IN LAYMAN'S TERMS

Ministry Within the Purple Zone

Our country is more divided than ever. We have red states and blue states, and even red and blue congregations. Or do we? Aren't our congregations really just different shades of purple? The Rev. Dr. Leah Schade joins Todd for a discussion about her book, "Preaching in the Purple Zone," and how a method she has developed heavily involves the input from laity to help a church determine its response to topics pertinent to our times.

Oliver Green: Coming of Age in the Civil Rights Era

Oliver Green has been heavily involved in the Great Plains Conference since its inception. As we wrap up Black History Month, Oliver shares his story and what it was like to move into adulthood — as an African-American man — during the Civil Rights Movement.

Oliver shares how the movement of the 1960s is similar to the cries for racial justice that we experience today, what attracted him to leaders like Malcom X and Martin Luther King and what can we do today to move forward on the important topic of racial justice.

Continuing the push for racial justice

It's been nine months since the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, so Todd Seifert, host of the "In Layman's Terms" podcast, decided to tell some follow-up stories featuring guests who helped explain the impact of police and other kinds of violence upon people of color in earlier episodes in the spring of 2020.

Eugenio Hernandez, the conference’s multimedia production specialist, took it a step further by recording this video of the interview discussions with the Rev. Dee Williamston, superintendent of the Salina and Hutchinson districts, and the Rev. Robert Johnson, lead pastor of Saint Mark United Methodist Church in Wichita, the Great Plains Conference's largest predominantly African-American church. This podcast is the audio version of that interview.

Williamston and Johnson share how their ministry has changed over the past nine months, signs of hope they have seen since George Floyd’s death, and what they think needs to happen so the next generation lives in a more equitable world.

Listening & Response — Part 2

In the second of a two-episode series on how we listen for God's call to service in our lives and then how we respond to that call, Todd looks at the call of Peter, Andrew, James and John as Jesus' disciples. The story teaches us how we should respond to God's call.

Listening & Response — Part 1

In the first of a two-part series examining how God calls us to service, Todd shares a reflection from 1 Samuel that recounts the call of the prophet who would anoint the first two kings of Israel. As you listen to the episode, consider how God may be reaching out to you.

Jesus: Child of Light — A Re-telling of the Christmas Story

This compilation of the Christmas story takes the accounts from Matthew, Mark and Luke — framed in the concept of light coming into the world from John — to tell the story of the birth of Jesus.

Advent 2020 — Showing Love

In this fourth week of Advent, Todd continues to explore the themes of each week's candle. This week we light the candle of love. See how Jesus showed love to others and, particularly, to all of us through his sacrifice on the cross. 

Advent 2020 — Enduring Joy

We often think of joy as a feeling we have after a fun activity or an emotion to be felt when we're among loved ones. But Jesus explained that joy is something much deeper than that. It's a state of being, an enduring trait. Jesus explains how we find joy and how we maintain it, even amid difficult circumstances.

Advent 2020 — Seeking Peace

We celebrate the coming of the Christ child during Advent, but we sometimes forget to celebrate why Jesus came to earth in the first place. In this episode, we explore how Jesus gave us the gift of His inner peace and how that has three very real impacts on our lives. May you embrace inner peace as you listen to this episode.

Advent 2020 — An Attitude of Hope

We celebrate the coming of the Christ child during Advent, but we sometimes forget to celebrate why Jesus came to earth in the first place. Many Christians recognize that He came to provide for our salvation and reconciliation with God. This holiday season, let's embrace Jesus' mission, and recognize that because of Jesus' arrival as a baby, we have hope.