Faithfully Memphis

Emily Austin is joined by Sister Hannah Winkler, CSM, Prioress of the Community of St. Mary, Southern Province, for a thoughtful conversation about the resurgence of religious life and the enduring wisdom of Benedictine spirituality. Sister Hannah reflects on what she is seeing across Episcopal religious orders: genuine growth, renewed interest, and a deep longing for stability rooted in prayer. T...

In the final installment of our Sacred Secular Syncopated series, Emily Austin and theologian-writer Femi Olutade dive deep into the sacred undercurrents of hip-hop — from The Message to To Pimp a Butterfly . Drawing on scripture, Orthodox theology, and the language of transformation, they explore how artists like Tupac Shakur and Kendrick Lamar turn lived struggle into spiritual reflection. What...

When we hear the word secular , it’s often framed as the opposite of sacred —a divide that can leave us assuming anything “secular” is somehow lesser, or even bad. But what if that assumption is more habit than truth? In this episode, Emily Austin continues her conversation with theologian, writer, and podcaster Femi Olutade . Together, they trace how the church has historically understood the rel...

What does it mean to call something sacred in a world that feels increasingly chaotic? Emily Austin sits down with writer and theologian Femi Olutade —a Nigerian-American Millennial, husband, father, hip-hop head, and follower of Jesus in the Eastern Orthodox tradition—to wrestle with the idea of holiness. Femi is best known as the lead writer for the acclaimed Dissect Podcast season on Kendrick L...

Unlike business, medicine, and many other sectors that have objective processes for measuring outcomes, the poverty-fighting ecosystem simply hasn’t. This has made it nearly impossible to know which programs and services most effectively reduce social and economic gaps.  Slingshot Memphis  has addressed this by developing a new, standardized methodology to measure poverty-fighting effectiveness. J...

Jazmin Miller is an informed theatre artist, filmmaker, and the executive director of the non-profit Carpenter Art Garden, and her passions include equity, youth development, and education. Next week, the Barth House will host Miller as she lectures on her documentary film Jonesland,  but she's with us on Faithfully Memphis today talking with Emily Austin about how her faith informs her life a...

The theme of this Friday's Diocesan Convention -  Do Good and Share What You Have  - invites us to listen to the needs of our neighbors and give of ourselves to help share their load. Community Alliance for the Homeless (CAFTA), a 501c3 serving Memphis and Shelby County, does just that in their commitment to ending long-term homelessness and ensuring that future homelessness is rare, brief, an...

Since 2002, Dr. David Ouzts has served as Minister of Music and Liturgy at Church of the Holy Communion in Memphis. In this role, he serves as director of music and organist for the parish and conducts the Parish Choir and Holy Communion Ringers. As the parish liturgist, he works closely with the clergy in planning all worship. On this week's Faithfully Memphis, join Emily Austin in conversati...

Serving the same geographic footprint as the Episcopal Diocese of West Tennessee, Hannah's Hope provides adoption support and pregnancy counseling to all through a lens of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Tomorrow on Faithfully Memphis, the Rev. Trina Morrison, Executive Director of Hannah's Hope, will join Bishop Phoebe to talk about this important ministry. Learn more about Hannah's...

On Friday, November 3 at 7 p.m., the Rev. Dr. Robert MacSwain will deliver the Barth House Theological Society's Fall Lecture "Saints As Evidence for God." On the faculty of The University of the South (Sewanee) since 2009, MacSwain's teaching and research combine philosophy, theology, ethics, literature, and spirituality with a particular focus on how these five disciplines inte...

Justin Brooks is a Jackson, Tennessee native who came to Memphis in 2013 and now serves at Christian Brothers University as the Director of the Center for Community Engagement, where he also leads the annual Memphis Reads literacy program. On this episode of Faithfully Memphis, Justin talks with Emily Austin about going where God leads us, creating community, learning from our neighbors, and seein...

The Rev. Becca Stevens is a speaker, entrepreneur, author, priest, and founder and President of Thistle Farms. She has founded 14 nonprofits and justice enterprises, mentored another 60, and has raised over $75 million to support them. Becca has been featured on PBS NewsHour, The Today Show, CNN, ABC World News, named a CNN Hero, and White House Champion of Change, and holds five honorary doctorat...

