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2 episodes with protestant chaplain
2 episodes with protestant chaplain
“In October 1975, I was shot six times. And while I was on the hospital gurney, doctor told me I was going to die. I heard a very clear voice that spoke to me and said, you're not going to die. You're going to be a chaplain at San Quentin prison.” (Chaplain Earl Smith) Chaplain Earl Smith believes that ministry to the incarcerated is about so much more than rehabilitation. It's about regeneration. Using the power of his own story of transformation from gang member to pastor, Chaplain Smith has maintained a faithful presence and witness for many decades of pastoral service to the incarcerated at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center, and now to professional athletes (including the Golden State Warriors, San Francisco 49ers, and the San Francisco Giants). Today on the show Mark Labberton and Chaplain Earl Smith discuss the moral and spiritual factors of prison chaplaincy and ministry for those on death row; the meaning of freedom and education; how he ministered to the leader of the Aryan Brotherhood; the difference that positive mentoring and coaching makes in young people's lives; and the transformative power of the gospel to go beyond rehabilitation to regeneration. About Earl Smith Born and reared in Stockton, California, the cycle of events in Earl's life came to a head in 1975 when he was shot 6 times while living the life of a minor gangster. Although expected to die, Earl's father's faith, prayers, and love seemed to bring him through. The words of his father have motivated him, since that event, “you are a rebel, but you are God's rebel, and God is going to use you to His glory.” In 1983, at the age of 27, Earl became the youngest person ever hired as a Protestant Chaplain by the California Department of Corrections. He is author of Death Row Chaplain: Unbelievable True Stories from America's Most Notorious Prison. Chaplain Smith currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer for Franklin Home, a Transition Living/Reentry Home for men and is the Team Pastor for the San Francisco 49ers' and the Golden State Warriors. From 1998 to 2006 Chaplain Smith was the Chapel Leader for the San Francisco Giants. Chaplain Smith has ministered to teams playing in NFL Super Bowls, MLB World Series and NBA Championships. In 2000, Chaplain Smith was recognized as the National Correctional Chaplain of the Year. Chaplain Smith has appeared on numerous broadcasts, including HBO, CNN, The 700 Club, Trinity Broadcasting Network and The History Channel. Earl has been featured in Christianity Today, Ebony, Guidepost, Ministry Today, Newsweek, People's Weekly, The African Americans and Time. Show Notes Get your copy of Death Row Chaplain: Unbelievable True Stories from America's Most Notorious Prison How Mark and Chaplain Smith met The value of education “I had to stop my education because of the execution schedule at San Quentin.” How Earl Smith got into prison chaplaincy “In October 1975, I was shot six times. And while I was on the hospital gurney, doctor told me I was going to die. I heard a very clear voice that spoke to me and said, you're not going to die. You're going to be a chaplain at San Quentin prison.” What San Quentin prison is like “We used to call San Quentin the Bastille by the Bay. The thing that really stood out for me was the fact that for 13 of the first 16 months I was there, the prison was locked down. The day I interviewed, two people were killed, so they stopped my interview twice. So I understood where I was. I understood the context of confinement. What I also went in there understanding was. It was not about rehabilitation. It was about regeneration.” “I believe that that's part of chaplaincy is not to allow the confines of the wall to dictate who you are.” A sense of liberty Fear and reality Earl Smith's ministry to the leader of the Aryan Brotherhood How faith shaped a capacity to be free from fear for the sake of love Mass incarceration and the new Jim Crow The drug epidemic and its impact on mass incarceration “How can you help us prepare these guys to come home?” “Whether you're on condemned role, if you have a life without the possibility of parole, or life sentence, or whatever it is, my job is still to share the same gospel message.” “Present your body as a living sacrifice.” Pastoral care in the prison system Calling prisoners by their first names instead of their numbers “When you've done it onto the least of these, you've done it to me, so there's a value in your presence.” Chaplaincy to professional athletes “The states that have the largest prison systems are also the states that send the most professional athletes in the pro sports.” Golden State Warriors and San Francisco 49ers The difference that positive mentoring and coaching makes in young people's lives “Every man wants someone to acknowledge there's something positive in what you're doing.” “They May Know Your Number, But God Knows Your Name” (Clifton Jansky, country western singer) God's way of paying attention to us; “how vested God is in our pursuit of being fully human” (reference to Marilynne Robinson) Performance and identity (reference to Ben Houltberg) Jerry Rice, #80 and “who wore the number before you?” Fellowship of Christian Athletes and Athletes in Action “God is a relational God. … Sports is relational.” When did chaplaincy in sports become a thing? Pat Ritchie's chaplaincy Understanding the value and difference chaplaincy makes Documentary and Film Adaptation: Death Row Chaplain “A story not of rehabilitation but regeneration” “That's really what the story is about. Some of my yesterday, some of my today. And what I believe to be my tomorrow.” Production Credits Conversing is produced and distributed in partnership with Comment Magazine and Fuller Seminary.
