves on the Board of the Parliament of the World's Religions. He is the Founder of Religica.org, a platform committed to amplifying influencers from religious traditions, spiritual pathways, and indigenous wisdom as forces for good in the world. This is a conversation you don't want to miss.  

Our series of Hunger Talks continues with this week's guest Jon Skogen. Jon is the National Community Engagement Manager for Church World Service. He works for CROP Hunger Walks to help them with their work to raise money and awareness for the hungry. To learn more about Church World Service and their global outreach https://cwsglobal.org/about/history/ Please join us on our 38th annual CROP Hunger Walk, Sunday, May 2, 2021 in our #virtualCROPWalk https://www.crophungerwalk.org/oakparkil

On this episode of Feudal Future, hosts Joel Kotkin and Marshall Toplansky are joined by Rev. John L. McCullough, President Emeritus of Church World Service. CWS is a global ecumenical organization specializing in Development and Humanitarian Assistance, Immigration and Refugee Services, Justice and Human Rights. Headquartered in NYC with primary offices in: Bangkok, Belgrade, Buenos Aires, Elkhart (IN), Hanoi, Islamabad, Jakarta, Miami, Nairobi, Phnom Phen, Vientiane, Washington, D.C. CWS is also branded as CROP Hunger Walks, and is a major sponsor of the Ecumenical Advocacy Days. Mission Statement: Church World Service works with partners to eradicate hunger and poverty and to promote peace and justice around the world.Learn More about CWS here: https://cwsglobal.org/Join the 'Beyond Feudalism' Facebook group to share your story, ask questions and connect with other citizen leaders: https://www.facebook.com/groups/beyondfeudalismTweet thoughts: @joelkotkin, @mtoplansky, #FeudalFuture #BeyondFeudalismLearn more about Joel's book 'The Coming of Neo-Feudalism': https://amzn.to/3a1VV87Sign Up For News & Alerts: http://joelkotkin.com/#subscribeThis show is presented by the Chapman Center for Demographics and Policy, which focuses on research and analysis of global, national and regional demographic trends and explores policies that might produce favorable demographic results over time.

Abigail Oduol is an Individual Gifts Officer at an environmental nonprofit. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of California Irvine in Political Science followed by a Master's in Transformational Urban Leadership. Her experiences have spanned the globe from attending a humanitarian mission in Ecuador, to studying at St. Paul's University in Kenya, and fundraising with Akiba Mashinani Trust on land rights and advocacy for clean water and sanitation facilities for urban slums. She also worked with Church World Service, an international full-service humanitarian development agency, first as a curriculum development intern, then as a refugee resettlement caseworker, and finally as a Field Team Leader across Kenya, Ethiopia, and Chad. Join us as we talk about identifying calling in our lives, the roles we play in other people's calling, and how calling can change over time. We explore themes of vocation, affinities, and circumstantial adaption.

Late last month, President Donald Trump told Congress that his administration plans to further slash the ceiling for refugee admissions during the fiscal year that began on Oct. 1, to 15,000 from an already historically low 18,000. The new limit is less than one-seventh the 110,000 slots that former President Barack Obama approved in 2016. As The New York Times put it, Trump has “virtually sealed off a pathway for the persecuted into the country and obliterated the once-robust American reputation as a sanctuary for the oppressed.” This comes as the number of refugees worldwide continues to grow. According to the United Nations, there are currently around 80 million forcibly displaced people around the world, including 26 million refugees and more than 4 million asylum-seekers. Trump’s opponent in next month’s presidential election, Joe Biden, has said he will raise the cap on refugees to 125,000. But should he win, he will have his work cut out for him in repairing the U.S. refugee program. Today on Trend Lines, WPR’s Elliot Waldman is joined by Meredith Owen, interim director of policy and advocacy in the Immigration and Refugee Program at Church World Service, to discuss the Trump administration’s campaign to undermine the U.S. refugee program and what it will take to rebuild it. Relevant Articles on WPR: Trump’s Latest Immigration Restrictions Are Ill-Advised—and Un-American Has the World Learned the Lessons of the 2015 Refugee Crisis? The World Has Lost the Will to Deal With the Worst Refugee Crisis Since World War II The Failed Assumptions Behind Central America’s Refugee Crisis Trend Lines is produced and edited by Peter Dörrie, a freelance journalist and analyst focusing on security and resource politics in Africa. You can follow him on Twitter at @peterdoerrie. To send feedback or questions, email us at podcast@worldpoliticsreview.com.

This week Ali talks to Adamou Mohamed, an organizer and civic engagement coordinator with Church World Service. He leads their efforts working with refugee leaders on voter registration, education, and turnout. He and Ali spoke about the unique experiences and challenges refugee voters face, and the importance of building engagement across communities. 

