Holy Roast Podcast

S2E8 - Matt Miofsky

In this month’s episode, Rob and Rachel sit down with Rev. Matt Miofsky. Matt is the Lead Pastor of the Gathering United Methodist Church in Saint Louis, Missouri.
Since Matt founded The Gathering in 2006, it has grown into a thriving multi-site congregation with four locations scattered throughout St. Louis. With over 1500 in worship a weekend, The Gathering was recently named the 3rd fastest growing large United Methodist Churches.
Matt is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis where he majored in mathematics then completed his Master’s of Divinity at Emory University in Atlanta.
Matt is passionate about church planting, connecting with new generations, and multi-site ministry. Matt is the co-author of "Eight Virtues of Rapidly Growing Churches" (Abingdon, 2018), “Happy? What It Is and How to Find It” (Abingdon Books, April 2017), “Fail: What to Do When Things Go Wrong” (Abingdon Books, 2017), a contributor to Disciple Fast Track: Into the Word, Into the World (Abingdon, 2017), “Flipping Church: How Successful Church Planters Are Turning Conventional Wisdom Upside-Down” (Discipleship Resources, 2016), and the “Ask: Faith Questions in a Skeptical Age” DVD project (Abingdon, 2015).
In this episode, Matt talks about the story of The Gathering, how a church can be both inclusive and evangelical, how to relate to other UMCs that may differ in certain areas from yours, the tension of preaching toward justice but fear decline, how to reach those who are 18-29, and his hope for the future of the UMC.

S2E7 - Mizari Suarez

In this month’s episode, Rob and Rachel sit down with Mizari Suárez and Rev. John Gallaher. Suárez is the Executive Director of Neighbors Immigration Clinic and Gallaher is the Pastor at Embrace UMC.
Suárez has a community-organizing background with deep connections to the immigrant rights movement on a local and national level. As a previously undocumented immigrant, Mizari knows firsthand the importance of affordable immigration legal services and culturally competent outreach to immigrant communities. Suárez is a facilitator and community organizer/connector. Neighbors, an affiliate of the United Methodist Immigration Law and Justice Network, ****is to provide low-cost legal services to our immigrant neighbors, educate our community on the immigration journey, and advocate for immigrant rights.
In this episode, Suárez and Gallaher reflect upon the story of Neighbors, what services they provide, success stories from their clinic, common misconceptions about the immigration process, current immigration policies that church leaders should be aware of, the role of faith in immigration advocacy, and practical ways that pastors and church leaders can get involved.
To learn more about Neighbors Immigration Clinic, head to their website here.
Check out an article about Neighbors here.

S2E6 - Dr. Praylow

In this week’s episode, Rob and Rachel sit down with Rev. Dr. Perzavia Praylow.
The Reverend Dr. Perzavia Praylow, PhD is an ordained minister of Word and Sacrament ordained in The Presbyterian Church (USA). She is currently the Director of Black Church Studies and Assistant Professor of Practical Theology at Louisville Seminary where she teaches courses in Black Church Studies and Practical Theology. Dr. Praylow is a historian, practical theologian and teacher-scholar called to serve at the intersection of teaching, scholarship, and pastoral leadership.
Her credentials include:
Drew University, BA; The University of Illinois, MA in Education Policy Studies, MA in History, PhD in History; Columbia Theological Seminary, MDIV; Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary, STM
In this episode, Dr. Praylow talks about her call to ministry, the intersection of faith and education, key themes of the Black church, how pastors and church leaders can learn from those different than them, how churches can take a tangible step towards justice and reconciliation, and more!
For more information about Louisville Seminary, check out www.LPTS.edu!

S2E5 - Jim Savage (Disaster Relief)

In this week’s episode, Rob and Rachel sit down with Rev. Jim Savage. Jim is the Kentucky Conference and Eastern Kentucky Disaster Response Ministry Director.
In this episode, Jim talks about his role in disaster relief efforts, some of the biggest challenges of disaster relief, logistics of helping those in immediate need, how local churches can get involved in relief efforts, and how the connection of the UMC is alive through the Kentucky Conference, UMCOR, UMVIM, and more!
Click here for more information about Kentucky Conference Disaster Response Ministry.
For more information about training opportunities, contact Jim Savage, the conference Disaster Response Coordinator, at jsavage@kyumc.org or 270-993-8908.