Historically, the church has a tendency to colonize as a means to achieve growth. To break that dynamic, new models need to emerge. Enter DisciplesNEXT, a methodology from Rev. Dr. Jose Martinez and the New Church Ministry Team of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). In this conversation, we talk about how the model emerged, how it seeks to be different from previous models, and what are the "ecclesial minimums" or "faithful marks" of what it means to be a church. He also emphasizes the importance of deep listening, dialogue, and considering diverse community inputs in shaping the future of the church. Rev. Dr. Jose Martinez serves as the Minister for New Church Strategies for the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Jose also created a ministry as an Incubate participant with the National Benevolent Association called StoryWagen. Additionally, he is co-planter of Multi Nation Christian Church, which is the largest and only Haitian Ministry in the Midwest for the Disciples of Christ and along with planting MissioKC Church. Co-vocationally, he is an endorsed Protestant Chaplain, at the 139th Airlift Wing in St. Joseph, Missouri and a chaplain with Truman Medical Center in Kansas City, Missouri. He has served in different capacities in ministry from the regional level to local congregations by bringing innovative and entrepreneurial ideas about the shifting paradigm of church. His mixture of talent, tenacity, and experience has helped him in all contexts of ministry, which was recognized by the Air National Guard in 2016 by awarding him the Samuel Stone award. https://newchurchministry.org/introducing-impact/ https://newchurchministry.org/about/disciplesnext/ Presenting Sponsor: Phillips Seminary Join conversations that expose you to new ideas, deepen your commitment and give insights to how we can minister in a changing world. Supporting Sponsors: I Help Pastors Get Jobs: Use code 'futurechristian' Torn Curtain Arts is a non-profit ministry that works with worship leaders, creatives, and churches to help avoid burnout, love their work, and realize their full creative potential.
