“I wish we could talk about voting and politics, because my mom says we are not allowed to,” first grader McKinley said when asked, “If you could talk about anything around the table, what topics would you choose?” on the “Around the Table” podcast.
Podcast addresses the mixed-race majority of the newest generation by Beth Waltemath | Presbyterian News Service “Gen Alpha and the children born after 2010 will really be the first generation with… Read more »
Hard conversations that young people yearn to have with their church, communities or caregivers was the topic of the first episode of the second season of “Around the Table,” a podcast made possible by the Around the Table initiative in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Around the Table is a Lilly Endowment Inc.-funded initiative in the PC(USA) that engages faith communities, parents and caregivers in innovative practices of sharing stories that grow intergenerational communities to support household faith formation.
Cyrus-Franklin is a pastor, parent, part of a clergy couple, an advocate for youth, a certified coach, a trauma-informed yoga instructor and a group facilitator. The “New Way” podcast is hosted by the Rev. Sara Hayden, associate for the 1001 New Worshiping Communities movement, and produced by the Rev. Marthame Sanders of Mudeif Productions.
This powerful understanding of God’s propensity toward helping and healing the least of these comes from the story of the beguine Mechthild of Magdeburg. A movement of laywomen that arose in the 13th century, the beguines were contemplatives, mystics and healers. Mechthild posited that, “God is never closer than in the longing emptiness of the night.” From that emptiness, she received and shared “prophetic critiques of the religious leaders of her day for their lack of holiness and their hostility toward passionate spirituality.”
The Rev. Neema Cyrus-Franklin, Around the Table’s project coordinator for its nationwide initiative supporting faith practices in the home, recently appeared as a guest on the “New Way” podcast.
Application for the first cohorts of the Around the Table initiative is open until May 31. These first cohorts are experimental in nature and will help inform the larger launch of more cohorts in 2025.
For its sixth episode, the hosts of the “Around the Table” podcast, the Rev. Michelle Thomas-Bush and the Rev. Cliff Haddox, turned to a pair of grandparents to share their wisdom on holding meaningful and helpful conversations with young people. Listen to their 46-minute conversation with the Rev. Robert Hay Sr. and the Rev. Dr. Sarah Reyes Gibbs here.
For the fifth of six installments of their “Around the Table” podcast, which can be heard here, hosts the Rev. Michelle Thomas-Bush and the Rev. Cliff Haddox each invited a friend to talk about conversations around the table where not everyone is a person of faith.
The fourth episode of the “Around the Table” podcast series features Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) pastors talking about how parents can have faith conversations with their children throughout different stages of the child’s life. Listen to the 32-minute edition here.
