Synoptic Roots: Recent Episodes
Andy Newbrey
The mission of the Synoptic Roots podcast is to provide a window into a deep thinking, non-judgmental, loving, life-giving, life-affirming, and socially courageous world of Christ.
Our Special Guest - Kelly Chewning
Founder of the House of Pause
& Creator of Spiritual Retreats, Wichita, KS
This is Episode 11, and it's the beginning of Season 2! Kelly creates spiritual retreats for just about any location. We are talking about unplugging, finding space for spirituality in our lives, and real rest. We discuss the life-cycle of a church, and whether or not spirituality is even relevant in today's world.
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This is our 10th episode of Synoptic Roots. Tonight, our guest is the Rev. Ben Hitzfeld. He’s the pastor of the First Christian Church in Manhattan Kansas. We are talking with him about how his views of Christianity have changed over the years, his diverse experiences with Christian traditions, and how we all live in the Spirit in different ways. We are also talking about building margin into life connecting with spiritual mentors
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This evening we are talking with Denny Bell. She is the pastor of New Hope Christian Church in Wichita, KS. She shares with us her sense of Spirituality and how it has changed and grown over the years. She tells us about her connection with older people and how we need to be open to seeing another person’s loneliness. The overall theme for this evening is about being a part of a community, and how that connection to the community brings us deeper into the spirituality of God.
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Our guest this evening on The Synoptic Roots Podcast is Laurie Lewis. She is the pastor at the First Christian Church in Parsons, KS. We are talking about her life in ministry, spirituality, navigating with Christ among a diverse group of believers, and showing the outside world that Jesus loves you right where you are.
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This is a conversation we had with Travis smith McKee. He’s the pastor at Trinity United Christian Church in Cheney Kansas, which is just west of Wichita, Kansas. Our conversation picks up as we are discussing LGBTQ rights, protest issues, and transitioning from one congregation to another.
We also, talked about the question, "How do pastors navigate congregations in times like these?" "How to we swim through social media in times of civil unrest, racism, and culture change?" "How do we handle the difference between political and partisanship in Church?"
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This episode we talk with the Rev. Arthur Stewart, pastor at Riverside Christian Church, Wichita, KS. We discuss life in an open and affirming church, social activism, experiencing the Holy Spirit, and being a pastor in the digital age.
Arthur and his husband recently moved to Wichita. He began his work at Riverside one year ago and is navigating church and life in unprecedented times.
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This week we talk with Etienna Mertel. Associate Minister of Spiritual Formation at Hillside Christian Church, Wichita, KS. We talk about her walk with Christ and what spiritual formation means in the life of a Christian. We talk about defining diversity...or not. We talk about replacing bad habits with ones that bring us closer to God.
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In this episode we discuss what the love of Christ looks like to John. We talk with him about how the experiences of life shape our walk with Jesus, what up with the robes and stoles, and what being a pastor means.
We discuss how there is a wide variety of churches out there and that diversity is a good thing! Diversity can work to break down our preconceived notions about Christ. It can unravel our established truths and build our faith stronger. A multitude of voices in the community of Christ helps us to grow, learn, and understand our faith deeper.
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In this episode, we talk with Valecia about women in ministry, being "included" in a open and affirming family of believers, house churches, personality profiles, and life on a farm.
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What a great evening we had with the Rev. Christian Watkins, candles and some Mediterranean food. She talked with us about serving, giving to people outside our boundaries, and who God is and isn't to her.
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Rob and I discuss what faith, spirituality, and church look like to him. All of us have our own experiences that inform our beliefs, faith-life, and spirituality. Here's a look into the experiences that informed Rob's spirituality.
Our very first evening and podcast recording went very well! I hope you enjoy the discussion.
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