Podcast by Elizabeth Grady-Harper & Ivy Long
30 April 2025
Tune in to this podcast episode with special guest Jennifer Frye, Executive Director of WARM (Welcoming Refugee Alliance Ministry). shared her life story, highlighting her early experiences with God and how they shaped her sensitivity to the marginalized and underprivileged. She discussed her decision to become a nurse, her desire to use her skills to help those with limited access to medical care, and her realization of never having read the Bible cover-to-cover. This led her to take a class called Perspectives on the World Christian Movement, which inspired her to form the nonprofit, WARM, who seeks to see the Church welcome and care for every refugee God has brought to our cities.
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35:16
09 April 2025
Join Elizabeth and Ivy for a time of reflection after finishing BFJN's book club reading of "When We Walk By: Forgotten Humanity, Broken Systems, and the Role We Can Each Play in Ending Homelessness in America".
This book, written by Kevin F. Adler and Donald W. Burnes recasts chronic homelessness as a byproduct of twin crises: the failure of both our social services systems and our humanity. The book also uses social analyses, economic and political histories, and the real stories of our unhoused neighbors to demonstrate what we stand to gain when we embrace our humanity and move toward evidence-based people-first, community-driven solutions.
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23:52
26 March 2025
In this episode, we talk with Cristina Rathbone. Cristina, author and congregational coordinator at the Mass Council of Churches, recounts her transformative time at the US-Mexico border. Her book, “The Asylum Seekers: A Chronicle of Life, Death, and Community at the Border”, born from these experiences, invites us to reconsider what our faith has to say about injustice and see the humanity in those we might be inclined to “other”. We also discuss her new role at the Mass Council of Churches, where she's bridging the gap between faith communities and vital support for refugees and migrants. A conversation that challenges and inspires.
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39:27
10 March 2025
Tune into this episode for a casual conversation between the Let's Talk Faith & Justice Podcast hosts, Elizabeth and Ivy, to hear about some exciting new updates and a high level overview of what God has in store for 2025!
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21:54
05 February 2025
We are kicking off Season 3 of the Let’s Talk Faith & Justice Podcast with special guest Aimee Mitchell, the CEO of Places to Thrive, an organization focused on collaboration and leadership development with a particular emphasis on people experiencing displacement. Our conversation focused on her journey to her current role, her passion for helping people and how she has learned from and with vulnerable communities in some really hard situations. Aimee has an unshakeable belief in what people can do in community and her current project - HomeShare is an innovative program launching soon to serve families in MA experiencing homelessness. Aimee shared about how she sees the faith community playing a role in this program and how this is a way we can live out our values. This is an episode you do not want to miss!
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33:52
20 November 2024
Fran Graveson is the Migrant Project Coordinator for the Worcester Area Mission Society (WAMS), an organization that helps churches engage with immigrant neighbors through direct helping opportunities (food collections, diaper donations, etc.), advocacy and education. WAMS works with existing organizations - connecting congregants with their work, so that they can participate in the ways they are equipped and called.
Our immigration system is a complicated one and as people navigate it there are many opportunities to come alongside and work to dismantle biases. Tune into this special episode to hear more!
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32:27