a matter of faith: a presby podcast

Centering residents’ voices to bring about resident-led change

First things first. During her appearance last week as the guest on “A Matter of Faith: A Presby Podcast,” Margaret Mwale, Associate for Community Development and Constituent Relations for the Presbyterian Committee on the Self-Development of People, offered up an SDOP definition for podcast hosts the Rev. Lee Catoe and Simon Doong.

Teaching your children well

Just about the first thing that “A Matter of Faith: A Presby Podcast” hosts the Rev. Lee Catoe and Simon Doong wanted to know from their guest, second-grade teacher Jamie Woods, as part of the June 30 podcast was: How have educators managed to remain resilient two years into the enormous educational challenges brought on by a global pandemic?

Pride in her work

“Pride is in its essence this uncontrolled joy, a light and a reflection of how the Holy Spirit works,” Ophelia Hu Kinney told “A Matter of Faith” podcast hosts the Rev. Lee Catoe and Simon Doong last week as part of the podcast’s Pride edition. “I think of Pride as a way that light shines on things that didn’t have a light shone on them before and blows on things where the wind hasn’t gone before.”

Learning from our siblings in the Church of Scotland

A Young Adult Volunteer working this year with a youth group at a church in Dundee, Scotland, sees parallels between an aging Church of Scotland and the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) — with both churches having an opportunity to pivot in order to appeal more broadly to people of all ages.

Humans are being trafficked all over the world, including our neighborhoods

In the days before the Rev. Cathy Chang, a mission co-worker serving in the Philippines, was red-tagged having been accused of supporting groups perceived as terrorists through stickers and a tarpaulin affixed at her home in Quezon City, she spoke on the scourge of human trafficking with the hosts of “A Matter of Faith: A Presby Podcast.”

Thou shalt not steal

Thanks to the pandemic, tens of thousands of worship services are now posted online each week. For at least some stressed preachers who may be pressed for time, the temptation can be overwhelming to hear a well-crafted online sermon somewhere and pass all or part of it off as one’s own.

Amplifying voices we don’t often hear from

Producing a film that makes a difference starts with relationships and gets to the big screen by talking with and listening to people whose voices aren’t often heard.

Culture shift

The Rev. Dr. Letiah Fraser’s recent dissertation is on understanding disability as a culture. “We reach out to so many cultures,” Fraser told the Rev. Lee Catoe and Simon Doong during this week’s edition of their podcast, A Matter of Faith: A Presby Podcast. “If we understand disability as a culture with its own history, languages, worldviews and theology, then perhaps the voices of people with disabilities would be lifted up as well.”