Author and Refugee Resettlement Coordinator Kate Rice joins the podcast. Link to Kate's Book:  How The Refugee Crisis Unites Americans (https://www.amazon.com/How-Refugee-Crisis-Unites-Americans-ebook/dp/B082XJCG21) We discuss refugee resettlement and the surprising way it unifies the left with the right, the secular with the religious, particularly in the Bible Belt and other red states. Get Involved Below: Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services  https://www.lirs.org/ (https://nam05.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.lirs.org%2F&data=02%7C01%7C%7Cf8f1c22e15e54c23c4fb08d7b95c959b%7C3e24825a65844593b7bb3ed4c822a155%7C0%7C0%7C637181679638658330&sdata=xXt2UqLYTxNMjHt0E%2B84MIH6ApOMiyDV2z%2FDH4M0VNU%3D&reserved=0) World Relief  https://worldrelief.org/ (https://nam05.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fworldrelief.org%2F&data=02%7C01%7C%7Cf8f1c22e15e54c23c4fb08d7b95c959b%7C3e24825a65844593b7bb3ed4c822a155%7C0%7C0%7C637181679638668326&sdata=EvHNtNAZDNyzgBzUKbK3ykUYFkzxyO4A3YdmcG7POHc%3D&reserved=0)   Church World Service  https://cwsglobal.org/ (https://nam05.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcwsglobal.org%2F&data=02%7C01%7C%7Cf8f1c22e15e54c23c4fb08d7b95c959b%7C3e24825a65844593b7bb3ed4c822a155%7C0%7C0%7C637181679638668326&sdata=uJutu0oozNFv7ThvDw3CcAgqvMXx42aAnXaJb%2FV%2Bxi4%3D&reserved=0) HIAS  https://www.hias.org/ (https://nam05.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.hias.org%2F&data=02%7C01%7C%7Cf8f1c22e15e54c23c4fb08d7b95c959b%7C3e24825a65844593b7bb3ed4c822a155%7C0%7C0%7C637181679638678316&sdata=e4GYALjw5R1lqb2Yw1wZZPiM6m7RRYQUeLSYA7Gt92s%3D&reserved=0) US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants  https://refugees.org/ (https://nam05.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Frefugees.org%2F&data=02%7C01%7C%7Cf8f1c22e15e54c23c4fb08d7b95c959b%7C3e24825a65844593b7bb3ed4c822a155%7C0%7C0%7C637181679638678316&sdata=Vw4tn0NTUynDyp5Zz5KzbjPQwyz08WDNJGqovG60%2FJI%3D&reserved=0) International Rescue Committee  https://help.rescue.org/ (https://nam05.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fhelp.rescue.org%2F&data=02%7C01%7C%7Cf8f1c22e15e54c23c4fb08d7b95c959b%7C3e24825a65844593b7bb3ed4c822a155%7C0%7C0%7C637181679638688313&sdata=qOhY0mi68kGLIAnlOJZvu2gEBoAgUucCW04cuS0wpto%3D&reserved=0) . Episcopal Migration Ministries  https://episcopalmigrationministries.org/ (https://nam05.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fepiscopalmigrationministries.org%2F&data=02%7C01%7C%7Cf8f1c22e15e54c23c4fb08d7b95c959b%7C3e24825a65844593b7bb3ed4c822a155%7C0%7C0%7C637181679638688313&sdata=obVZYMyrxTr5TplTkT5QNkNSoeIYLKl0YIgwm7H4LQQ%3D&reserved=0) UNHCR UN High Commissioner for Refugees  https://give.unrefugees.org/ (https://nam05.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgive.unrefugees.org%2F&data=02%7C01%7C%7Cf8f1c22e15e54c23c4fb08d7b95c959b%7C3e24825a65844593b7bb3ed4c822a155%7C0%7C0%7C637181679638688313&sdata=ieV29m3Bx7FnlytZoXcL8iqYwHteTgNTpovP5agFlCQ%3D&reserved=0) American Business Immigrant Coalition  ABIC.US (https://nam05.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fabic.us%2F&data=02%7C01%7C%7Cf8f1c22e15e54c23c4fb08d7b95c959b%7C3e24825a65844593b7bb3ed4c822a155%7C0%7C0%7C637181679638698310&sdata=yRt1c%2FIm731mUAuInR9rfObSrzX7LmyW6ZDU2ykQRYQ%3D&reserved=0) Maine Business Immigrant Coalition  https://mainebic.org/ (https://nam05.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fmainebic.org%2F&data=02%7C01%7C%7Cf8f1c22e15e54c23c4fb08d7b95c959b%7C3e24825a65844593b7bb3ed4c822a155%7C0%7C0%7C637181679638698310&sdata=2c7%2BMXD7dy4Yywm31U39xod7NFq5lSW%2BptiEeBeH5gs%3D&reserved=0) Texas Business Immigration Coalition  https://www.texasbic.biz/...

Mary Ellen Poe, development director for Church World Service Greensboro preached this sermon on Sunday, Dec. 29, 2019. Church World Service helps refugees build stable lives.

