S1:E8 - Seattle, WA: Sparrow Etter Carlson

S1:E9 - Kansas City: Kurt Rietema

Welcome to the Urban Gems Podcast, a companion to the new book Urban Gems: Ministry Perspectives on the Global City and its People.  On this episode our guest is Kurt Rietema. Kurt is the Senior Director of Youthfront Neighborhood at Youthfront. Kurt lives and works in a neighborhood called Argentine in Kansas City, Kansas, that may be short on money and status, but rich in culture. Kurt’s work includes youth social entrepreneurship, short-term mission, community development, and creating just housing and lending partnerships for immigrants. Kurt has an MA in Global Development and Social Justice from St. John’s University and is the co-author of To Mend the World: A New Vision of Youth Ministry. Kurt is also the author of Chapter 10 , titled “Foreigners There”: Privilege, Wilderness, and the Search for Belonging in the new book “Urban Gems”   Urban Gems: Ministry Perspectives on the Global City and its People, published by SacraSage Press, is available as an eBook or paperback: eBook: Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/ya52w24h [https://tinyurl.com/ya52w24h]  or  BN:  https://tinyurl.com/3f232jfj [https://tinyurl.com/3f232jfj]  or Google Play: https://tinyurl.com/yfj5vb87 [https://tinyurl.com/yfj5vb87] Paperback:  BN: https://tinyurl.com/bkzvxfcz [https://tinyurl.com/bkzvxfcz]  or Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/mr22cv7v [https://tinyurl.com/mr22cv7v]   Urban Gems Cover Art: Neighborhood Church by Scott Erickson (scottericksonart.com). Used with permission from the author.   Theme Music: Urban by EwaySound [https://tunetank.com/artist/ewaysound/] Royalty Free Music from Tune Tank (https://tunetank.com/track/2090-urban [https://tunetank.com/track/2090-urban])

S1:E8 - Seattle, WA: Sparrow Etter Carlson

Welcome to the Urban Gems Podcast, a companion to the new book Urban Gems: Ministry Perspectives on the Global City and its People.  On this episode, we are talking with Sparrow Etter Carlson. Sparrow has spent more than 22 years in community with her unhoused neighbors. She is the Founder and Co-Executive Director of Sacred Streets and previously co-founded Aurora Commons, the Safe, Healthy, Empowered (SHE) Clinic, and the Green Bean Coffeehouse, a nonprofit café. Each initiative emerged as a community-rooted response to the isolation and social death experienced by people living without housing. Sparrow believes that every community can co-create constellations of care and belonging with unhoused neighbors, strengthening the fabric of collective wellbeing and flourishing Sparrow is also the author of Chapter 4 , titled Our Communal Despair and the U.S. Homelessness Crisis: Remembering Our Belonging Is the Medicine We Need in the new book “Urban Gems”   Urban Gems: Ministry Perspectives on the Global City and its People, published by SacraSage Press, is available as an eBook or paperback: eBook: Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/ya52w24h [https://tinyurl.com/ya52w24h]  or  BN:  https://tinyurl.com/3f232jfj [https://tinyurl.com/3f232jfj]  or Google Play: https://tinyurl.com/yfj5vb87 [https://tinyurl.com/yfj5vb87] Paperback:  BN: https://tinyurl.com/bkzvxfcz [https://tinyurl.com/bkzvxfcz]  or Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/mr22cv7v [https://tinyurl.com/mr22cv7v]     Urban Gems Cover Art: Neighborhood Church by Scott Erickson (scottericksonart.com). Used with permission from the author.   Theme Music: Urban by EwaySound [https://tunetank.com/artist/ewaysound/] Royalty Free Music from Tune Tank (https://tunetank.com/track/2090-urban [https://tunetank.com/track/2090-urban])

