Meaning

Ep. 17 | Pierre Fulford: The Meaning of Story

This fall, the Plymouth community has been gifted with the presence of spoken word artist, rapper, teacher, and preacher, Pierre Fulford. Pierre brought his love of language and storytelling to the church’s Midweek Mingle Wednesday night activities, working with our youth to help them develop a spoken word piece that was performed at the October 16, 2022 9AM service.
Prior to our conversation, what I knew about Pierre was his passion for helping kids find and use their unique voices. As I learned, the teaching he blessed our children with brought him full circle from his own childhood beginnings, and the nurturing he received from his grandmother and his own church community.
You can check out Pierre's music on Soundcloud and his preaching and inspirational messages on YouTube.

Ep. 16 | DeWayne Davis: Truth Telling

Truth telling can mean different things in different contexts: from the legalistic reporting of objective facts, to the more vulnerable task of naming the motivations and underpinnings of events that are ambiguous or fraught. In this episode, host Chris Bohnhoff and talks with Plymouth Lead Minister DeWayne Davis about how truth telling has shown up recently in his involvement in the reparations work being done through the Minnesota Council of Churches, in his teaching at United Theological Seminary, and in recent conversations surrounding social justice.

Ep. 15 | Tara Bauer: The Meaning of Relationship

To introduce our guest, Tara Bauer, I need to do a little quick nerding out. If you were to click around Plymouth’s website to the Clergy and Staff page, you’d see that Tara is listed as a Covenant Partner. If you’re not a seminarian you’d be excused for not knowing what that means, but it’s rooted in how the United Church of Christ thinks about sending people out into the world to do ministry. Unlike some denominations, the UCC assigns ordination status through a local church body. So even for chaplains like Tara, who has served as an Air Force chaplain since her pastoral residency at Plymouth from 2011-2013, a covenanted relationship with a local church is required to stay in good standing with the denomination. But the huge importance of covenant in our church and in our denomination is a topic for another day. For now, let’s dive into my conversation with Tara and the meaning she finds in military chaplaincy.

Ep. 14 | Seth Patterson: The Meaning of Perceived Barriers

It's happened to all of us. An amazing idea comes to us and practically as soon as it does, our inner critic throws up a cloud of reasons why it can't happen: not enough resources, not enough know how, nobody to help make it real. And this doesn't just happen to individuals; institutions have their own inner critics who are skeptical of growth and new initiatives. In this episode, host Chris Bohnhoff talks to Seth Patterson about making meaning out of those perceived barriers and the liminal space of bouncing on the diving board before your body decides to jump.

Ep. 13 | Kareem Murphy: The Meaning of Spiritual Integration

Like many people, Plymouth member Kareem Murphy kept his distance from organized religion in his twenties. Then, in the midst of a successful career as an equity partner at a Washington DC lobbying firm, he found the right moment to re-engage with his spirituality. Now, as the Director of Intergovernmental Affairs for Hennepin County, Kareem integrates his spiritual self into all aspects of his life. We talked about his religious history, and about the opportunities that have presented themselves to him as a direct result of his strongly held spiritual ethics.

Ep. 12 | Karen Barstad: Making Meaning In Community

Not long ago, Plymouth member Karen Barstad had a conversation with her sister about where they find the divine. Her sister’s answer was in nature; Karen’s answer was in community. From musical groups, to friendship circles, to groups whose purpose is to walk with people through life transitions, Karen has been a member of many sub-communities at Plymouth, and we talked about what meaning she has pulled from those often messy and imperfect, but always affirming and empowering experiences.

Ep. 11 | DeWayne Davis: Finite Disappointment and Infinite Hope

The summer of 2022 has not been an easy one for people in progressive spaces. We’ve seen the overturning of Roe vs Wade, multiple mass shootings, more instances of police killing of unarmed Black men, the congressional hearings on January 6, the war in Ukraine. . . all significant steps backward in terms of the struggles for peace and social justice. I sat down with Plymouth’s Lead Minister, DeWayne Davis, to talk through the question: given the immense challenges presented by this moment, how does one avoid sinking into cynicism, despair, and pessimism? Where is the enduring wisdom that can help us meet this moment? If you’re DeWayne, you find wisdom in our not-so-distant past. . . and on Netflix.

Ep. 10 | Annette Atkins: Making Meaning Through Studying History

How do you think about the study of history? Many of us were conditioned to think of history as a set of dates and names to memorize: a static set of facts that suggest the story of the past. But according to longtime Plymouth member Annette Atkins one studies history to bring today into contact with other times and populations. In the process, new questions emerge that lead to new understandings of both the past and the present.
 
A retired professor of history at St. John’s University and the College of St. Benedict, as well as the author of “Creating Minnesota: A History from the Inside Out,” Annette reflected with me about how she has made meaning out of the study of Minnesota’s past, as well as her search for meaning and self-identity in a post-teaching time of life.

Ep. 9 | Seth Patterson: Finding Meaning in Discomfort

What is your response to uncomfortable situations? How do you respond when confronted with a person or conversation that you disagree with, or that reveals a side of society or yourself that is hard to see? If you take your cues from social media or our popular culture, you might respond with anger, or defensiveness, or by distracting yourself from the source of the discomfort. But what does a spiritual path suggest as a more productive response?
 
I talked about this with Seth Patterson, Plymouth’s Minister for Spiritual Formation and Theater. He reflected on the constructive role that discomfort plays for him as a leader, as a performer, and as a community member.

Ep. 8 | EJ Kelley: The Meaning of Presence at the Groveland Food Shelf

EJ Kelley has followed a unique path: in the midst of a successful career, he followed a persistent internal voice that kept telling him that he could do more to help the marginalized in our community. Instead of sticking it out until traditional retirement age and then devoting himself to philanthropy, he left his paying job and, as a way of recharging, started volunteering at the Groveland Food Shelf. As it happened, at the same time he began practicing meditation and centering prayer.