Common Table Podcast UMC

Send a text Attorney Sahar Francis leads Addameer , a non-profit legal aid and human rights organization that advocates for Palestinian prisoners and citizens. From her work in the courts, her conversations with detainees, and her encounters with the Israeli Defense Forces, she offers a powerful firsthand account of the daily injustices faced by the Palestinian people. Join us for this compelling...

Send a text Rev. Alex Awad, born in Jerusalem in 1946, has lived through every phase of Palestinian–Israeli conflict and hope for peace. After decades of ministry in Bethlehem, Jerusalem, and Gaza, he speaks to the reality of genocide, displacement, and injustice facing Palestinians today. Grounded in Christ, Rev. Awad offers an urgent call to pursue peace with justice and to confront the limits o...

Send a text This multi-episode series features voices of speakers, leaders, and activists working for peace with justice in Palestine and Israel, recorded during my May 2025 trip to the West Bank and Jerusalem. Among them is Jeff Halper, a 2025 Nobel Peace Prize nominee, who offers thought-provoking insights into what a path toward peace might truly require. Through these conversations, you’ll hea...

Send a text In our May 2025 podcast series recorded in the Holy Land, we had the privilege of sitting with award-winning journalist Gideon Levy, who shared with our group profound truths from his decades of reporting. As a seasoned writer covering Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza, Levy offers a perspective that cannot be ignored. He speaks plainly about what he has witnessed and challenges listener...

Send a text Breaking the Silence is a not for profit group in Israel that offers support to veterans and soldiers of the Israeli Defense Force (IDF).  From their website: www.breakingthesilence.org They are an organization of veteran soldiers who have served in the Israeli military since the start of the Second Intifada and have taken it upon themselves to expose the public to the reality of every...

Send a text Rev. Ashraf Tannous is a young Christian Palestinian pastor, recently installed at the congregation of Christmas Lutheran church in Bethlehem,  with a deep passion for the Lord, a powerful gift for preaching, and a compassionate heart for the people of the Holy Land. As one whose faith roots and historic lineage reaches back to the first Pentecost (Acts 2), he believes it is God’s desi...

Send a text Rabbi GLENN JACOB leads the New York affiliate of New York Interfaith Power and Light (IPL).  It is an independent nonprofit (501C3) organization established in 2004.  IPL represents over 110 communities of faith and thousands of individuals to be the moral response to climate change in New York State.  Rabbi Jacob articulates the vision of the not-for-profit organization well, suggest...

Send a text Andrew Hartley, PhD, is the Chair person of the Creation Justice team of the Upper New York UMC Annual Conference.  Dr. Hartley is passionate about Creation Justice and Creation Care.  His passion and commitment to the health of the planet drives his life through faith and gives direction to the team which harnesses the energy of the UNY AC UMC.  The team brings information to the life...

Send a text The Social Holiness team of the UNY AC UMC is involved with the denominational effort to dismantle racism in our culture and our church. We offer this podcast as a way to bring awareness to the justice matters of racism in our midst, and sense of hope that all God's people are able to see one another in light of God's grace.  Specifically, the UNY AC assembled a task force to...

Send a text n The spiritual truths we share are part of the universal human experience.  In this Common Table UMC Podcast, Rev. Dr. Robin Blair speaks with Ansley Jemison, Cultural Liason of Ganondagan Historic Site in Victor, NY.  Ganondagan State Historic Site located in Victor, NY is a National Historic Landmark, the only New York State Historic Site dedicated to a Native American theme (1987),...

Send a text Common Table Podcast UMC (CPT) is honored to welcome Ralph Singh, Founder, Wisdom Thinkers Network.   He is an educator, speaker, author, and practitioner in the Sikh religious tradition .  Ralph is devoted to finding and naming our shared values in a diverse culture and a pluralistic religious landscape.  Many voices, many ideas, many  religions, and many ways of loving one another th...

Send a text October is Domestic Violence Prevention Awareness month in the USA.  Brittany McCray is the Adult Advocate for Safe harbors of the Finger Lakes (SHFL),  a  domestic violence counseling not for profit center in several central NYS counties.   The SHFL centers exist to help people whose violent victimization has harmed, wounded, and perhaps  overwhelmed their lives;  because what once wa...

Send a text Peace With Justice in Palestine/Israel, with Rev Alex Awad Common Table Podcast gives voice to those whose voices are quieted by culture and privilege.  When one is given the dignity of voice, of being heard as invited to the table of grace, leadership in faith is developed in the telling of the stories that awakens and inspires Christ’s purpose in our lives. The Holy Spirit gives flig...