Podcasts about national leadership team

Tracy, Tricia and Louise reflect the origins of the Australian Women Preach and discuss what's next for the team behind the podcast.Tracy McEwan (PhD) is a theologian and sociologist of religion and gender at the University of Newcastle. Her writing and research interests include women in Catholicism; gendered violence; church participation, generations, and life stage. Tracy's monograph Women and the Catholic Church:Negotiating Identity and Agency will be published open-access with Bloomsbury Academic on 24 April 2025 https://www.bloomsbury.com/au/women-and-the-catholic-church-9781350424821/Patricia Gemmell is a wife, mother and grandmother, andsemi-retired teacher of French, Latin and Italian.  She also has a Masters degree in Theology.  She belongs to the Grail, an international movement and community of women, and recently served 8 years on their National Leadership Team.  An active member of her parish community in Sydney for nearly 40 years, she is currently the co-ordinator of their Laudato Si' Action Platform group.  Caring deeply about church reform she has been fully engaged in both the Australian Plenary Council and the Synod on Synodality and is also one of the working team responsible for AustralianWomen Preach, a weekly podcast of a woman preaching on the Sunday gospel.  Louise Maher worked for many years in radio as a journalist, producer and presenter, including 25 years with the ABC. She created a podcast series for the Australian War Memorial and an oral history app for the National Portrait Gallery. Louise is an Accredited Editor and has a Graduate Certificate in Creative Writing from Sydney University.

Join your hosts, John and Iain, in conversation with Pastor Duncan Clark, Senior Pastor of Coventry Elim Church, member of Elim's National Leadership Team and author. You can find links to Duncan's books below. It would help us massively if you could subscribe and leave a review for Our Pilgrimage Podcast, as doing so gets the word out about Our Pilgrimage. If you haven't done so already, please take a few minutes to leave a review. You know how these things work, the more subscribers and reviews the more the algorithms promote it! On this month's podcast, we chat with Duncan about the practices he employs to remain centred in Jesus when the demands of ministry and life seem all-consuming. At Our Pilgrimage, we believe the greatest need in the Church of our day is leaders who are committed to the pursuit of Christlikeness above everything else. We believe there is a better way to lead that is more joy-filled than many of us experience in leadership. Our mission is to create an environment where a leader can journey towards a joy-filled life with others for the good of their soul. You can find out more about Pilgrimage and how you can join the journey by visiting ⁠www.ourpilgrimage.uk Duncan's resources (also available from other retailers): Wholehearted Live Deeply 100 Day Devotional pastorduncanclark.com

Dean Weaver, EPC Stated Clerk, welcomes Joi Williams, Ruling Elder at Hope Church in Richmond, VA and Professor of Applied Engineering Technology at Virginia State University as his guest for this new episode of “In All Things”.  Dean and his Joi discuss her journey to become a Ruling Elder as well as her thoughts and initial impressions as a new member of the EPC's National Leadership Team.

Dean Weaver, EPC Stated Clerk, welcomes Rosemary Lukens (Chairman of the National Leadership Team), and Victor Jones (Moderator-elect of the 43rd General Assembly) as his guests for this new episode of “In All Things”.  Dean and his guests, both Ruling Elders, discuss a variety of topics related to how God is working with the denomination at the National level.

Dean Weaver, EPC Stated Clerk, welcomes Dave Strunk, planting pastor of Church of the Redeemer in suburban Knoxville, Tennessee. The two conclude a 5-episode series on Church Planting by discussing Strunk's journey to the EPC from a Baptist background, including how he started Church of the Redeemer and how church planting is a viable evangelism strategy for established churches. In addition, Strunk reflects on his service on the EPC's National Leadership Team from 2019-2023 and how trust serves as a form of leadership currency.

Stuart Blount Stuart has been a minister in Elim for 35 years and a member of the National Leadership Team since 2006. He was appointed Director of Ministry in 2016. Ishbel Straker Ishbel is CEO and founder of I Straker Consultants and is recognised as an expert in the field of addiction and the treatment of co-existing mental health problems. She is an experienced expert witness, an Honorary Clinical Lecturer for Middlesex University, and Ambassador for the Department of Psychology for Edge Hill University.

Stuart Blount Stuart has been a minister in Elim for 35 years and a member of the National Leadership Team since 2006. He was appointed Director of Ministry in 2016. Ishbel Straker Ishbel is CEO and founder of I Straker Consultants and is recognised as an expert in the field of addiction and the treatment of co-existing mental health problems. She is an experienced expert witness, an Honorary Clinical Lecturer for Middlesex University, and Ambassador for the Department of Psychology for Edge Hill University.

Duncan Clark Duncan is the senior pastor of Coventry Elim Church and a member of Elim's National Leadership Team. He's married to Helen with four children. Shirene Agbelusi Shirene is associate pastor at Coventry Elim and serves on Aspire, Elim's national women's ministry team. Shirene is married to Sope and has two teenagers.

Duncan Clark Duncan is the senior pastor of Coventry Elim Church and a member of Elim's National Leadership Team. He's married to Helen with four children. Shirene Agbelusi Shirene is associate pastor at Coventry Elim and serves on Aspire, Elim's national women's ministry team. Shirene is married to Sope and has two teenagers.

