Season 2, Episode 8: “Evangelism, Innovation, and Belonging with Troy Méndez

Season 2, Episode 8: “Evangelism, Innovation, and Belonging with Troy Méndez

In this episode of Emissaries of Renewal, Jessie and DeDe sit down with the Rev. Troy Méndez, Executive Director of the Episcopal Evangelism Society (EES), the historic foundation that sponsors and supports this podcast. Together they explore how Troy understands evangelism as seeking, naming, and celebrating God’s presence in people’s real stories, and how EES’s “Evangelism for the 21st Century” grants are helping leaders experiment with justice‑focused, community‑rooted projects across the Episcopal Church. Troy shares pieces of his own call, his passion for belonging and radical hospitality, and his hopes for the future of Episcopal evangelism. Learn more about EES grants and how to apply: www.ees1862.org [https://www.ees1862.org/] Ready to become an Emissary of Renewal? Subscribe and listen now! Apple Podcasts  [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/emissaries-of-renewal/id1779968592] Spotify  [https://open.spotify.com/show/5ZBPgg5ywdIV90n3d03lPq?si=o-vKEt24SJWcfoHIpr_Epw] Episcopal Evangelism Society  [https://www.ees1862.org/] Facebook  [https://m.facebook.com/p/Emissaries-of-Renewal-61560598389695/] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/emissaries_of_renewal_/profilecard/?igsh=emF6NjA2ZTQybXhx]  Threads [https://www.threads.net/@emissaries_of_renewal_]  Episcopal Church [https://www.episcopalchurch.org/]

Season 2, Episode 7: Planting Seeds of Call: A Conversation with The Rev. Deacon Felicity Thompson

In Season 2, Episode 7 of Emissaries of Renewal, CC sits down with The Rev. Deacon Felicity Thompson, a fellow soon-to-be graduate of Bexley Seabury and 2025 Episcopal Evangelism Society grantee. Their conversation traces Felicity’s call to ordination, the role of gardening and tending the earth in her spiritual life, and how small, embodied practices can become quiet acts of renewal and everyday evangelism.  Listeners can look forward to what’s ahead: Felicity’s EES-funded project, Table Manners, an emerging ministry of hospitality and formation to watch for in the coming year. Together, CC and Felicity explore what it means to plant seeds—literal and vocational—and trust God with the growth. Ready to become an Emissary of Renewal? Subscribe and listen now! Apple Podcasts  [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/emissaries-of-renewal/id1779968592] Spotify  [https://open.spotify.com/show/5ZBPgg5ywdIV90n3d03lPq?si=o-vKEt24SJWcfoHIpr_Epw] Episcopal Evangelism Society  [https://www.ees1862.org/] Facebook  [https://m.facebook.com/p/Emissaries-of-Renewal-61560598389695/] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/emissaries_of_renewal_/profilecard/?igsh=emF6NjA2ZTQybXhx]  Threads [https://www.threads.net/@emissaries_of_renewal_]  Episcopal Church [https://www.episcopalchurch.org/]

Season 2 Episode 6: “Death, Duty, and Hope”

In this episode, Jessie and DeDe lean into that old cliché—“nothing is certain except death and taxes”—and ask what hopeful, everyday evangelism looks like in a polarized, anxious world. They explore courageous citizenship and cross-partisan dialogue through Braver Angels’ work to depolarize politics, then contrast the rich young ruler and Zacchaeus as portraits of money, repentance, and repair. Drawing on Mockingbird’s “Every Day is Holy Saturday,” they reflect on living honestly between Good Friday and Easter, using Psalm 23, Hebrews, and 1 Peter as guides for a gentle, resilient witness. Ready to become an Emissary of Renewal? Subscribe and listen now! Apple Podcasts  [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/emissaries-of-renewal/id1779968592] Spotify  [https://open.spotify.com/show/5ZBPgg5ywdIV90n3d03lPq?si=o-vKEt24SJWcfoHIpr_Epw] Episcopal Evangelism Society  [https://www.ees1862.org/] Facebook  [https://m.facebook.com/p/Emissaries-of-Renewal-61560598389695/] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/emissaries_of_renewal_/profilecard/?igsh=emF6NjA2ZTQybXhx]  Threads [https://www.threads.net/@emissaries_of_renewal_]  Episcopal Church [https://www.episcopalchurch.org/]

Season 2 Episode 5: “Living in Hope in the Holy Land”

In this episode, Jessie interviews DeDe about her seminary travel course, Living in Hope, and a formative trip to the Holy Land. Together they walk through Bethlehem, Hebron, Jerusalem, and Nazareth, listening to Palestinian stories of resilience, trauma, and daily life under occupation. DeDe reflects on chronic illness, “pasty privilege” at checkpoints, chosen family, and how hope is practiced, not felt, in communities like Tent of Nations and trauma healing centers. The conversation closes with Romans 5:3–5 and an invitation to small, concrete acts of solidarity when the conflict feels overwhelming. Ready to become an Emissary of Renewal? Subscribe and listen now! Apple Podcasts  [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/emissaries-of-renewal/id1779968592] Spotify  [https://open.spotify.com/show/5ZBPgg5ywdIV90n3d03lPq?si=o-vKEt24SJWcfoHIpr_Epw] Episcopal Evangelism Society  [https://www.ees1862.org/] Facebook  [https://m.facebook.com/p/Emissaries-of-Renewal-61560598389695/] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/emissaries_of_renewal_/profilecard/?igsh=emF6NjA2ZTQybXhx]  Threads [https://www.threads.net/@emissaries_of_renewal_]  Episcopal Church [https://www.episcopalchurch.org/]

Season 2, Episode 4-Holy Time, Tight Budgets: The Economics of Church Life

In Season 2, Episode 4 DeDe and Jessie discuss the strange rhythm of the church year, “ordinary time,” and what happens when churches treat summer like a full shutdown. We riff on Faith for Normal People’s conversation with Diana Butler Bass about why the Christian calendar still matters (with Diana Butler-Bass, Pete Enns, and Jared Byas) and about her book Freeing Jesus and how it reshapes everyday faith. We then get real about “The Great Episcopal Summer Shutdown” from The Living Church. Ready to become an Emissary of Renewal? Subscribe and listen now! Apple Podcasts  [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/emissaries-of-renewal/id1779968592] Spotify  [https://open.spotify.com/show/5ZBPgg5ywdIV90n3d03lPq?si=o-vKEt24SJWcfoHIpr_Epw] Episcopal Evangelism Society  [https://www.ees1862.org/] Facebook  [https://m.facebook.com/p/Emissaries-of-Renewal-61560598389695/] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/emissaries_of_renewal_/profilecard/?igsh=emF6NjA2ZTQybXhx]  Threads [https://www.threads.net/@emissaries_of_renewal_]  Episcopal Church [https://www.episcopalchurch.org/]