All things…Episcopal

All Things Episcopal returns for season four with new storytelling segment

>> Clare: Hello, everyone. Welcome to All Things Episcopal, where we talk about anything and everything related to the Episcopal Church. This podcast was designed with young people in mind and as, ah, a space to learn more about the Christian faith with the Episcopal lens. So in traditionally Episcopalian greeting fashion, the Lord be with you. Hey, friends, uh, it's Claire here. Um, I am back from maternity leave and, uh, I have a different title this time. I am a Reverend. Um, who let that happen. So welcome back for another season of All Things Episcopal. Like last season, we have some exciting news for you all. On season four, we're introducing a new segment of the podcast called Holy Inhuman Stories from Young Adults in the Pews. As we began to discern and plan for season four, the planning team agreed that some of the best parts of our podcast are the storytelling segments. The tell us your story or name an unfun fact about yourself. And we wanted to dedicate more time to that element of an episode of the podcast. So much so that we're creating a whole episode just for storytelling. So throughout season four, you will hear stories from college and young adults about their experience with the Episcopal Church, their joys, their concerns, their frustration with the church, and perhaps where we're even thriving as the church from a millennial and Gen Z perspective. Each Holy and Human segment will be roughly 10 to 30 minutes, and we'll strive to have. We'll still have our regular episodes that talk about liturgy, sacraments, doctrine, and the theology of the Episcopal Church. That's not going away, we're just adding on to it additionally, and I'm really excited about this. We have a new co host on the podcast and more on him in a minute. So we thought we would start season four not only by introducing a new segment, but also introducing our new co host and young adult missioner of the Diocese of West Missouri, Riley Brown. Riley, welcome to All Things Episcopal team. And congratulations. Your story is the very first story that will be told on the new segment of All Things Episcopal. Holy and Human Stories from Young Adults in the Pews.

>> Riley Brown: Thank you. I'm honored.

How did you first get connected with the Episcopal Church

>> Clare: So I guess the most obvious place to start is tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you first get connected, develop a deep, meaningful relationship, hopefully with the Episcopal Church?

>> Riley Brown: Yeah, so my journey with the Episcopal Church, I think what I'm gathering is pretty similar to a lot of young adults these days is I was not born in the Episcopal Church, nor really anywhere near it. I come from the Assemblies of God tradition. Um, that's the one I was born into anyway. And, um, you know, whenever I was in college, I decided that wasn't for me anymore. And it was a friend in college who invited me to a, uh, at the time, an ACNA or ACNA or however you want to say that church in our area. And at that time in my life, I didn't even know what liturgy was, and I didn't even know that Christians had liturgical worship. So he brought me to that church and I was blown away by the liturgy. And also at that time in my life, I was studying religion, uh, and theology. And I had convinced myself, given the background that I'd had, that academic theology. Well, I had convinced myself that theology was something that was just for church people. And it wasn't really something that, you know, I thought I was the only one reading Karl Barth and Paul Tillich, for example. And then the priest made a point to come up to me after the service and he asked me what I was reading and I told him Paul Tillich. And he said, oh, I like Tillich. And I was floored. And he said, but I like Bart better. And I was even more, uh, floored by that. So my, it was kind of from there on, I was kind of, I was hooked. And I was attending that church for a little while and then, you know, with the acna, had my own hang ups about some of that stuff. And I ended up moving to Boston and I was very lonely and I was looking for a way to get plugged into the city. And I thought, what do lonely people do when they move? They join a church. Um, and then I also thought to myself, if only there was a more progressive Anglican church or a more progressive Anglican church in North America church. And then, you know, light bulb moment, the Episcopal Church. So I joined the Episcopal Church. Um, and yeah, uh, just got super involved and it was kind of my anchor while I had, while I was living in Boston and living away from home.

>> Clare: Oh my gosh, I resonate so much with what you just said. Um, because when I first moved to Kansas City, I only knew my bosses at the time. And, uh, my first job out of college, I knew them for about 48 hours. I left my home, I left the beaches because I'm from Florida and left my friends on the East Coast. I came to Kansas City and literally knew no one. So to your point, what do lonely people do? They find a church. And that's exactly what I did. Um, and haven't, uh, looked back. And I guess I, I too kind of fit in, that I wasn't necessarily born into the Episcopal Church or cradle Episcopalian. But some people would say that I am because I found the church when I was nine and I said my own baptismal vows, but I came from an unchurched family, so it's like a. Yes. And in true Episcopal fashion.

What does it mean to identify as an Episcopalian to you personally

So you told us kind of like your journey into the church, and now that you've been Episcopalian for a hot minute, what does it mean to identify as an Episcopalian to you personally?