S2E4 - Dr. Marcia McFee (Creative worship planning)

In this week’s episode, Rob and sits down with Dr. Marcia McFee to talk about creative worship planning!
Dr. McFee is a professor, worship designer, author, preacher and ritual artist. Drawing on a first career in professional dance and musical theater and equipped with a Master's in Theology and a PhD in Liturgical Studies and Ethics, she understands the role of any worship artist in the church as that of creating extraordinary portals through which communities journey with the Spirit.
In this episode, Dr. McFee talks about why she is passionate about worship planning and resourcing local churches, how preachers and worship leaders can maintain creativity throughout the year, how we can approach this Advent with fresh insight, energy, and excitement, and if she was planning worship in Advent this year, what she would focus on. This episode is full of great resources as well!
Find out more about the Worship Design Studio and Dr. Marcia McFee at www.worshipdesignstudio.com
Want to try a fully-scripted Advent/Christmas series? Check them out at use discount code **Donkey20 ****for $20 off.
Watch this “Let’s Get Ready for Advent/Christmas” webinar for help with discerning content direction: https://youtu.be/cwsdvMCd1bI
Want to sign up for a full year subscription? Use discount code Kentucky100 (through the end of 2024) for $100 off, making the full year $199 for access to ALL series!
Download free “Do Unto Others” worship resources (works after the election as well): www.worshipdesignstudio.com/kindness
Set up a free account in the Worship Design Studio interactive website at http://worship-design-studio.mn.co
Get Dr. McFee’s book on worship design: www.thinklikeafilmmaker.com

Holy Roast S2E3 - Amanda Henderson (on Christian nationalism)

In this week’s episode, Rob and Rachel sit down with Rev. Dr. Amanda Henderson. Director of the Institute for Religion, Politics, and Culture at the Iliff School of Theology, where she leads research exploring the relationship between religion and politics.
She is the author of “[Holy Chaos, Creating Connections in Divisive Times](https://www.amazon.com/Holy-Chaos-Creating-Connections-Divisive/dp/0827215150#:~:text=Village%3A Building Community-,In Holy Chaos%2C interfaith leader%2C activist%2C and pastor Amanda,and our families and friendships.)” and hosts the Complexified podcast. Amanda lives in Littleton, Colorado, is a parent to three young adults, enjoys adventures with her husband, and finds joy running trails and growing things: dogs, chickens, gardens, and creative projects of all kinds.
In this episode, Dr. Henderson defines Christian nationalism, talks about the history of American religiosity, what local churches should know about Christian nationalism, how religion and politics can coexist peacefully, and what role religious leaders should play in advocating for policy changes.

S2E3- Bishop David Graves

In this week’s episode, Rob and Rachel sit down with Bishop David Graves. Bishop Graves serves as the Bishop for the Kentucky, Tennessee-Western Kentucky, and Central Appalachian Missionary Conferences.
Bishop David Graves’ passion is sharing Jesus, seeing the overlooked, joining God in transforming lives, and changing the world one person at a time. His study of leadership permeates all his work as a pastor, district superintendent and bishop. He has been an ordained pastor in the United Methodist Church for over 35 years. Bishop Graves is a native of Knoxville, Tennessee, and graduated from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Candler School of Theology, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, with a Master of Divinity.
In this episode, Bishop Graves talks about his call to ministry, formative times as a pastor in the local church, his favorite part about being a bishop, his favorite things about the state of Kentucky, his priorities for clergy health, and what gives him hope for the future of the UMC.

S2E1 - Laura Hamrick

In this week’s episode, Rob and Rachel sit down with Rev. Laura Hamrick. Laura serves as Clergy Engagement Coordinator for both the Clergy Health Initiative and the Religion and Social Change Lab.
A graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill and Wesley Theological Seminary, Laura is a second career pastor who worked in the field of group health insurance prior to entering seminary. An ordained elder in the Western NC Annual Conference, she served churches of various sizes in urban, suburban, and rural settings for seventeen years prior to entering ministry beyond the local church. Prior to joining the team at Duke, she served with Life Around the Table, where she helped to design and lead creation-based Sabbath retreat experiences for ecumenical groups of clergy in North Carolina, Tennessee and Georgia. In her current role, Laura connects with UMC clergy and denominational leaders to offer support and evidence-based resources developed through our research in order to support their flourishing in life and ministry.
In this episode, Laura talks about the Duke Clergy Health INiative, how pastors can prepare themselves against burnout and mental health, ways local churches can help with their clergy’s health, and info about the upcoming event, “Flourish.”
Registration is now open for Flourish: A Day Away for Clergy Care. All clergy serving KYUMC churches and extension ministries are invited to join the Board of Pensions nad the Board of Ordained Ministry on October 22 to connect with leaders and resources on practicing mindfulness, your physical wellbeing, and rediscovering self-care in ministry.
Join us also on Monday, October 21 for dinner, fellowship, and trivia hosted by Louisville Trivia!
All events on October 21 and 22 will be at the Kentucky Conference Office located at 7400 Floydsburg Rd, Crestwood, KY.
Register by September 22 to be entered into a drawing for a $100 Amazon gift card. Deadline to register is October 15. This event is FREE and all clergy are encouraged to attend. Register here.