The Living Church Podcast

Empowering Ministry with Immigrant Communities

What do wise and practical partnerships with immigrant communities look like? Today’s episode is from a conversation we co-hosted with The Episcopal Parish Network [http://episcopalparishes.org/] to explore how congregations can engage more faithfully and effectively with immigrant and refugee neighbors. We dip into a bit of theology here. But we concentrate on strategic application, legal context, and pastoral insights for building authentic relationships and deepening mission. We discuss: * Legal landscapes around immigration—what’s true, what’s not true, how it affects ministry. * Pastoral care that is culturally responsive instead of awkward or well-meaningly clueless. * Cooperating with ethnic leaders to support and empower immigrants and their families. * Practical tips to try. This conversation is about bridges across borders: discerning the opportunities God has put in front of you, making a solid plan, and accepting the time and help it takes to build bridges that last. Our guests today are:  The Rev. Dr. Samira Izadi Page, founder and executive director of Gateway of Grace, Dallas, Texas. James Montana, Esq., principal and immigration lawyer at James Montana Law, Falls Church, Virginia. The Rev. Christian Anderson, vicar at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, Stuart, Florida. The Rev. Jaime Briceño, rector at St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church, Berwyn, Illinois. From this episode: Watch the video [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFx891GOK44] List of recommended legal and ministry resources [https://episcopalparishes.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/0909-Immigration-Workshop-Resource-List.pdf] From the ads: Shop Living Church Resources [https://livingchurch.org/resources/] Pastoral Ministrations of the Priest [https://livingchurch.org/living-church-books/] Subscribe to The Living Church magazine [https://sub.livingchurch.org/sub/?f=paid&p=LCM] Donate to the Living Church [https://sub.livingchurch.org/sub/?f=donate&p=LCM] Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands [https://redcircle.com/brands]

When Revival Meets Rosaries with Nathan Smith and David Han

What can we learn from surprising encounters between Catholics and Pentecostals? In 1906, in a no-count Los Angeles storefront, a one-eyed preacher named William Seymour, son of former slaves, began leading services on Azuza Street. Azuza Street has gone down in history as the catalyst of the Pentecostal movement, one of the largest groups of Christians in the world today. But it’s also had deep impact on much older traditions, including the Roman Catholic Church. Charismatic Catholics owe much to brothers and sisters whose practices may make them scratch their heads. On the other hand, maybe you've noticed the—could we call it?— "revival" among free-church Christians in interest in liturgy, tradition, and the sacraments. This is just the generous way God works, giving us encounters we would never have found for ourselves, with him and one another, and helping us share our gifts and appreciate the gifts of others, across time, space, and difference. Today we’ll hear from a Roman Catholic missioner and a Pentecostal theologian who have been walking together this surprising road of Christian unity, and we’ll hear some of their stories. Nathan Smith serves as the Director of Ecumenism for Glenmary Home Missioners and as a consultant for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs. In his ministry, he seeks to foster reconciliation between the Catholic Church, Evangelicals and Pentecostals. He also served with the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity at the 2024 Global Christian Forum gathering. The Rev. Dr. David Han is the Dean of the Faculty at Pentecostal Theological Seminary and is involved in various ecumenical activities such as the Global Christian Forum, the Wesleyan Holiness Connection, the International Pentecostal and Anglican Commission, and the Catholic and Pentecostal Dialogue in the United States. Now hold on to your rosaries. But stay ready to shout amen. We hope you enjoy the conversation. Ministries and dialogues we mention: Global Christian Forum [https://globalchristianforum.org/] Glenmary Home Missioners [https://glenmary.org/] US Conference of Catholic Bishops Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs [https://www.usccb.org/committees/ecumenical-interreligious-affairs] Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity [https://www.christianunity.va/content/unitacristiani/en.html] International Pentecostal and Anglican Commission [https://www.anglicancommunion.org/ecumenism/ecumenical-dialogues/pentecostal.aspx] Catholic and Pentecostal Dialogue [https://www.christianunity.va/content/unitacristiani/en/news/2018/papa-francesco-prega-con-altri-capi-di-chiesa.html] -- Shop Living Church Books [https://livingchurch.org/living-church-books/] Attend a Living Church event [https://livingchurch.org/events] Give to support this podcast [https://sub.livingchurch.org/sub/?f=donate&p=LCM] Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands [https://redcircle.com/brands]

