This year the diocesan-wide Advent study is a podcast series called “Advent: Stories of Movement and Migration,” a joint offering from Christian Formation, Latino + Immigration, and Small Church Ministries.

Episode 1, An Introduction to “Advent: Stories of Movement and Migration” is available today! In this introductory episode, Diocesan staff members and our podcast hosts Suzanna Green, Flor Saldivar, and Leyla King define important terms and offer their reflections on the stories we’ll be hearing in the rest of the series.

Episodes 2-5 will follow the same pattern: each episode will feature voices from across our diocese telling their own stories of movement and migration, a reading from a portion of the Advent or Christmas narratives of the gospels, and a theological reflection from a clergyperson. We will hear personal narratives from Evan and Erika Hierholzer, Georges and Maha Jallouf, Dani Jaime, and Mike Besson and our theological reflectors include Bishop Angela Cortiñas, Carrie Guerra, Sam Hunnicutt, and Brian Fox.

Plus, expect Episode 2 to be entirely in Spanish (with English transcripts and some translation provided)! The Advent podcast will conclude with a special Epiphany Episode featuring representatives of churches in our diocese sharing the ways God’s Spirit has been moving in their communities.

Each episode will be 30-40 minutes long and will come with a discussion guide to make facilitating conversations easy! We hope you will find ways to use this diocesan-wide offering in your own settings.

Listen to the episodes as a church community; listen separately and then come together to talk about them; and/or send out episodes in your church email or link to them in your bulletin for folks to engage with the content in a variety of ways. There are also two opportunities to discuss the podcast series as a whole diocese. These Zoom gatherings for fellowship and mutual learning will take place at 6:30 p.m. on December 11 and January 8.

Resources

Below you will find all the resources you need to listen to the podcast episodes and discuss this series with your congregation or study group.

Each episode is 30-40 minutes long and includes scripture, story, and theological reflection. If you have any questions about these resources or are looking for additional Advent materials please email Suzanna Green, Director of Christian Formation at formation@dwtx.org.

Discussion Questions Coming Soon

Transcripts Coming Soon

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Diocesan-wide Discussions

There will be two diocesan-wide zoom discussions on the following dates. Click the links below to register for these discussions.

Advent: Stories of Movement and Migration Online Gathering and Discussion December 11, 6:30 p.m.

Advent: Stories of Movement and Migration Online Gathering and Discussion January 8, 6:30 p.m.

For children and younger youth who might not be interested in the full podcast episodes we recommend using the book Lili's Quilt: A Story of Immigration, Welcome, and Belonging. The book has several activities in the back and Christian Formation Committee member Jenny Ligon has put together a google doc with some suggested wondering questions and scripture tie-ins for each activity.