Fall programming is in full swing at the Barth House Episcopal Center, and this week on Faithfully Memphis, Maggie Schaumleffel and Tori Black will join us to talk about why college ministry matters. Maggie is the Barth House Director of Ministries, and Tori is the newly-elected president of the student board Episcopal Campus Ministries at the Barth House. You can learn more about the Barth House...

The mission of  Lisieux Community  is to provide support and education for women who have survived trauma, addiction, prostitution, and life on the streets. Believing that these women do not begin a life on the streets on their own, but through the culture in which we live, Lisieux "wants to inspire change to transform the culture itself, while supporting each woman as she strives to achieve...

Join us this week for a conversation with Stephen Green, the Chief Development Officer of Agape Children & Family Services in Memphis . We also learn about Kassiani, Poet and Hymnographer, whose feast is celebrated on September 7. (Listen to our discussion with Laura Wilson from earlier this year about women in the Orthodox church here: https://tinyurl.com/FM-LauraWilson ). Remember to join us...

September 9 is a special day for Episcopalians in West Tennessee: it is the day that we commemorate the Feast of the Martyrs of Memphis. This years' Martyr's Weekend will be especially noteworthy because on Saturday, September 9, St. Mary's Episcopal Cathedral is inviting all to a joyous rededication of its worship space after a $1.5 million restoration. This week on Faithfully Memphis...

Last weekend, Bishop Phoebe traveled to Hayneville, Alabama to preach at a commemoration of the Jonathan Daniels and the Martyrs of Alabama. On this week's Faithfully Memphis, Bishop Phoebe shares a reflection on the experience and on the life and martyrdom of Jonathan Daniels.  Additionally, join Emily Austin for a conversation with Analiese Evans, a native of Collierville whose youth faith f...

Older adults are important community members whose lives should be filled with joy and connection. Music and arts experiences promote cognitive vitality, reduce isolation, and provide opportunities for community engagement. With that in mind, Creative Aging Mid-South provides high-quality, professional arts programming to seniors in our community. This week on Faithfully Memphis, join host Emily A...

This week on the show, join Bishop Phoebe for a conversation with Abbie Hitchon, who serves as Primary Therapist and Grant Manager at Thistle & Bee Enterprises. Learn about T&B's upcoming honey harvest event and other ways to engage with their social enterprise ministry, which is dedicated to helping formerly-trafficked women survivors thrive. We also learn about Joanna, Mary, and Salo...

“There’s a lot of pain and discord in the world right now, and that’s left a lot of us feeling hopeless, but I like that oft-quoted Mr. Rogers saying, ‘Look for the helpers.’ People all over the world are championing causes because humanity’s core trait, I’m convinced, is goodness.”  This week, join Emily Austin for a conversation with Memphis-based writer Marvin Stockwell. This summer, along with...

This week on Faithfully Memphis, Bishop Phoebe returns to the host seat for a conversation with Shari Ray. A teacher of literature and writing for nearly forty years, Shari is Chair of the English Department at St. Mary's Episcopal School in Memphis, Tennessee. In addition to her life as a teacher, she is also a writer. Infusing verse throughout much of her prose, Ray leans on the shoulders of...

Travis Moody is the founder and CEO of Forward Memphis, a financial empowerment group whose goal is to provide sustainable financial assistance to historically marginalized communities that are targeted by predatory lending practices in the Memphis area. As a graduate of Hamilton High School, faith leader, and financial consultant, Travis has positioned himself to lead the working class of the Blu...

Happy Pride! This week on Faithfully Memphis, join Emily Austin for a conversation with Baltimore-based writer Billie Hoard (she/her), a trans Christian woman in the Anabaptist Mennonite tradition whose writing explores the intersection of transgender identities and the Church. Join Emily and Billie for a lively discussion ranging from late-90s youth group culture to allyship to intersectionality...

This week on Faithfully Memphis, join the Rev. Laura Gettys, Associate Rector for Community Engagement and Congregational Development at Grace-St. Luke's, for a conversation with Ann Perry Wallace. Ann is an actor and writer from Memphis, Tennessee who is daring to confront the stereotype of an aging actress. Her new one-person show,  Live Rich Die Poor , is based on the life of Zora Neale Hur...

Since 2005, the West Tennessee Haiti Partnership (WTHP) has brought hope and healing to the people of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. On this episode of Faithfully Memphis, join the Very Rev. Gary Meade, interim dean of St. Mary's Cathedral, for a conversation with Dr. Susan Nelson and the Rev. Deacon Drew Woodruff. Learn about this important ministry and ways that you can support it right here in West...