Igniting Imagination Wesleyan Impact Partners

Rev. Dr. Kenda Creasy Dean reminds us in her new book, Innovating for Love, that we don’t create new things for the sake of change, for innovation’s sake, but rather so that we can love better. We are always finding new ways to love our neighbors in the ways Jesus calls us to love. Carlos Huerta, the Executive Director of the Center for Community Transformation in Fresno, certainly embodies Kenda’s notion. A California-based entrepreneur who turned his attention and life’s work to loving people well – listening to their stories and sharing his own, giving space for building connections, community, and voice. Carlos reminds us that innovation begins with paying attention. Wow! Could it be that simple? What might that look like in our own congregations, families, neighborhoods? What are we paying attention to? What are we noticing? Who might we partner with in our community to love better? We hope Carlos’ story sparks a new conversation and perhaps a new idea for you as you lean into God’s call for this season of your life and ministry. Please share with friends and colleagues and leave us a review. Thanks for listening!
In this conversation, you’ll hear:
Carlos’ rootedness in Fresno and his inspired journey that led him to become the Executive Director for the Center for Community Transformation.Why “doing life together” is so central to innovation.How the theology of imago dei has shaped Carlos’ leadership.
About Carlos Huerta
Carlos is the executive director of the Center for Community Transformation, overseeing programs in entrepreneurship, financial literacy, ministry leadership training for Spanish-speaking leaders and soft-skills job-training. Carlos holds a bachelor's degree in social work from Fresno Pacific University, a master's degree in Organizational Leadership from Michigan State University, and an MBA from Fresno Pacific University.
Read about Carlos’ organization, the Center for Community Transformation: https://www.fresno.edu/departments/center-community-transformation
Read all about the Locke Innovative Leader Award on our website: https://wesleyanimpactpartners.org/locke-leaders
 
To view videos of podcast episodes, please go to the Igniting Imagination YouTube.
Subscribe to our Learning and Innovation emails here. We send emails about each episode and include additional related resources related to the episode’s topic. We know your inbox is inundated these days, we aim to send you content that is inspiring, innovative, and impactful for your life and ministry.
If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts / iTunes?

Pastah J, as his friends and parishioners affectionately call him, is a remarkable testament to the notion that innovating is what happens when you love the people you are with. We often make innovation out to be the next, big, creative, tech, cool thing when really it's about figuring out how to love our neighbors better and how to more deeply and faithfully root ourselves in Jesus' call. It's ministry. It's courageously saying YES. It's never going it alone. It's tenaciously pursuing possibilities. It's being a neighbor and loving the neighborhood. We pray this conversation sparks a new idea or even a new courage in you and your ministry. If it does, please share with friends and colleagues and leave us a review. Thanks for listening!
 
In this conversation, you’ll hear:
Pastah J’s relational approach to ministry with the Englewood and Lawndale communities in Chicago.How Pastah J organized bringing Whole Foods into the neighborhood on the neighborhood’s terms.Pastah J’s vision is to destroy Saviorism in congregations and reclaim neighboring neglected neighborhoods.Discussion of the quote from Benjamin Mays, “The love of God and love of humanity is one love” and why it beautifully articulates Pastah J’s ministry.
About Jonathan Brooks 

Rev. Jonathan Brooks, or Pastah J, as he is affectionately known, is a lifelong resident of Chicago, IL, and serves as the lead pastor at Lawndale Christian Community Church in the North Lawndale Neighborhood. He is also the board chair of the Parish Collective. He previously served as the senior pastor at Canaan Community Church in the West Englewood neighborhood for fifteen years. As an educator on many different levels and a firm believer in investing in your local community, Jonathan has a deep desire to impress this virtue on the students and young people in his congregation, classroom, and community. His ministry focuses on youth development, holistic health, college scholarships, art and music training as well as restorative justice practices and care for the incarcerated and their families.
Pastah J is a sought-after speaker, writer, artist, and community activist. He has contributed to numerous blogs, articles and books, and his most recent book is Church Forsaken: PracticingPresence in Neglected Neighborhoods.
For more information about Jonathan “Pastah J” Brooks, visit: pastahj.com.
Pastah J is the Lead Pastor of Lawndale Christian Community Church in Chicago: http://www.lawndalechurch.org/

Read all about the Locke Innovative Leader Award on our website: https://wesleyanimpactpartners.org/locke-leaders
 
To view videos of podcast episodes, please go to the Igniting Imagination YouTube.

Subscribe to our Learning and Innovation emails here. We send emails about each episode and include additional related resources related to the episode’s topic. We know your inbox is inundated these days, we aim to send you content that is inspiring, innovative, and impactful for your life and ministry.

