Trailer

Eric and Sara Joy introduce their partners for Season 4, Josh Yates and Chris Elisara, at Ormond Center. Together they discuss the plan and vision for this season, which centers on Jeremiah 29:7 and three key terms: shalom, place, and placemaking.

Episode 1 - What is shalom and how is it like dirt?

In Episode 1 of Season 4, Eric and Sara Joy introduce Wendell Berry's image of a bucket collecting local, natural materials and making soil or "dirt" as a metaphor for cultivating the shalom of a place. They also talk with Josh Yates, Executive Director of Ormond Center, to develop a robust definition of shalom for our listeners that provides a strong basis for meaningful Christian engagement in our communities in the midst of our cultural moment.

Episode 2 - Defining Place

In Episode 2 of Season 4, Eric and Sara Joy discuss the difference between place and space (and why place isn’t always good and space isn’t always bad), while framing both within a biblical understanding. They also talk with Chris Elisara from Ormond Center who shares about his perception and experience of place and its importance in his family life and community.

Episode 3 - Can you really make a place?

In Episode 3 of Season 4, Sara Joy and Eric contend that placemaking is possible and give some ideas of how to go about it as individuals and as congregations. Placemaking can sound like an abstract concept, but it is essentially helping our places become places worth caring about. Anyone or any church can engage in placemaking.

Episode 4 - Amy Sherman on Shalom

In Episode 4 of Season 4, Eric and Sara Joy talk with Dr. Amy Sherman of the Sagamore Institute about the writing and research she has done to exemplify opportunities for churches to cultivate shalom within their congregations and communities. Amy shares about her forthcoming book, Agents of Flourishing, which centers around six endowments of flourishing (or shalom) that are identified as: the Good, the True, the Beautiful, the Just, the Prosperous, and the Sustainable.

Episode 5 - Adam Ward on Sharing the Stories of a Place

In Episode 5 of Season 4, Eric and Sara Joy talk with Adam Ward about his podcast, For Columbus, based in Columbus, Ohio. Unlike other podcast hosts who aspire to expand their audience as far as possible, Adam is happy to limit his reach to those who love and serve Columbus. In this podcast, Adam shares stories about leaders serving God’s kingdom in a local setting.

Episode 6 - Rob Kaple on Church Renovation as Placemaking

In Episode 6 of Season 4, Eric and Sara Joy talk with Rob Kaple, lead pastor of Grace Midtown in Atlanta, about how their church renovation became a defining moment for their church's posture towards the surrounding neighborhoods. Rob shares a compelling story of how he and his congregation went through a paradigm shift as they considered how to best utilize their facility to support their mission.

Episode 7 - Cynthia Wallace on Holistic Neighboring

In Episode 7 of Season 4, Eric and Sara Joy interview Cynthia Wallace, Executive Pastor and Executive Director, about the providential birth of The Oasis Project, a community and economic development initiative led by Bible Center Church in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Oasis Project hosts a residential community, a business entrepreneurship training program, urban farm, after school programs, a commercial kitchen, and a number of other practical ministry initiatives.

Episode 8 - Pete Kelly on Seeking Shalom in Apartment Buildings

In Episode 8 of Season 4, Eric and Sara Joy interview Pete Kelly, CEO of Apartment Life on building relationships with and among the apartment dwellers in our cities. What makes Apartment Life’s ministry model especially compelling is that it also works as a business model. Many apartment building owners contract with Apartment Life because it helps them avoid costly turnover by retaining residents.

Episode 9 - Jonathan Brooks on Completing the Narrative in Your Neighborhood

How can a church help tell a more complete and restorative story in the neighborhoods that have a reputation for problems as well as neighborhoods that pretend they don't have any problems? In Episode 9 of Season 4, Eric and Sara Joy discuss this important question with Jonathan Brooks, pastor at Lawndale Community Church and author of Church Forsaken: Practicing Presence in Neglected Neighborhoods.

Episode 10 - Season Finale

So, now what? In this final episode of Season 4, Sara Joy and Eric welcome back to the show Josh Yates and Chris Elisara of Ormond Center to reflect on some key takeaways from Season 4 and to offer specific challenges to pastors, professionals, and the 'piqued' to encourage them to seek shalom in their local context.