A Beautiful Church

In this episode of A Beautiful Church Podcast, host Adam Whitescarver welcomes Jenny Stripling, Development Officer at Northside Neighborhood House (NNH), to explore the rich history, impactful programs, and current initiatives of this 100-year-old nonprofit serving Chattanooga’s northside community. Jenny shares her journey to Chattanooga, her passion for community service, and the many ways NNH...

In this episode of A Beautiful Church Podcast, host Adam Whitescarver sits down with Justin Wade, President of Partners for Christian Media, to discuss the growth and challenges of Christian media in Chattanooga. Justin shares his personal story, his leadership at J103, and the creative ways Partners for Christian Media reaches people through radio, streaming platforms, and community events. Toget...

In this episode of A Beautiful Church Podcast, Adam Whitescarver sits down with Anthony Watkins, Executive Director of Hope for the Inner City, to discuss his journey into ministry and the impactful work his organization is doing in Chattanooga.  Anthony shares stories of his upbringing in Indianapolis, his passion for serving, and how his nonprofit is working to support Chattanooga’s inner city t...

In this episode of A Beautiful Church Podcast, Adam Whitescarver sits down with Tony Souder, CEO of One Hundred Years and founder of the Pray for Me Campaign, to discuss his work with Chattanooga’s youth leaders and his mission to connect generations through intergenerational prayer. Tony shares his journey into ministry, the early days of founding the Chattanooga Youth Network, and the developmen...

This episode dives into the realities of trafficking in Chattanooga, the transformative power of prayer, and the importance of trauma-informed care in helping survivors heal from their past. Listen in to learn how churches and individuals can join forces with Love’s Arm to bring hope and restoration to those most in need.   ---------------------------------------   Jump Through the Conversation  ...

In this episode, Adam Whitescarver sits down with Patti Harris, the Director of the Greater Chattanooga Chapter of Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF). CEF is a worldwide ministry focused on evangelizing and discipling children, partnering with local churches, and establishing kids into local congregations for spiritual growth.   Patti shares her inspiring journey from a fashion merchandising career...

Welcome to A Beautiful Church Podcast! In this episode, host Adam Whitescarver talks with Jonathan Ingraham, a local nonprofit leader from Chattanooga, about faith, work, and community. Jonathan shares his journey, the mission of Faith Co-op, and how integrating faith in the workplace brings purpose to daily life. Timestamps for key discussion points: 00:22 - Introduction to the podcast and guest...

Terry shares his journey from being a youth pastor to his current role at On Point, where he helps guide programs that focus on life skills, abstinence education, and building supportive relationships with students. This episode dives into the history of On Point, its mission to empower youth through education and support, and how the organization collaborates with schools and churches to create p...

The mission of this podcast is to highlight the beauty and diversity of God’s Church – both in Chattanooga and the Church at large. This season is all about spiritual rhythms and disciplines, and we’ve been using the last few episodes to focus on sabbaticals, a continuation of the practice of sabbath rest. In this episode, Micki Ann chats with our final guest of the season, pastor Grady Davidson,...

The mission of this podcast is to highlight the beauty and diversity of God’s Church – both in Chattanooga and the Church at large. Last episode, Micki Ann and Rusty McKie introduced the topic of sabbaticals. In this episode, Micki Ann interviews pastor Tracy Edwards, who shares his story of working with his congregation to take a much-needed break from ministry. In his seventeen years of pastorin...

The mission of this podcast is to highlight the beauty and diversity of God’s Church – both in Chattanooga and the Church at large. Earlier in this season, Adam and Micki Ann talked about the spiritual rhythm of sabbath, but what if you need more than one day of rest? In this episode, guest Rusty McKie shares advice on how to take a sabbatical.  After pastoring for several years, Rusty sensed God...

The mission of this podcast is to highlight the beauty and diversity of God’s Church – both in Chattanooga and the Church at large. No spiritual practice is more connected to the Bible and the Church than the Lord’s Prayer. In this episode, Adam explains why knowing this piece of Scripture is so useful for praying comprehensively at any time. The initial significance of the Lord’s Prayer is obviou...

The mission of this podcast is to highlight the beauty and diversity of God’s Church – both in Chattanooga and the Church at large. Does how we use our bodies matter theologically? According to guest Joey Schlabs, the answer is a definitive “yes!” In this episode, Micki Ann dialogues with Joey about embodied spirituality and the why and how of making embodied choices.  Between his academic interes...

