June 17, 2019
Ron Couchman, a 52-year member of the Gettysburg College staff was the former Registrar and is currently working in Special Collections and College Archives, shares his personal story of coming out as a gay man with the help of therapy and his congregation, St. James, Gettysburg.
With the leadership of a task force of which he is a member and the support of the pastors, the congregation has adopted Reconciling in Christ which emphasizes welcome, equality, and justice. The task force holds a celebration of “Reconciling” each January. He recommends a helpful resource, “ReconcilingWorks,” as a way for congregations to build community beyond itself.
June 3, 2019
Carla Christopher returns to carry on our discussion about having difficult conversations. In this episode we explore the terminology surrounding gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation. Society often perceives these topics as very binary, you are male or female, you are attracted to men or to women. The reality is much more complicated. Carla skillfully guides us through the terminology and how it is used and misused. She also explains personal pronouns and why he/she and his/hers are not the only options.
May 20, 2019
Alex Hayes, Managing Editor of the Gettysburg Times, shares his belief that for a local newspaper to survive it must be local. Despite, and perhaps because of, the competition from on-line news, people still want to read about their neighbors, their town councils, their courts, and their sports events, even if one reads it as an e-edition. Furthermore, the newspaper, whether the New York Times or the Gettysburg Times, offers a much higher degree of reliability than on-line news which is often driven by unverified opinion or worse—a development in American history that is a major departure from the past and often disturbing as well.
April 22, 2019
Guest host Carla Christopher spent time with Michael and Zach Zakar, authors of Pray the Gay Away, a book that chronicles their experience of coming out to their Christian Iranian mother and their own personal experiences during this process of self-discovery. They are advocates for LGBTQIA+ rights and offer support to youth who are coming out through their mobile app, My Twins Chat.
This deeply personal and at times humorous discussion will make you laugh and make you stop and think.
March 25, 2019
Waldo’s and Co. is a trade shop, coffee shop, event space, and nonprofit collective with artist studios. Or, as Katy Giebenhain calls it, “The Arts Parsonage of Gettysburg.” She joins Waldo’s co-founder and proprietor Chris Lauer for a conversation about collaboration, his own work, the importance of trying new equipment, and what makes Gettysburg special to this transplant who has seen many, many places. Seminarians who have not yet ventured to this underground haven on the square are in for a delight.
December 3, 2018
Carla Christopher, a student at United Lutheran Seminary and a former Poet Laureate of York, Pennsylvania, talks about how we can have difficult conversations around challenging topics by creating a safe space where people can engage with one another and feel safe to be human. Conversations about race, diversity, and a gender can be difficult, but there are resources available to help any group or organization, no matter how small, to begin to share their life experiences with one another.
Learn more about Carla at carlachristopher.com and communityartsink.org.
October 22, 2018
Pope Frances has called a special meeting in Rome for February 2019 to address the scandal in the Roman Catholic Church concerning the abuse of boys by priests, but will it be enough?
Dr. Christopher Bellitto, Professor of History , Kean University, and author of “Renewing Christianity.”, explores the history and future of this ongoing crisis. How it has been handled and ignored in the past and what is being done about it now. He believes that–despite the bishops’ historic reservations toward “secular” interference—the first call when abuse is suspected must be to the police.
June 18, 2018
Dr. Margaret Swartz, Clinical Psychologist, Yorland Psychological Associates, York, PA, presents the tragic extent of suicides in America, especially among white males who own guns. She describes the characteristics of potential suicides, including low self-image, depression, and anger. Among the actions needed, she stresses the importance of addressing the issue openly with those who appear to have the tendency, followed by professional therapy.
National hotline: 800-273-TALK (8255)
June 4, 2018
Richard Michael, Interim Pastor Big Spring United Lutheran Church, discussed his recent travel to the Holy Land. Having led several groups over the years, he described the sites the group visited, the orientation to the trip for participants and the benefit of the trip for participants. For him and individuals in the group, the arrival to the Holy Land was “coming home” since the sites (cities and roads) are familiar to Christians through their reading of scriptures. In addition, Michael discussed the political realities which exist. Such a trip helps pastors to preach and teach more effectively and assists participants to reflect more critically when reading scripture and listening to sermons.
May 7, 2018
Angela Dohrman, Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer, SpiriTrust Lutheran, discussed providing quality care for senior citizens. The discussion included: definitions of senior care, the difficulties in sustaining quality care, the recruitment of personnel, Affordable Health Care act, regulations for senior care facilities, the calling or vocation of SpiriTrust personnel.
