Five new “Along the Road” podcast episodes have been made available since November, three from the “Encounter” series for mid council and church leaders and two “Nourish” episodes for deacons and ruling elders.
Listen to all Along the Road episodes directly from the Mid Council Ministries section of pcusa.org or from popular streaming services. Episodes are also imbedded below.
Encounter: The Diversity Advantage—Voices of YAADs and TSADs (42 minutes)
Megan Acedo (YAD, Youth Advisory Delegate, 2003 General Assembly), Anwi Fomukong (YAAD, Young Adult Advisory Delegate, 2022) and Marta Pumroy (TSAD, Theological Student Advisory Delegate, 2022) share with Encounter host valerie izumi how they became aware of the opportunity to serve at the General Assembly. They also talk about their rich experiences at GA and the lasting impact their roles as advisory delegates have had on their lives.
Fomukong says, “I would just want a lot of other Presbyterian youth to experience what I did,” adding that the opportunity to become a delegate should be discussed by all Presbyterian youth groups. “[General Assembly] was really cool … Everyone should be able to experience it at least once.”
The names of YAADs for the 226th General Assembly are due from presbyteries no later than December 28. TSAD names are due from eligible theological institutions no later than the same date.
Encounter: Trauma-Informed Decision-Making (36 minutes)
Ruling Elder Laurie Griffith, Associate Stated Clerk and Associate Director for Constitutional Interpretation, talks with Encounter hosts Manuel Silva-Esterrich and izumi about the ways trauma-informed decision-making at councils fosters a sense of belonging and promotes a more inclusive decision-making process.
Trauma’s impact on church mission and ministry “is something folks are becoming more and more aware of,” Griffith says before discussing some of the ways trauma impacts a person’s functioning. Across the denomination, a new emphasis is being placed on “making sure we are not continuing to traumatize individuals within or without the church, so that the decision-making process we use is trauma-informed.”
Contact Griffith directly for more information at laurie.griffith@pcusa.org. Learn more about the National Center for Trauma-Informed Care from the CDC.
Encounter: Is Robert's Rules of Order Still Relevant for Our Current Context? (58 minutes)
Jessica Vazquez Torres, National Program Director of Crossroads Antiracism Organizing and Training, and Tricia Dykers-Koenig, Associate Director for Mid Council Relations, Office of the General Assembly, explore how using The Foundations of Presbyterian Polity as a theological framework for utilizing Robert's Rules of Order can promote the Great Ends of the Church and help Presbyterians interpret them as guidelines for promoting fairness and equity.
izumi, in facilitating the discussion about the use of Robert’s Rules in today’s church discernment and decision-making, hears Dykers-Koenig and Vazquez Torres speak to its attributes as a flexible tool for different settings but also its potential to exclude those who aren’t steeped in its operation. “The tool is not without context,” Vazquez Torres says. “It is our failure to understand its history and its context that leads to its misuse.”
Share your views on Robert’s at this short survey: https://forms.office.com/r/DMaazwMH86
Nourish: Reflection on Luke 24:13-35 (12 minutes)
Bruce Grady, Executive Presbyter for New Hope Presbytery, provides a reflection on the story of the Road to Emmaus, reminding listeners to recognize Jesus and sense the presence of the Lord in different ministries as they live in hope.
Speaking to Nourish host Martha Miller, Grady says that the story of the Road to Emmaus continues to resonate with Christians. “Even when our faith is waning and we are struggling and experiencing hardship, Jesus comes to us and meets us where we are, as he did in this text.”
“The same one who came to these disciples comes to us, speaks to us, and rekindles hope within us,” Grady says.
Nourish: The Connectional Church (18 minutes)
Ruling Elder Marta Pumroy shares her story of connecting with various councils of the church and how other leaders might also serve beyond the local congregation.
Pumroy tells Miller that attending presbytery meetings has been a good way for her to connect with people with similar passions. Encouraging General Assembly service, Pumroy says, “Being a ruling elder commissioner was a life-changing experience for me. Getting to see people in leadership positions changed my perspective on all our church looks like and could look like.”
Learn about GA committee opportunities through the General Assembly Nominating Committee, which Pumroy recently began serving on: www.pcusa.org/nominations.
Visit the Along the Road page of pcusa.org to listen to upcoming podcast episodes, including Sarah Moore-Nokes, PC(USA) teaching elder and certified coach, talking on Nourish about waiting and noticing during and beyond Advent, and Simon Doong of the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program (and co-host of A Matter of Faith: A Presby Podcast) on Encounter sharing about his call story and some of the spiritual practices through which he has experienced discernment along his journey.