Refugees and refugee resettlement agencies are facing incredible uncertainty following measures by the Trump administration to significantly curtail refugee entry to the lowest admittance since the 1970s.  To gain a better perspective the impact these policy changes have on refugees and resettlement agencies, we speak with Stephanie Gromek, the communications coordinator for Church World Service, one of the largest refugee resettlement organizations in the United States.  In this episode we also chat with Hamzeh Alturk, a Syrian student now studying at Miami Dade College following the outbreak of the Syrian Civil War.  Hamzeh shares his own experiences which help to better comprehend the challenges and aspirations a displaced person might face. This piece was produced by Jaydeep Sangha, and narrated by Siddharth Srivatsan, Alexandra Thomas, Jeff Duncan, and Yusa Parcali

Sunrise looks at new rules from Florida’s Agriculture Department imposing limits on forest and agricultural burning. Before any controlled burn of an entire field of sugarcane remnants, they will now have to check things like fog and the air quality index. Also, on today’s Sunrise: — Good news for hard-hit Bay County. The Federal Emergency Management Agency approved almost $160 million to help pay for the cost of hurricane debris removal. — Speaking of the Panhandle, there’s a major kerfuffle at Rebuild 850 — the organization created to aid in the recovery of the region after Hurricane Michael. Former Congresswoman Gwen Graham was removed as co-chair of the committee because of tweets she made that were critical of Gov. Ron DeSantis. —A group of Florida faith leaders signed onto a letter-writing campaign from the Church World Service to U.S. Senators Marco Rubio, Rick Scott and the rest of Congress urging them to restore the U.S. refugee acceptance program. — Florida Man Nathaniel Collier, a vendor at Miami's Hard Rock Stadium, charged a fan $362 apiece for two beers. He was promptly arrested.

Every organization faces “tough times” - be it a bad quarter, unexpected staff turnaround, or an even more mission critical challenge - like the one Sheila Mastropietro has faced for the last 3 years. Sheila is the Director of Church World Service in Lancaster, an organization that assists refugees, immigrants and asylum-seekers to find home, peace, and stability to rebuild their lives in the United States. The current White House administration's policies have sent shockwaves across organizations like CWS as they desperately try to continue their important work in the face of so many legislative, legal, and cultural challenges. In this candid and important conversation, Work Wisdom's Sarah Colantonio talks with Sheila about how she keeps her head above water and stays focused on the work she was put here to do. Find out how Sheila rebounds from disappointment and what skills and focus you need to keep your eyes on the prize in your own tough battles at work - and in your community. You can follow Work Wisdom on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter at @workwisdom, and learn more at our website at https://www.workwisdomllc.com.

Today we welcome Adam Smedberg from Church World Service, an organization committed to transforming communities around the globe through just and sustainable responses to hunger, poverty, displacement and disaster.

Hometown is a podcast from Episcopal Migration Ministries, the refugee resettlement and welcome ministry of the Episcopal Church. This episode's interview features The Rt. Rev’d David C Rice, diocesan bishop, and Tom Hampson, both from the Diocese of San Joaquin. Bishop David was formerly the Diocesan Bishop in the Diocese of Waiapu in the Anglican Church in Aotearoa/New Zealand and Polynesia. Prior to David’s consecration as the fifteenth Bishop of Waiapu, he was Dean of the Cathedral of St. Paul’s in the Diocese of Dunedin in New Zealand. And before David’s deanship, he was Vicar of Mt. Herbert Parish on Banks Peninsula in the Diocese of Christchurch also in NZ. David became an Anglican Priest in 1997, prior to that he was a United Methodist Minister.David has been involved in the ministry with young people for many years. He was the Youth Liaison Bishop representing the House of Bishops in the “youth scene” in the three tikanga (cultures) church in New Zealand. Equally, David is a strong “ecumenist” and has a history of exploring ways in which the church can be far more collaborative and collegial across denominations and faiths. David also has a heart for social justice ministry and continues to seek ways in which the church can join with all of God’s People wherever they are. Tom Hampson is co-chair of the Immigration Task Force for the Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin. He's also a Candidate to the Diaconate and will complete his studies at the School for Deacons at Church Divinity School of the Pacific next month. Presently retired, Tom worked for Church World Service for 31 years in the areas of constituent education, marketing and fundraising. Learn more about the Pilgrimage of Hope and how you can get involved at www.thepilgrimageofhope.org. Follow along on twitter and instagram @SJRAISE. We invite you to join us for an event hosted by both The Episcopal Church Office of Government Relations and Episcopal Migration Ministries called Love God, Love Neighbor: Advocacy in Action. This two day gathering June 27 and 28 in Washington DC will provide both messaging and advocacy training, as well as a full day on the Hill advocating on behalf of refugees and the refugee resettlement program. Learn more at episcopalmigrationministries.org/lgln Have a question about how to be most helpful in serving refugees, immigrants, and asylum-seekers? Interested in sharing your work or your congregation's work? Eager to make connections with other people who are doing the same kind of work and learn from one another? Join Partners in Welcome, a free online community that offers a chance for engaging conversation, connection with people all over the country who care about these issues, and a wealth of resources and learning opportunities. We have so much to gain from sharing information and experiences with one another. Sign up today! www.episcopalmigrationministries.org/partnersinwelcome Follow EMM on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram where we are emmrefugees. Join in the work of welcome by making a donation to Episcopal Migration Ministries. No gift is too small, and all are put to use to welcome our newest neighbors. Visit episcopalmigrationministries.org/give or text HOMETOWN to 91999. Our theme song composer is Abraham Mwinda Ikando. Find his music at www.abrahammwindamusic.com.

