1 00:00:19,320 --> 00:00:22,057 >> Christina (Cece): Welcome, dear listeners, to a pod burst or a 2 00:00:22,081 --> 00:00:24,805 pocket size episode of Emissaries of Renewal. 3 00:00:25,355 --> 00:00:28,227 I am Christina or Cece, and I'm thrilled to 4 00:00:28,251 --> 00:00:30,735 embark on this transformative journey with you. 5 00:00:31,795 --> 00:00:34,107 >> Denise (DeDe): Hello, friends. I'm 6 00:00:34,131 --> 00:00:36,921 Denise or DeDe This episode is 7 00:00:36,969 --> 00:00:39,801 brought to you by the, uh, Episcopal Evangelism 8 00:00:39,889 --> 00:00:42,797 Society, or ees, 9 00:00:43,377 --> 00:00:46,201 a community committed to spreading the good news 10 00:00:46,249 --> 00:00:48,769 in fresh and inspiring ways. 11 00:00:48,953 --> 00:00:51,801 With its rich history of deep rooted values, 12 00:00:51,889 --> 00:00:54,745 the EES has been at the forefront 13 00:00:54,801 --> 00:00:57,673 of, uh, innovative evangelism within the 14 00:00:57,705 --> 00:01:00,657 Episcopal Church. We're proud to be 15 00:01:00,697 --> 00:01:03,585 associated with them on this journey and to share 16 00:01:03,641 --> 00:01:05,917 their inspiring work with you. 17 00:01:06,337 --> 00:01:08,809 And for me, I'd like to thank Vicki 18 00:01:08,833 --> 00:01:11,633 Suren for suggesting that we call our 19 00:01:11,665 --> 00:01:14,357 pocket sized episodes podbursts. 20 00:01:14,857 --> 00:01:16,237 Thanks, Vicky. 21 00:01:19,737 --> 00:01:22,209 Today, while here at our fall 22 00:01:22,273 --> 00:01:25,129 retreat in this beautiful vacation rental that 23 00:01:25,153 --> 00:01:27,843 we're at with our 24 00:01:27,875 --> 00:01:30,675 fellow seminarians, we wanted to lay the 25 00:01:30,731 --> 00:01:33,127 foundation for what's to come. 26 00:01:34,227 --> 00:01:36,259 Sharing a podcast exploring 27 00:01:36,363 --> 00:01:38,499 thoughtful and ethical 28 00:01:38,643 --> 00:01:41,627 evangelism, church growth and 29 00:01:41,667 --> 00:01:44,571 inclusion through the lens of 30 00:01:44,619 --> 00:01:47,443 two seminarians pursuing our master of 31 00:01:47,475 --> 00:01:50,207 Divinity at, uh, Bexley Seabury, 32 00:01:50,547 --> 00:01:52,927 which is an Episcopal seminary 33 00:01:53,407 --> 00:01:54,827 here in Chicago. 34 00:01:56,127 --> 00:01:58,999 I'll personally share that I am at the beginning of a 35 00:01:59,023 --> 00:02:01,667 journey of discernment towards Holy Orders. 36 00:02:02,527 --> 00:02:05,455 >> Christina (Cece): I'm a postulant on Holy Orders and the Episcopal 37 00:02:05,511 --> 00:02:08,147 Church through the Diocese of Idaho. 38 00:02:08,447 --> 00:02:10,783 Denise and I come from diverse faith 39 00:02:10,855 --> 00:02:13,679 backgrounds, each with our unique 40 00:02:13,743 --> 00:02:16,631 journey to the church, which we will discuss 41 00:02:16,679 --> 00:02:18,107 in upcoming episodes. 42 00:02:19,657 --> 00:02:22,033 Friends, this episode is our humble 43 00:02:22,105 --> 00:02:25,033 beginning. You are not just here to 44 00:02:25,065 --> 00:02:27,817 learn and share, but we hope you 45 00:02:27,857 --> 00:02:30,465 actively engage with us. Your 46 00:02:30,521 --> 00:02:33,122 questions, comments and insights are, uh, 47 00:02:33,321 --> 00:02:36,233 invaluable to us, and we look forward to building a 48 00:02:36,265 --> 00:02:38,437 vibrant community together. 