The Art of Advent with Sylvie Vanhoozer

How can decorating a Crèche draw us to a place of divine encounter? We are approaching yet another Advent season, a season of making space to wait on God. Maybe you’re good at making that space. Like a cat, you have no problem flopping down where you are, stretching your legs, and letting Jesus take the wheel. Or maybe you’re addicted—like most of us—to work, to control and productivity, to entertainment, perhaps even to podcasts!—and Advent feels like a struggle. Or maybe you’re working three jobs because you have to, and maintaining an interior grasp of God’s love, in the midst of the crazy, is what slowing down means for you. But sometimes being still is not something you choose. It’s thrust upon you. When you’re not able to go anywhere or do anything much, Advent is life, whether you ask for it or not. That’s where our guest today found herself. And in that long, involuntary long season of Advent, as she reflected on her life and grew a garden, the journey brought her to writing a little Advent book about nature, the seasons, and the tradition of manger scenes where she grew up in Provence, France, and how she found Jesus there. Our guest today is Sylvie Vanhoozer. Sylvie is a certified botanic artist, retired French teacher, and author of two books of nature sketches and meditations: The Art of Living in Advent: 28 Days of Joyful Waiting as well as The Art of Living in Season: A Year of Reflections for Everyday Saints.  Here are some French words we use today:  Crèche: manger scene Santons: “little saints”; clay figurines based on ordinary people  Terroir: a people’s land and all the life in it Now remind yourself where you’ve stored away your Nativity set. Because after this conversation you might want to get it out. Perhaps it will help you remember, receive, and share the gospel over the next few weeks. More from Sylvie: theartoflivinginseason.com [http://theartoflivinginseason.com/] The Art of Living in Advent [https://ivpress.com/the-art-of-living-in-advent], discount code IVPPOD20 for 20% off plus free shipping! From the ads: Shop Living Church Books [https://livingchurch.org/living-church-books/] Give to support this podcast [https://sub.livingchurch.org/sub/?f=donate&p=LCM] Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands [https://redcircle.com/brands]

