Cary 1st Ward's Podcast

In this special Mother’s Day episode, children from our congregation share funny, surprising, and heartfelt thoughts about their moms—including a few discoveries about how moms apparently survive on hugs, prayers, and reminding people to clean things up. Through simple conversations, they describe love, kindness, comfort, faith, and the little things that make mothers so special. Their honest word...

Our guide in this episode is John White, a former bishop of our ward and now serving as a Sunday School instructor. We chat about the Old Testament—this year’s curriculum, a focus that John admits he’s yet to teach. We discuss about how he leads discussions on Sunday translates to how we lead in the home. Stay tuned to find out why the best answer in class is often just awkward silence.

Today’s episode is a little different—and you won’t want to miss it. Bishop Luke Peterson sits down with his wife, Katie, for a conversation that includes competitive jump-roping, a childhood prediction that has kind of come true, and a few stories that may permanently change how you see the Peterson family. It’s a warm and fun conversation. So stick around.

Our guide in this episode is Kendra Cope. You may know her as the Raleigh Stake Relief Society President. But what you may not know is that Kendra is also a pediatric speech pathologist with Wake County Public Schools. She works at Reading Creek Elementary with students from kindergarten through fifth grade, helping them communicate more effectively. In this episode, we talk about her career and h...

What happens when an ordinary day turns into a life-altering moment? In this episode, we sit down with Aaron Stander—a member of our congregation with an electrifying story and a shocking lesson about resilience, recovery, and the power of perspective. He faced what most of us can’t even imagine… and lived to tell it with humor, humility, and hard-earned wisdom, and yes, throws around a few puns....

McKensie Wilkinson has led as president of the Relief Society, the women’s organization of the Cary 1st Ward in North Carolina, for three years.  She joins to discuss themes from the April 2025 General Conference which she found uplifted her spiritually, strengthening her resolve to continue striving toward living closer to the teachings of Christ despite life's challenges. She was inspired by mes...

Luke Peterson has led as bishop of the Cary 1st Ward in North Carolina for nearly a year and recently sat down to share insights on creating this podcast, its mission to strengthen faith and foster community bonds. Reflecting on themes from the April 2025 General Conference, Bishop Peterson discussed how messages about vulnerability in leadership deepened his approach with empathy. He shared how t...