Hometown is a podcast from Episcopal Migration Ministries, the refugee resettlement and welcome ministry of the Episcopal Church. Reflection author and Interview Guest: This week’s reflection author and interview guest is Drocella Mugorewera, Executive Director of Bridge Refugee Services, the only refugee resettlement agency in East Tennessee since 1982. Mugorewera came to the United States in 2009 as a refugee herself and was resettled by Bridge Refugee Services, an affiliate partner of Episcopal Migration Ministries. Drocella is passionate about dignity for all and socio-economic and environmental justice. She believes that with proper management of all the abundant natural resources and being open to new ideas, we can minimize the homelessness in America. Drocella previously served as a Parliamentarian and Secretary of Lands, Environment, Forestry, Water, and Mines in the Government of Rwanda. Drocella is a Board member of Tennessee Valley Homeless Coalition and the Refugee Congress, the only national advocacy organization led by refugees and for refugees. A graduate of the 2017 class at the Consortium for Social Enterprise Effectiveness -Haslam College of Business, she has been recognized by the Knoxville Mercury as one of 10 women making a difference in Knoxville TN. She completed 2018 Leadership Knoxville class. She currently serves on the Connect Knox Steering Committee. Mugorewera is also an active member of the Knoxville Association of Women Executives (KAWE). Mugorewera was honored as one of the 34th Annual YWCA Tribute to Women finalists. In November 2018, Mugorewera received the Champions for Change award from Church World Service. Drocella is one the 2019 Peacemaker award recipients from the Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance. Drocella speaks five languages including English, French, Russian, Kinyarwanda and Kirundi. Drocella likes reading, traveling and visit places, networking and empowering/helping people. We invite you to join us for an event hosted by both The Episcopal Church Office of Government Relations and Episcopal Migration Ministries called Love God, Love Neighbor: Advocacy in Action. This two day gathering June 27 and 28 in Washington DC will provide both messaging and advocacy training, as well as a full day on the Hill advocating on behalf of refugees and the refugee resettlement program. Learn more at episcopalmigrationministries.org/lgln Have a question about how to be most helpful in serving refugees, immigrants, and asylum-seekers? Interested in sharing your work or your congregation's work? Eager to make connections with other people who are doing the same kind of work and learn from one another? Join Partners in Welcome, a free online community that offers a chance for engaging conversation, connection with people all over the country who care about these issues, and a wealth of resources and learning opportunities. We have so much to gain from sharing information and experiences with one another. Sign up today! www.episcopalmigrationministries.org/partnersinwelcome Join in the work of welcome by making a donation to Episcopal Migration Ministries. No gift is too small, and all are put to use to welcome our newest neighbors. Visit episcopalmigrationministries.org/give or text HOMETOWN to 91999. Our theme song was composed and recorded by Abraham Mwinda Ikando. Find his music at www.abrahammwindamusic.com Episcopal Migration Ministries: www.episcopalmigrationministries.org, www.facebook.com/emmrefugees, Twitter & Instagram, @emmrefugees

Greetings from the 2019 government shutdown!  As I record this podcast, we’re in the middle of the longest government shutdown in history.  The central issue of the shutdown is immigration, and the central object is a wall. My guest today is Noel Anderson, Grassroots Coordinator for Immigrants’ Rights for the United Church of Christ and Church World Service.  I’ve got big questions about this shutdown, and Noel is the person I go to whenever I have questions about immigration policy. He’s going to walk us through this minefield of divided politics and help us get to the root of the crisis unfolding here in Washington.

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE impacts everyone. The Women's Safe House has been helping women and children since 1977 and serves as a haven for women and families who are in immediate danger and are fleeing domestic violence. The services they offer play an integral part in our community by helping those who lives are shattered by this problem. https://twsh.org/ CROP Hunger Walk: CROP Hunger Walks are community-wide events sponsored by Church World Service and organized by religious groups, businesses, schools and others to raise funds to end hunger in the U.S. and around the world. Be a part of this 70 year old effort at Eden Seminary on October 7. https://www.crophungerwalk.org/saintlouismo/ https://www.crophungerwalk.org/