49 00:02:41,577 --> 00:02:43,557 My email is CeCe 50 00:02:44,107 --> 00:02:46,827 emissaries of 51 00:02:46,867 --> 00:02:48,447 renewal.com. 52 00:02:50,507 --> 00:02:53,059 >> Denise (DeDe): You can also find us on social media, 53 00:02:53,243 --> 00:02:55,699 at Facebook or 54 00:02:55,763 --> 00:02:57,955 Instagram, and on threads at 55 00:02:58,011 --> 00:03:00,207 Emissaries of Renewal. 56 00:03:01,947 --> 00:03:04,731 We hope that by joining us here on 57 00:03:04,779 --> 00:03:07,207 the podcast of Emissaries of Renewal, 58 00:03:07,627 --> 00:03:10,163 you'll we'll explore the vibrant faith 59 00:03:10,235 --> 00:03:12,819 communities within the Episcopal branch of the 60 00:03:12,843 --> 00:03:15,615 Jesus movement. This community 61 00:03:15,711 --> 00:03:18,695 is all about love, reconciliation 62 00:03:18,831 --> 00:03:20,587 and caring for creation. 63 00:03:21,767 --> 00:03:24,079 Essentially, we're following Jesus's 64 00:03:24,183 --> 00:03:27,147 example. It's not just a title, 65 00:03:27,887 --> 00:03:29,307 it's a way of life. 66 00:03:30,647 --> 00:03:33,263 In our first full episode, CeCe 67 00:03:33,375 --> 00:03:36,151 is going to give us a 68 00:03:36,239 --> 00:03:39,215 whole picture and we're going to draw for inspiration from one of 69 00:03:39,231 --> 00:03:41,793 the travel courses that she just completed from 70 00:03:41,825 --> 00:03:44,753 London. Personally, I was 71 00:03:44,785 --> 00:03:47,145 supposed to be there too, but had 72 00:03:47,201 --> 00:03:50,197 canceled due to an, um, unfortunate. 73 00:03:51,697 --> 00:03:54,121 What, uh, we'll call it an animal rescue 74 00:03:54,209 --> 00:03:57,105 incident, which we're going to talk about too, in 75 00:03:57,121 --> 00:03:59,929 our first episode. We 76 00:03:59,953 --> 00:04:02,689 also have plenty of our own experience behind us, 77 00:04:02,753 --> 00:04:05,529 and we hope to bridge the wisdom of the 78 00:04:05,593 --> 00:04:08,537 past, fit the stories and insights of 79 00:04:08,577 --> 00:04:11,197 today. Our belief, 80 00:04:11,497 --> 00:04:13,897 well, that comes straight from the wisdom of our 81 00:04:13,937 --> 00:04:16,917 retiring Presiding Bishop Michael Curry. 82 00:04:17,337 --> 00:04:20,193 What held for the apostles and disciples in the 83 00:04:20,225 --> 00:04:22,945 first century remains relevant 84 00:04:23,041 --> 00:04:24,757 in the 21st century. 85 00:04:25,617 --> 00:04:28,529 >> Christina (Cece): Speaking of wisdom, Dede, let's touch on the 86 00:04:28,553 --> 00:04:31,321 Episcopal Church's goals. Their 87 00:04:31,369 --> 00:04:33,537 steadfast dedication to social 88 00:04:33,617 --> 00:04:36,141 justice, inclusivity 89 00:04:36,309 --> 00:04:38,477 and love isn't merely a topic of 90 00:04:38,517 --> 00:04:41,453 discussion. It's at, uh, the heart of everything that 91 00:04:41,485 --> 00:04:44,189 we do. And here at Emissaries of 92 00:04:44,213 --> 00:04:46,989 Renewal, we'll explore how these values 93 00:04:47,053 --> 00:04:49,269 inform our approach to ethical 94 00:04:49,453 --> 00:04:50,577 evangelism. 95 00:04:52,197 --> 00:04:55,013 >> Denise (DeDe): Absolutely. And 96 00:04:55,045 --> 00:04:57,613 friends, keep your ears perked for future 97 00:04:57,685 --> 00:05:00,591 episodes where we're going to unpack 98 00:05:00,709 --> 00:05:03,483 the Episcopal Church's toolkit on 99 00:05:03,515 --> 00:05:06,307 evangelism. We're hoping 100 00:05:06,347 --> 00:05:08,763 you'll see it as a treasure chest filled with 101 00:05:08,835 --> 00:05:11,327 resources for nurturing, vibrant, 102 00:05:11,747 --> 00:05:14,731 compassionate communities. From 103 00:05:14,779 --> 00:05:17,767 mission strategies to innovative practices, 