Millennials In Ministry

For the third Sunday in the season of Advent @kaleophx , Pastor Erin guides us through Matthew 11:2-11, the work of Howard Thurman's book, "The Luminous Darkness" and shows us what it means to let the darkness be a peaceful teacher.  Advent is a season in which we wait for God and with God. A season of waiting on God in ways that open us more and more completely to the fullness of God, a time...

"We are waiting.⁠ We are waiting in the dark.⁠ We are waiting in the holy darkness.⁠ We are waiting in the womb of God.⁠ Between this Advent and the next.⁠ We wait." - A Prayer by Wilda C. Gafney⁠ ⁠ In this episode, we begin the first Sunday of Advent, and Pastor Erin guides us through the work of Wilda C. Gafney, Fleming Rutledge, and the parable of the doorkeeper in Mark 13:34-37.  Click he...

Truthsgiving, coined by Indigenous activist Christine Nobiss is meant to dismantle common misunderstandings about Thanksgiving with...well, the truth.⁠ In this episode you'll hear a moving story from our friend, Tahda Ahtone, whose Native roots and knowledge of American genocide made it difficult for her to follow Jesus...but God.⁠ ⁠ On this final Sunday of our series "The Violence of Love," Pasto...

We're on week 7 of our journey through the work of Oscar Romero and the way he preached the Good News of Jesus among the poor and oppressed of El Salvador.⁠ In this episode, we reflect on Romero's homily from April 9, 1978 and are guided through Luke 24:13-35 as we discuss the importance of pushing back on the line of tolerance for White Supremacy. ⁠ "In this difficult hour more than ever is there...

Kaleo Phoenix is on week 4 of a journey through the work of Oscar Romero and the way he preached the Good News of Jesus among the poor and oppressed of El Salvador.⁠ In this episode, we reflect on Romero's homily from February 24, 1980, and are guided through Isaiah 43:14-21. God has always been in the business of liberation and tearing down systems of oppression. ⁠Can you see what God is up to to...

Recorded on September 18, 2022 at Kaleo Phoenix. Welcome to Week 2 of our journey through the work of Oscar Romero and the way he preached the Good News of Jesus among the poor and oppressed of El Salvador.⁠ In this episode, we read Psalm 146:5-10 and portions of his homily from December 11, 1977.  As a church family, we will continue to work for peace and justice and we will continue to stri...

Recorded on August 21, 2022. Tonight we heard from one of our very own, Kendall Dooley - a beloved friend and pastor to so many in our community. ⁠Kendall is a Spiritual Development & Mentorship Coordinator at Neighborhood Ministries (NM) whose mission is to be the presence of Jesus Christ to distressed families of Urban Phoenix.⁠ In this sermon, we are guided through Luke 13:10-17 and shown h...

I turned 33 yesterday. My Jesus year.  Jesus, Howard Thurman, and MLK all lived in contradiction to the world they were living in. We must also do so if we want to create spaces of peace for communal flourishing. BUT…it starts with a seed in a greenhouse. I could think of no better way to gift the world with who I am than by sharing this message I gave last Sunday called The Greenhouse Contra...

What is the language of a decolonized faith? How do I marry my faith with my desire to see social and political change? Where is Jesus in relationship to the oppressed and marginalized? I had the opportunity to share a reflection at the Corazón Arizona  Rise + Vote Town Hall meeting and a few people asked me for a copy. Click here for the transcript. Don’t forget to VOTE in Arizona’s primary...

Today is Trinity Sunday at Kaleo Phoenix. Leonardo Boff writes, "If God means three divine Persons in eternal communion among themselves, then we must conclude that we also, sons and daughters, are called to communion. We are the image and likeness of the Trinity. Hence, we are community beings."⁠ In this episode, Erin talks about how we are a trinitarian people and through the Spirit are able to...

"'Our fathers' have given us this practice of patriarchy and racism that remains in our country and in a lot of our churches today. The violent and unjust acts we witness in our world today are symptoms of this illness that hides behind American exceptionalism. However,  This history reveals, like Kendrick’s song, that this is a generational problem and that our past 'fathers' were formed by...

