Plymouth member Carrie Sauter has attended hundreds of births as a Certified Nurse Midwife. What does attending such a powerful experience with so many individuals and families have to teach us about the divine’s presence in the world? We sat down the day after Mother's Day to talk about community, transformation, pain, and the sacred.

There’s a new face here on the staff of Plymouth Congregational Church: our new Director of Spiritual Formation, Madeline Severtson. Madeline never dreamt she’d be working in a church. But a life of spiritual exploration and experimentation has led her here, to what she says might just be her dream job. We talked about her winding path and where she finds meaning in the pursuit of spiritual formation.

Whether we like it or not, change is an ever-present facet of church life. Clergy and community members come and go, buildings arise and decay, ministry priorities shift. But even when change is healthy and necessary, it can still bring anxiety. So the question arises: when the anxiety and disorientation of change comes up, how can church communities remain open to divine presence and stay true to their faith? Plymouth member Rev. Mary Kay Sauter has helped many church communities through times of profound change as an Interim Minister in the United Church of Christ. We talked about the difference between decision making and discernment, and the spiritual work of seeking God in the liminal space of change.

Referenced in the episode is Susan Beaumont's book, How to Lead When You Don't Know Where You're Going.