If you listened to the series, you know a bit about church planting. Yet, each church has unique needs. Back in 2016 Reverend Maggie returned to Cincinnati straight from seminary and found herself thrust into a neighborhood that needed more than a pulpit. What begins as homework club grows into a fragile, radiant community called Iglesia Episcopal del Espíritu Santo.

Between language gaffes and late-night shifts, Maggie learns to be a guest, not a host: earning trust by staying, sharing meals, helping parents fill out passport forms for kids, and offering a safe space as politics darken.

This addendum follows one priest’s quiet experiments in hospitality, the joys and heartbreak of grassroots church planting, and the lessons she carries forward about listening, belonging, and what it means to build sanctuary in frightening times. Lessons the church must apply now.

Resources:

East Bay Sanctuary

Immigrant Defenders Law Service (IMMDef)

This is the chaotic, joyful birth of new church, St. Lucy’s! Everything does not go as planned. And some things, elder Abbey has not had to think about – The Many Children! How do you mesh spiritual traditions with rambunctious toddlers? Well, this episode you get to hear how the crew handled it, corralling babies behind an altar rail, and ultimately discovering- you have to feed the kids!

Tune in to hear all about this wacky and wonderful launch day, and what the team has learned since. It’s warm, imperfect, and full of hope. With joy on the inside, joy on the outside, oh what a change we can make.

If you find this show entertaining or thought provoking, please rate it wherever you listen.

If you’re ever in the San Francisco Bay Area come visit us at St. Lucy’s- Sunday Night at 5:00 pm. Find more info at Stlucyschurch.org

You’re also welcome to email me your kind regards at abbeynormalpodcast@gmail.com

Music: Kim Taylor: Like a Woman Can

Blue Dot Sessions: Palms Down, Goose and Hutch, Betany, Caveman, Donnalee, Gallant Fantasie, Brass Buttons, Leaf Spot, A Little Powder, Town Market

What's coming on The Faithful Resistance

St Lucy’s is almost a church! But, what will a church service be like? In the final month of planning, the team learns what is required for an Episcopal Eucharistic Service. They discuss each of the 7 steps that provide structure, and wonder about the meaning behind each one. How do you create an experience that won't create in-groups and out-groups, but practices anyone can participate in?

Poking at implied power structures, this is about community more than perfection: flexible liturgy, homemade challah and thrifted cups, a table for offerings (and needs), and conversation instead of lecture. We fumble through the Book of Common Prayer, tinker with community created music, and discover how common practices have the power to quietly, subtly, reshape belief.

Stlucyschurch.org

Music: Kim Taylor: Like a Woman Can Blue Dot Sessions: Telly’s Place, Highway 104, Skyway, Silk and Silver, Etude 8 Dimitri, Deacon Will, Dippler, Quindi, Horizon Liner, Paramo Ocho

Resources: Book of Common Prayer, An Order for Celebrating the Holy Eucharist Evolving Faith Podcast: Your Woke-Ness in Not Worship with Sandra Maria Van Opstal

This is the messy middle: a church being born amid political turmoil, attacks on the vulnerable, and communities in despair.

The St. Lucy’s team navigates the turbulent climate in early 2025, leading to some reality checks. They face questions about how they can support those with religious trauma, those who are grieving, and those who are afraid. And do it all while processing their own grief and feelings of inadequacy.

As many seek solace, there is an increased demand for churches to not simply offer belonging but also, protection. Tune in for an intimate, unpolished conversation about what faithful resistance looks like today.

Links:

Martin Luther King Jr. “Loving Your Enemies” sermon

Intro Song: “It May Be Time to Close Your Eyes” Derek Webb

Executive Orders: “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government”; “Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation”; “Establishment of the White House Faith Office”; “Eradicating Anti-Christian Bias”

Data: Child Homelessness; Gender-Affirming Medications Among Transgender Adolescents in the US

“A Service of Prayer for the Nation Homily” Bishop Mariann Budde

House Resolution 59 - Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the sermon given by the Right Reverend Mariann Edgar Budde was a display of political activism and condemning its distorted message.

Book: “The Exvangelicals” by Sarah McCammon

The hard truth is that a church needs money to operate. But, is it possible to ask for money and not feel gross about it? Tune in to hear how the team attempted to build financial scaffolding for St. Lucys, inviting others into the vision, creating structures for visibility, and asking for help when they're out of their depth. Meet spreadsheet guy, Tommy, who shares his sketchy church experience, and ponders the idea of stewardship.

Ever done fundraising that left you feelin dirty? Well, this team has some *mixed feelings* about the stuff they've fundraised for in the past (ie. missionary work). Can they get past their past?

Stlucyschurch.org

Music:

Introduction: Kim Taylor: Like a Woman Can

Blue Dot Sessions: Deacon Will, Dear Myrtle, For We Shall Know Speed, Highway 104, Town Market, Picnic March, Pearly Jean, Come As You Are, Fold Over, Highride Chrome, Peacoat, Gentle Son,

How do you advertise a church in a way that doesn’t trigger literally everyone? The St. Lucy’s team discusses initial efforts to get the word out, including how to use social media. They attempt to create a website that speaks to a diversity of visitors, and quickly discover that the whole thing is a big ol’ trigger factory.

Reflecting on feedback about the website, Jen talks about "Sunday segregation", acknowledging the historical whiteness of the Episcopal Church, and sharing her own story growing up in a Chinese-American church. The shame of an early romantic entanglement, complicated by ethnic differences and religious pressures, leads to her first big faith crisis.

Together, we wonder- should a church community meet all our social, cultural and spiritual needs? Is that the goal? As a mom of young kids, she’s exploring what it could look like to have “peeps” in different communities.

Church hurt and religious trauma know no cultural boundaries, so this new church should be diverse, reflecting the demographic makeup of its home in California. Tune in to think about how church can possibly feed our multifaceted souls.

Stlucyschurch.org

Music: Kim Taylor: Like a Woman Can

Blue Dot Sessions: Gentle Son, In Passage, Throughput, Town Market, Taboret, These Times

"We are still hungry for spaces, rituals, and rhythms that will help us beat despair and recover wonder." – Debie Thomas

In this episode, the New Church team wrestles with writing a mission statement—and with it, a bigger question: Can we truly "recover wonder" in a space built not on perfection, but on patience, smallness, and honesty?

Team member Lizzie brings the concept of wonder to life through stories from her Catholic childhood and her evolving spiritual journey—from aspiring nun, to Evangelical missionary in the Middle East, to someone now embracing a humbler, more curious approach to faith.

As the team reflects together, a surprising truth emerges: even without a clearly defined mission, something is already binding this community—a quiet, shared hope.

Join us as we explore what holds us together, what wonder really means, and the story behind the unexpected name of this new church. It's a name that reaches back to the unlikely saints of Lizzie’s youth—and forward into the wild, mysterious path we’re walking now.

Article: Which Church is Dying? by Debie Thomas

Stlucyschurch.org

Music: Kim Taylor: Like a Woman Can

Blue Dot Sessions: Two in the Back, Symphony in G Minor, Stephi, Town Market, Skyway