[00:00:00] Lindy Black: Through the encouragement of several different people, I learned to be a student of people. And in doing that, they often don't realize that you are studying everything about them. You're looking at their facial expressions, their non-verbal body language. You're looking at their tone or listening to their tone and more than all of those is that you're listening to the words they're saying and, in a sense, becoming a student of who they are. When you do that, you can remain in a posture of a learner.  ++++++++++++++++++++++ Tommy Thomas: Our guest today is Lindy Black. Lindy is transitioning into her leadership role with The Navigators. She stepped off the National Leadership Team after the tenure of 12 years at the end of 2022. Her new role is walking alongside men and women serving in the background as a coach and developer of existing and new national leaders.  I first met Lindy when I was conducting the Vice-President of Development search for The Navigator several years ago. When we conduct a search, we typically interview members of the senior staff as part of our due diligence. Lindy was an easy person to interview. And as I remember, she gave us a lot of valuable input for the search.  Another thing we have in common is our love for Auburn University. Lindy spent several years serving on The Navigator staff at Auburn. And I took my electrical engineering degree from Auburn and came to be a Christ follower doing my sophomore year. Let's pick up on my conversation with Lindy Black.  [00:01:44] Tommy Thomas: Before we go too deep into your professional career, let's go back to your childhood. I'm always curious as to how people got their start.  What's your most memorable experience from childhood?  [00:01:54] Lindy Black: I don't know if I would be able to just say one, because our family moved about every two years, and in that process, my dad, who is still living at 93, was a football coach.   His goal was to be a head professional football coach. And so consequently we moved a great deal and in that, there was every single place we lived, there was always the reality that there was something new and fresh there. I didn't always think it would be, but every time God came through and put a new situation that was very…  I don't know if I'd use the word developmental, but it just helped me be more of the person I have become today. So, all that moving around and having a football coach for a dad produced some things in me for sure.  [00:02:52] Tommy Thomas:  Staying on that theme for a minute, what would you say was the greatest gift that you got from your parents in your childhood? [00:03:01] Lindy Black: I would say they were so different. My mom was so merciful and kind and listening and caring, always seeing the one who may not be seen. And my dad was driven. He was a Vince Lombardi fan to the max.  His motto was, winning isn't everything, it's the only thing. The blend of those two things that's their gift. To me, they were so different. And on a good day, I like to believe I have the best of both of them, at least at work inside of me.  I'm not exclusively one or the other. But that was their blending of themselves definitely was the greatest gift.  [00:03:43] Tommy Thomas:  What's something that people are surprised to find out about? [00:03:46] Lindy Black: If they haven't been around me much, I think they will be surprised at how competitive I am. I guess that comes from being the daughter of a football coach, Tommy. But once they're around me a little bit, then they'll understand that oh yeah, they're not surprised then. So, I would love to think that being competitive, can have a real negative connotation for sure. But for me, I think it was a push to excel. Tommy Thomas: Yeah, sticking with that for a minute, I interviewed Dr. Linda Livingstone at Baylor recently.  She was an All-American basketball player at Oklahoma State.   I asked her about the competitive nature and how a Christian either resolves or lives in the center of the tension of that. So, I would pose that question to you. How, as a Christian, do you live in the center of the tension of being competitive?  [00:04:39] Lindy Black: I think there's a competitive spirit where you want to be all that you can be and that can be very healthy. I think when it becomes unhealthy, at least in my own experiences, when by being competitive you put down others. Now on a ball field, you want to win on a basketball court, on a track meet you want to win, being the best you can be and somebody will lose. However, in real life, that same spirit, which is what I'm describing in me, I think it's healthy when it provokes you to excel. Still, the unhealthy part comes in when it is to the detriment or the putting down, the oppressing, the powering up over someone else. ++++++++++++++++++ [00:05:28] Tommy Thomas: When you joined The Navigators did you think it would be a career? [00:05:33] Lindy Black: In a sense, I had my original career first, which was being a secondary math teacher.   And so, when God called myself and Vic, my husband out, he was a systems analyst working in a computer company, and I was a school teacher when he called us out of that, I think there was a deep sense that we were all in for a lifetime if he wanted to change the path that was up to him.  We saw it as a lifelong calling, but we were a little older when that step took place.  [00:06:08] Tommy Thomas: So how long had you been in public education?  [00:06:10] Lindy Black: About seven years at that time. [00:06:11] Tommy Thomas:  So you were probably in your early thirties when God called you. [00:06:14] Lindy Black: Yeah, I was in my late twenties. Vic was in his early thirties.  [00:06:18] Tommy Thomas: Go back to your first management role when you actually had people reporting to you. What do you remember about that?  [00:06:27] Lindy Black:  My first team that I led had four men on it, and they were all older than me and they had more experience than me.  The first tangible emotion that came to mind is I was nervous, and I felt insecure. Now, many years later, I read the best article on leading people who know more than you do. What I was learning in that early first management was that I needed to lean into the expertise and actually the greater knowledge of my teammates. And in doing that, not only was I learning, but it gave me an opportunity to affirm and encourage their development in what they were bringing. But I don't think I could have articulated that in the first couple times we met together. So, leaning into people who know more. There's an art to that and I think I was early on in learning how to draw others out, how to affirm them, and how to bring their best because then the team is at its best and I get to grow.  So that was my first memory.  [00:07:43] Tommy Thomas: So fast forward to your most recent assignment before you began to go into this next season of life, if I could have been present at a team meeting and we dismissed you and I asked them what would be the most challenging thing about working for Lindy? What would they say?  [00:07:58] Lindy Black: The most challenging, they would say sometimes she drives too hard to get to closure. And because of that, she can push us faster than maybe we want to be pushed. That would be one thing. I think they would, that's probably in the team context.  That would've been the thing they would say. [00:08:20] Tommy Thomas: So can you think of, without naming the names of the guilty or the innocent, can you think of a time when you did that and looking back how that went down?  [00:08:29] Lindy Black: I think what happened is that the decisions, the endpoint of the discussion, that we didn't get to the best landing point, because I pushed for closure there. In a sense, we truncated some of the creative thinking and the deeper thinking because I was more concerned that we had an end to it versus the depth of the discussion. I'm picturing a particular situation and I think that was the case. We didn't get to the best conclusion and then we had to come back to it and it's always harder to come back. So that was a hard balance for me to learn because I'm a closure person and I want to see a process finish and not just stay up in the realm of ideas and in the clouds, but actually get to a point where we can move forward together as a team. [00:09:26] Tommy Thomas:  If we flip that question, what would they say was the most rewarding part of working for Lindy?  [00:09:33] Lindy Black: They would say, if I know Lindy's leading the meeting, we're gonna be okay. She will draw out people, she will listen. But she has an intuitive sense of when to stop the discussion most times and when to let it go a little bit longer.  [00:09:51] Tommy Thomas:  Successful people are always asked, what makes you successful?  I want to maybe frame that question a little differently and maybe the question would read what is a factor that helped you succeed that people on the outside probably wouldn't realize? [00:10:08] Lindy Black: I don't know if they would be able to observe this, Tommy, or not. But I think through the encouragement of several different people, I learned to be a student of people. And in doing that, they often don't realize that you are studying everything about them. You're looking at their facial expressions, their non-verbal body language. You're looking at their tone or listening to their tone, and more than all of those is that you're listening to the words they're saying and, in a sense, becoming a student of who they are. When you do that, you can remain in a posture of a learner, which is a high value for me, is to stay in the posture of a learner. So I don't think people know how much I'm absorbing about their outward look as well as their thoughts that they're communicating and the emotion that I perceive. So perhaps they don't realize that everything they're doing is helping me to understand either how to draw the best of them out, how to posture them for their next assignment, or a variety of other things. [00:11:25] Tommy Thomas: Did a mentor teach you that, or do you learn by reading and how did that come to pass?  [00:11:30] Lindy Black: I have to give my mom first credit on this one.  Especially as a teenager, I had words. I really had lots of thoughts and my mom was the best listener because she would be fully present to me. And what I've wound up realizing later, not initially, is that as she listened to me and continued to pull out more from me, I actually worked my way to a good place, a place of security, or I talked myself to the right decision, or I was able in processing friendships to be able to realize, oh, okay, that friendship probably isn't the best. But it was rarely because she told me. She gave me enough time and space to be able to be to process that out that. That was the foundation of being a learner an observer and a learner of people. And then realizing if people are given long enough, very often with good questions and a very present listening posture, they actually can come to some of the best solutions all by themselves. Now, that's in a one-on-one situation. So, I think also, though probably the negative has influenced me just as much. And when I say the negative, I mean watching what happens when people don't listen well, the implications are, they usually lead to a very unhealthy team or an unhealthy working environment. So some of that is by watching the opposite of what you want to see and learning from that.   +++++++++++++++++++++++ [00:13:14] Tommy Thomas: Were you a trailblazer in The Navigators relative to women in senior leadership?  [00:13:19] Lindy Black: I am not the only one, but I would say yes.  [00:13:22] Tommy Thomas: My early reflections were when I was in my early twenties, that it was probably a pretty male-dominated, is probably the stronger word, but The Navigators I knew were, were men.  How did you break into that?  [00:13:37] Lindy Black: If I were being honest, Tommy, back in our early years on staff, we joined navigator staff in 1981, and in from then until probably for at least 10 years, maybe longer, maybe closer to 15.  