CROP Hunger Walks are community-wide events sponsored by Church World Service and organized by religious groups, businesses, schools and others to raise funds to end hunger in the U.S. and around the world. In addition, each local CROP Hunger Walk can choose to return up to 25 percent of the funds it raises to hunger-fighting programs in our own community. Clint McCann highlights information about the 2018 CROP Hunger Walk which will be held at Eden Seminary with registration/check-in at 4:30PM, Walk at 5:00PM and CROP Concert at 7:00PM. https://www.crophungerwalk.org/saintlouismo/

Coming Home                                                                           Luke 7:36-50                          A Sermon preached by Rev. Malcolm Frazier, Foundry United Methodist Church August 5, 2018 One of our most endearing sentiments is that of “Coming Home.”  It has a universal appeal and touches us in a special way.  Some of our most popular movies are about coming home.  You might recall some of these:  Movies: Argo – Ben Affleck plays a CIA agent who launches a plan to rescue six Americans in Tehran during the US hostage crisis in Iran in 1979. Lion – starring Dev Patel and Nicole Kidman. The story of a 5-year old Indian boy who gets lost in the streets of Calcutta, thousands of kilometers from home.  He survives many challenges before being adopted by a couple in Australia.  25 years later he sets out to find his lost family. The Martian – Matt Damon and Jessica Chastian.. Matt plays an astronaut who becomes stranded on Mars after his team assumed he was dead. The Trip to Bountiful – stars the late Geraldine Page as a woman who wants to return to her home during the post-World War II 1940s. When she gets there she finds that the town is deserted. She is moved to tears as she surveys her father’s land and the remains of the family home. Accepting this reality she is at peace – she had gone back home before she died. Lassie Come Home – starring Roddy McDowall, Elizabeth Taylor, and the canine actor, Pal. The movie is set in Depression-era Yorkshire, England.  Lassie’s owners are poor, so they sell their dog to a rich Duke.  His granddaughter knows that the dog is unhappy so arranges for her to escape. Lassie sets off to go home and escapes many dangers before returning to her home. 12 Years A Slave – Chiwetel Ejiofor plays Solomon Northrup, a free African-American man who is 1841 is kidnapped in Saratoga Springs, New York and enslaved again. After some intervention by key people, he is restored to freedom and returns to his family after 12 years. As he walks into his home, he sees his wife with their son and daughter (fully grown) and her husband, who present him with his grandson and namesake, Solomon Northrup Staunton.  Northrup apologizes for his long absence while his family comforts him. Rabbit-Proof Fence – an Australian film set in 1931, about 3 mixed-race Aboriginal young girls who are kidnapped and placed in a camp where they are to be trained to be servants to white families. The three girls escape, one is captured again, and the other two follow a rabbit-proof fence and walk 1500 miles in nine weeks to get back home.  Personal stories of coming home When I came home from college Coming home from England as a first-year student Homecoming in the Black Church Homecoming on Howard’s campus 50-year high school reunion Whenever I came home for the holidays I would drive through my hometown.  Sharon Daloz Parks writes in Big Questions Worthy Dreams that it has been said that home is the most powerful word in the English language.  It is where we start from.  It is what we aspire to.  To be at home is to have a place where we are comfortable; know that we belong, can be who we are; and can honor, protect, and create what we truly love.  To be home within one’s self, place, community, and the cosmos is to feel whole and centered in a way that yields a sense of power and participation.  (To be at home is to be in a special rhythm of life, engaging in patterns of work, play, and diverse relationships.  We have a support system, etc)  Diana Butler Bass in Grounded writes that home happens in numerous geographies and in a number of different dwellings. Home is more than a house. It is a sacred location, a place of aspiration and dreams, of learning and habit, of relationships and heart. People are out of place.  Transient moderns make their homes in new places.  I have been a transient.  When I accepted a position with Global Ministries in New York, I sat in an empty apartment in Maryland the day before and cried and cried and cried.  When the Board moved its headquarters from New York to Atlanta, I moved with it and sat in an empty apartment prior to leaving and cried and cried and cried.  When I was informed that my appointment with the Board was ending, I accepted an appointment in Washington, DC.  The day before I left Atlanta, I sat in an empty apartment and cried and cried and cried.  I cried because I had established a strong relationship in each place and the people had made me feel at home.   TRANSITION  Diana reminds us that home can be a place of horror as well. Too many people have experiences of a home that shelters sickness and addiction, of homes that deteriorate from carelessness and neglect, or homes broken apart through willful violations of the relationships in them, resulting in reports of domestic violence.  I would add reports of incest.  Some social scientists refer to home-centered violence as intimate terrorism.   Those who have no home: The homeless in our midst – mention the ID ministry Those kids kicked out of their homes because they are LGBQT Those who are part of the global migration crisis A recent report from the GBCS share that an estimated 65.3 million people were displaced from their homes by conflict and persecution. Tens of thousands of unaccompanied children are annually apprehended at U. S. borders. For refugees Church World Service reports that the wait in a refugee camp is at least 10 years. Church World Service reports that the vetting process for refugees can take up to two years. Only the most vulnerable are referred, accounting for less than 1% of refugees worldwide being resettled.  TRANSITION  Now let’s look at the Lucan passage that was read this morning. Explore with me how this text informs our theme of Coming Home. While the themes of sin and forgiveness are important, I will focus on how the three main characters relate to each other. This story is set in Galilee early in Jesus’ ministry. Simon the Pharisee – a member of the group of Jewish people who followed a strict code of religious laws. They play the role of Jesus’ opponents, practicing a lifestyle of separation from unbelievers or Jews outside of their own group. The word Pharisee means “separated.” They consider themselves more holy and righteous than ordinary men. In fact, Luke reports in the 30th verse that the Pharisees refused to be baptized by John and rejected God’s purpose for themselves. So why did the Pharisee invite Jesus to his house for dinner? Let’s begin with the fact he could. He had the wealth and thus the power to do so. And he could be selective about who he invited. His attitude is ambivalent – he addresses Jesus as Teacher but did not show hospitality. Why not? Perhaps because he was busy hosting his other guests that he was trying to impress. Simon was perhaps giving Jesus an assessment, trying to determine his credentials. The Pharisee, with his arrogance, represents those who look down on others. (talk about the scene in “Philadelphia” when the librarian looks with disdain on Tom Hanks’ character) The woman – who is referred to as a sinner Elisabeth Schussler Fiorenza in an essay from In Memory of Her points out that the story does not say what kind of sinner the woman was. A sinner could be a criminal, a ritually unclean or a morally bad person, a prostitute, or simply the “wife of a notorious sinner.”  (Jesus was always in the company of people like her and others) Look at her actions – she enters the dinner scene uninvited, ignoring the boundaries of class and patriarchy. She washes Jesus’ feet and dries them with her hair. Touching or caressing a man’s feet could have sexual implications, as did letting one’s hair down in public. She created quite a scene. Jesus – so what does he do? Jesus challenges us to confront the Pharisees in our society. He exposes Simon’s lack of hospitality (he did not greet him with a kiss, offer him water to wash his feet, or offer to put oil on his head) In the Middle East the importance of honor and shame is very high. Jesus showed bad table manners by insulting his host and in doing so becomes the host, as evidenced by his encounter with the woman. I would like to suggest that Jesus presents a model for how we should confront people and structures that prevent everyone from being included, feel wanted, affirmed and protected. We say NO to immigration policies that prevent us from welcoming the neighbor. We say NO to the Book of Discipline that would deny T. C. Morrow the privilege of serving as an elder. We say NO to institutions that tolerate the abuse of the elderly, the mentally challenged or other vulnerable We say NO to the racism in our penal system, causing a disproportional number of black and brown persons in mass incarceration. We say NO to sexism in Corporate America and our churches. We say NO to white supremacists, participating in love rallies. We say NO to racial profiling. We say NO to schools that pass kids through who cannot read.  TRANSITION  As I approach my conclusion, let’s look at the importance of the scene being one of a dinner. I frame this again around the work of Diana Butler Bass, who writes in Grounded about John Wesley’s emphasis on holy habits and declares: Home is a training ground for spiritual and ethical habits that we take out into the world, with the door and table being the school for holy habits. It is around tables where we learn what to eat and how, ways to set a table for special meals or guests, how to share customs and traditions, and how to serve others. (share personal story about Cambodia or China) The table is the earthly manifestation of God’s presence, the “heavenly feast,” where all are fed and sustained and no one suffers from the lack of anything. This closely aligns with the Pacific Islanders practices of reciprocity and mutuality. Times of fellowships and meals are inherently spiritual as they promote the body’s growth by making the mundane sacred. Meals are never just a time of eating, it is always a time of sharing the journey. Meal times are times of celebration and feasting. The abundant display of food affirms the bountiful providence of God, a celebration of what God is able to do in the midst of scarcity. (share about my meals with them)  As I reflect on this text, I marvel at how Jesus, by assuming the role as host, transforms this home into a sacred place where all are welcome. All means all. Larry Stookey writes in Eucharist that Jesus’ fellowship is a manifestation of a new creation, which embraces all who are discriminated against in the course of human activity. To this feast, all are invited by God on equal terms. No one approaches the feast by means of merit, but all are invited by grace. There no one can boast or dominate or exclude, for this is Christ’s feast.  Christ is the host and the one who sets the rules (of acceptance, mutuality, and inclusion). Maya Angelou writes that the ache for home lives in all of us, the safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned. Foundry UMC, as I come home to my annual conference, I will partner with you to welcome anyone who wants to join our family – anyone who wants to make Foundry UMC their home.  No one will be excluded.  