104 00:05:18,147 --> 00:05:20,287 we're going to do a bit of a deep dive. 105 00:05:21,187 --> 00:05:24,083 >> Christina (Cece): Essentially, we are laying the cornerstone 106 00:05:24,115 --> 00:05:26,877 for a dialogue that will challenge, 107 00:05:27,067 --> 00:05:29,917 inspire and transform us. 108 00:05:30,377 --> 00:05:33,353 Our purpose, to cut through 109 00:05:33,385 --> 00:05:35,929 the chaos and explore the true essence of 110 00:05:35,993 --> 00:05:38,677 evangelism, not through 111 00:05:39,417 --> 00:05:42,257 coercive fear tactics, but through 112 00:05:42,377 --> 00:05:45,081 respectful, inclusive and love rooted 113 00:05:45,129 --> 00:05:48,057 approach. You won't find fire 114 00:05:48,097 --> 00:05:51,025 and brimstone here. Instead, we embrace 115 00:05:51,121 --> 00:05:53,237 authenticity, vulnerability, 116 00:05:53,747 --> 00:05:56,427 genuine connection and 117 00:05:56,507 --> 00:05:58,247 ethical evangelism. 118 00:05:59,267 --> 00:06:01,567 >> Denise (DeDe): Say more, Christina 119 00:06:02,147 --> 00:06:04,779 What do we here at Emissaries of 120 00:06:04,803 --> 00:06:07,779 Renewal mean when we say thoughtful 121 00:06:07,883 --> 00:06:09,807 and ethical evangelism? 122 00:06:11,267 --> 00:06:13,883 >> Christina (Cece): Good question, Denise. To start 123 00:06:13,915 --> 00:06:16,507 with, I would say that to be 124 00:06:16,547 --> 00:06:19,323 effective, evangelism needs to 125 00:06:19,355 --> 00:06:21,977 combine grace, truth 126 00:06:22,277 --> 00:06:24,937 and action that reflects Jesus example, 127 00:06:25,717 --> 00:06:28,317 sharing the good news with integrity, 128 00:06:28,477 --> 00:06:30,933 compassion and respect for others 129 00:06:31,005 --> 00:06:33,365 beliefs. It involves being 130 00:06:33,421 --> 00:06:35,917 honest, respectful and 131 00:06:36,077 --> 00:06:38,973 considerate of, um, not only ourselves, 132 00:06:39,085 --> 00:06:40,137 but each other. 133 00:06:40,877 --> 00:06:43,797 >> Denise (DeDe): Right. We aim to present a biblical view 134 00:06:43,877 --> 00:06:46,137 of evangelism and mission 135 00:06:47,087 --> 00:06:49,919 for me and for cece. This evolution 136 00:06:49,983 --> 00:06:52,919 from a narrow understanding of mission to 137 00:06:52,943 --> 00:06:55,647 a liberating dialogical 138 00:06:55,807 --> 00:06:58,719 approach is essential to 139 00:06:58,743 --> 00:07:00,267 what we're trying to do here. 140 00:07:01,767 --> 00:07:04,367 >> Christina (Cece): It is a testament to the power of mutual 141 00:07:04,447 --> 00:07:07,047 respect and transformative potential of 142 00:07:07,087 --> 00:07:09,959 engaging with others not as targets 143 00:07:09,983 --> 00:07:12,905 of conversation, but as partners 144 00:07:12,961 --> 00:07:15,517 in a shared spiritual journey. 145 00:07:16,537 --> 00:07:19,369 Just open hearts and minds and commit to 146 00:07:19,393 --> 00:07:22,169 reflecting God's love Me. 147 00:07:22,273 --> 00:07:25,209 >> Denise (DeDe): I want to peel back the 148 00:07:25,233 --> 00:07:26,997 layers of misunderstanding 149 00:07:27,777 --> 00:07:30,497 and kind of illuminate the 150 00:07:30,537 --> 00:07:33,505 true nature of evangelism. Do you 151 00:07:33,521 --> 00:07:35,557 want to break that down a little further, Cece? 152 00:07:37,017 --> 00:07:39,985 >> Christina (Cece): Absolutely. Go for it, DeDe I was just going to go look at the 153 00:07:40,017 --> 00:07:41,817 definition in Webster's dictionary. 