Service in Practice

Karen Ayoub
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  • CHRISTIANITY

Service in church can be difficult. Whether you’ve served for a few months or a few decades, there will always be challenges and surprises with the changing times. Service in Practice will deal with contemporary issues we as servants may face, while holding fast to the timeless truths given to us through the teachings of Christ, and passed down through the traditions of the Church. On each episode, you’ll hear a guest share his or her experiences in service and thoughtful advice. “As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another.” (1 Peter 4:10)

  1. 01/06/2021

    S2E5: Can I Use Google Translate for This?: Serving in the Face of Language Barriers

    On this episode, I talk with my multilingual Canadian friend, Maria Lotfi. A talented writer and podcaster herself, Maria shares her thoughts on what service looks like in locations with various languages, as well as some of the challenges - and blessings - that come along with that. Maria also interviewed me on her podcast, which is called "About Us." Listen here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6GPWxPevVeFx8mgoeaidw7 Maria's personal blog: https://honeyfaceherblog.com/

    33 min

  2. 18/05/2021

    S2E4: To the End of the Earth: Service & Evangelism

    This week on Service in Practice, I talk with Fr. Michael Sorial, priest of St. Anianus Coptic Orthodox Church in Monroe, NJ. He shares his story of getting involved in evangelism, and how he's used his blog and YouTube channel to reach broader audiences. Links: Fr. Michael's Blog: http://frmichaelsorial.com/ Jan 7 vs Dec 25 video: http://frmichaelsorial.com/aiovg_videos/christmas-december-25-or-january-7/ Books: Incarnational Exodus: https://www.amazon.com/Incarnational-Exodus-Advancement-Christocentric-Athanasius/dp/0984891854 On the Incarnation by St. Athanasius: https://svspress.com/on-the-incarnation-english-only/ Epistle to Diognetus: https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0101.htm Missionaries, Monks, and Martyrs by Luke Alexander Veronis: https://www.amazon.com/Missionaries-Monks-Martyrs-Disciples-Nations/dp/1880971003 And He Leads Them: The Mind and Heart of Philip Saliba, by Joseph J. Allen https://store.ancientfaith.com/and-he-leads-them-the-mind-and-heart-of-philip-saliba/ The Wounded Healer by Henri Nouwen: https://www.amazon.com/Missionaries-Monks-Martyrs-Disciples-Nations/dp/1880971003

    28 min

  3. 04/05/2021

    S2E3: Back to School, Again?: The Value of Seminary Education to Your Service

    On this episode of the podcast, I had the privilege of chatting with Daniel Bein about his experience in seminary. A recent graduate from St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary (also known as St. Vlads), Daniel shares his journey of obtaining his Masters of Divinity. He speaks about misconceptions about seminary, different institutions, and how one can get started if they are interested in theological education. Daniel also speaks about how seminary education prepares individuals for deeper service.  Daniel recommends several resources for anyone who is interested in seminary or simply wants to connect more deeply with their faith: New Advent, a site for public domain patristic texts: https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/    Ancient Faith Radio, a podcast: https://www.ancientfaith.com/podcasts Bible Project, a podcast: https://bibleproject.com/podcasts/the-bible-project-podcast/ He also recommends several books: For theology, An Introduction to God by Stephen Damick (https://www.amazon.com/Introduction-God-Encountering-Orthodox-Christianity/dp/1936270994),  and For the Life of the World by Fr. Alexander Schmemann (https://svspress.com/for-the-life-of-the-world-new-edition/)  For patristics, On The Incarnation by St. Athanasius (https://svspress.com/on-the-incarnation-english-only/), St. John Chrysostom’s commentary on the gospel according to St. John (https://svspress.com/the-holy-gospel-according-to-saint-john-a-pastoral-commentary/), and On Marriage and Family Life by St. John Chrysostom (https://svspress.com/on-marriage-and-family-life-st-john-chrysostom/)   For service, Parenting Toward the Kingdom by Dr. Philip Mamalakis (https://store.ancientfaith.com/parenting-toward-the-kingdom/).  For spirituality, Beginning to Pray by Metropolitan Anthony Bloom (https://store.ancientfaith.com/beginning-to-pray-metropolitan-anthony-bloom/).

