Centrally Speaking

Illuminating News about Iranian protests and the Iranian Church

News coming out of Iran is limited. On January 8, 2026, the Iranian regime initiated a near total internet blackout. Many digital rights and internet monitoring groups have assessed the current shutdown to be the most sophisticated and most severe in Iran's history. At the same time, nationwide protests are taking place that started on December 30, 2025. On January 30, 2026, we spoke with an Iranian Christian living in the neighboring country of Armenia about the situation in Iran and the Iranian Christian church. In this podcast, he comments on the extent of the protests, reasons for them, the numbers of dead and wounded, the place of the Iranian church in them, and how to pray for Iran. #Iranianprotests  #churchiran  #casualtiesIranprotests  #prayforIran  #prayerIran #christiansiran  #IranProtests #IranUnrest #undergroundchurch Centrally Speaking is a ministry of Central Schwenkfelder Church in Lansdale, PA USA. Website: www.cscfamily.org

The Schwenkfelder Migration as told at the Day of Remembrance

As part of our Day of Remembrance service each year, we tell the story of the Schwenkfelder migration from Silesia, Germany to Philadelphia. On September 21, 2025, H. Drake Williams, Jr. relayed the story to the General Conference of Schwenkfelder Churches at the denomination's Day of Remembrance Service that was held at Palm Schwenkfelder Church. #Schwenkfeldermigration  #emigrationfromSilesia  #Schwenkfelderdayofremembrance Centrally Speaking is a ministry of Central Schwenkfelder Church in Lansdale, PA USA. Website: www.cscfamily.org

Advent and the Advent Wreath

In December, many celebrate Christmas or the Christmas season. Many who are not a part of the church are unfamiliar with the season of Advent. In this podcast, we speak with Rev. Dr. David McKinley, senior minister of Central Schwenkfelder Church about the Advent season. During the podcast, he also will speak about the Advent Wreath, which is a symbol that is used in the church service. #advent  #adventwreath  #Germanadventwreath  #adventcelebration  #adventworship Centrally Speaking is a ministry of Central Schwenkfelder Church in Lansdale, PA USA. Website: www.cscfamily.org

Christmas Carols - Then and Now

At Christmas time, many will recognize that the church speaks about the birth of Jesus. As part of the celebration, Christians also sing Christmas carols. These used to be prominent in western society, but they are heard much less frequently outside of the church. In this podcast, we interview Sally House, the Director of Music at the Central Schwenkfelder Church and someone who has instructed about music for over 30 years in the school system nearby. We ask her questions about great carols such as "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing," "Joy to the World," and "Silent Night."  Then, she discusses lesser known carols like "Of the Father's Love Begotten" and "Lo, how a Rose E'er Blooming." At the end of the podcast, she compares carols like these with what is heard in offices and department stores today. #Christmascarols  #SilentNight  #Christmasmusic2025 #Schwenkfelderchoir  #UnitedSchwenkfelderchoir Centrally Speaking is a ministry of Central Schwenkfelder Church in Lansdale, PA USA. Website: www.cscfamily.org

Religious Persecution and a Christian Response to It

Many are recognizing that religious persecution is a problem. While this knowledge is increasing, the understanding has not led to persecution decreasing. In this podcast, we interview Prof. dr. Janet Epp Buckingham about these problems. As someone who is serving as the Director of the World Evangelical Alliance Geneva Office since September 2024 and previously as WEA Director of Global Advocacy, she is repeatedly raising awareness of this issue. In these roles, Janet advocates at the United Nations with national evangelical alliances. In this podcast, Prof. Buckingham provides statistics about religious persecution, gives reasons for why Christians are persecuted more than other religions, shares about certain countries where religious persecution is most intense, and suggests several ways for Christians to be involved in assisting those who are being persecuted. #religiouspersecution #christianpersecution #supportforthosepersecuted #internationaldayofprayerpersecutedchurch Centrally Speaking is a ministry of Central Schwenkfelder Church in Lansdale, PA USA. Website: www.cscfamily.org