If you had told me that one day I would be a Senior Vice President and Associate US Director of The Navigators, I would've said in your dreams, that will never happen for me or probably any other woman. It was going to take too long to see women being able to have the opportunity to contribute who they are and their gifting and strengths. So when I was, it was 1994, and the man leading the campus ministry at the time c called the house and it was in the days when the phone was connected, you couldn't walk around. It was connected. And he called and I said, hello and we chit chatted. And I said let me go get Vic. And he goes Lin, I don't want to talk to Vic. I want to talk to you. And I said, okay. And he goes, I want to invite you to, it was a Campus Net event going on in London, England a number of months later. And I said, I remember saying, you want me to go? And he said, yes. And he went on to say some reasons why. And it was not just for my benefit, it was for me to benefit the people around the world from around the world that would be there. Honestly, Tommy, I would've said, I didn't think anybody saw who I was, I didn't, I just thought, I'm doing my wonderful campus ministry with my husband here in Auburn, Alabama. I loved what we were doing, but actually somebody else. There were others watching and I didn't know that. So that opportunity was my first of being invited to bring something that I didn't actually know I could bring. They asked me to stand in front of the group, and I don't remember the subject, but it was absolutely terrifying to do this. But I began to see, wait, I do have something to offer. So then fast forward about five years my kids were finishing high school and a door opened for me to be engaged with staff training in The Navigators. And I realized, oh, I'm a people developer. I love this. And by that time, we had a staff team of about nine men and women and seeing them become more of who they were or who God created them to be. Then that became a niche, and I realized if, especially as a woman, I'm, it's probably true for men too, but to you, you need to find where you can excel and then do it with all your might, because bringing excellence actually opens doors, and that is what happened to me. So that was an initial place of contribution. Now, as I began to excel in training, then I had I think it was three other doors open up to be an associate director of a particular team. And that was actually new ground for The Navigators at that time. This was in the early 2000s and up until my current role. So I think in that there were places where I was able to excel and people realized I could bring a contribution that was broader than just the local or just among women, but it would bless the whole of the work.  [00:17:21] Tommy Thomas: Let's stay with this team thing and leading people. What's the most important quality you're looking for when you bring somebody onto your team? [00:17:29] Lindy Black: I think, and foremost is they don't think they know everything that, that when you see that quality in someone that they think they know a lot or perhaps they know quite a bit, or even everything about the area that your team is focused on, that would be someone I would not want to invite onto a team because that prevents learning from others, learning from God, learning together as a team, because it can often be paired with a strong sense of independence and  People who are going to serve well on a team have to be strong in interdependence. So that would be one thing I would not want to see. On the positive side, EQ in emotional intelligence, if that is strong, which the beginnings of emotional intelligence, the foundational piece is self-awareness. If a man or woman has a high degree of self-awareness knowing where they have strength, where they have vulnerability, that person will be much more likely to be an excellent team member because they're not independent, but their emotional intelligence brings that deep level of self-awareness, then that can lead to being a good student of other people. [00:18:50] Tommy Thomas: But say you do make a mistake along the way, and somebody has to leave their job.  What have you found to be the best way to terminate somebody? [00:18:58] Lindy Black: For one thing, I would have asked someone to step out of a role, that should never come as a surprise to them. By the time you get to the point you're saying you can't be in this role any longer, you're done. If that is a surprise to them, then you have definitely failed as a leader. When you fire someone, if it comes as a surprise to them, you have definitely failed as a leader. Definitely. So there has to be periodic evaluations and I found being able to have thoughts in writing ahead of time notes to go back to, that's life or death. Because if you're a busy leader, you can't remember all the conversations. And giving people opportunities, whether it's formally in a performance improvement plan or informally just in coaching them to give them the opportunity, every opportunity possible to be able to overcome weaknesses that could potentially remove them from their job.  ++++++++++++++++++++++ [00:19:55] Tommy Thomas: What's the most effective team-building exercise you've ever used? [00:20:03] Lindy Black: Boy, that is a tough one. I think what I would say is when people tell their stories, let's say you've got a fairly new team, engaged. But when a team begins to hear one another's stories, their background growing up, the realities in their home, and things they've had to overcome as team members begin to do the listening to what shaped this person? It has a high degree of beginning to sow the seeds of being compassionate toward one another to realize what I see today is a product of other things that have happened in their lives. If you start there, you begin with a deeper understanding and potentially respect for one another. If you start there, it's gonna be easier to go deeper and to build trust in the future. So, telling their stories is probably one of the, that's probably the most effective beginning point.  [00:21:09] Tommy Thomas:   Have The Navigators noticed any difference in maybe you as being a leader in training the generation of people that are coming through your early ranks now than say 15, 20 years ago when you broke into leadership? [00:21:23] Lindy Black: Our millennial staff they, those men and women, I believe were forerunners of changing a number of things, be moving more toward community engagement, community learning, not just me and one other person, or me and Jesus, but that they ushered in a much more partnering mode into where we currently are now. That is a good setup for Gen Z who are now graduating from college and beginning to enter the workforce. And some are entering our staff. The place where I believe we are really struggling. And how much of this is the result of the Covid years, and how much is it, would it have been this way regardless of Covid and that? I'll just call it a healthy relationship, lack of skill. When you think about The Navigators, which is a ministry life to life, if you can't carry on a conversation or initiate with a new person or have the confidence to initiate activities, those types of things,you're going to be in big trouble. So, the relational aspect and having confidence in knowing how to relate to other people, seem to be one of the biggest challenges today for sure. Now interestingly, I was just recently with a younger group of women, and as we were interacting, I found that their longing to have practical skills in life, in ministry, in all areas, practical skills, learning practical know-how was much higher than I'd noticed for the last two decades in groups of people. It seems as though they were avid learners and wanted to understand how they could better engage and become more effective in the roles they were filling.  ++++++++++++++++++++++ [00:23:31] Tommy Thomas: If we learn from our mistakes, why are we always so afraid to make a mistake?  [00:23:38] Lindy Black: Oh, my goodness. I might be at the top of that list. I don't know how much you're familiar with the Enneagram, but that has been a significant help to me, both in understanding my strengths, but also in under also in understanding the places where I need to continue to grow and mature. In Enneagram one of the words they use for that is a perfectionist.  I have a very high level of inner critic in my person of telling me things I've done wrong.  I have a twofold answer to your question.  I am always thinking how I could have done something better, how you could have done something better, how a process could be improved, and God has really used that and bless that. Now, sometimes it just gets into a gear. People are just like, couldn't we just do good? Does it always have to be changing and becoming better and better? I put that on myself, and that can be very debilitating. So that's more on the inside of me. On the outside, I think as someone is facing the reality of failure, if you think you have failed and you just press on, you take application from that, apply it to the next situation, you will more than likely miss the meat or the good part of what God would want to teach you. I'm a very firm believer that experience is not the best teacher, but an evaluated process experience is the best teacher. I think you can do that by yourself. But if I were to wave my magic wand in this arena of failure and say, what is the most needed situation, tool, or experience, and that is to have someone sit with you, ask you several just basic questions to help you understand what did you intend to do, what went well, what went poorly, what did you learn from it, and that process has helped me not be so afraid of failing because I know nobody's going to do everything perfectly, but when you do assess, evaluate what went on, oftentimes you are the richer for it, and that failure becomes far less debilitating in your own soul. [00:26:16] Tommy Thomas: Where does that come from?  [00:26:17] Lindy Black: Actually, it was a man, a staff person in The Navigators. His name is Jim, and I happened to be at a workshop he was giving on giving and receiving feedback, and because of my hunger, both to learn personally, and to help other people be learners. It was a skillset or, he just had a basic process where he could walk someone through, and they were able to answer questions. If he was present, then he could actually give them feedback. But this could be, you could walk with someone, and you didn't even have to be there when they had the experience. Just the question asking and helping them dig deeper and understand what may have been under that. I was so led up, Tommy I thought, that's been probably 25 years ago, and I have been able to both equip others but practice that where people don't even know you're actually helping them in a feedback experience or an evaluated experience. [00:27:27] Tommy Thomas: What's the most dangerous behavior or trait that you've observed that derails leaders' careers?  [00:27:33] Lindy Black: From my own vantage point, it's people who, their vulnerabilities or their weaknesses. A leader whose vulnerabilities and weaknesses have been overlooked because their strengths are so strong, they're needed, they're valued, and they can be esteemed, platformed, and pushed further on because what they're bringing is of value and ignoring their weaknesses and vulnerabilities because someone didn't have the courage to talk to them and say to them, this is my observation. Or this is how I'm perceiving you and their weaknesses are overlooked. There are a number of my peers who I believe have not been able to excel to the degree God longed for them because no one was able, it may be other people's choices or their choice to come alongside and say, this is how I experience you. I believe this is a real vulnerability. So I think weaknesses unlooked at, unchallenged, those things in their character will be the things that will be at the top of the list of derailing them.  Join us next week as we continue this conversation with Lindy Black. One of the topics we will discuss is how she got into journaling and how journaling has impacted her life.  Until then, keep doing the good work you're doing to help make the nonprofit sector more effective, sustainable, and scalable.    Links and Resources JobfitMatters Website Next Gen Nonprofit Leadership with Tommy Thomas The Navigators TrueFace - Lindy Black   Connect Tommy Thomas - tthomas@jobfitmatters.com Tommy's LinkedIn Profile Lindy Black's LinkedIn Profile  