The mission of this podcast is to highlight the beauty and diversity of God’s Church – both in Chattanooga and the Church at large. This episode’s spiritual discipline is the Examen – but don’t worry, this isn’t a test! It’s an ancient practice combining prayer, thankfulness, and reflection. As they walk through the steps of the Examen, Adam and Micki Ann discuss the importance of reflective pract...

The mission of this podcast is to highlight the beauty and diversity of God’s Church – both in Chattanooga and the Church at large. How can the Ten Commandments be used as a positive spiritual practice? In this episode, Adam and Micki Ann move past the common negative view of the Ten Commandments and show how they can be used to bring us closer to God and the life He created us for. Especially in...

The mission of this podcast is to highlight the beauty and diversity of God’s Church – both in Chattanooga and the Church at large. There are many ways to read Scripture, but Lectio Divina (Latin for “sacred reading”) is a slowed-down approach with the aim of engaging in conversation with God through the text. In this episode, Adam and Micki Ann look at the four movements of Lectio Divina and how...

The mission of this podcast is to highlight the beauty and diversity of God’s Church – both in Chattanooga and the Church at large. For this episode, Adam and Micki Ann switch roles to allow Adam to tell the story of how he came to realize that he needed to craft a rule of life. As they discuss life-giving habits, real limitations, and the rhythms that guide both of these categories, Micki Ann and...

The mission of this podcast is to highlight the beauty and diversity of God’s Church – both in Chattanooga and the Church at large. What comes to mind when you hear the word “sabbath?” In this episode, Adam and Micki Ann address preconceptions about the Sabbath and show why this sacramental time is an invitation not just to rest but to deepen intimacy with God. As Adam shares, a mandatory Sabbath...

The mission of this podcast is to highlight the beauty and diversity of God’s Church – both in Chattanooga and the Church at large. If the thought of sitting in extended silence sounds challenging or even awkward, you’re not alone. Even Micki Ann acknowledges that silence, solitude, and stillness are some of the hardest rhythms to learn – but also the most important. In this episode, Adam and Mick...

The mission of this podcast is to highlight the beauty and diversity of God’s Church – both in Chattanooga and the Church at large. Joining Adam for Season 5 is Micki Ann Harris, the Spiritual Formation Director at the Chattanooga House of Prayer. In this episode, Micki Ann shares how her life experiences led her to Chattanooga and ChattHOP, and she and Adam talk about their Rhythms Retreats and w...

The mission of this podcast is to highlight the beauty and diversity of God’s Church – both in Chattanooga and the Church at large. Welcome to Season 5 of A Beautiful Church Podcast! For the past four seasons, we’ve brought you ecumenical voices from across the greater Chattanooga area through Adam’s conversations with pastors, priests, and ministry leaders – all with the goal of showing the beaut...

The mission of this podcast is to highlight the beauty and diversity of God’s Church – both in Chattanooga and the Church at large. Ken Sauer knew he was called to be a pastor from a young age, but it took a radical experience with a cult, ten years of depression and spiritual wandering, and the MTV Video Music Awards to get him to start his ministry journey. Now, Ken is the pastor of Red Bank Uni...

The mission of this podcast is to highlight the beauty and diversity of God’s Church – both in Chattanooga and the Church at large. Pastor Terry Evans knows what God has called his church to do – minister to the community. Grace Pointe Assembly of God has found ways to serve local oncology patients, homeschool groups, special needs kids and their families, and more. Alongside its outreach, Grace P...

The mission of this podcast is to highlight the beauty and diversity of God’s Church – both in Chattanooga and the Church at large. From coming to the Lord at six years old at a revival at the church to leaving a thriving ministry in Indiana to return as its senior pastor, Dr. Ternae Jordan’s life and ministry have been undeniably connected to Mount Canaan Baptist Church in Chattanooga, Tennessee....

The mission of this podcast is to highlight the beauty and diversity of God’s Church – both in Chattanooga and the Church at large. Association with any denomination comes with both pros and cons. Although The Crossing changed its name to attract those who might have a negative view of the Church of God, this congregation has not strayed from its Pentecostal roots. In fact, Pastor Chad Harris has...