What does the myth of American “chosenness” mean for different communities and the rise of Christian nationalism? Episcopal Bishop and Cherokee nation member Carol Gallagher, Baptist minister Rev. Darrell Hamilton, and Dr. Michael Hoberman, a scholar of early American Jewish literature and culture, engage in a conversation moderated by the Rev. Dr. Jaimie Crumley, a minister and professor of gender studies and ethnic studies. Dr. Catherine Brekus of Harvard Divinity School joins them, too, as they react to her lecture about how the myth of “chosenness” leads to much of the religious nationalism in our country today, including how scriptures were used to justify colonialism. SHOW NOTES Segment 1 (starting at 00:40): Context for this panel Hear Dr. Catherine Brekus' presentation in episode 23, or watch it online. Meet our panelists: The Rt. Rev. Carol Gallagher, Ph.D. serves as the assistant bishop in the Episcopal Church's Diocese of Massachusetts. An enrolled member of the Cherokee Nation, Bishop Gallagher previously served the diocese as a regional canon. Before that, starting in 2014, she served as assistant bishop in the Diocese of Montana, developing relationships with Native leaders and congregations there; educating and training clergy and lay leaders on issues of race, gender and inclusion; and leading the Task Force on Native Issues. Dr. Michael Hoberman teaches American literature at Fitchburg State University. He is a graduate of Reed College and earned his Ph.D. from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. His previous books include A Hundred Acres of America: The Geography of Jewish American Literary History and New Israel/New England: Jews and Puritans in Early America. The Rev. Darrell Hamilton is an ordained Baptist minister and graduate from Wake Forest School of Divinity, where he earned his Master of Divinity in 2017. He earned his degree in Political Science from the University of Central Oklahoma in 2012. Currently, the Rev. Hamilton serves at the First Baptist Church in Jamaica Plain as Administrative Pastor and as Protestant Chaplain at Babson College. The Rev. Hamilton was a BJC intern in spring 2016. The Rev. Dr. Jaimie Crumley (moderator) is an Assistant Professor of Gender Studies and Ethnic Studies at the University of Utah. During the 2022-2023 academic year, she is the Research Fellow at Old North Illuminated in Boston. Old North Illuminated is the secular 501(c)(3) that preserves the Old North Church and interprets its history. Her research, teaching, and writing consider the themes of historical memory, race, religion, gender, and abolition. Jaimie is an ordained minister whose ordination is recognized by the American Baptist Churches USA. The Rev. Dr. Crumley is a member of the BJC Board of Directors and of the 2016 class of BJC Fellows. This presentation was the 2023 Walter B. and Kay W. Shurden Lecture on Religious Liberty and Separation of Church and State, an annual lecture series sponsored by BJC. It took place at Old North Church in Boston. Segment 2 (starting at 1:39): The panel conversation You can also watch the panel at this link. During the conversation, Dr. Crumley mentioned this piece by Dr. Brekus on American “chosenness.” Respecting Religion is made possible by BJC's generous donors. You can support these conversations with a gift to BJC.
Diana was among the first female seasonal staffers to work at Philmont in 1970's. She returned as the first ever female Protestant Chaplain in 2022. For Diana and many of us, God lives in the Sangre De Cristo Mountains. And going high into those mountains equates to total wellness of body, spirit, and mind. Philmont Experience:1973 - CHQ Public Relations Administrative Assistant (first female summer staff at CHQ)1974 - PTC Assistant Muchacha Director1975 - PTC Muchacha Director1990 - CHQ Dining Hall Manager2022, 2023 - Protestant Chaplain (first woman Protestant Chaplain)Notable Mentions:Steve LoomisPhil LoomisJoe DavisBetsy and John RoofKathy LeachNancy WellsCarol MunchHannah WilsonSteve NelsonRoger HoytSupport the show
The power of story--especially sharing your story and hearing the stories of others--is both profound and sacred. Jose Martinez, creator of the StoryWagen joins the pod to talk about what the StoryWagen is, how it came to be, and how it impacts people. As a leader in new church ministry strategies, Jose also gives ideas for how church can incorporate more story-telling into their worship experiences and it he sees the future of the church gather as being less focused on sermons and centered more around shared story-telling. Jose Martinez serves as the Associate Minister of New Church Ministry within the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) Additionally, he is co-planter of Multi Nation Christian Church, which is the largest and only Haitian Ministry in the Midwest for the Disciples of Christ and along with planting MissioKC Church. Co-vocationally, he is an endorsed Protestant Chaplain, at the 139th Airlift Wing in St. Joseph, Missouri and a chaplain with Truman Medical Center in Kansas City, Missouri. The Future Christian Podcast is a production of Torn Curtain Arts and Resonate Media.
