Forefront Podcast

Preaching Bootcamper Damaris Giha shares her experience of struggling to care for herself as a single person, learning to ask for help, and leaning into community for more care. She explores different biblical models for community care and how we as the church are living out this model. Finally, she asks how we can continue to lean into this and devote ourselves to caring for our people so we don't have to do it all on our own.

Mary Obasi talks about confronting the climate crisis by starting from a place of love.

Rev. Venida culminates the These Bodies Sermon Series with a message on Body Image. With so many brand and beauty standards attempting to influence how we present ourselves, as well as expectations surrounding how our bodies should behave, Rev. Venida challenges us to renew our minds and to be transformed to the extent that we see ourselves as the beloved of God.

Regina Miranda will continue our "These Bodies" series as she delves into Rethinking Mental Health.

I have been fat as far back as can remember. As a child, I knew I was bigger than many kids my age but it didn't occur to me that that was a bad thing, until I was told it was. Join Preaching Bootcamper Nytasha Obasi this Sunday as she delves into Reclaiming Our Bodies as we continue our These Bodies sermon series.

As a proud elder, Rev. Venida shares a sermon on aging. From the time we are born, our bodies begin the aging process. With each birthday, we are continuously aware that growing old can come with its fair share of challenges and a host of struggles. How can we live each day with grace and dignity as we age? How can we focus on what we “can” do and not simply what we “can’t” do? How can we rededicate our aging bodies to God as a form of worship?

Pastor Angela continues our “These Bodies” series, centered on Sexual Ethics, Purity Culture and letting go of the baggage we carry about physical love. What is holy…how do we honor each other and meet the needs of our bodies?

Our bodies have been dehumanized, criminalized, fetishized, sexualized, and desexualized. Keli's body’s existence in this country came about through the commodification of her ancestors’. That violent intersection of white supremacy and capitalism still informs her relationship with her body. And it is only through the constant unlearning of harmful ideologies (because there are so many!) that she can preach on the topic: Our Bodies are Good! And they are good! She is excited to start our “These Bodies” sermon series with you all. We will be discussing sexual ethics and purity culture, decolonizing the body, aging and ageism, reclaiming our bodies, mental health and trauma, and body images. But before we can dive into any of that, she believes it is critical that we accept, and walk in, the inherent goodness of our bodies! Join us as we begin the journey of dismantling harmful influences and embracing the truth that we are fearfully and wonderfully made!

Rev. Venida celebrates the Good News of Easter Sunday with a message highlighting the power given to us through the resurrection. Through this gift, we can freely embrace our own mortality, and recognize the freedom we have been granted to pursue abundant life through the life-giving love of Jesus.

Palm Sunday is not a celebration. Palm Sunday is the shattering of hope and watching one's worst fears come to pass. How do we reconcile hope in the midst of our grief, our pain, and the shattering of our own expectations?