Season 12: Critical Themes for the Current and Future Church | Episode 5
Opting into Joy
Overview
This week, host Rev. Lisa Greenwood and co-host Rev. Kathi McShane are joined by Rev. Tyler Sit, a pastor, community organizer, and social entrepreneur, and Rev. Rich Havard, Senior Program Officer for Wayfarer Foundation, to explore the transformative power of joy in faith and community. They discuss the distinction between happiness and joy, the impact of authentic friendships, and how joy acts as resistance against despair and injustice.
Listen as Lisa, Kathi, Tyler, and Rich share how joy can exist amid suffering and how leaders can cultivate this defiant joy in their community.
In this conversation, you’ll hear:
- Joy and Authenticity: Joy arises from welcoming all emotions and navigating through difficult ones, finding resurrection on the other side.
- Friendship and Joy: Deep, authentic friendships like those between Tyler and Rich cultivate joy by creating spaces where people feel seen and heard.
- Joy in Social Justice: Joy functions as a form of rebellion and a necessary counterbalance to the inherent challenges in social justice work.
- Cultivating Joy: Joy can be cultivated through practices like the welcoming prayer, staying present to emotions, and creating conditions for joy in communities.
- Joy as an Act of Faith: Embracing joy, especially amidst crises and injustice, is seen as a spiritual practice and an act of faith.
Meet Our Guests
Rev. Tyler Sit
Rev. Tyler Sit is a pastor, community organizer, and social entrepreneur. Tyler is the Founder of New City Church and Co-Founder of Intersect Planting Network. New City Church reflects the vision from Revelation of a new city where all tribes are welcomed, there is no violence, and the earth is renewed. Tyler’s congregation, led by BIPOC leaders, is realizing this vision by focusing on centering marginalized voices, community organizing, and eco-justice. He received a 2023 Locke Innovative Leader Award.
Rev. Rich Harvard
Rev. Rich Havard is a Senior Program Officer for Wayfarer Foundation, a Bahá’í-inspired grant-making organization that partners with spiritually rooted and justice-oriented nonprofits to co-create peace and unity in the world. Prior to Wayfarer, Rich spent 6 years starting and leading the Inclusive Collective, a diverse spiritual community for college-aged young adults in Chicago.
Show Notes
Rev. Tyler Sit is a pastor, community organizer, and social entrepreneur. Tyler is the Founder of New City Church and Co-Founder of Intersect Planting Network. New City Church reflects the vision from Revelation of a new city where all tribes are welcomed, there is no violence, and the earth is renewed. Tyler’s congregation, led by BIPOC leaders, is realizing this vision by focusing on centering marginalized voices, community organizing, and eco-justice. He received a 2023 Locke Innovative Leader Award.
Rev. Rich Havard is a Senior Program Officer for Wayfarer Foundation, a Bahá’í-inspired grant-making organization that partners with spiritually rooted and justice-oriented nonprofits to co-create peace and unity in the world. Prior to Wayfarer, Rich spent 6 years starting and leading the Inclusive Collective, a diverse spiritual community for college-aged young adults in Chicago.
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More From Season 12: Critical Themes for the Current and Future Church
What’s a Critical Theme for the Future Church That We Missed
With Rev. Lisa Greenwood, Rev. Kathleen McShane, and Rev. Dr. Blair Thompson
Small Boats are the Big Wave for the Church
With Rev. Dr. Kenda Creasy Dean and Rev. Dr. Michael Beck