We haven’t been able to go as many places as of late. But places and sense of place provide great meaning and stability in our lives. Author and minister Anna Woofenden joins us to talk about the importance of place and how places become sacred in our lives. About our guest: Rev. Anna Woofenden (she/her/hers) is the founding pastor of the Garden Church and Feed and Be Fed Farm in San Pedro California, re-imagining church as an interconnected organism, worshiping, loving and serving together while transforming a plot of land into a vibrant urban farm and sanctuary. Through this process, she has become a leading voice in the food and faith movement, particularly in the area of liturgy and innovative ministry. At the end of 2017 Anna transitioned the Garden Church to new leadership and is now consulting on outreach and new ministry opportunities, teaching, writing, speaking, and coaching across the country and is the founder and co-host of the Food and Faith Podcast, the transition Pastor at Zion Lutheran and the Protestant Chaplain at Amherst College. She is the author of This is God’s Table: Finding Church Beyond the Walls and has written for various publications including Christian Century magazine. You can connect with Anna at annawoofenden.com, @revannawoof on Facebook and Instagram and @annawoof on Twitter. You can find the Food and Faith Podcast at www.foodandfaithpodcast.org or wherever you listen to podcasts. You can purchase her book at: https://bookshop.org/books/this-is-god-s-table-finding-church-beyond-the-walls/9781513804835 Episode produced by Black Bear Media (www.blackbearmedia.net)
Megan Mio, Coordinator in the Mission Office, talks with the Rt. Rev. Dr. Trevor Alexander, Senior Pastor of True Vine Church and Protestant Chaplain at the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio, TX. They discuss two forms of division: the separation of Christian churches and the reality of racism. Bishop Trevor speaks about his ecumenical ministry at the University and his passion for global mission. Noting that racism impacts our faith and daily lives, he also reflects on how to struggle with the sin of racism.
In this episode Winston talks with Matt Carriker, an ordained UCC pastor at Agape Spiritual Community in Waltham, MA and Protestant Chaplain at Brandeis University. Matt and Winston have both been impacted by the Buddhist tradition in significant ways, and in this conversation they explore why they think Buddhism and Christianity can be harmonized, and what the future of church might look like. You can learn more about Matt and Agape Spiritual Community at http://www.agapewaltham.org/
Reverend Christiaan Beukman, a native of the Netherlands, moved to the Boston area decades ago. He attended Harvard Divinity School and Andover-Newton Theological School and was the Protestant Chaplain and Diversity Specialist at a community hospital in Boston. He now serves as the Pastoral Ministries Manager at a large retirement community. He also is an Archdeacon […]
Reverend Christiaan Beukman, a native of the Netherlands, moved to the Boston area decades ago. He attended Harvard Divinity School and Andover-Newton Theological School and was the Protestant Chaplain and Diversity Specialist at a community hospital in Boston. He now serves as the Pastoral Ministries Manager at a large retirement community. He also is an Archdeacon […]
Gary Knighton is a young adult who ministers to young adults. He is the Protestant Chaplain at the University of Hartford, located in West Hartford, CT. He is also the Pastor of Faith Fellowship church which is located on the campus of the University of Hartford. www.garyknighton.com