EPC Stated Clerk Dean Weaver provides an overview of strategic-level initiatives of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church. In the third episode, he recaps the August 2022 meeting of the National Leadership Team and its focus on how the denomination carries out its mission and vision.

Twenty-third Sunday of Ordinary Time - Luke 14: 25-33 Patricia is a wife, mother and grandmother, and semi-retired teacher of French, Latin and Italian. Her lifelong interest in theology and spirituality finally led her to formal study and she graduated with a Masters in Theology in 2014. She belongs to the Grail, an international movement and community of women, founded in the Netherlands in 1921 by Jacques van Ginneken SJ. She currently serves on the National Leadership Team and is the co-ordinator of the International Spirituality Network. In 2016 she presented five lectures on Eco-theology and spirituality at the Grail summer school in Portugal. A parishioner for 38 years at St Leonards, Naremburn, Patricia has been involved in a variety of ministries over the years. She is currently a lector and EMC, and one of the church bell ringers. In 2018 she was asked to become her community's local animator for the Plenary Council, and since then has engaged herself wholeheartedly in the Plenary Council journey.

Dean Weaver, EPC Stated Clerk, welcomes Brad Strait, Moderator of the EPC's 41st General Assembly. The two look back on Strait's year as Moderator of the Assembly, and peer into the future as Strait serves the next year as Chairman of the denomination's National Leadership Team. Strait also describes two seminars on persecution at the EPC's Leadership Institute on June 21-22 that he is co-leading with Andrew Brunson, EPC Teaching Elder who was imprisoned in Turkey from 2016-2018. On Tuesday afternoon at the 42nd General Assembly at Ward Church in Northville, Michigan, Brunson will share his experience of being persecuted for his faith and what believers in the western world can expect as hostility toward Jesus and the gospel grows. On Wednesday afternoon, Brunson and Strait will be joined by a panel of Christian leaders who have experienced significant persecution, including EPC Teaching Elder Setan Lee, who escaped the “killing fields” genocide of the Communist Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia in the 1970s, and Erick Schenkel, Executive Director of Cru's “The Jesus Film Project.”

Dean Weaver, EPC Stated Clerk, welcomes Chris Danusiar, Ruling Elder for Immanuel Presbyterian Church in Warrenville, Ill., who rotated off the EPC National Leadership Team (NLT) after six years of service. The two discuss how the EPC is both the same and has changed over Danusiar's two three-year terms, as well as some thoughts for the future of the denomination.

In this episode, Denny Heiberg shares about his journey from running an institution to becoming a disciple maker that empowers others to become disciple makers. We talk about what it looks like to make Jesus Lord of everything in our life. We also discuss what it's like to disciple grandchildren. Denny Heiberg is an elder in the Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church where he pastored Grace at Fort Clarke UMC in Gainesville, FL from 1994-2012. He currently serves with TMS Global as a member of their Ministry CoServe Group focusing upon Discipleship Training and Member Care. Denny also serves on The National Leadership Team as the Director of International Representatives with The Bonhoeffer Project, a discipleship initiative that trains leaders in the global Church to become disciple-making leaders. Denny graduated from Columbia International University with a BA in Biblical Studies and Christian Education. He also earned an MA in Biblical Studies, an M. Div., and a D.Min. from Asbury Seminary. Denny and his wife, Cindy, live in the Nashville, TN area where he serves in their local church developing disciples. His passion is mobilizing the next generations of leaders who will develop disciple-making cultures in their context of ministry.Denny's Recommendations:Undistracted by Bob GoffA Better Way: Make Disciples Wherever Life Happens by Dale LoschThis episode was sponsored by:All Nations Kansas CityThe mX PlatformConnect with Joshua: jjohnson@allnations.usGo to www.shiftingculturepodcast.com to interact and donate. Every donation helps to produce more podcasts for you to enjoy.Follow on Facebook at www.facebook.com/shiftingculturepodcastSupport the show

What does it look like to practice and believe in resurrection when the world around us feels bleak and dim? What does it look like to live out Easter in our lives when the powers of empire stand against us, as they did against Christ? What does it mean to practice Easter in a Good Friday world?Minister Blyth Barnow shares a message of gritty hope and resurrection, in honor of her favorite holiday: Easter!A word from Minister Blyth Barnow (she/her):I went to seminary to learn how to hold spiritual space for the communities I come from. Communities “the church” deemed crude, dirty, expendable, sinful…profane. Queers, femmes, people who use drugs, sex workers, working class people, organizers. But these are the people who taught me about the sacred and I know that we are holy. We deserve access to spiritual care that lifts us up, knows us deeply, and affirms our dignity.I put myself through seminary by working at the Harm Reduction Coalition. For me, harm reduction is a spiritual practice rooted in unconditional love. It calls us to healing and demands justice. Just like the Gospel.My faith and my queerness are about liberation. Both connect me to a long lineage of people who have fought to honor God's promise to them and God's beauty within them. I'm not queer despite being Christian. I'm Christian because I'm queer. Both teach me that the voice of the empire is not the voice of God. My worth, your worth, is not up for debate. We are beloved by God, made in the image of God.About Minister Blyth Barnow (she/her)Min. Blyth Barnow  serves as the Ohio Associate Director for Faith In Public Life in Ohio, where she works to bring clergy and people who use drugs together to end the racist war on drugs. She is a preacher, harm reductionist, writer and community organizer. She is the founder of Femminary, an online ministry, and is currently working to establish harm reduction resources for faith based communities. She has brought her worship service, Naloxone Saves, to several states. Blyth graduated from Pacific School Of Religion where she received a Master of Divinity and the Paul Wesley Yinger preaching award. She also serves on the National Leadership Team for Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ), the Overdose and Drug Use Ministry of the United Church of Christ, and Faith In Harm Reduction.Connect with us!Sign up for our Weekly Devotional emailsFollow us on Instagram or FacebookGive financially to support the Lady Preacher Podcast!