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Our Locke Innovative Leaders offer a powerful picture of what is possible for the church. They don’t just see a need, they see great potential that exists in that need, and they respond with the next faithful step, always gathering others to help create and build. It’s remarkably consistent. Moy Mendez, a pastor in Chicago and the Executive Director of the Hope Center in Blue Island, is a great example – he didn’t just see the needs of his community; he saw the potential, and he leaned in, offering a platform for the giftedness of his neighbors. Today, Hope Center employs, engages, and trains neighbors in agriculture, auto mechanics, technology, and the arts, building a culture of hope and well-being. Lives are being transformed! We can’t wait for you to meet Moy and hear his story! We pray it sparks an imagination in you for what is possible and if it does, please share with friends and colleagues and leave us a review. Thanks for listening!
In this conversation, you’ll hear: 
Co-host Rev. Dr. Kenda Creasy Dean describe what it means to her to be named an innovative leader.Moy Mendez share his calling to create a platform to empower peopleWhy Moy believes the Hope Center is the ‘modern look of evangelism’  How Moy experienced “innovating for love” as a child and how he innovates for love today. 
About Moy Mendez
Moy Mendez is a dedicated and visionary leader, serving as the Executive Director of the Hope Center, a dynamic non-profit organization committed to catalyzing community economic development. His journey is a testament to the transformative power of faith, education, and a deep-seated commitment to giving back to the community that shaped him.
Born and raised in a close-knit community, Moy's early years instilled a profound sense of responsibility and a genuine desire to make a positive impact. His unwavering belief in the potential of individuals to create change led him to establish the Hope Center—a platform aimed at equipping the next generation of entrepreneurs in diverse fields, including agriculture, technology, and auto mechanics.
Moy's faith has been a guiding force throughout his life, serving as the cornerstone of his personal values and professional pursuits. Grounded in his strong convictions, he has seamlessly intertwined his spiritual beliefs with his career aspirations. This harmonious blend has not only enriched his journey but has also inspired those around him to find purpose and fulfillment in their own endeavors.
Education has been a cornerstone of Moy's personal growth and professional success. He holds an Associates Degree in Computer Programming from Moraine Valley Community College, a Bachelor's Degree in Theology from Christian Life College, and a Master's Degree in Philosophy of Religion from Trinity International University. Moy enjoys traveling with his wife Eva and dog Oreo in his free time to state parks and beach fronts.
For more information about Hope Center, visit: https://hopecenter.tv/

Read all about the Locke Innovative Leader Award on our website: https://wesleyanimpactpartners.org/locke-leaders
 
To view videos of podcast episodes, please go to the Igniting Imagination YouTube.

Subscribe to our Learning and Innovation emails here. We send emails about each episode and include additional related resources related to the episode’s topic. We know your inbox is inundated these days, we aim to send you content...

We are so excited about this season of the Igniting Imagination Podcast as Rev. Dr. Kenda Creasy Dean and Rev. Lisa Greenwood have conversations with four exceptional, innovative faith leaders who are profoundly influencing the way we think about the church’s mission and witness. It’s stunning and inspiring! Our guest this week is Rev. Dr. Heber Brown, III. Heber’s story, the story of how the Black church he served in Baltimore birthed a network of hundreds of churches and black farmers to feed thousands of people with healthy, fresh food, is remarkable. Truly. Nothing short of the powerful work of God! We pray Heber’s story will ignite a new conversation, a new way of thinking, a new imagination in you.
In this conversation, you’ll hear:
Co-host Rev. Dr. Kenda Creasy Dean shares the qualities of innovative leaders she’s observed.Heber’s God-sized vision for a small plot of land on his church property.How networking allowed something small to have an outsized impact.Heber’s call to a mission, not a church.
About Rev. Dr. Heber Brown, III
Rev. Dr. Heber M. Brown, III has been a catalyst for personal transformation and social change for more than 20 years. For nearly 14 years, he served as pastor of a Baptist church in Baltimore, where he saw and personally experienced the impacts of food apartheid. This helped to inspire him to launch the Black Church Food Security Network which advances food security and food sovereignty by co-creating Black food ecosystems anchored by nearly 250 Black congregations in partnership with Black farmers and other food justice stakeholders. He serves on the board of Bread for the World and has garnered numerous awards including an Ashoka Fellowship. He is the author of the forthcoming book Nothing More Sacred: Radical Stories of Black Church Faith, Food and Freedom.

For more information about Rev. Dr. Brown, visit his website: https://www.heberbrown.com/
For more information about the Black Church Food Security Network, visit: https://blackchurchfoodsecurity.net/

Read all about the Locke Innovative Leader Award on our website: https://wesleyanimpactpartners.org/locke-leaders

To view videos of podcast episodes, please go to the Igniting Imagination YouTube.
Subscribe to our Learning and Innovation emails here. We send emails about each episode and include additional related resources related to the episode’s topic. We know your inbox is inundated these days, we aim to send you content that is inspiring, innovative, and impactful for your life and ministry.
If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts / iTunes?