Greg and Jeff are doing some amazing things to create social change in developing countries through the power of entrepreneurship. It was amazing to have them on the show and hear about their upcoming program, Career X and how YOU as a member of Successful Dropout can get involved.  If you are interested in entrepreneurship, looking for an adventure, and want to challenge yourself...how better to do it than going to Guatemala to build a business?? The adventure is 2.5 weeks long and you'll experience all the steps of launching a business: design thinking and prototyping, marketing, content creation, supply chain strategy, customer experience and more. You'll also be working with Jeff and Greg who have been building impactful businesses for over 15 years!  The first Guatemala program runs May 24 - June 10 so hurry and check it out here! This is your chance to gain unforgettable and invaluable entrepreneurial experience + have a crazy adventure you'll always remember.  About Greg Van Kirk & Jeff Hittner Greg Greg Van Kirk is an Ashoka Lemelson Fellow, Ashoka Globalizer and was recently recognized as Schwab Foundation "Social Entrepreneur of the Year for 2012 (Latin America)" at the World Economic Forum. He is the co-founder of Career X and The New Development Solutions Group. This includes Community Empowerment Solutions, Social Entrepreneur Corps and Ultimiya Social Innovation Consulting. Greg's signature social innovation was the creation of the award winning MicroConsignment Model. He has served as a consultant for organizations such as Levi Strauss Foundation, USAID, Chemonics, VisionSpring, Soros Foundation, Church World Service, Inter American Development Bank, Water For People, Solutions Journalism Network and Fundacion Paraguaya in the US, Latin America, Eastern Europe and Africa. Greg began working in rural small business development as a Guatemala Peace Corps volunteer in 2001. Prior to the Peace Corps, Greg worked in investment banking in San Francisco and New York for five years. Two deals he led at UBS during this time won "Deal of the Year" honors from Structured Finance International magazine. Greg is a graduate of Miami University where he recently received the"Bishop Medal" . Greg lives with his family in New York City.  Jeff Jeff leads Your Project X, a social venture dedicated to helping people (re)discover their purpose to build careers they’ll love. He has more than 18 years experience as an entrepreneur, consultant, professor and changemaker. He is the founder of five social ventures, including IBM’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) consulting practice. In 2011, he developed the curriculum for the first MBA in Sustainability on the East Coast, at Bard College, where he was the Leadership professor. He was also two-time Chairman of the Carnegie New Leaders at the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs. Resources Career X - go check it out!  THANK YOU! Thanks again for listening to the show! If it has helped you in any way, please share it using the social media buttons you see on the page. Additionally, reviews for the podcast on iTunes are extremelyhelpful and greatly appreciated! They do matter in the rankings of the show and I read each and every one of them. Join the Successful Dropout Nation! Subscribe to the Successful Dropout Podcast. Join our private Facebook Group! Follow @successfuldropout on Instagram!