>> Riley Brown: Yeah, I think one of the things that it means to me now and what it meant a lot to me back then when I was. I came into divinity school thinking that, which is why I moved to Boston, that whatever I do, because I was in this kind of like spiritually nebulous place, I grew up in the Assemblies of God, and then whenever I was in college, I was what you'd call a nun or. And that's N o, N E, spiritual but not religious, all that good stuff. And I had decided by the end of my, um, by the end of my college career in Missouri that I was ready to call myself a Christian again. And I knew that whatever I was going to become or whatever I was going to convert to, I'm saying with air quotes, was going to be something I really wanted to dive into and learn all the history about and just be full, wholeheartedly into that thing. And it was during that time I was reading this book that I often credit it with, like, my coming back to faith moment, which is funny because it's like a very dense. I shouldn't say dense, but it's a philosophy book which it, uh, like feels very appropriate for me. But it's called who's Afraid of Relativism By James K. A Smith, which talks about the importance of practice and that belief is formed by our practices rather than the other way around. And so that was really on my mind and I was like, obviously that's so true and I love that idea and all this stuff. And then I get to the Episcopal Church in Boston and my first time, the first Sunday I attend church, it's like new member day and you can come down into the basement and get like a little lecture about the history. And I learned about the Middle Way and, uh, the importance of practice and that back whenever the prayer book and all in our Episcopal history, our Anglican history, it was more important for the Church of England to define how we practice rather than what we believe. And uh, that just like, was another huge light bulb moment for me where that connection just completely solidified. And that's one of the things I still. What keeps me here. Right. Is the way I've explained it to my brother in law is he's, uh, a baseball player. And I say, is it fair to say I'm a baseball player if I never practice or play? And he says no. And I say, is it fair to say I'm a Christian if I never practice or play? And he'll um, say no. I think, you know, practicing and play and all that stuff. And when I say play, I mean, like I've heard someone say that liturgy is a way of playing with God. And that's something that I still hold very near and dear to my own spirituality.

>> Clare: I guess that is such a rich reflection. Thank you. Related to that journey of finding meaning in, in liturgy and practice leading to belief.

You are the new young adult missioner for the Diocese of West Missouri

If I understand you correctly, you are the new young adult missioner for the Diocese of West Missouri. Tell us a little bit about that and how that came about. Yeah, let's start there. Sure.

>> Riley Brown: Well, um, I moved back. I'd actually been trying to get into discernment and this is all wrapped up. I'm in discernment right now. Uh, and I'd been trying to get into discernment ever since I felt called to ministry during my first year of dip school. But I knew that I didn't want to stay in Boston. I knew I wanted to come back home. And if I was going to be a priest east or if I was going to discern or whatever, I knew I wanted to do it at home or at least the people in Missouri, because I felt that was where I felt my call was to be. And, uh, so I spent a lot of time in Boston trying to convince people to let me begin discernment, even though I wasn't in the diocese that I would eventually be ordained in, which did not work out all that to say. The week I moved back home, I reached out to the Episcopal Church, to the diocese, and asked if I could get a meeting with all our new bishop. And I, uh, think it was the week following that that I did get a meeting with her and I told her a little bit about myself. We had a great conversation and I can remember leaving and the way she said it was so great and I'm gonna butcher it. But there was something about, you know, we were saying goodbye and, um, she said something and I remember her saying, we'll put you to work before then we were talking about ordination timelines and stuff. And, and then she said whatever the timeline was, and she said, but we'll put you to work before then. And then, uh, you know, a week later or so, I get an email about this position. And it's been really exciting ever since I was. I was excited to hop on the opportunity, and it's been a great way to get involved in the diocese because, like I said, I did not. I'm still. I call myself an Episcopal baby because I've only been confirmed for about three and a half years, but also I'm very much a baby in this diocese because I moved back here. And even though Springfield is my home, or, uh, Missouri, I should say Springfield, Missouri is my home, I didn't know anybody in the church, even though I know people here. My family is here and everything. But I didn't know anything about the Episcopal Church in this area of the country. So it's been a great way for me to get to know people and to get involved.

>> Clare: Oh, fantastic. Well, welcome home, literally, to your region, but also welcome home to, uh, the Episcopal Church in the Midwest. It's. It's a great place to be. So, as you may know, the All Things Episcopal podcast was designed with young people in mind as a space to explore everything and anything related to the Episcopal Church. Oftentimes we gain members because they're spiritually curious and, or sadly, recovering from church hurt. Uh, to someone who has never heard of the Episcopal Church, how would you explain the Episcopal Church to them as the young adult missioner?

