Greetings Westwood UMC Family,

I start every episode of The Progressive Christians podcast with the tagline “We are the ‘love your neighbor’ kind of Christians and not the ‘storm the capital’ kind.” It’s an honest and slightly cheeky way to highlight the difference between the community we aim to build at Westwood. This saying also captures the evangelistic spirit of both our podcast and our community. We are a community built on the invitational love of God, not the coercive love of political power. I wouldn’t have used the term “evangelistic” last year, but one of the blessings of our show was that we used it as a tool to help recruit Rev. Blair Triggstad-Stowe to our community. Blair is a UM clergyperson and academic who specializes in evangelism, and through our conversations, I’ve come to realize the evangelistic power of what we’re creating, how it’s transforming our community, and how it’s touching the lives of many people around the world.

For those of you who don’t know, the idea to start a podcast came from our very own Director of Music and Worship in The Loft, Julia Black. Julia has been a key part of our community for many years, and it is with mixed emotions—sadness and joy—that I share the news that this coming Sunday, September 14th, will be her last with us. Julia will be moving to London to pursue her education at the London School of Theology. I will miss her sarcasm, her vegan banana bread, the way she adds sparkle to everything she does, and, of course, her leadership within our faith community. Please keep Julia in your prayers as she embarks on this exciting new chapter!

Despite moving across the pond, Julia will still be connected to our community because she remains a co-host on The Progressive Christians Podcast. It wouldn’t be the same without her, and I’m grateful that convincing her to continue working for our church in this role wasn’t necessary. Some of you might wonder if it’s worth the effort to coordinate recording schedules across an eight-hour time difference, so I’ll end this pastoral note by explaining why the short answer is yes!

Our podcast ministry is making a significant impact in America and around the world (we have subscribers on every continent except Antarctica!), and we couldn’t do this without your support. We currently have 1900 individual subscribers across YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts. In August, we had over 4,000 downloads and views. Our most popular episode, recorded just a few weeks ago, was “I Was A Christian Nationalist & Didn’t Know It, ” with April Ajoy, and it has over 5,500 views on YouTube alone! While these numbers are encouraging, what’s even more inspiring are the messages we receive from our listeners.

• “In this challenging time of re-evaluating my core beliefs and seeking to rebuild my faith, The Progressive Christians Podcast has been an absolute godsend. This show provides invaluable guidance as I strive to reconstruct my understanding of Christianity around the actual person and teachings of Jesus, and what it truly means to be a faithful follower in modern-day America.”
• “Like so many others, I’ve been reevaluating / deconstructing / reconstructing my faith in light of the 2024 election. These people get it! They give honest, raw, intelligent, and thoughtful insight not only into pop culture and politics through a Christian lens but also into the policies and purpose of the Church as a whole. Every episode makes me think. Every episode makes me want to dive deeper into my faith, a feeling I had lost for quite some time. I’m so incredibly grateful for this group of people!”
• “Long time listener, first time commenter. I just want to say thank you – all of you – for your leadership and courage. Your episodes have provided me with such great insight and hope. I have not attended church or called myself a Christian in many years, but I am thoroughly enjoying this side of Christianity. Please keep going – your voices matter deeply, especially right now.”
• “A few weeks ago my husband and I were having one of those deep “what is even happening to the world” chats, and without thinking, I blurted out, “I don’t think about the future anymore because I have no hope left.” Yeah… not exactly a vibe I’m used to giving off. It kind of stopped me in my tracks. After a few days of sitting with that, I realized my spiritual tank was running on empty. Christianity, something that used to bring me comfort, now just kind of leaves a bad taste in my mouth, thanks to how wildly politicized and radicalized it’s become lately. Somewhere along the way, I let go of some core beliefs just to keep my sanity intact. But yesterday, while working, I randomly searched for a progressive Christian podcast just hoping something might speak to me. And wouldn’t you know it, The Progressive Christian Podcast popped up. I hit play… and it felt like coming home. Finally, voices that sounded like love, justice, and inclusion. Real people just trying to help others and love radically. Breaking down what is happening in our country while still giving us hope. My people.”

A few weeks ago, Blair said that evangelism isn’t just between Christians and non-Christians, but wherever we need healing; that is where evangelism belongs. We need healing, the church needs healing, our communities need healing, and our country needs healing. This need for healing explains why both our church community and our podcast keep growing. My prayer is that we continue to serve as a space for healing and transformation for people who reject Christo-fascism and instead embrace God, who meets us with love, compassion, grace, and justice.

Love & Solidarity,
Rev. Dr. Carter