Even in the conception of this national case – Jane Roe lived as a poster child for both abortion and anti-abortion. Her story reveals that a woman’s choice is nuanced by lived experiences! Click here for a recording and transcript of my message. 

On Easter Sunday, Kaleo was joined by our friends at Bridge Worship Collective and had service outside in the courtyard at Grace Lutheran. I was a bit intimidated taking on the Easter sermon by myself 😬 so I asked if my friend Chris would split it with me! Click here for a recording and transcript of my message.

Jesus was a subversive, political leader. He took on the humanity of us all and showed us what it means to live a life subversive to the empire. For Good Friday, Kaleo joined our friends at Grace Lutheran Church where we gather, partner, and serve. Grace is pastored by Pastor Sarah Stadler , and she asked me to share a 5min reflection. You can read the transcript by clicking here . 

We recorded a full video recap of the month of February but the audio was lagging behind the video so we decided to make it an audio-only listen. Join our Patreon for monthly updates in real-time: patreon.com/millennialsinministry

As they walked through the Red Sea, I imagine that all of Israel marched together just like they do in the protests of today. They marched on dry ground surrounded by walls of impossibility, yet God made a way for them to cross over to the other side. And they are led by a prophet called Miriam as she sings and dances she embodies a place of liberation as the river swallows up their oppressors - t...

I believe John Brown was an embodied witness of Jesus because he looked at the scriptures and saw liberation and a God of love …. And then embodied in practice what he believed the spirit of God wanted for the people of his time…FREEDOM. Now, not everybody agrees with his method of violence, and you don’t have to agree with it… click here to read more. 

Join Erin Dooley and Ericka Byrne for some Black Girl Tea as we discuss our thoughts on growing up Black in White spaces, the cost of healing, and the absolute necessity of liberating the next generation. Watch the video here . For more exclusive content, join our Patreon here: http://patreon.com/MillennialsInMinistry . 

For the third 5th week of Epiphany and the first Sunday of Black History Month, Kendall spoke at Kaleo Phoenix on Sunday, February 6, 2022. Tap in to listen to the sermon or click below for a transcript of his message notes. "For some of you, your initial following of Jesus may be a marker in your life and spiritual journey as one of amazement. The Jesus you were handed may look different than the...

A preview from our Book Club reading "Jesus and the Disinherited" by Howard Thurman - Chapter 2. Click below for more information on how to become a patron:  erinvlashely.com/patreon

At the beginning of the fall semester, “Millions of people watched a disagreement between pairs of students at Arizona State University that was captured on video, with the clip showing two white male students getting asked to leave a multicultural space.  Groups of ASU students have advocated for multicultural spaces on campus for several years to provide an area for students of color, under...

For the second week of Advent, I spoke at Kaleo Phx on Sunday, December 5, 2021. We also had our friends from Neighborhood Ministries with us to help register people to vote. This is a recording from that gathering and below is a transcript of my message notes: https://www.erinvlashley.com/millennials/2021/05/12/advent-2-vote-and-make-crooked-places-straight-kaleophx

After the heavy week of Julius Jones, Kyle Rittenhouse, and ASU Multi-cultural center, I spoke at Kaleo Phx on Sunday, November 21, 2021. This is a recording from that gathering and here is a transcript of my message notes: https://www.erinvlashley.com/millennials/2021/21/11/julius-jones-kyle-rittenhouse-truthsgiving-and-the-persistent-widow-kaleo-phx

Participating in a shared experience gives us the opportunity to partake together in joy, in belonging, and in community. I spoke at Kaleo Phx on Sunday, October 24, 2021 and this is a recording from that gathering. Click here for a transcript of my message notes: https://www.erinvlashley.com/millennials/2021/24/10/jesus-stories-miracles-at-the-table-kaleo-phx

In order for something to be reconciled, you have to give a full account of what was done. Everything must be accounted for. So for us to truly see racial reconciliation, we must give an account of every racial injustice that has happened in our country. Which is messy...difficult...hard...but it must be done if we are to build multi-ethnic communities of healing. A flourishing church. A highly in...