>> Riley Brown: Yeah, I would say that the Episcopal Church, and this is going to be redundant because of what I've said. The Episcopal Church is about practice first. Um, and I would encourage, if you are curious about the Episcopal Church or curious about Christianity in general, to practice, because I was in that space where, you know, I'm thinking to myself, I don't know if I can. Can affirm everything I'm saying in the Nicene Creed or in the Apostles Creed or all this. Some of that sounds crazy to me, and my background is in. I did religious studies in college, so a lot of, like, biblical scholarship. And, you know, there's all these things of, like, I don't think the Trinity is in the Bible, you know, all this sort of stuff that you get, you know, bogged down if you're, you know, listening to certain people on TikTok or if you're reading certain scholars. And I'm not saying any of that's wrong or bad or whatever, because that's. That's me to a T. But I was in that space, and I knew that if there was going to be a way for me to re. Enter the space faithfully, um, I would have to just kind of get into the rhythm of, of all of that stuff. So if people were to ask how. What's the best way to experience the Episcopal Church? I would say it's just that to experience it, to, to give it at least two months of going, uh, regularly and experiencing worship and really trying to get into the rhythms of it until. Yeah, I can remember there was a moment when I felt people were always telling me, the liturgy will get into your bones. And I was kind of like, what does that mean? And I was sitting on a bus in Boston, and suddenly the words of the confession came to me and I was like, where did that come from? And then slowly, you know, it really does get into your bones. And the words and the ways in which having a rhythm for wor and a rhythm for life all comes together. And then I would also say that I guess maybe as like a teaser. The Episcopal Church, I think, has a lot to offer everybody, but especially young people. Um, I think sometimes the Episcopal Church gets a bad rap from people outside, um, the Episcopal Church, for whatever reasons, most of the time having to do with politics, et cetera. Um, and I would say that, um, the political. The Episcopal Church has robust theology, and it is very deep. And it's not surface level. Um, it's a very deep well to plumb, if that makes sense. So those are the two things, I guess I would say.

>> Clare: Ah, uh, so good. So good.

A core distinction of the Episcopal Church is its beautiful liturgy

So you mentioned this already, our liturgy. A core distinction of the Episcopal Church is its beautiful liturgy. I'm curious, what is your favorite part of the liturgy, and what do you struggle to connect with or feel called to understand more deeply with his liturgy?

>> Riley Brown: I don't know. There's a lot of favorites. I feel like, you know, it's weird being someone who didn't grow up in liturgical worship because all of it's so fun and like, still kind of new to me. And I feel like sometimes it's a cop out because I'll meet cradle Episcopalians who've been doing it since they were born of, like, how do you, you know, there's, there's almost that, uh, kind of like, I don't want to say, like, naivete, but the fact that everything new seems shiny and cool and it's not extremely new. Right. Because I've been in the Episcopal Church for three and a half, almost four years.

>> Clare: Mhm.

One of the things that stands out about Episcopal liturgy is Holy Week

>> Riley Brown: But I think one of the things that really stands out to me about the liturgy, and I guess I'm going To. Is it fair to talk. Is it within the rules I should ask to talk about holidays? Like, Holy.

>> Clare: Of course. This is anything and anything related to the Episcopal Church. Yeah.

>> Riley Brown: So I would say Holy Week. Holy Week. The whole week is. I, uh, really, really love Holy Week. And I can remember I'd never heard the song Were you there when they crucified my Lord? And the first time I heard that was at the end of Palm Sunday. And that was a very. Like, I love that song. And, like, discovering that song at, you know, um, 25, 24 years old is kind of crazy because everyone in my family knows it, and they're like, you didn't know that song, but that. That sticks out. Getting to sing that song during Holy Week. And also on the same, you know, typically on, um, Palm Sunday, when we read the Crucifixion and there is the, uh. We read it like a play, or we did that year. I don't think we did ever. There was that. There was one year where I was in Boston that we read it like a play, and I was reading along because it's a long chunk of text in the bulletin, because it's like this. It's really long, and there's two. There's suddenly a bold passage that I just kind of glossed over, and, um, I forget. Oh, bold passages are the things we say out loud. And the bolded thing was crucify him. And it was all of us saying it. And that's something I can remember just, like, breaking down crying whenever I had to say that. But I feel very strongly now, like, liturgically and theologically, that it should be us saying that, because it hits so hard when, um, you know, the. You know, just that idea that the Son of God came and was. Was killed by humanity. And I grew up in a tradition that was very much God killed Jesus so that God could like us better. So the. That idea that Jesus's death was us or, you know, us saying, crucify him. I don't know that just. That's something that continues to really be meaningful for me.

>> Clare: Being, um. Putting yourself in the story because it is our story, like, as Christians, like, you know, the Gospel was written for us, and it is our story as well. Um, becomes a whole lot more meaningful when you think of yourself in the crowd of, um, saying crucify for sure.

What do you struggle to connect with in the liturgy

What do you struggle to connect with in the liturgy? I'm putting you on the spot.

