The Collective Table

Today Dana & Chelsea sit down with UK-based Gospel singer Niella to talk about her song Stand With Me.  In 2015, Niiella, born Daniella Dankwah-Coffie, emerged as the first runner-up of the  Stars of the Future  music reality show in Ghana. She is a 2013 4syte Gospel Music Video of the Year nominee, and the author of 2015’s  Beautiful  EP and 2017's  Shades of Mercy  LP. She is also the VGMA B...

In today's episode of Songs of Summer, Chelsea and Talip chat with musician, trans black pastor, and social worker Cameron Malakai about his song, I'll Sing a Praise to You.  Listen to I'll Sing a Praise to You here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eU2OjstttBo Cameron is a social worker and the lay worship pastor of Zao MKE Church. As a young, black, queer and trans person, Cameron's ministry cal...

This week, we were joined by author Phuc Luu for a discussion on his book, Jesus of the East: Reclaiming the Gospel for the Wounded. Listen in on the discussion here!  Much of Western Christianity has subdued the narrative of Jesus as a Palestinian Jewish healer and liberator who served the sick and oppressed. But the Jesus of the Gospels is a revolutionary who stands with the sinned against, the...

Listen in as Dana & Chelsea speak with artist Wilder Adkins about his song, Side By Side.  Listen to Side By Side here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tm1Ha_eyJrI   Wilder  Adkins’ songwriting gleans as much from the earthy poetry of Wendell Berry and Mary Oliver as it does from the works of folk luminaries Richard Thompson and Bruce Cockburn. He’s a true theosophical spirit, arrestingly tac...

Today Chelsea & Dana sit down with Malynda Hale to talk about all things social justice, activism, spirituality, and music. Listen to her song, God and His Gun, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PszjLfSO8g4 .  Malynda Hale is a singer/songwriter, actress, entrepreneur & activist. She uses her voice through music and social media presence as an educating activist to effect change within...

Welcome to Season 5 of The Collective Table Podcast, Songs of Summer! Today Chelsea & Talip sit down with Trey Pearson to talk about his faith journey and his song, Hey Jesus. Listen to Hey Jesus here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5im_tBINf80   With his band Everyday Sunday, Trey Pearson has sold hundreds of thousands of records, and amassed millions of streams. He has scored 5 #1 U.S. sin...

On May 25th TCT sat down with Ashton Whitmoyer-Ober to talk about her book The Enneagram Made Simple. Enjoy! 

This is our Easter episode! Rev. Chelsea, Dana and Rev. Claire have an in depth conversation about the new vision of hope that the resurrection provides. A new hope that comes to us through the experience of Mary Magdalene. She is the one who Jesus appears to for the first time since dying on the cross. And this changes everything! Learn more at thecollectivetable.org   

In this Holy Week episode, Rev. Chelsea and Dana talk about Farewell Discourse or the last instructions that Jesus leaves his disciples before he is killed. This last sermon includes the promise of the Holy Spirit, the difficulties they will encounter because of following Jesus, the necessity of staying connected to God, and the always popular, yet difficult love one another.  It also includes thi...

This special episode features a discussion between Chelsea and Cole Arthur Riley, a writer and poet. She is the author of the NYT bestseller, This Here Flesh: Spirituality, Liberation, and the Stories that Make Us . Her writing has been featured in The Atlantic, Guernica, The Boston Globe, and The Washington Post. You can learn more about the author and her work at colearthurriley.com   You can le...

Lent is an opportunity for us to take inventory of our lives, clear our minds and prepare our hearts so that we might be ready for the ultimate celebration...Jesus overcoming death! But before we get to the resurrection we need to walk through some difficult situations and some challenging Scriptures. In this episode, Rev. Chelsea and Rev. Claire discuss John 12:1-8 in which Mary Magdalene anoints...

As we continue in our the Art of Community season, we wanted to throw it back all the way to last season, Sermon Podcast Hour, with the re-release of one of our favorite conversations.  Rev. Joe Kim joyfully and passionately talks about the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. Jesus reminds a distraught Martha that he is not only the resurrection but also the life…here and now.  And now t...

TCT’s February book is A More Perfect Union: A New Vision for Building the Beloved Community by Adam Russell Taylor, president of Sojourners.   In A More Perfect Union, Taylor reimagines a contemporary version of the Beloved Community that will inspire and unite Americans across generations, geographic and class divides, racial and gender differences, faith traditions, and ideological leanings.  ...

1st Corinthians, Part 3 Even though this passage is typically read at weddings, the love that Paul is talking about has almost nothing to do with romance. This biblical love that Paul describes is not only what you do but it’s who you are. It comes from your identity in a God who is love. Once we recognize and claim this identity we can act out of and in love. True love, as Paul sees it, always be...

1st Corinthians, Part 2 In this episode, Dana and Rev. Claire dive into 1st Corinthians 12 (spiritual gifts and the body of Christ). Paul is teaching the people of Corinth about being unified in the midst of diversity by using their gifts to build one another up...or in other words the common good. It's not about division of labor but rather recognizing our interdependence. We need each other! All...

God communicates with us yesterday, today, and tomorrow. The Bible is a living document that can guide how we think about the Creator and what the Creator is trying to communicate to us through time and space. Reminder – God’s mission is full and whole love, as God is love. How would God use this text to communicate love and wholeness (fullness)? Don’t forget to sign-up to receive the full collect...

Baptism reminds us that we are loved by God. It also reminds us that we share the weightiness of what it means to be human with others. Together we are invited into the water of Baptism as we hope for something more and as we work for something better. Baptism is a gift but it is also a task. Don’t forget to sign-up to receive the full collection!   thecollectivetable.org 

The Collective Table is so excited for Season 4, The Art of Community! Art is the expression of human creative skill and imagination.  When we engage with one another through small group experiences we are creating the art of community. Every person in the community offers his/her/their lived experience. Layers, textures, and colors add to the emerging community through listening, discussing, and...

Rob Bell….where to start. Rob Bell is a New York Times Bestselling author of 11 books including Drops Like Stars, Love Wins and Everything is Spiritual. He hosts a widely successful podcast called The Rob Cast. He tours nationally and internationally, speaking to large crowds about spirituality, mystery, ancient wisdom, what it means to be human and so much more.  For many looking for a more expan...

Olu Brown is founding and Lead Pastor of Impact Church Atlanta, one of the fastest growing UM churches in the country. He is an author, coach, consultant, and speaker and is committed to empowering people and organizations to grow in the love of God.  Olu strongly believes in an active church, one that makes a meaningful impact in the lives of individuals and communities. Impact is a multicultural...