Questions for GAFCON

This bonus episode of the podcast responds to the launch of a Global Anglican Communion, which would be separate from the Anglican Communion as we have known it. There are Anglicans rejoicing over this news. Anglicans grieving over this news. Anglicans who don’t know what to think. And a lot of Anglicans who may not know what’s going on, or may not know what this has to do with them. Today, we explore some of these feelings and questions, and pose some questions of our own. On Oct 16, a communiqué email went out from a conservative, international fellowship of Anglican churches, representing several major Anglican provinces worldwide, known as GAFCON. (There are a lot of acronyms in this episode, but we will spell them out as we go.) This communiqué dropped into people’s inboxes with the title “The Future Has Arrived.” Here are a few introductory paragraphs: “The first Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON) gathered in 2008 in Jerusalem to prayerfully respond to the abandonment of the Scriptures by some of the most senior leaders of the Anglican Communion, and to seek their repentance. “In the absence of such repentance, we have been prayerfully advancing towards a future for faithful Anglicans, where the Bible is restored to the heart of the Communion. “Today, that future has arrived.” Then follow 8 resolutions for establishing a Global Anglican Communion separate from the Anglican Communion and the Instruments of Communion. TLC editor Mark Michael and executive director Matthew Olver join podcast host Amber Noel to ask questions about the meaning and contents of this communiqué, its language and propositions, the history that led up to it, its timing in light of current leadership scandals in the ACNA, and what people who want to move forward with GAFCON might be risking, particularly leaders from the Global South, or what they may still need to know. We also direct specific questions to GAFCON leaders themselves. And we invite you to join us. If you are a leader in the Anglican Communion, in GAFCON, in the ACNA, or in the Global South Fellowship of Anglicans, and you have something you want to ask, share, or correct in response to this podcast, please get in touch: ambernoel@livingchurch.org [ambernoel@livingchurch.org]. We have questions and critiques, but we also want to understand better what’s going on, and why, and how we can receive needed renewal and reformation together. Thanks for listening to this conversation. And if you have something to bring to the table, we hope to hear from you. From this episode: Resources from GAFCON: Oct 16 “The Future Has Arrived” communiqué [https://gafcon.org/communique-updates/the-future-has-arrived/] The Jerusalem Declaration (founding document of GAFCON) [https://civicrm.gafcon.org/about/jerusalem-declaration] Bishop Paul Donison’s interview on the Stand Firm podcast [https://podcasts.apple.com/bs/podcast/276-we-are-the-anglican-communion-general-secretary/id1513751604?i=1000733239216] Bishop Laurent Mbanda's podcast interview [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jk15-I5MZPQ] Resources from The Living Church: Analysis: GAFCON Creates Global Anglican Communion [https://livingchurch.org/news/news-anglican-communion/analysis-gafcon-creates-global-anglican-communion/] ‘You Have Broken My Heart’—A Letter to My Siblings in GAFCON [https://livingchurch.org/commentary/you-have-broken-my-heart-a-letter-to-my-siblings-in-gafcon/] Poggo Responds to GAFCON Communion Launch [https://livingchurch.org/news/news-anglican-communion/poggo-responds-to-gafcon-communion-launch/] The Inside Story on GAFCON’s Communiqué [https://livingchurch.org/news/news-anglican-communion/the-inside-story-on-gafcons-communique/] GSFA Leader Questions GAFCON Communiqué [https://livingchurch.org/news/news-anglican-communion/gsfa-leader-questions-gafcon-communique/] Podcast: Who Cares About Communion? with Christopher Wells [https://livingchurch.org/podcasts/who-cares-about-communion-with-christopher-wells/] Other resources: Nairobi-Cairo Proposals (IASCUFO) [https://www.anglicancommunion.org/media/526999/Nairobi-Cairo-Proposals-Advent-2024.pdf] Chemin Neuf’s “Prayer for Christian Unity” [https://www.archbishopofcanterbury.org/about/christian-unity/pray-us-unity-christians] From the ads: Shop Living Church Books [https://livingchurch.org/living-church-books/] Give to support this podcast [https://sub.livingchurch.org/sub/?f=donate&p=LCM] Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands [https://redcircle.com/brands]

Writing While Christian with H.S. Cross

What does faith have to do with fiction? Can romance teach us something about God's presence in imaginary worlds? Today’s episode is a conversation with novelist H.S. Cross, recorded live at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Savannah, GA [https://stjohnssav.org/], as part of their Sunday Night Sessions.  We talk with Heather about 1920s Oxford; love stories and their theological significance; what it’s like to create and then watch your creations surprise you. We discuss the importance of play; why skipping the hard parts risks a story no longer feeling “real”; and the need to “Hold your nerve and not rush the ending.” And finally, since her novel is a messy and complicated romance, in some parts, as she puts it, “rated R" for sexuality, what does it mean, in this kind of story, to “tell the truth” or to get caught “writing while Christian”? H.S. Cross has been a tutor and a writer and is the author of three novels: Wilberforce, Grievous, and her latest novel, Amanda. Now rock your best Oxford bags and handkerchief hemline. We’re heading to the 1920’s where we’ll meet a couple of God-haunted lovers, the woman who created them, and discover what faith has to do with fiction. We hope you enjoy the conversation. From this episode: Watch this conversation on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SaGzYAfRkZM] Amanda and other books by H.S. Cross [https://hscross.com/] Associate for Youth and Young Adults job posting at St. John’s Savannah [https://stjohnssav.org/bulletins-all-sjc/associate-for-youth-young-adults/] (October 2025) Related podcast episodes: Christmas chat with Heather Cross [https://livingchurch.org/podcasts/books-and-boarding-schools-a-christmas-chat-with-h-s-cross/] Music and ministry with Jon Jameson [https://livingchurch.org/podcasts/music-performance-and-priesthood/] From the ads:  Shop Living Church Books [https://livingchurch.org/living-church-books/] Attend a Living Church event [https://livingchurch.org/events/] Other events you might enjoy: Nashotah House intensive course on “The Prayer Book Tradition” [https://www.nashotah.edu/winter-2026/] (January 2026) The Anglican Way Conference [https://anglicanway.org/] (February 2026) Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands [https://redcircle.com/brands]