The Ministry Collaborative Podcast: Highlights from Our First Year
Erica St. Bernard, Licensed Clinical Marriage & Family Therapist, Macedonian Ministry Cohort Facilitator, Washington, D.C. Erica, why did you say, "Yes!" to being the Facilitator of this cohort? "I accepted the invitation to be the Facilitator for this cohort in order to create safe and sacred space...
Today, the demolition of our congregation’s kitchen begins. It’s going to be a major disruption—let’s be honest, it already has been. The conversation about the kitchen was alive well before I arrived five years ago to Christ on Capitol Hill (Saint Paul, Minnesota), my fourth...
It looked like a weed - the tiny sprig of green that sprouted in the crack of my front walkway. I passed it for days as I rushed out the front door headed for work. With each passing, the growing leaves reminded me to add...
Rev. Adam Mixon is no stranger to working with Macedonian Ministry. Over the last several years he has shared his gifts with us in various ways and we are grateful that his involvement continues to increase. Adam has been engaged with the work of Macedonian Ministry...
Rev. Jennifer Maxell is no stranger to working with Macedonian Ministry. Over the last several years she has shared her gifts with us in various ways and we are grateful that her involvement continues to increase. Jennifer has served Macedonian Ministry in a variety of ways...
Rev. Jennifer Maxell and Rev. Adam Mixon are no strangers to working with Macedonian Ministry. Over the last several years they have shared their gifts with us in various ways and we are grateful that their involvement continues to increase. Jennifer has served Macedonian Ministry in...
“God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them.” For years the words from 1 John were the crescendo of my well-crafted wedding homily, where I proclaimed to a couple that because they were in love, God was...
Rev. Emily McGinley, Pastor, Urban Village Church (Hyde Park | Woodlawn), Macedonian Ministry Cohort Facilitator, Chicago, IL Emily, why did you say, "Yes!" to being the Facilitator of this cohort? "I have been blessed to participate in a few different clergy cohorts over the past few years....
Several years ago, when our kids were still pretty young and wiggly, we had a particularly bad Sunday in worship. They rattled papers, squirmed, and dropped more than one Matchbox car. We were still fairly new to the community, so we were especially uncomfortable to be...
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I was the Facilitator for the first New York City cohort, and at the time, I was working in theological education on Christian leadership formation, so it seemed like a natural fit. What I discovered, though, was something quite different from my “day job.” While the content and topics of the curriculum was a crucial part of our gatherings, it was the community of mutual care and support that made the content relevant, not the other way around. And second, having three years of strong bonding created an extraordinarily resilient community that, in turn, was able to build up resilience in our leaders. I think every member of my cohort went through significant seasons of both joy and heartache, professionally and vocationally, during our time. And the cohort, in turn, lived out the exhortation of Romans 12:15, “rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep,” with a depth and integrity that I have rarely experienced, and often doing both in the same gathering. It was a privilege and a blessing to me and my own faith and ministry to be their facilitator, and I am eternally grateful to the Ministry Collaborative for calling me to that work!”
“It was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. It was unique to my particular situation. It was needed, appreciated and healing. It was affirming. Most valuable was the unspoken understanding of what we all were facing in our ministry context. There was a sense that we could finish each other’s sentences. Solidarity and empathy.”
Graduation Date:
May 23, 2021
“It was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. It was unique to my particular situation. It was needed, appreciated and healing. It was affirming. Most valuable was the unspoken understanding of what we all were facing in our ministry context. There was a sense that we could finish each other’s sentences. Solidarity and empathy.”
Graduation Date:
May 23, 2021
“I truly looked forward to this every week. The discussion topics, activities, and small group conversations were all very rich and meaningful. This experience gave me space to reflect on what’s happening right now in my congregation and community. It helped me to think about what might be next in my own ministry. It offered some very concrete ways I might work on equipping leaders in my congregation. I really enjoyed meeting colleagues from different places, denominations, and contexts–and learning from their experiences and reflections. I also appreciated hearing further conversation and reinforcement in the podcasts.”
Graduation Date:
July 14, 2021
“The experience was, in one word, enriching. It was timely as well. I was at a critical point in my own ministry and this literally breathed life back into me. The time went by so fast that I didn’t even realize two months had passed. To be able to share that type of camaraderie with other preachers, and realize that my struggles are not isolated, was liberating.”
Graduation Date:
March 18, 2021
“It was great to find confirmation and affirmation of my ministry through the voices of other pastors. I particularly enjoyed the focused time on talking about each of us as individuals and pastors, and not so much on what our churches look like.”
Graduation Date:
January 31st, 2020