On this week's show, we bring you the first half of a two-part series featuring some amazing speakers from the 2nd Annual Community Research Expo presented by Louisville's Root Cause Research Center on February 26, 2022. You'll hear the keynote speaker, Jerome Scott, a founding member of the League of Revolutionary Black Workers, who serves on Move to Amend's National Leadership Team, and on the National Planning Committee of the U.S. Social Forum. He is active in Grassroots Global Justice and other social justice movement organizations, including the League of Revolutionaries for a New America. He was a founding member and former director of Project South: Institute for the Elimination of Poverty & Genocide in Atlanta, GA. Jerome has also written numerous chapters and articles on race, class, movement building and the revolutionary process, and is a contributing editor to four popular education toolkits including The Roots of Terror and Today's Globalization. He was co-recipient of the American Sociological Association's 2004 Award for the Public Understanding of Sociology. More at https://www.rootcauseresearch.org/cre2022 On Truth to Power each week, we gather Forward Radio programmers and friends to discuss the state of the world, the nation, the state, and the city! It's a community conversation like you won't hear anywhere else! Truth to Power airs every Friday at 9pm, Saturday at 11am, and Sunday at 4pm on Louisville's Forward Radio 106.5fm and http://forwardradio.org

EPC Stated Clerk Dean Weaver provides an overview of strategic-level initiatives of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church. In the first episode, he recaps the January 2022 meeting of the denomination's National Leadership Team.

Ruth Swift serves as the senior leader of Resound Church with her husband Wayne. In addition, Ruths serves as well as on the National Leadership Team of Acts Global Churches as well as a network leader. In this episode, Ruth shares about the Welsh Revival, the restoration of the apostolic and prophetic, as well as her experience of being a leader in Acts Global Churches. ===> Learn more about Ruth Swift by by visiting https://ActsGlobal.Church and https://Resound.Church ===> Learn more about Glenn Bleakney by visiting https://AwakeNations.org and also https://KingdomCommunity.Global --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/glennbleakney/support

Ruth Swift of Victoria, Australia serves as senior leader of Resound Church with her husband Wayne Swift as well as on the National Leadership Team of Acts Global Churches. Ruth shares about her family heritage in the Welsh Revival, the apostolic and prophetic, as well as being a female leader in the movement her husband leads Acts Global Churches. Learn more about Ruth Swift by by visiting https://ActsGlobal.Church and https://Resound.ChurchLearn more about Glenn Bleakney by visiting AwakeNations.org and also KingdomCommunity.Global

Ruth Swift serves as the senior leader of Resound Church with her husband Wayne. In addition, Ruths serves as well as on the National Leadership Team of Acts Global Churches as well as a network leader. In this episode, Ruth shares about the Welsh Revival, the restoration of the apostolic and prophetic, as well as her experience of being a leader in Acts Global Churches. ===> Learn more about Ruth Swift by visiting https://ActsGlobal.Church and https://Resound.Church ===> Learn more about Glenn Bleakney by visiting AwakeNations.org and also KingdomCommunity.Global --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/kingdomcommunity/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/kingdomcommunity/support

Ruth Swift serves as the senior leader of Resound Church with her husband Wayne. In addition, Ruths serves as well as on the National Leadership Team of Acts Global Churches as well as a network leader. In this episode, Ruth shares about the Welsh Revival, the restoration of the apostolic and prophetic, as well as her experience of being a leader in Acts Global Churches. ===> Learn more about Ruth Swift by visiting https://ActsGlobal.Church and https://Resound.Church ===> Learn more about Glenn Bleakney by visiting AwakeNations.org and also KingdomCommunity.Global --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/kingdomcommunity/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/kingdomcommunity/support

Dean Weaver, EPC Stated Clerk, welcomes Glenn Meyers (Chairman of the National Leadership Team), Brad Strait (Moderator of the 41st General Assembly), and Rosemary Lukens (Moderator-elect of the 41st General Assembly) as his guests for the inaugural episode of "In All Things," a podcast of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church. Dean and his guests discuss a variety of topics related to national leadership of the EPC, a global movement of evangelical Presbyterian churches.

Minister Blyth Barnow  went to seminary to learn how to hold spiritual space for the communities she comes from. People deemed “too much” for the church. Too difficult, too poor, too “addicted”, too queer, too sexual, too political. These are the people who raised her. These are the people who taught her about the sacred. Now Blyth is a harm reduction specialist who is here to talk with us about the intersection of harm reduction and Christian faith. For her, harm reduction is a spiritual practice rooted in unconditional love. It calls us to healing and demands justice. Just like the Gospel.If you have ever been told that folks who fit in those categories of “too much” are not beloved by God, Blyth is here with the good news of the Gospel: all people are created and loved by God. ...Min. Blyth Barnow serves as the Harm Reduction Faith Manager for Faith In Public Life in Ohio, where she works to bring clergy and people who use drugs together to end the racist war on drugs. She is a preacher, harm reductionist, writer, and community organizer. She is the founder of Femminary, an online ministry offering spiritual support for queers, femmes, people who use drugs, and harm reductionists. Everyday she finds divinity in the profane, in the ordinary. She has brought her worship service, Naloxone Saves, to several states. Blyth graduated from Pacific School Of Religion where she received a Master of Divinity and the Paul Wesley Yinger preaching award. She also serves on the National Leadership Team for Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ), the Overdose and Drug Use Ministry of the United Church of Christ, and is a lead partner with Faith In Harm Reduction.You can find Blyth on Instagram @femminary or online at https://femminary.com/.

Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary time - Mk 5:21-43 - Jesus invites a woman to preach Patricia is a wife, mother and grandmother, and semi-retired teacher of French, Latin and Italian. Her lifelong interest in theology and spirituality finally led her to formal study and she graduated with a Masters in Theology in 2014. She belongs to the Grail, an international movement and community of women, founded in the Netherlands in 1921 by Jacques van Ginneken SJ. She currently serves on the National Leadership Team and is the coordinator of the International Spirituality Network. In 2016 she presented five lectures on Eco-theology and spirituality at the Grail summer school in Portugal.