154 00:07:41,953 --> 00:07:44,937 >> Denise (DeDe): Hey. Hey. There's nothing wrong with consulting a 155 00:07:44,953 --> 00:07:47,857 Dictionary. Um, I'll turn to the Bible 156 00:07:47,913 --> 00:07:50,633 Dictionary from HarperCollins a lot. 157 00:07:50,761 --> 00:07:53,425 I mean, and not just as a seminarian, but, 158 00:07:53,617 --> 00:07:56,521 you know, just trying to understand what's happening when you read 159 00:07:56,545 --> 00:07:59,177 the Bible. Um, but, 160 00:07:59,273 --> 00:08:02,161 okay, let's. Let's start from the beginning a little 161 00:08:02,185 --> 00:08:04,613 bit, dive into the term of 162 00:08:04,801 --> 00:08:07,645 evangelism as a whole. When 163 00:08:07,677 --> 00:08:10,621 we return to the Greek word, which 164 00:08:10,645 --> 00:08:13,609 is you and galleon, 165 00:08:14,389 --> 00:08:16,765 it just simply translates to 166 00:08:16,877 --> 00:08:18,885 excellent or good 167 00:08:19,037 --> 00:08:21,729 announcements, which, 168 00:08:22,349 --> 00:08:24,369 I don't know. Personally, I like that 169 00:08:24,949 --> 00:08:27,864 good announcement or, uh, 170 00:08:27,864 --> 00:08:30,849 I probably actually prefer the excellent announcement. 171 00:08:31,479 --> 00:08:33,855 So you good 172 00:08:34,007 --> 00:08:36,895 announcement and galleon, the 173 00:08:36,927 --> 00:08:39,879 gospel, the good news. That's what 174 00:08:39,959 --> 00:08:42,943 gospel means. So think about it. The 175 00:08:42,991 --> 00:08:45,299 early days of the church, 176 00:08:46,074 --> 00:08:48,871 um, you know, when they called it the way or 177 00:08:48,935 --> 00:08:51,895 following of the Nazarene or what we 178 00:08:51,927 --> 00:08:54,139 know now as being Christians. 179 00:08:54,919 --> 00:08:57,791 And they were out there, the apostles, all 180 00:08:57,815 --> 00:09:00,501 the followers proclaiming the 181 00:09:00,525 --> 00:09:03,445 Christian gospel. That's what evangelism was. 182 00:09:03,637 --> 00:09:06,414 That's what they did. Um, 183 00:09:06,789 --> 00:09:09,773 they all took up that task. And so let's think of 184 00:09:09,821 --> 00:09:12,485 Philip, for instance. He earned the 185 00:09:12,517 --> 00:09:15,413 title of evangelist in Acts 186 00:09:15,501 --> 00:09:18,445 21:8. And we're not 187 00:09:18,477 --> 00:09:21,421 talking about the Apostle Philip, you know, the one who 188 00:09:21,445 --> 00:09:23,634 went after, you know, Nathaniel. Uh, 189 00:09:24,493 --> 00:09:27,433 we're talking about the one who had the four 190 00:09:27,481 --> 00:09:29,769 daughters. As time 191 00:09:29,849 --> 00:09:32,409 passed, he was given the title 192 00:09:32,489 --> 00:09:35,153 of evangelist, and evangelism 193 00:09:35,241 --> 00:09:37,897 itself evolved into an 194 00:09:37,953 --> 00:09:40,729 office, a ministry. And 195 00:09:40,809 --> 00:09:43,785 in Ephesians 4:11, it's 196 00:09:43,817 --> 00:09:46,429 one of the highlighted spiritual gifts 197 00:09:47,089 --> 00:09:49,934 that we have today. Like many of, 198 00:09:49,934 --> 00:09:52,865 uh, many other faith denominations, the 199 00:09:52,897 --> 00:09:55,589 Episcopal Church carries forward 200 00:09:56,449 --> 00:09:59,449 that tradition, you know, of 201 00:09:59,529 --> 00:10:02,521 find, you know, of having those gifts. We were 202 00:10:02,625 --> 00:10:05,425 actually having that conversation not too long ago, my 203 00:10:05,457 --> 00:10:08,305 priest and I, about spiritual 204 00:10:08,417 --> 00:10:11,217 gifts and offices. That the Episcopal 205 00:10:11,273 --> 00:10:13,841 Church has canons for both lay and 206 00:10:13,865 --> 00:10:16,817 ordained. And evangelist is 207 00:10:16,873 --> 00:10:19,849 one of those offices that's still there and 208 00:10:19,889 --> 00:10:22,789 recognized as a gift from the Holy Spirit, 209 00:10:23,459 --> 00:10:26,187 you know, for us. It's sharing 210 00:10:26,243 --> 00:10:28,763 good news with respect, though, and 211 00:10:28,851 --> 00:10:31,467 inclusivity, a heart deeply 212 00:10:31,523 --> 00:10:33,923 rooted in the ways of 213 00:10:33,971 --> 00:10:36,667 love. We've 214 00:10:36,763 --> 00:10:39,691 said it earlier in the podcast. The Episcopal 215 00:10:39,755 --> 00:10:42,691 Church stands as the Episcopal branch of the 216 00:10:42,715 --> 00:10:45,411 Jesus movement, which is continuing 217 00:10:45,555 --> 00:10:48,171 the work toward becoming beloved 218 00:10:48,235 --> 00:10:50,965 community and 219 00:10:50,997 --> 00:10:53,981 embracing evangelism. These 220 00:10:54,005 --> 00:10:56,249 are the very topics that 221 00:10:57,269 --> 00:11:00,165 I would like, and I believe you as well, 222 00:11:00,197 --> 00:11:03,189 cece. We are going to be discussing in 223 00:11:03,269 --> 00:11:06,221 our future episodes as we break down what 224 00:11:06,365 --> 00:11:09,249 thoughtful and ethical evangelism is. 225 00:11:10,109 --> 00:11:12,821 >> Christina (Cece): So buckle up, friends. Consider this 226 00:11:12,845 --> 00:11:15,675 episode our invitation. We're 227 00:11:15,707 --> 00:11:18,275 just getting started, and the road ahead is 228 00:11:18,307 --> 00:11:20,971 exciting. There's so much ground to 229 00:11:20,995 --> 00:11:23,675 cover, and we'll discover what it means to 230 00:11:23,707 --> 00:11:25,944 be emissaries of um, 231 00:11:26,067 --> 00:11:26,919 renewal. 232 00:11:27,859 --> 00:11:30,651 >> Denise (DeDe): And so as we conclude this pod 233 00:11:30,715 --> 00:11:33,339 burst, this episode, we would like 234 00:11:33,459 --> 00:11:36,331 to and I think all of our episodes what 235 00:11:36,355 --> 00:11:39,315 we're going to do is we would like to always do 236 00:11:39,347 --> 00:11:41,759 a reflection on Scripture. So today 237 00:11:42,299 --> 00:11:44,883 let's reflect on the words from First 238 00:11:44,971 --> 00:11:47,624 Corinthians, chapter 12, 239 00:11:47,711 --> 00:11:49,399 verses 12 through 13. 240 00:11:50,579 --> 00:11:53,243 For just as the body is one and has 241 00:11:53,291 --> 00:11:56,107 many members and all the members of 242 00:11:56,123 --> 00:11:58,811 the body through many are, uh one 243 00:11:58,875 --> 00:12:01,595 body, so it is with Christ. 244 00:12:01,787 --> 00:12:04,515 For in the one spirit we were all 245 00:12:04,587 --> 00:12:07,539 baptized into one body, Jews 246 00:12:07,619 --> 00:12:09,923 or Greeks, slaves or 247 00:12:09,971 --> 00:12:12,763 freed and we were all made to drink 248 00:12:12,811 --> 00:12:14,399 of uh one spirit. 249 00:12:15,519 --> 00:12:18,359 This passage invites us to celebrate 250 00:12:18,399 --> 00:12:21,311 our diversity as a gift that unites 251 00:12:21,335 --> 00:12:23,059 us within the body of Christ. 252 00:12:23,679 --> 00:12:26,239 So let us embrace this 253 00:12:26,279 --> 00:12:29,099 unity as we live out our faith together. 254 00:12:30,039 --> 00:12:32,567 >> Christina (Cece): Until next time, keep the faith 255 00:12:32,623 --> 00:12:34,779 alive, keep the doors open, 256 00:12:35,439 --> 00:12:38,139 love one another and uh, keep listening. 257 00:12:39,239 --> 00:12:41,419 >> Denise (DeDe): Farewell, friends. Until next time.