Pastor Ken Johnson and I discuss his work with the Indianapolis Colts, how he and his wife Della has always opened his home to Other People's Kids, and we talk about him preparing for his legacy by planting a church, New Heights Church. The urgent wail of a police siren provides the background noise for the street where young Ken Johnson walks. He walks the street, absently kicking a discarded beer bottle. The surroundings mirror his own heart; dark and bleak. The neighborhood carries the same poverty-stricken, drug-laced stench of the last four years he has lived. Clutched in his hands is a tattered football; a symbol of the young boy’s one passion. Even though his mother sets aside her own well-being to provide for him, it isn’t enough. By high school graduation, he will have memorized a total of eighteen addresses, each one another dismal ghetto. As a young boy, Ken knew temptation and struggle intimately. Outside of his athletic ability, there was little hope for him to excel. He faced a future as just another urban statistic unable to fly above the tragedy of his own life. Despite success on the high school football field, he continually battled to overcome the obstacles of his desperate surroundings, fighting to pull free. Then in 1979, Ken’s passion became his ticket out. His blue chip success on the high school football field earned him a scholarship to play for the University of Tulsa. His perseverance had finally paid off and he began his career as a college athlete. It was there that Ken was introduced to Jesus by his fellow teammates. After grappling with many difficult truths about himself and about God, Ken decided to follow Jesus and gave his life to Him. That decision that was the beginning of a deep transformation for Ken. Throughout his college career, Ken navigated through adversity and obstacles one day at a time, growing in wisdom and self-esteem with each success. In 1984, he earned a B.S. in Education and was ready to take the next step in life – pro-football. But another obstacle stood in his path. A devasting knee injury would prevent him from chasing his dream. Ken’s relationship with God empowered him to move beyond yet another crushing disappointment. He pulled himself up and decided to serve his country in the military. He then went on to become a police officer, devoting much of the next six years to the inner city neighborhoods of Tulsa. It was there that he recognized the face of hopelessness in the youth, and it stirred a deep compassion inside him. He saw his own childhood reflected in their eyes, and his heart was moved to take action. By this time, Ken had begun to soar on the wings of hope in his own personal journey. In every facet of his life, he continually made choices that strengthened his commitment to being a man of excellence in Christ. He wanted to share the transformative power of Jesus and eternal hope with people everywhere. Through a series of choices and opportunities, Ken resigned from his commission with the Tulsa police department and moved on to a position in Indianapolis with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Soon thereafter, he became the Protestant Chaplain to the Indianapolis Colts, a station he still holds today. He uses his platform as a springboard to reach out across America, effectively inspiring and empowering people of all ages and from all walks of life. Ken resides in Indianapolis, Indiana with his wife Della, who accepted in hand in marriage in 1983. They have three adult children, Dominick, Kristina, and national recording artist, Kendall.
Hey, Pearls! Happy June! We are thrilled to share this episode with you. Jaimie and Porsha talked to Rev. Brandon C. Harris, friend to the podcast, "Bowtie," and Protestant Chaplain at the Georgetown University Main Campus and Law School in Washington D.C. about his incredible campus ministry with young adults. Brandon is a millennial minister who is trained, called, and passionate about the mission of the church, and he shared keen insights about faith formation, life in the nation's capital, and the empowered members of Generation Z with Jaimie and Porsha. If you are curious about doing ministry with young adults, working on a college campus or with college students, or being a person of faith in our current political climate, this is a conversation you absolutely must hear. Connect with Brandon Harris on Facebook or by emailing him at bh631@georgetown.edu. Listen to the podcast now on Apple Podcasts, SoundCloud, or just2pearls.com and remember to share the episode with a friend. Email the pearls at adventures@just2pearls.com. Follow the pearls on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @just2pearls. Thank you for listening, and remember to cultivate the pearl within you!