MEDIA RELEASE: Raising the voices of Australian women preaching the Gospel A new podcast Australian Women Preach will feature 30 Australian Christian women preaching the Gospel. An initiative of Women and the Australian Church (WATAC) and the Grail in Australia, the podcast will highlight and share the voices of women breaking open the Word of God in ways that are meaningful to people today. Australian Women Preach will launch on International Women's Day, 8 March 2021 and run the 30 weeks leading into the Australian Catholic Church's historic Plenary Council in October. The podcast will feature diverse Australian women from across different Christian denominations. Each Monday an episode will be released with preaching on the following Sunday's Gospel. The initial episode features Jacqui Remond, co-founder of the Global Catholic Climate Movement, and Joint Co-ordinator of the Vatican's COVID-19 Commission for the Ecology Taskforce.Other early episodes will feature the preaching of Cristina Lledo Gomez, Patty Fawkner SGS, Melinda Jolly and Tau'alofa Anga'aelangi. WATAC Chair Andrea Dean said the podcast grew out of a desire to share the gifts and wisdom of women who felt a deep calling to preach but did not always have those opportunities. “We know women bring a unique perspective to the Gospel that is both theologically rich and grounded in their own life experiences,” said Andrea. “It is our hope to elevate those voices, and in doing so to renew the Church in Australia by modelling the Church we want to be: inclusive, diverse and welcoming.” Later this year, the Catholic Church in Australia will hold its Fifth Plenary Council. One of the topics the Australian Bishops have earmarked for discussion is how the Church might draw on the gifts and talents of all the people of God, including women. “We hope the podcast will contribute to the Plenary process and have a prophetic impact on creating greater opportunities for women's voices to be heard in the Catholic Church,” said Andrea. Patricia Gemmell, a member of the Grail in Australia's National Leadership Team, who is one of the 30 women on the podcast, said many women felt a deep sense of calling to preach. “St Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 12 that in building up the Body of Christ, we are all called to discern our particular gifts and to use them for the good of all,” Patricia said. “Let us hear the voices of those God has gifted to preach, women included. It is our hope that we might hear anew God's message of love and peace for the world.”

Nicola and husband Simon worked in church leadership and on mission in Uganda, and now back in the UK lead Every Life’s mission bases around the world. Nicola regularly speaks at churches and conferences around the country and serves on the National Leadership Team for New Wine England. Nicola has written two books ‘Journey into Love’ and ‘Gold’. 

Michele Heffron has over 30 years experience as an executive leader most recently in philanthropic non-profit organizations.  Currently she is the executive director in the Pacific Northwest for One Love Foundation.  One Love is the nation's leading educator of young people on the topic of healthy and unhealthy relationships.  She also serves on the National Leadership Team for the One Love Foundation.  She has also held positions as Director of Resource Development and Capital Campaign for the Boys and Girls Club of Bellevue, Washington.  She also shares her expertise with other foundations and organizations through her own consulting business.  She lives and works and works in the greater Seattle area.  www.joinonelove.org 

History of the lecture and in memory of Nancy Hillier In 2016, staff in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at the University of New South Wales proposed an annual lecture to commemorate the life and work of Nancy Hillier OAM, a prominent figure in the Botany Community, instigator of significant community services across many fields, and a life time supporter of education and scholarship. The inaugural lecture took place at NSW Parliament House in August 2016. Botany Bay City Council and now the new Bayside City Council agreed to host and co-fund the lecture as an ongoing annual event, in conjunction with UNSW. Development of the lecture series has involved UNSW staff, Botany Bay community members, Bayside Council staff and councilors, Botany Historical Trust, NSW government MPs, and Nancy's family. Nancy's many contributions to the development of services, to championing the interests of residents, and to protection of the environment in the Botany Bay region, are very well known. Her legacy is aptly summarized in the title of her SMH obituary as the “Relentless rebel with many causes”. Moving to Botany at 17, and faced with the inexorable development of the suburb in which she found herself, Nancy became embroiled in what became her life's work – fighting for justice for local residents, the community and the environment. From extensions to the port of Botany through to industrial contamination, there was much to confront. A natural organizer, Nancy always led from the front, which did not go unrecognized. Named 1985 Botany Council citizen of the year, she worked tirelessly in her community, often challenging industry and governments at the highest levels. She received a Medal of the Order of Australia in 2006. Nancy was also tireless in assisting academics and students, many from UNSW, in their research and teaching projects. She also co-authored academic analysis, and wrote many reports, submissions, letters and other public documents. Her own extensive archive is held by Bayside's local Library. This lecture series acknowledges Nancy's heritage, recalling her work and passion while providing an avenue for others to debate issues that resonate with Nancy's work. Over the years, the annual event will help forge scholarly and broader community relationships and commitments. The general theme of the lecture series is community participation in the achievement of social and environmental objectives. Each year, at least one presentation will be given by a young emerging community leader. This recognizes the important perspective of a younger generation, and reminds us that the necessity to ‘pass the baton' to emerging leaders and activists was amongst Nancy's greatest passions. With thanks to all the contributors above, and to others who assisted to initiate and organise this event: Bayside City Council: staff and councilors Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences UNSW: Events and Media team. Parliament House staff, and the office of MLC Cate Faehrmann Presenters Jean Hinchliffe is a 15-year-old school student and climate activist. As the Sydney group founder and lead national organiser within School Strike 4 Climate, she campaigns for legislative action to end the climate crisis. She first initiated her activist journey at the age of thirteen through volunteering with the Vote Yes campaign for marriage equality, before becoming involved with GetUp and Stop Adani. However, it was only in late 2018 that she started to focus on the climate crisis above other issues. When she isn't trying to save the world, Jean works as a professional actress. Varsha Yajman is a year 12 student at Gosford High on the Central Coast. She grew up in Sydney for the most part, and says going to school on the Coast has given her exposure to diverse perspectives on societal issues such as female rights, health, and environmental issues. Her greatest passion, climate activism, led to her involvement with the National Leadership Team for the Australian Youth Climate Coalition and the National and the core Sydney team for School Strike 4 Climate. She says this is more than just fighting for a sustainable world but rather about being part of a collective movement with capacity to empower every individual to unite and fight for a greater cause. Varsha's interests also include the mental health sector and she will contribute more time to this after finishing high school. Elly Baxter is a communications specialist with more than ten years experience running media and marketing campaigns in the arts. As a teenager she was involved in local environmental activism and has recently become active again as part of Extinction Rebellion Sydney. Tema Milstein is an associate professor of Environment & Society at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, and convenor of UNSW's Master of Environmental Management program. Her research and teaching focus on the intersections of culture, discourse, and ecological relations. Tema's research spans the globe, examining ecological activism, ecotourism and endangered wildlife, ecoculture meaning systems and identity, and ecoculture jamming. Her newest work, the 40- author International Handbook of Ecocultural Identity, will be published early next year. A former US Fulbright Scholar, Tema has taught at universities in the United States, Australia, Italy, China, and New Zealand. She has worked as a newspaper and public radio journalist, and recently participated as an invited speaker at Extinction Rebellion rallies in Sydney. *Community Corner * The Commons Library - NVDA Liking the show? Leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts here! Support us directly on Pozible! Edit by Jem Payne Support Climactic Support the show: https://www.climactic.fm/p/support-the-collective/

This episode is a conversation with Jim Purves of the Baptist Union of Scotland. Jim is the Mission and Ministry Advisor and one of the National Leadership Team.  Our conversation looks at the Declaration of Principle of the Baptist Union of Scotland and why it should matter for us in the 21st Century  as we go about mission and making disciples.  The MigCast is hosted by Glenn Innes and is a production of the Mission Initiative Group of the Baptist Union of Scotland.  The text of the Declaration of Principle and the resources mentioned in this episode can be found here.   

