The Missouri Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church [MACUMC] has released season three of the Faith and Race Podcast, which highlights the legacies of five of Missouri’s Historically Black United Methodist Churches.
The season is titled “The Saints Before us,” and St. Louis based Samaritan United Methodist Church and Union Memorial United Methodist Church are featured.
Pitts Chapel United Methodist Church in Springfield, Missouri is among the five churches included this season. Tracy Wolff, its lead pastor, is a former pastor at North Hills United Methodist Church in St. Louis and associate pastor at St. Andrew UMC.
“Local church laity and clergy leaders detail the rich history of the Historically Black Church through stories of faithfulness and witness to injustice and invite podcast listeners to consider the gifts the Black Church brings to the church at large,” according to Lauren Miers, MACUMC senior communications specialist.
“The Faith and Race Podcast is designed to help faithful people host conversations about race, faith, and the Church. Every episode has a specific focus to help listeners intentionally think about the intersection of history, institutions, scripture, prayer, race, and justice. The audio recordings bring diverse insights and experiences into churches, homes, and hearts across Missouri and beyond.
Five of the podcasts have been posted, and a discussion podcast will close the series with its release on June 9, 2022.
-Episode 1: Pitt’s Chapel UMC in Springfield (Released May 5, 2022)
-Episode 2: Samaritan UMC in St. Louis (Released May 12, 2022)
-Episode 3: Centennial UMC in Kansas City (Released May 19, 2022)
-Episode 4: Union Memorial UMC in St. Louis (Released May 26, 2022)
-Episode 5: St. James UMC in Kansas City (Releases June 2, 2022)
-Episode 6: Faith and Race Podcast Host Discussion and Debrief
Season three of the podcast is hosted by Rev. Russell Ewell (Terrace Lake in Kansas City), Rev. Fabian Gonzales (Good Shepherd in Kansas City), and Rev. Sharon Williams (Missouri Conference Office of Mission, Service and Justice).
The Faith and Race Podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify and via the Missouri Conference website at www.moumethodist.org/faithandracepodcast.