Reverend Earl Smith is the team chaplain for the NBA world champion Golden State Warriors and the NFL's San Francisco 49ers. In 1983, at the age of 27, Earl became the youngest person ever hired as a Protestant Chaplain by the California Department of Corrections. Earl was born and reared in Stockton California. The cycle of events in Earl’s life came to a head in 1975 when he was shot 6 times while living the life of a small time gangster. Although expected to die, Earl’s father’s faith, prayers and love seemed to bring him through. The words of his father have motivated him, since that event, “you are a rebel, but you are God’s rebel, and He is going to use you to His glory.” In August of 2000, Chaplain Smith was recognized as the “National Correctional Chaplain of the Year.” Earl currently serves as the Team Pastor for the Golden State Warriors and the San Francisco 49ers’. From 1998 to 2005 Earl was the Chapel Leader for the San Francisco Giants. Smith is the author of the book "DEATH ROW CHAPLAIN," released in 2014. The ministry of Earl Smith is known across the nation. Earl has appeared on numerous broadcasts, including HBO, CNN, THE CBS Morning News, The 700 Club, Trinity Broadcasting Network, 100 Huntley Street, The Discovery Channel and The History Channel. Earl has been featured in such publications as People’s Weekly, Ministry Today, Newsweek, Ebony, Christianity Today, Guidepost, The African Americans and Time. Earl has received two “Angel” awards for excellence in media. On this episode of the podcast, we talk with Reverend Earl about being a team chaplain in the NFL and NBA, his amazing story growing up in a gang, almost dying, getting saved, becoming a prison chaplain and some of the incredible things he saw God do with inmates on death row. For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com
This panel looks at the increasingly diverse and multi-cultural society that the United States is moving toward: 2013 is the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, and the 50th anniversary of both the March on Washington and Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech.PanelistsHarlon Dalton (moderator) is currently the Priest-in-Charge at Christ Church Cathedral in Hartford. He holds a B.A. from Harvard University and a J.D. from Yale University. He has served as a public interest lawyer in New York and worked for the Justice Department in Washington, D.C. He also taught at Yale Law School, where he is now a professor emeritus. Aracelis Vazquez Haye is the assistant pastor of the Primera Iglesia Bautitsa Hispana de New London, a fast growing American Baptist Latino/a congregation in New London, CT. She also serves as the Protestant Chaplain at Connecticut College in New London, CT, and at The Waterford Country School. Aracelis holds a Master of Divinity from Yale University, with special emphasis in youth and young adult ministry. Aracelis obtained a Bachelor of Arts from Eastern Connecticut State University in Latin American Studies, and a Master of Education in Higher Education Administration from Loyola University Chicago, Illinois. Dr. Khyati Yogeshkumar Joshi is an Associate Professor of Education at Fairleigh Dickinson University. Dr. Joshi is the author of the book New Roots in America’s Sacred Ground: Religion, Race, and Ethnicity in Indian America (Rutgers University Press, 2006), which received the National Association for Multicultural Education’s 2007 Philip C. Chinn Book Award. She is co-editor of the collections Asian Americans Down South (University of Illinois Press, 2013) and Understanding Religious Oppression and Christian Privilege (Sense Publishers, 2008). She is the Religion, Schools And Society section editor for the Encyclopedia on Diversity in Education (Sage Publications) edited by James Banks, and has authored numerous book chapters and articles on race, immigration, and religion. Reverend Dr. Frederick J. Streets is the Senior Pastor of the Dixwell Avenue Congregational United Church of Christ in New Haven, the oldest African American American Congregational Church in the known world, founded in New Haven in 1820. He served as the Carl and Dorothy Bennett Professor in Pastoral Counseling at the Wurzweiler School of Social Work, Yeshiva University, New York City, from 2007-2012. He also served as Chaplain of Yale University and Senior Pastor of the Church of Christ in Yale 1992-2007 and is the first African American and Baptist to hold this position. Tisa Wenger is Assistant Professor of American Religious History at the Yale Divinity School. Her research and teaching interests include the history of Christianity in the nineteenth- and twentieth-century United States (especially the American West), the cultural history of the categories of religion and secularism, the politics of religious freedom, and the intersections of race and religion in American history. Her book We Have a Religion: The 1920s Pueblo Indian Dance Controversy and American Religious Freedom(2009) shows how dominant conceptions of religion and religious freedom affected the Pueblo Indians of New Mexico as they sought to protect their religious ceremonies from government suppression, and how that struggle helped reshape mainstream views of religion and the politics of Indian affairs. She is now writing a history of religious freedom as an American ideal, tracing its multiple and shifting deployments throughout U.S. history. These scholars, religious leaders and activists take a look back, and also enrich our thinking about the next 50 years of race in America. Presented in collaboration with Yale Divinity School.
Lecture by Rev. Carolyn Dittes, Protestant Chaplain, Harvard University on the 12th of April 2009 at the Vedanta Society in Boston.
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