Darrell Jackson and Graham Hill talk about mission shaped by love of God and neighbour, and by life renewed by the Holy Spirit. The Global Church Project podcast episode #142. On https://www.theglobalchurchproject.comIn addition to talking about what mission looks like when it is shaped by love of God and love of neighbour, and by life renewed and empowered by the Holy Spirit, Darrell and Graham also discuss these topics: (1) A biblical theology of mission. (2) Rejecting the secularisation of mission. (3) Developing holistic mission, including combining social justice and evangelism. (4) The missional challenges facing the global church, and the church in the West. (5) What global movements of people mean for the church and mission today. (6) Developing poly-centric, dispersed, and poly-phonic (multi-voiced) mission. (7) Highly relational and intentional approaches to interreligious and multiethnic settings. (8) The challenge of nationalism and the hope of solidarity for faith and mission. (9) Creation care as mission. (10) Confidence, humility, and mission as gift received and given. (11) Combining Spirit and mission. (12) Developing cultural intelligence and skills for mission today.Darrell grew up on the Isle of Man. He has thirty years of ministry experience in pastoral, denominational, cross-cultural, and educational settings. He worked in Hungary, and around Europe, and has mission experience in China, Ireland, the Czech Republic, and Zimbabwe.He is the Secretary of the Australian Association of Mission Studies, a Mission Commission Associate of the WEA, a member of the International Association of Mission Studies, serves on the Executive of the Lausanne International Researchers’ Network, is a member of the Editorial Board of Lausanne Global Analysis, a member of the National Leadership Team for Missions Interlink in Australia, and is a missiological consultant to Global Interaction (the Australian Baptist Mission Agency).Darrell is a global leader in the study of missions in Europe and Asia, and in diaspora missiology. He is married to Beth Johnson Jackson, who pastors a local church in Sydney, Australia.

David has been a member of the National Leadership Team since 2001. He is Regional Leader of Elim’s Metropolitan East and Metropolitan West regions. Today he talks to us about our identity in Christ.

Revd Doug Williams The East-end of London has always been seen as the home of some pretty ‘dodgy geezers', thankfully, Doug Williams is not one of them! As the Senior Pastor of Emmanuel Christian Centre, a large and thriving inner-city church, Doug has to have a clear head and a heart for challenge. “All the diversity that our church deals with is a constant source of… creative challenge,” Doug quips, “but I love every minute!” Training at Spurgeon's College was a major part of his academic preparation for the task, but learning is a lifelong pursuit for this minister. Local church work is part of the big picture of Christian leadership for Doug as previously he served his denomination, the AOG (Assemblies of God), as part of their overall National Leadership Team. He is also former Superintendent for Greater London region as part of the same denomination. “I love the opportunity to serve in a wider context that our local church and the national and international invitations are a wonderful opportunity for me, but my heart is never far from home. The local church really is the hope of the world. Our Church seeks to be a safe place for kids, a supportive place for parents, a welcoming place for visitors, an exciting place for teenagers, a friendly place for Senior Citizens and a home for the Community.  We believe that, real life is worth celebrating, so we do! With excellent music, passionate and relevant preaching, great social gatherings for food and friendship and all kinds of activity, church has never looked so good…. Doug is a well respected and much sought after Christian motivational speaker, with strong teaching gifts and an apostolic calling to leaders. He travels widely internationally, to conduct leadership training sessions, church retreats and men's conferences. He is a singer/ songwriter and has played with numerous gospel artistes and singers, and his own band called "Raize". They have also recorded several CD's. “My musical focus now,” says Doug, “is all about worship that is truly God-centred, and how to find and develop the ‘voice' of our church in declaring that. Each church I know has a unique blend of people and preferences, seeing how all that gets expressed in worship is an exciting journey.” Doug is married to Joan and they have four children.

Most of the women featured on the Happy Black Woman podcast are businesswomen; entrepreneurs who are building their dreams through a successful company. Today’s guest is a bit different. Rebecca Thompson is fulfilling her life-calling by championing a cause: black women in politics. Rebecca’s determination and spirit are a powerful demonstration of what can happen when black woman get energized toward public office. You will be inspired and encouraged - possibly even motivated to get involved in your community's politics - by listening to this episode of the podcast. The face of power tends to be male and it tends to be white. If you haven’t noticed how things are in this world, the faces of power tend to be male and they tend to be white. There’s nothing wrong with that - anyone can be an elected leader in the United States if they truly have the heart to serve the people. But those two facts do show us that the black community, and black women in particular, are underrepresented among the elected officials who have so much power in determining the course of our communities and nation. Rebecca’s realization of that fact is part of what motivated her to run for office and help other black women learn the skills needed to run for office in their jurisdictions. If you want to run for office you need to be clear about WHY you are doing it. There are many reasons you may want to run for office. But if you’re going to put yourself and your family into the public eye in that way you need to be clear on exactly WHY you are doing it. Rebecca Thompson says it’s essential because you will run into moments where it doesn’t seem that what you’re doing is worth it. Opponents will falsely accuse you. You will be slandered. The press will have unreasonable questions and demands. How are you going to persevere if that’s the case? You’ll do it by having a clear sense of WHY. Rebecca Thompson is Rosetta’s guest on this episode of Happy Black Woman. You don’t have to know how you’re going to raise the money. One of the major hurdles you’ll have to get past if you are going to run for elected office is the issue of money. You will need money to run a successful campaign - a LOT of it. How are you going to raise money if you don’t feel that you have a public persona already? Rebecca Thompson was in those exact shoes when she decided to run for office and her approach was much more successful than you might think it would be for a first-time candidate. Rebecca shares her fundraising strategy and tells the results of her demanding and powerful campaign, on this episode. What is your freedom worth to you? When Rosetta asked Rebecca Thompson about the ways she keeps herself on track in the midst of a busy life Rebecca said that she has to remind herself first of all that she’s working to maintain her own freedom. When that’s clear in her mind she has to ask herself a simple question and give an honest answer. “What is my freedom worth?” Is it worth missing a favorite TV show because she needs to work on an important project? Is it worth going to bed late or rising early? Those are the kinds of questions anyone has to ask themselves if they want a better life than they have - or if they want to make an impact like Rebecca does by encouraging black women in politics. You can hear Rebecca’s inspiring story on this episode. Outline of this great episode [0:30] Rosetta’s introduction to Rebecca Thompson, host of the Changing the Face of Power podcast. [3:32] Why Rebecca is so passionate about encouraging black women to run for office. [9:11] The first steps for a women who are interested in running for office. [14:18] The impact of reaching out to people she knew when running for office. [20:43] What is needed to step into the public ring? [24:47] How Rebecca stays on track. [28:15] Books Rebecca values. [29:38] How you can connect with Rebecca. Resources & Links mentioned in this episode http://www.rebeccamthompson.com Rebecca on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/candicacycoach/ Rebecca on Twitter: https://twitter.com/CandidacyCoach BOOK: Think And Grow Rich About REBECCA THOMPSON Rebecca Thompson is a nationally renowned speaker, trainer, and candidacy coach; a former candidate for state representative, and host of the “Changing the Face of Power Podcast”.Rebecca’s mission (and life’s work) is to change the face of power by informing, inspiring, and supporting black women to run for office at the state and local level so they can fulfill their purpose and change the world.She has traveled the world training candidates to run for elected office and is a graduate of the Women’s Campaign School at Yale, EMILY’S List, The White House Project and numerous other leadership programs. Rebecca is a national trainer for VoteRunLead and ElectHer, which trains young women to run for elected office. She also serves on the National Leadership Team of Political Parity, a bipartisan group of national women’s organizations dedicated to getting more women elected to office.Rebecca was inspired to create - Changing the Face of Power – the first and only podcast in the country dedicated to inspiring black women to run for office –after losing her election for state representative by just 6 votes on Election Day. She wants to teach women candidates everything she learned the hard way so they can run and win the first time.

