This week we are joined by Rev. Rebecca Anderson and Rev. Vince Amlin of Bethany United Church of Christ in Chicago. We chat about partnership, creating healing spaces, and learning to move with the seasons of life and the ebbs and flows of our invitations from Spirit. Vince and Rebecca share about their journey with and honest ending of their beloved, queer, storytelling, bar-meeting church, Gilead. Every pilgrimage has a beginning and an end. What might we learn from ending things intentionally and with the Cosmic Christ in mind? And how might the things that truly matter to us transcend literal endings? Cool stuff we mention in this week’s episode (or meant to anyways): Bethany United Church of Christ (Find Vince and Rebecca here) Earshot Stories Vince Pilgrimages What Sucks About the Afterlife by Andrea Gibson Chapters 00:00 Reflections on the Afterlife and Personal Growth 02:06 Introduction to Gilead Church and Its Mission 03:47 Founding Stories: The Birth of Gilead Church 07:15 The Significance of the Name 'Gilead' 08:54 Queerness and Storytelling: Core Values of Gilead 15:53 Understanding Pilgrimage in the Context of Gilead 16:35 The Essence of Pilgrimage 20:52 Intentionality in Community 27:10 Embracing Endings with Grace 33:20 Transformative Experiences and Future Directions