This week we look at readings for Advent 4 as well as Christmas Eve following the Revised Common Lectionary. We also will hear a powerful conversation with Rev. Noel Anderson, the National Grassroots Coordinator for Church World Service and the coordinator for immigration advocacy for the United Church of Christ, Justice and Witness Ministries. How do we recognize the moment we're in as Mary did? How can our work for immigration justice lead to collective liberation?

After hinting at it for weeks, President Trump this week announced his plan to do away with the program known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, over the next six months, as he urges Congress to take up the matter of replacing it with solid legislation. Activists fear that Congress, with an already full agenda, will not be able to act, and as many as 800,000 persons will be at risk.   Today we talk with Rev. Noel Andersen with Church World Service. Noel has been working for years with immigrants and offers many key insights into DACA, the Dream Act, and the state of limbo President Trump’s latest decision leaves these young people who, for the most part, have never known any home other than the United States.

Presented in partnership with MasterWord Services, this program featuring Alejandro Chaoul and David Leslie explored techniques, tools and resources to create balance and minimize or mitigate the effects of vicarious trauma. MasterWord Services, a leading provider of language support solutions, sponsored this event as part of their third annual Wellness Connection Workshop for interpreters and anyone who experiences vicarious trauma in the course of their work. This was a special presentation by Dr. Alejandro Chaoul, Associate Professor and Director of Education at the University of Texas MD Anderson’s Friends of Integrated Medicine Program as well as a regular presenter at the Rothko Chapel, and David Leslie, Executive Director of the Rothko Chapel. This presentation introduced participants to techniques, tools and resources—including the healing space of the Rothko Chapel—to create balance within, help you adhere to professional standards or ethical requirements, and minimize or mitigate the effects of vicarious trauma. About the presenters: Dr. Alejandro Chaoul is an assistant professor and director of education at MD Anderson's Integrative Medicine program where he conducts research using mind-body techniques with cancer patients, holds group and individual meditation classes, and directs the education initiatives on integrative medicine. He is also an associate faculty member at the McGovern Center for Humanities and Ethics at the University of Texas Medical School, where he teaches medical students in the areas of spirituality, complementary and integrative medicine, and end of life care. Alejandro is also an advisor for the Rothko Chapel and lectures regularly at The Jung Center of Houston, the Asia Society, and the Esalen Institute. David Leslie joined the Rothko Chapel as Executive Director after serving for 18 years as Executive Director of Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon. Leslie received his bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Texas at Austin before attending Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, where he earned his Masters of Divinity. Throughout his career, Leslie has been devoted to human rights, interfaith relations, immigration reform, ending homelessness and addressing the societal impacts of climate change. He was recognized for this work with the Eugene Carson Blake Award for Ecumenism given by the National Council of Churches and Church World Service. He has published articles and spoken at international conferences on topics related to public policy, organizational development and cross-sector relations. About MasterWord: MasterWord Services, Inc. (MWS) is a woman-owned global language services provider founded in 1993. MWS supports over 300 clients, in over 250 languages, in projects touching over 50 countries worldwide. We offer translation, interpretation, language training and assessments, cultural intelligence training, and language compliance consulting. MWS is the first language service company in the region to obtain certificates of compliance to ISO 9001:2008 and ISO 13611:2014 standards and is WBEA / WBENC certified by Women’s Business Enterprise National Council. We serve the world’s leading businesses, government entities, healthcare institutions, academic organizations, and non-profits across the globe. MasterWord’s mission is to connect people across language and culture.

