Conversations That Matter

Pastor Rhodes Woolly sits down with Coach Curtis Walker.  Walker was a four-year starter and three-time All-American linebacker for Catawba in 1989-92. He was inducted into the Catawba Sports Hall of Fame in 2004 and into the South Atlantic Conference Hall of Fame in 2008. Walker was Catawba's team most valuable player in 1991 and served as team captain in 1992. Walker still holds the Catawba single game record for tackles with 25 stops against Wofford in 1991. He also still owns the all-time single season record for fumble recoveries with six, also set in 1991.Pastor Rhodes and Coach Walker discuss the big business of college sports.

Jason Walser shows up in lots of places around our community. Most recently, he’s leading the effort to develop the new Bell Tower Green. Pastor Rhodes interviews Jason and learns about his background, what motivates him, and why the new park is one of the community’s most important developments in a long time.

This month we touch base with Colleen McDaniel, who has spent the last two years helping to design and build the new Outdoor Learning Environment at the CDC. 

Teresa is a local treasure with a global reach. A gifted musician and a spirited Christian, she sees music as a tool to sharing the Gospel. In this month’s conversation, Teresa shares details of her journey, the highs and lows, including the challenges she’s faced as an African-American artist. 

In this episode of Conversations that Matter, Pastor Rhodes sits down with Alyssa Smith of Healthy Rowan to discuss COVID, the vaccine distribution in Rowan County and Frankenstein. Thanks for joining  us for this months episode.

The December podcast will be the Rev. Dr. Munther Isaac, pastor of Christmas Lutheran Church in Bethlehem, our sister congregation. Pastor Isaac will share intimate details about life in Bethlehem during the pandemic, now that for the first time tourism and holiday gatherings/rituals have all been cancelled … in the town of Jesus’ birth. 

In October, we continue our celebration of the 50th year of ordaining women in the Lutheran Church as Pastor Rhodes engages in a fascinating and sometimes hilarious conversation with Bishop Elizabeth Eaton. Eaton is the first female presiding bishop of the ELCA, first elected in 2013.

Pastor Adrienne Martin and her mom Debbie Martin Purpur join us this month for an inspiring, funny, and brutally honest glimpse into the life of a pastor’s family. 

She started as a 17-year-old high school volunteer. Today she’s the executive director of our partner school in Antigua, Guatemala. Hannah is a remarkable disciple and a wonderful friend of St. John’s. Enjoy this month’s conversation that matters. 

In this month’s episode, Rhodes interviews Danielle DeNise and Laura Henrik, two women who have served as pastors of St. John’s. The conversation centers on the 50th anniversary of the ordination of women in the Lutheran church, which is being celebrated throughout 2020. 

Pastor Rhodes speaks with Principal of Isenberg Elementary School, Marvin Moore on issues of family, faith and the community that we all are a part of.