What does it look like when worship and justice are no longer separate categories, but the same lived reality?

This week on the Igniting Imagination® podcast, Rev. Lisa Greenwood and Dr. Aaron Kuecker welcome Rev. Sandra Maria Van Opstal, co-founder and executive director of Chasing Justice, a movement mobilizing young leaders at the intersection of faith and justice. Sandra is a global speaker, preacher, activist, and author of The Next Worship and Rally, with deep roots in urban ministry and a lifelong commitment to the work of neighboring well.

Listen as Lisa, Aaron, and Sandra explore what it means to stay rooted locally while leading nationally, how young leaders are bringing an earnest energy to the church, and why our hearts truly can grow large enough to hold it all.

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Guest

Rev. Sandra Maria Van Opstal is the co-founder and executive director of Chasing Justice, a national movement mobilizing young BIPOC leaders at the intersection of faith and justice. A global speaker, preacher, and activist with deep roots in urban ministry, she continues to serve in Chicago with Lawndale Christian Community Church. Sandra is the author of The Next Worship and Rally, and holds an MDiv while currently pursuing doctoral work at North Park Seminary. Through Chasing Justice, she has built a platform equipping young leaders to integrate worship, discipleship, and activism, insisting that justice is not an optional add-on to the gospel but central to Christian formation.

Links

Visit our show’s website at www.ignitingimagination.org.

To view videos of podcast episodes, please go to the Igniting Imagination YouTube.

What if faith communities saw themselves not as distant helpers, but as neighbors, woven into the lives, struggles, and dreams of the people around them?

This week on the Igniting Imagination® podcast, Rev. Lisa Greenwood and Dr. Aaron Kuecker are joined by Rev. Matt St. Pierre, Executive Director and Co-Founder, Restore Merced, to explore beyond economics into something more sacred, the restoration of dignity, purpose, and belonging. Together, they reflect on the quiet but powerful truth that meaningful work is more than a paycheck; it is a pathway to rediscovering worth, agency, and hope, especially for those too often pushed to the margins.

Rev. Matt shares how Restore Merced is creating spaces where people are not just served, but truly seen, and invites us to confront our assumptions about charity, justice, and what it means to love a community well.

Guest

Reverend Matt St. Pierre is the executive director and co-founder of Restore Merced, a faith-rooted nonprofit in California’s Central Valley advancing economic justice through social entrepreneurship, reconciliation, and neighborhood-based community development. Drawing on theology, entrepreneurship, and long-term neighborhood presence, he creates models that affirm dignity through meaningful work and local investment. His leadership shows how churches and communities can move beyond charity toward empowerment, collaboration, and lasting economic and social renewal.

Links

Visit our show’s website at ignitingimagination.org.

To view videos of podcast episodes, please go to the Igniting Imagination YouTube.

Faith communities everywhere are asking: How do we take responsibility for justice in today’s world?

This week on the Igniting Imagination® podcast, Rev. Lisa Greenwood and Dr. Aaron Kuecker explore this question with Rev. Dr. Nikia Smith Robert, founder and executive director of Abolitionist Sanctuary. Rev. Dr. Nikia is a respected theologian and activist who challenges the church to move beyond awareness and into real, transformative action. She invites faith communities to not only name injustice but to actively work toward dismantling the systems that cause harm, while nurturing the well-being of all people.

Listen as Rev. Lisa, Dr. Aaron, and Rev. Dr. Nikia encourage congregations to step into a more courageous, compassionate, and justice-centered role, and to join in the collective work of building a more equitable future.

Guest

Rev. Nikia Smith Robert, PhD is the founder and executive director of Abolitionist Sanctuary, a national coalition mobilizing religious leaders, scholars, and community organizers to advance faith-rooted responses to mass incarceration and the criminalization of impoverished Black motherhood. Grounded in womanist theology and social ethics, she integrates rigorous scholarship with community-based practice to equip churches to engage public education, advocacy, and policy change that challenge punitive systems and reimagine justice. Dr. Robert’s work expands the moral imagination of faith communities while delivering tangible pathways toward justice, healing, and liberation for those most impacted by carceral systems.

Links

Visit our show’s website at ignitingimagination.org.

To view videos of podcast episodes, please go to the Igniting Imagination YouTube.