Most of the women featured on the Happy Black Woman podcast are businesswomen; entrepreneurs who are building their dreams through a successful company. Today’s guest is a bit different. Rebecca Thompson is fulfilling her life-calling by championing a cause: black women in politics. Rebecca’s determination and spirit are a powerful demonstration of what can happen when black woman get energized toward public office. You will be inspired and encouraged - possibly even motivated to get involved in your community's politics - by listening to this episode of the podcast. The face of power tends to be male and it tends to be white. If you haven’t noticed how things are in this world, the faces of power tend to be male and they tend to be white. There’s nothing wrong with that - anyone can be an elected leader in the United States if they truly have the heart to serve the people. But those two facts do show us that the black community, and black women in particular, are underrepresented among the elected officials who have so much power in determining the course of our communities and nation. Rebecca’s realization of that fact is part of what motivated her to run for office and help other black women learn the skills needed to run for office in their jurisdictions. If you want to run for office you need to be clear about WHY you are doing it. There are many reasons you may want to run for office. But if you’re going to put yourself and your family into the public eye in that way you need to be clear on exactly WHY you are doing it. Rebecca Thompson says it’s essential because you will run into moments where it doesn’t seem that what you’re doing is worth it. Opponents will falsely accuse you. You will be slandered. The press will have unreasonable questions and demands. How are you going to persevere if that’s the case? You’ll do it by having a clear sense of WHY. Rebecca Thompson is Rosetta’s guest on this episode of Happy Black Woman. You don’t have to know how you’re going to raise the money. One of the major hurdles you’ll have to get past if you are going to run for elected office is the issue of money. You will need money to run a successful campaign - a LOT of it. How are you going to raise money if you don’t feel that you have a public persona already? Rebecca Thompson was in those exact shoes when she decided to run for office and her approach was much more successful than you might think it would be for a first-time candidate. Rebecca shares her fundraising strategy and tells the results of her demanding and powerful campaign, on this episode. What is your freedom worth to you? When Rosetta asked Rebecca Thompson about the ways she keeps herself on track in the midst of a busy life Rebecca said that she has to remind herself first of all that she’s working to maintain her own freedom. When that’s clear in her mind she has to ask herself a simple question and give an honest answer. “What is my freedom worth?” Is it worth missing a favorite TV show because she needs to work on an important project? Is it worth going to bed late or rising early? Those are the kinds of questions anyone has to ask themselves if they want a better life than they have - or if they want to make an impact like Rebecca does by encouraging black women in politics. You can hear Rebecca’s inspiring story on this episode. Outline of this great episode [0:30] Rosetta’s introduction to Rebecca Thompson, host of the Changing the Face of Power podcast. [3:32] Why Rebecca is so passionate about encouraging black women to run for office. [9:11] The first steps for a women who are interested in running for office. [14:18] The impact of reaching out to people she knew when running for office. [20:43] What is needed to step into the public ring? [24:47] How Rebecca stays on track. [28:15] Books Rebecca values. [29:38] How you can connect with Rebecca. Resources & Links mentioned in this episode http://www.rebeccamthompson.com Rebecca on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/candicacycoach/ Rebecca on Twitter: https://twitter.com/CandidacyCoach BOOK: Think And Grow Rich About REBECCA THOMPSON Rebecca Thompson is a nationally renowned speaker, trainer, and candidacy coach; a former candidate for state representative, and host of the “Changing the Face of Power Podcast”.Rebecca’s mission (and life’s work) is to change the face of power by informing, inspiring, and supporting black women to run for office at the state and local level so they can fulfill their purpose and change the world.She has traveled the world training candidates to run for elected office and is a graduate of the Women’s Campaign School at Yale, EMILY’S List, The White House Project and numerous other leadership programs. Rebecca is a national trainer for VoteRunLead and ElectHer, which trains young women to run for elected office. She also serves on the National Leadership Team of Political Parity, a bipartisan group of national women’s organizations dedicated to getting more women elected to office.Rebecca was inspired to create - Changing the Face of Power – the first and only podcast in the country dedicated to inspiring black women to run for office –after losing her election for state representative by just 6 votes on Election Day. She wants to teach women candidates everything she learned the hard way so they can run and win the first time.

It was such a pleasure having Ian Williams bring an inspiring and challenging message. Ian Pastors a church in Torquay and serves on the National Leadership Team for AOG GB. If you missed his message, download it today.

Farmworkers Fight for Food and Job Justice by MFlowers Farm workers in the United States and Mexico are uniting to protest working conditions. From March 17 to 20, workers marched North in Mexico and South in the United States to meet at the border, at Playas de Tijuana. They are commemorating a march and strike one year ago and they are calling for the right to organize and demand fair wages, overtime pay and more. We speak with Rosalinda Guillen and Edgar Franks of Food Justice. Relevant articles and websites: Farmworkers in Mexico, Facing Human Rights Abuses Prepare to March in Protest by Griselda San Martin Sakuma Farmworkers Depart on Month Long Tour to Promote Driscoll’s Boycott Food Justice Boycott Sakuma Berries Alliance of Organizations for Social Justice (Mexican) Community to Community Development Facebook Page   Guests: Rosalinda Guillen is a widely recognized farm worker and rural justice leader. The oldest of eight she was born in Texas and spent her first decade in Coahuila Mexico. Her family emigrated to LaConner, Washington in 1960 and she began working as a farm worker in the fields in Skagit County at the age of ten. Ms. Guillen has worked within the labor movement with Caesar Chavez’s United Farm Workers of America and has represented farm workers in ongoing dialogues of immigration issues, labor rights, trade agreements, and strengthening the food sovereignty movement. She works to build a broader base of support for rural communities and sustainable agriculture policies that ensure equity and healthy communities for farm workers.     Edgar Franks lives in Bellingham, WA. He serves as the Civic Engagement Program Coordinator at Community to Community Development, working to engage supporters and develop a strategy that ensures the needs of the Farm Worker community are represented. Community to Community works on issues of Food Sovereignty through the lens of Farm Workers, with the goal of creating a politically conscious inter-sectional base that is fighting to create a local solidarity economy. Edgar currently represents Community to Community on the National Planning Committee for the US Social Forum and on the US Food Sovereignty Alliance. He is also on the National Leadership Team of Move to Amend.  0

ACIC questions and answers. Bishop Silas Ng Peter Klenner John Cox Ed Hird