Have you enjoyed Season 10 of our Igniting Imagination Podcast as much as we have?! We started with Margaret Wheatley and we are ending the season with two remarkable innovative leaders, who also happen to be part of our leadership learning and innovation team, Rev. Kathi McShane and Derrick Scott, III. If you haven’t been listening, this conversation can guide you toward the episodes that most speak to you – it’s a great place to start! If you’ve been listening along the way, we hope you’ll find it helpful to pull on the threads that name the realities we are facing today and how we claim our leadership in the midst. It’s not an easy season, but I’m convinced we have an opportunity to lead in new ways that get us a bit closer to the world that God imagines. 
In this conversation, you’ll hear:
Leading in a time of polarization.The importance of naming and understanding ambiguous loss.More responses to Wheatley’s “addicted to hope”.
Derrick Scott, III is the associate director of learning and innovation for Wesleyan Impact Partners. Derrick has been leading ministry in the collegiate and young adult context for over 20 years.
In addition to his work with Wesleyan Impact Partners, Derrick currently serves as the creative producer of Studio Wesley, a ministry that’s exploring how to serve college-aged young adults in the digital space. He is also the co-lay leader of the Florida Conference of the UMC. He is passionate about empowering a new generation of leaders and laborers who will live as disciples of Jesus Christ to transform the world.
He has an undergraduate degree in history, is a Cicerone Certified Beer Server, and is a textbook introvert. He loves eating sushi, flying on Delta, and pouring craft beer. He lives in Jacksonville, Florida with his Chihuahua-mix dog Winston and Bengal cat Julian. Most importantly, he hates mayonnaise.

Rev. Kathleen McShane is the director of learning and innovation for Wesleyan Impact Partners. Kathi retired from active ministry as an ordained Elder in the California-Nevada Conference of the United Methodist Church in 2022. She led four congregations and served for eight years as the vice president for Institutional Advancement at Pacific School of Religion. Before attending seminary and beginning her life in ministry, she was a civil litigator, practicing law in the San Francisco Bay Area.
In her final appointment in Los Altos, California, Kathi co-founded the Changemaker Initiative, which is a small national movement of churches committed to empowering lay people to become compassion-driven changemakers like Jesus. That work has led her toward multiple projects that are re-imagining leadership for the church of the future. She is the co-author, with Rabbi Elan Babchuck, of Picking Up the Pieces: Leadership after Empire.
Kathi lives on a vineyard on the Central Coast of California.
To view videos of podcast episodes, please go to the Igniting Imagination YouTube.

Subscribe to our Learning and Innovation emails here. We send emails about each episode and include additional related resources related to the episode’s topic. We know your inbox is inundated these days, we aim to send you content that is inspiring, innovative, and impactful for your life and ministry.

If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/reservoirs-of-resilience-tmf-leadership-ministry/id1552233836"...

In this week’s episode of the Igniting Imagination Podcast, we talk with professor Eric Barreto who invites us into a biblical imagination for our work together. We love how he reminds us to keep coming back to the good news of Jesus. Yes! That is what inspires us, forms us, equips and animates us! We hope this conversation gives you a new imagination for what’s possible and if it does, please share with friends and leave us a review! Thank you for listening!
In this conversation, you’ll hear:
How childhood experiences shaped Eric’s understanding of faith and the church.The value of a seminary education today.Biblical wisdom for this time of polarization.The gift of Hispanic and Latino perspectives in biblical and theological studies.
About Eric Barreto
Dr. Eric D. Barreto is the Weyerhaeuser Associate Professor of New Testament at Princeton Theological Seminary. He holds a BA in religion from Oklahoma Baptist University, an MDiv from Princeton Seminary, and a PhD in New Testament from Emory University. Prior to coming to Princeton Theological Seminary, he served as associate professor of New Testament at Luther Seminary, and also taught as an adjunct professor at the Candler School of Theology and McAfee School of Theology.
As a Baptist minister, Barreto has pursued scholarship for the sake of the church, and he regularly writes for and teaches in faith communities around the country. He has also been a leader in the Hispanic Theological Initiative Consortium, a national, ecumenical, and inter-constitutional consortium comprised of some of the top seminaries, theological schools, and religion departments in the country. He is a member of the Society of Biblical Literature and the National Association of Baptist Professors of Religion.
Visit Eric’s website at: https://www.ericbarreto.com/
To view videos of podcast episodes, please go to the Igniting Imagination YouTube.

Subscribe to our Learning and Innovation emails here. We send emails about each episode and include additional related resources related to the episode’s topic. We know your inbox is inundated these days, we aim to send you content that is inspiring, innovative, and impactful for your life and ministry.

If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts / iTunes?