S1: E7 - London, ON: Kenny Wallace

Welcome to the Urban Gems Podcast, a companion to the new book Urban Gems: Ministry Perspectives on the Global City and its People.  On this episode, I talk with Rev. Dr. Kenny Wallace.  Kenny is an African American Choctaw Pawnee from the United States living in Canada. He holds a doctorate in Worship Studies from the Robert E. Webber Institute for Worship Studies with a focus on ethnodoxology, the study of how people worship around the world. His passion is to help others experience worship in the fullness of their being, giving glory to God with all that we are. Kenny is also the author of Chapter 5, In the Secret Garden: Liminal Spaces as Formation Agents, in the new book “Urban Gems.”   Urban Gems: Ministry Perspectives on the Global City and its People, published by SacraSage Press, is available as an eBook or paperback: eBook: Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/ya52w24h [https://tinyurl.com/ya52w24h]  or  BN:  https://tinyurl.com/3f232jfj [https://tinyurl.com/3f232jfj]  or Google Play: https://tinyurl.com/yfj5vb87 [https://tinyurl.com/yfj5vb87] Paperback:  BN: https://tinyurl.com/bkzvxfcz [https://tinyurl.com/bkzvxfcz]  or Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/mr22cv7v [https://tinyurl.com/mr22cv7v]   Urban Gems Cover Art: Neighborhood Church by Scott Erickson (scottericksonart.com). Used with permission from the author.   Theme Music: Urban by EwaySound [https://tunetank.com/artist/ewaysound/] Royalty Free Music from Tune Tank (https://tunetank.com/track/2090-urban [https://tunetank.com/track/2090-urban])

S1: E6 - Montreal: Jenna Smith

Welcome to the Urban Gems Podcast, a companion to the new book Urban Gems: Ministry Perspectives on the Global City and its People.  On this episode, I’m joined by Jenna Smith. Jenna holds a master's degree in theology from the University of Montreal and was ordained by Street Psalms, an international network of urban practitioners working with vulnerable communities. She is co-executive director at Christian Direction, a community development mission in Montréal, Québec, and leads the Rapha Project, a ministry addressing domestic violence in Christian communities in Quebec. Jenna is also the author of Chapter 6, Incarnating The Urban Christ: The Role Of The Neighborhood Chaplain, in the new book “Urban Gems.”   Urban Gems: Ministry Perspectives on the Global City and its People, published by SacraSage Press, is available as an eBook or paperback: eBook: Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/ya52w24h [https://tinyurl.com/ya52w24h]  or  BN:  https://tinyurl.com/3f232jfj [https://tinyurl.com/3f232jfj]  or Google Play: https://tinyurl.com/yfj5vb87 [https://tinyurl.com/yfj5vb87] Paperback:  BN: https://tinyurl.com/bkzvxfcz [https://tinyurl.com/bkzvxfcz]  or Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/mr22cv7v [https://tinyurl.com/mr22cv7v]   Urban Gems Cover Art: Neighborhood Church by Scott Erickson (scottericksonart.com). Used with permission from the author.   Theme Music: Urban by EwaySound [https://tunetank.com/artist/ewaysound/] Royalty Free Music from Tune Tank (https://tunetank.com/track/2090-urban [https://tunetank.com/track/2090-urban])

S1: E5 - Seattle: Ron Ruthruff

Welcome to the Urban Gems Podcast, a companion to the new book Urban Gems: Ministry Perspectives on the Global City and its People.  On this episode, we hear from Dr. Ron Ruthruff. Ron serves as Professor of Theology and Culture at The Seattle School of Theology & Psychology and is ordained clergy with the Street Psalms Community. As a street-level theologian, Ron brings three decades of experience working alongside marginalized communities and street-involved youth, with a Doctor of Ministry in Complex Urban Settings from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Ron has authored two books with New Hope Publishers: The Least of These: Lessons Learned from Kids on the Street (2010) and Closer to the Edge: Walking with Jesus for the World's Sake (2015). His work has taken him around the world—from Guatemala to Vietnam, Kenya, and India—teaching practical theology and best community practice to grassroots urban leaders, pastors, and youth workers. Ron's mission is to equip individuals to lead lives of purpose, empower faith communities to love their neighbors, and engage communities in cross-cultural and global conversations. Ron is also the author of Chapter 1, titled Learning from the City: A Process of Proximity and Posture, in the new book “Urban Gems.”   Urban Gems: Ministry Perspectives on the Global City and its People, published by SacraSage Press, is available as an eBook or paperback: eBook: Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/ya52w24h [https://tinyurl.com/ya52w24h]  or  BN:  https://tinyurl.com/3f232jfj [https://tinyurl.com/3f232jfj]  or Google Play: https://tinyurl.com/yfj5vb87 [https://tinyurl.com/yfj5vb87] Paperback:  BN: https://tinyurl.com/bkzvxfcz [https://tinyurl.com/bkzvxfcz]  or Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/mr22cv7v [https://tinyurl.com/mr22cv7v]