God Created Dawn “And It Was Good…” from 2022-09-03T16:42:38

If God created day and night or light and darkness, then where do dawn and dusk fit in? If we believe that God is Creator, male, female and spirit then can humans not identify with different gen...

Proud People of Faith from 2022-07-16T16:00:41

We are back! Listen in as our host, Lawrence Clark, and special guest/former co-host, Taylor Darden, speak honestly about pride month from a faith perspective. Who are the Biblical characters wh...

Faith, Mental Health and Community Pt. 2 from 2022-05-27T19:04:25

We continue our conversation with special guests, Darren Caffery and Sibongile Sithole, about our faith and mental health, connecting our church and community, and discussing our best self-care ...

Faith, Mental Health, and Community Pt. 1 from 2022-05-06T16:03:17

Join us for part 1 of our conversation as we sit down with our special guests, Darren Caffery & Sibongile Sithole, as we dive into our faith, mental health, and what it means to take care of...

Our Beloved Community: Celebrating the Christian Figures That Shaped Our Lives from 2022-03-25T17:35:52

“Beloved community is formed not by the eradication of difference but by its affirmation, by each of us claiming the identities and cultural legacies that shape who we are and how we live in the...

Confronting the Past, Changing the Future from 2022-02-28T19:01:21

In this episode, we celebrate Black History Month and listen to stories of adversity and how our faith guides us through. Join us as we sit down with Rev. David Brown and Dr. Sam Lemon as they s...

How Christians Make New Year's Resolutions from 2022-01-29T01:58:56

This episode we welcome our guests are Molly Dang and Craig Conley. Join us for a discussion on New Year's Resolutions, goal setting in times of uncertainty and letting faith guide you.

Holiday Blues from 2021-12-17T22:14:30

Join us for a discussion on dealing with loss and grief during the holidays. Our special guest is Miriam Williams.

Iyanla Van Zandt's recipe for living and loving can be found in her boo...

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El Camino Frances: A 500-mile Pilgrimage Across Spain from 2021-11-13T13:00

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to walk 500 miles from one country to another? Join us for a conversation with Pastor Laurie Ann about her Sabbatical in Spain. 

Faith and Mental Health from 2021-10-10T05:06:43

We're back! Join us and our guest Dr. Darren Caffery as we discuss faith and mental health.

Host: Pastor Laurie Ann Rookard & Lawrence Clark

Editor: Ayanda Sithole<...

Déjà vu: The Church Reforming from 2021-08-15T12:00

Meet our new co-host, Lawrence Clark, and listen to a discussion about millennials and progressive Christianity.

The Rainbow, God’s Covenant With Us: A Discussion about Becoming a Reconciling Congregation from 2021-07-18T04:00

In this episode we have a discussion about Pride month and how First Church made the decision to become a church committed to restoring its relationship to the LGBTQ community. 

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The Renewing of Your Mind: God and The Brain from 2021-06-16T15:03:42

We're back!  In this episode we interview Darren Caffery and Mary Spiers, both nueropsychologists and First Church members, to discuss the links between faith and the brain. It's a fascinat...

Born Again: A Sacred and Expanded View of Gender from 2021-04-08T03:25:47

We're back with a new episode!

In this episode, we interview long-time church member Robin Beaver and her trans daughter Frances Beaver, and have a beautiful, enriching discussion of e...

The Truth Will Set You Free: Getting Serious About Anti-Racism in the Church from 2021-03-07T12:13:32

In this episode, recorded during Black History Month, we interview Temple University professor and Reverend David Brown and his wife, Director of People and Culture at the Philadelphia Ronald Mc...

In and Not Of: Discussions About Social Media from 2021-02-20T04:48:09

Inspired in part by the 2020 documentary The Social Dilemma, and just in time for Lent, this episode explores the good and the bad of social media platforms, how we should respond to th...

This is My Body from 2021-02-04T14:18:38

This episode, recorded not long after the new year began, discusses the intersection of faith and fitness. Taylor acts as interviewer for this episode. Special guest Craig Conley, a graduate stu...

How Do We Heal? from 2021-01-22T03:38:28

This special episode focuses on current events, recorded just before the inauguration.

The country is perhaps more divided than it's ever been in living memory. It's been a long, painfu...

Made in Her Image: Women in Faith and Ministry from 2021-01-07T22:21:53

We're back! We had a bit of a delay with this one, apologies, the holidays got busy for us just like everyone else!

Also there are some minor sound quality issues early on with Taylor's...

For the Beauty of the Earth from 2020-11-17T00:45:55

In this episode, we discuss the Christian's responsibility to care for the earth. We talk about our own journeys in caring more about environmentalism, and we interview Sari Steuber, from Transi...

Issues that Matter from 2020-10-26T15:40:31

"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."-- Martin Luther King, Jr. 

In much of this pre-election episode, we take a step back and pass the mic to...

God's Reflection: To be Gay and Christian from 2020-10-18T01:32:47

We're back with our second episode and our first guest, Jerry Noone! On this episode, Jerry and Taylor act as dual interviewees and Laurie Ann acts as the interviewer.  

Jerry and Ta...

So What is Progressive Christianity, Anyway? from 2020-10-11T12:02:08

Our first episode! We introduce ourselves and give an overview of our church, our roles, and our backgrounds.  We also discuss the difficult-to-define topic of progressive Christianity--wha...

Introducing The Trolley Stops Here! from 2020-10-02T23:39:41

First UMC of Media is excited to announce our brand new podcast! The Trolley Stops Here is hosted by Pastor Laurie Ann Rookard and Community Outreach Coordinator Taylor Darden, both on staff at ...