Whenever you have welcomed a stranger, you have welcomed Jesus. Ashley Haldeman’s interview with Church World Service’s Christine Bear teaches us so many ways to gladly receive folks. Christine makes sure refugees fleeing persecution and violence have the resources they

Two students discuss their opinion on why they think the US should let refugees resettle here. They meet with an employee from Church World Service to talk about how this organization has helped refugees resettle. The students also get a chance to interview a recently resettled refugee from Syria.

On this edition of Iraq Matters, Jen Smyers of Church World Service discusses the history of the US refugee resettlement program, explains the process by which refugees are vetted, and outlines why that vetting process might be of concern.

We’re well into Trump’s first hundred days, a period of time in which the new President insisted that he would do away with President Obama’s executive order called Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), enacted in 2012. The orders Trump has signed so far indicate that he’s going to attempt to follow through on this promise.What this will mean for 1.5 million young people is as yet unknown.In this episode, DACA beneficiary Audrey Lopez, who was introduced in Waveland: An Introduction, tells her whole story. A legal consultant at Church World Service in Lancaster, PA, she now works primarily with refugee families who are seeking to be reunified. She is a participant in the inVISIBLE Americans project and prevailed as the 2016 Lancaster Story Slam champion. Watch her winning story here. Here’s the article in Lancaster Transplant, a local blog by and for people who are new to the city.http://samschindler.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/WWWA_030_020717.mp3Original music by Ari GoldOriginal cover art by Russell Foltz-SmithDOWNLOAD this episodeSUBSCRIBE to this podcast See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week, we dive into a very relevant topic—refugees. We start with the story of Jesus the refugee, fleeing with his family into Egypt for asylum. To help us to understand this issue, we are blessed to be joined by Amber Blake of Church World Service. She has a passion for refugee work, and helps us to understand this issue more deeply and how we might engage it as Christians.

In a campaign that frequently promoted anti-immigrant rhetoric and called for the cessation of the inflow of refugees to the United States, one of the critical areas of Christian witness - the welcoming of the oppressed and the stranger - has suddenly come under intense scrutiny.  As the church struggles to fulfill its calling to minister to the refugee, what is the way forward in an environment that may be hostile to the refugee? Today my guest is Jen Smyers, Associate Director for Refugee Policy for Church World Service.  Jen will talk with us today about refugees, her own faith, and how ministry to refugees changes lives.

This is an excerpt from the March 13, 2016 Doris Davenport Show with Doug Wyman, a local radio show in Oak Park, IL 1490 AM. This recording features Jon Skogen of Church World Service talking about the CROP Hunger Walk in Illinois. Jon shares how CWS services communities here in the U.S. and around the world.

What better time of year to take a tour of the world and see where God is at work?  Paul Jeffrey is a unique kind of missionary:  a photo-journalist.  He travels the world to chronicle the faces and stories of God's family.  He is an engaging story-teller and (needless to say) an amazing photographer. You can learn more about him and see more of his work below. Now sit back and listen to one of the most unique missionaries you will ever hear. We go to: Philippines Serbia Congo Honduras Nebraska Egypt Then we talk about the nature and complication of missions. If you want to follow-up with Paul, visit his website/blog at http://www.kairosphotos.com/blog/ or his online gallery. You can also connect to Church World Service. Follow the podcast, drop a review, send feedback/questions or become a member of the HBC Community. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mary Catherine holds a degree in English and Women’s Studies from UNC in Chapel Hill. After graduating she worked as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Eritrea, NE Africa until hostilities broke out there in 1998. She has traveled to Nicaragua, Central America with her Church’s Sister Cities program and has visited CWS projects in Bolivia, Argentina and Uruguay.

Mary Catherine holds a degree in English and Women’s Studies from UNC in Chapel Hill. After graduating she worked as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Eritrea, NE Africa until hostilities broke out there in 1998. She has traveled to Nicaragua, Central America with her Church’s Sister Cities program and has visited CWS projects in Bolivia, Argentina and Uruguay.