Open Out

Mar 25 2021 6

Open Out Podcast artwork

Getting to the nitty gritty of living inter-culturally. Exploring new pathways for intentionally opening our faith communities (and ourselves) to folk who not only look and sound different but also think and act in ways we might not expect. A safe space where we can both accept our chronic clumsiness and overcome our unavoidable fears as our brains and hearts encounter the unexpected. The podcasts provide a practical, hands-on approach to helping people who want to open themselves to form new relationships with folk with a different cultural or racial background - in faith communities, or any other kind of community. Research was funded by the United Church Foundation.

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Continuing #1: Decolonization - from the inside out.

Mar 25 2021 38 mins

This is the first in our final series of podcasts, called 'Continuing'. Here we are looking at resources for individuals and faith communities who have been engaged in the process of intentionally opening outwards to welcome cultural diversity. These episodes are perhaps a bit more complex/technical than earlier ones. The way we 'continue' as open communities is

Commencing 6: Finding the heart beat (Part 2)

Mar 02 2021 49 mins

This is the second of two episodes exploring the vital role of music in creating and sustaining intercultural / intentionally open faith communities. Once again we draw on our conversation with Scottish hymn-writer and global music pioneer, John Bell, but in this episode we focus on specifics: specifics about the music itself, about the process of learning, and best ways to introdu

Commencing 5: Finding the Heartbeat

Feb 22 2021 31 mins

This is the first in a two-part series exploring the vital role that music plays in building both intercultural community and cross-cultural connection. More than simply a pretty add-on to a worship service, music is a language of the heart itself, expressing all the struggle and triumph of simply moving through life, the complexities and beauty of being in relationship with One we

Commencing 4: Storytelling, deep listening & disengaging expectations: The challenge of intercultural decision-making

Nov 14 2020 46 mins

While group decision-making is never easy, when the group making decisions is diverse - with some collectivists, some individualists, some direct communicators, others indirect, some top-down, and others bottom-up - it's a mix that regularly leads to misunderstanding, frustration, and communication breakdown! Why is this? How can people who are good at making decisions in thei

Commencing 3: Space, Place & Displacement

Oct 26 2020 29 mins

The third in our Commencing Series looks at "place" in our faith communities. As we open to people who are somehow different than those who have been there in the past - what are we offering them? Just space? Or a place? Placemaking involves design [or re-design] processes for transforming public spaces into community places, places that belong to the people, the heart of

Commencing 2: Decluttering Concepts

Oct 12 2020 27 mins

"The more words you use, the less sense you make - how does that help anyone?" (Ecc 6:11). Apparently most intercultural researchers, theorists and trainers missed that wee verse. Intercultural competency. Cultural intelligence. Cultural humility. Constructive marginality. Intercultural sensitivity. . . This episode wanders into the swirling stream of concepts, hoping to

Commencing 1: The Edge Effect

Sep 28 2020 29 mins

We begin our second season by looking at the critical elements in the lives of folk who are part of communities that are opening out, actively engaged in the process of opening themselves to welcome those who are somehow different. In our first episode we look at The Edge Effect in faith communities that are currently asking 'what could happen when strangers meet?'. The E

Committed 7: Re-Opening - The Problem of Invitation

Jun 15 2020 27 mins

This last episode in our Committed series looks at the challenge of re-opening our churches in the midst of the racial tensions that have been pulsing through our cities over the last number of weeks. How do Black Lives Matter and Intercultural Church connect? The title was originally The Power of Invitation, but Bill changed it to The Problem of Invitation. Why? What is the proble

Committed 6: De-shuttering worship (Part 2) - Ubunye, Ubuntu & Amandla

Jun 08 2020 31 mins

This episode, a bit more technical, drawing on the wisdom of Michael Blair (Director of Church in Mission for national UC) and others, looks at the challenge of creating worship that can engage North American born folk [individualist culture] and newcomers & indigenous [collectivist]. The church finds itself in ambiguity. Mainstream protestant churches have been shrinking - as

Committed 5: De-shuttering Worship (Part 1) -Diving deep with the 90%!

May 31 2020 32 mins

This episode, # 5 in our Committed series, was published during Pentecost 2020, the festival of intended inclusion, just as America is rocked by racial pain that can no longer be contained, the reality of exclusion. We are are beginning consider how we will, sometime soon, de-shutter our churches - open them again,[but to whom?]. Perhaps it is time not simply to re-open, but to re-