    40 min

  4. 13/04/2021

    S2E2: Liberty to the Captives: Mental Health in Service

    On this episode of Service in Practice, I had the blessing to interview Fr. Luke of the Coptic Orthodox Church of St Mary and St Mercurius in Belleville, NJ. Fr. Luke also practices at St. Luke’s Clinic, a psychiatric clinic that is part of the church. He also teaches as an adjunct professor at New Jersey Medical School. Fr. Luke speaks about his practice and the importance of mental health to the life of the Church and to service. We begin with some of the barriers to mental health help, and how the Church can help break those down. He also talks about the 12-step recovery process for addiction, comparing it to several Orthodox practices - repentance, confession, and service, to name a few.  One great starting place Fr. Luke recommends is the book God’s Path to Sanity, by Dee Pennock, with a biblical and patristic basis for mental illness: https://store.ancientfaith.com/gods-path-to-sanity/

    35 min

  5. 30/03/2021

    S2E1: I Serve, Therefore I Am: Service as Identity

    Welcome back to Service in Practice! We are back, with Season 2! One of the new elements of the podcast is the opening music, inspired by a Coptic hymn. It’s taken from the Theotokia, a praise addressed to the Mother of God, from the Sunday Midnight Praises. The music is played by my dear friend Martina Hanna on the violin.  On the first episode of Season 2, guest Evram Dawd joins us to talk about Service as part of our identity as Christians. Evram has spent time in many different communities, from the East Coast to Myanmar. And in his time settling in new places, he discovered service was the common thread that united parishes and individuals in Christ.  Evram quotes the Letter to Diognetus (https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0101.htm), and in addition, he recommends a few books: The Imitation of Christ by Thomas Kempis: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000FC1DZ4/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1 Ages of the Spiritual Life by Paul Evdokimov: https://svspress.com/ages-of-the-spiritual-life/

    30 min

  6. 17/11/2020

    S1E10 - You Ought to Wash One Another's Feet: Sometimes Service Means Getting Your Hands Dirty

    On Episode 10, the last episode of Season 1 of Service in Practice, tune in to hear Magdolen Sleman talk about what washing other’s feet looks like in our everyday service. Magdolen, also known as Maggie, is working on becoming a licensed professional counselor.  From the time of Christ, washing of the feet has been a literal and figurative element of service. Maggie takes us back to John 13, then forward to her own experiences - from being a summer camp (“nady”) counselor as a teenager, to observing and taking part in Alcoholics Anonymous as part of her coursework for her professional counseling license. Maggie recommends the book For She Loved Much: A Homily on the Sinful Woman by Saint Ephraim the Syrian, to get into the mindset of reflection: https://www.google.com/books/edition/For_She_Loved_Much/Yxa2SgAACAAJ?hl=en

    28 min

  7. 03/11/2020

    S1E9 - The Liturgical Life: Why Service Must Begin at the Altar

    This week on Service in Practice, our first clergy guest appears. Fr. Nathanael Guirguis, the priest of St. Mark’s Coptic Orthodox Church in Atlanta, GA, joins and talks about the importance of the Liturgy to our service. I’m honored to interview Fr. Nathanael, who hosts the podcast Meet & Right, which you can check out for in-depth conversations about the Liturgy in the Orthodox Church. From the early church to today's hyper-individualized world post-COVID, Fr. Nathanael stresses the importance of the Liturgy, in that it is a gathering of the believers. In Liturgy and in the Body of Christ, we, the broken, can be made whole. Check out the article “Offering You Your Own of Your Own: Stewardship in the Liturgy” by Paul Meyendorff: http://www.stewardshipadvocates.org/wp-content/uploads/Your-Own-of-Your-Own-We-Offer-to-You.pdf One of the book recommendations from Fr. Nathanael is Deep and Wide, by Andy Stanley: https://www.amazon.com/Deep-Wide-Creating-Churches-Unchurched/dp/0310526531  Check out Fr. Nathanael’s podcast, Meet & Right: http://www.coptichymnsinenglish.com/meetandright

    27 min

  8. 20/10/2020

    S1E8 - Through the Kaleidoscope: Blogging as Means to Look at the World

    For episode 8, I’m honored to be interviewing guest Lilyan Andrews, writer of the blog Lilies and Thorns (https://www.liliesandthorns.com/) and personal coach. In this episode, Lilyan shares why she started her blog, and how that has helped her paint her life experiences with the colors and strokes of biblical teaching. In talking about the blog and some of her stories, Lilyan speaks to the interplay between culture and faith.  During the episode, Lilyan recommends a couple of books, including What the Church Fathers Say About (https://www.amazon.com/What-Church-Fathers-Say-About/dp/1880971356), and Becoming a Healing Presence (https://svspress.com/becoming-a-healing-presence/) Sign up for our mailing list here: https://tinyurl.com/y6n26wdu  If you have any feedback or topics you'd like to hear about, share them here: https://forms.gle/Jsim1t9kRWJ2r3YZA

    25 min
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About

Service in church can be difficult. Whether you’ve served for a few months or a few decades, there will always be challenges and surprises with the changing times. Service in Practice will deal with contemporary issues we as servants may face, while holding fast to the timeless truths given to us through the teachings of Christ, and passed down through the traditions of the Church. On each episode, you’ll hear a guest share his or her experiences in service and thoughtful advice. “As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another.” (1 Peter 4:10)

Information

  • Creator
    Karen Ayoub
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2021
  • Episodes
    16
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Karen Ayoub
  • Show Website
    Service in Practice