>> Riley Brown: What do I struggle to connect with in the liturgy? I think. I think liturgy is funny because it's Sometimes, you know, I've spent I don't know how many minutes of this podcast, you know, really praising the liturgy. But it's. The other thing about it is, like, sometimes it really does just feel like going through the motions. M. And the kind of. It's kind of a great thing, but also kind of a boring thing is that it's just going through the motions. So it kind of, for me, depends on the day. Um, sometimes, like I said, I'll be saying something or I'll be reading something that I've read every Sunday for the last however many years, and I'll start to get emotional and tears will well up. And that's the thing I say every Sunday. And then sometimes I'm just, like, totally not there mentally. Um, and I'm saying the same words, and I think. So it's not so much that there's any one moment that's hard for me. M. To connect with. Sometimes it's hard for me to connect with the whole thing.

>> Clare: Yeah.

>> Riley Brown: Um, but sometimes it's super easy for me to connect. And I think that's why it's like. I like to think of it kind of like gravity, like, just orbiting it is what's more important than, you know, in orbiting. An orbit is like a very normal, regular thing, but we're still in the gravity of the thing at the center.

>> Clare: Yeah.

>> Riley Brown: So, yeah.

>> Clare: I love that you said that, because growing up. I grew up in the south. Like I said, I'm originally from Florida, and I kind of had two camps of friends that were within the Christian community. Either you were Southern Baptist or you were Roman Catholic. That was kind of my friend group, uh, in terms of, like, identity. And they both kind of came at faith with understanding of God speaking to them like, you know, as if God were conversation partner, like, right next to you physically. And you could hear God's voice, like, booming. And I didn't experience God that way, so I always felt like something was broken within me and that I wasn't in a meaningful relationship with God like most Christians. And so, at least the ones that I was surrounded by, I almost didn't get confirmed because I took vows really seriously. And I grew up at the cathedral in Jacksonville, Florida. And the dean at the time came in and talked to our, uh, confirmation class, and he said, you know, I've gone through some seriously dry seasons in my priesthood to the point where I didn't know if I actually believed what, you know, I. One, vowed to believe as a priest, and then two, as a Christian. And he said. But one of the things that I've really loved is that we say the Nicene Creed, and the first word is we. So there is someone believing on your behalf. When you're either completely spaced out and thinking about your grocery list or you're going through a dry season and you have no idea what you actually believe, it is a community that is saying, you know, we're gonna journey this together. Like, we believe this. Like, we're giving our hearts to this, and we're gonna believe for one another, um, when we can't believe as an individual, which I thought was really beautiful. Um, and so I. I loved his authenticity that, and I appreciate your authenticity and transparency about. You know, sometimes it's, you know, not connecting completely, and then other times it just, like, hits you at your core, and you're just like, oh, my gosh, this is. This is it.

>> Riley Brown: You know, I think, too, I really like the, um, kind of, like, what you're saying of, like, almost believing in spite of, like, the things that I'm feeling. It's like a very affirmative. Which is the whole point of the creeds is like, this is where I stand. This is where we stand.

>> Clare: Yeah.

>> Riley Brown: And it's like, some. There's definitely been times where it's like, I'm talking to myself in those moments of, um, when I don't feel like, you know, there's. There's a slew of things in the Nicene Creed that I'm sure plenty of Christians still struggle with and have struggled with for millennia. And, uh, there's almost something like. I don't know what the right word to use, but it's like this very kind of triumphant, sometimes thing of, um. I don't know, but I. But I believe. We believe, you know, in God the Father Almighty. And sometimes it doesn't click as much as others, but I think even when it doesn't click, it's like, there's still strength in it. Um.

>> Clare: So true. So true. Because we can't be Christian alone.

>> Riley Brown: Yeah.

How does your faith influence your everyday life outside of the church on Sundays

>> Clare: A dear friend of mine who's a priest in the Diocese of Rochester, um, will often say, worship has ended. Our service begins. I'm curious. How does your faith influence your everyday life? Because we've talked about the liturgy, which is something that we do inside the church formally, but the liturgy is the work of the people. So how does your faith influence your everyday life outside of the church on Sundays?

>> Riley Brown: Yeah.

>> Clare: And go.

>> Riley Brown: I would say it's influenced me both in very active and our conscious and unconscious ways my entire life. And it's what led me to div school and the work I was doing at div school, you know, like the part time work while I was finishing up school. And you know, at the time I applied to div school, I wasn't calling myself a Christian. There's been this like unconscious kind of thing that I think I've been motivated. I remember a friend of mine, um, at school said talking about Christianity, it's too deep in. It's too deep in there for me to like, just pretend like it's not there. And that's kind of how I remember when he said that. Like, I was like, you're right. And that's how it is for me too. I think the way it is now, uh, one of whenever I'm asked to give like a favorite Bible verse, I always talk about Matthew 25, which is very common. Um, I think like if you were looking for it in the Bible, it's under a heading, a very scary heading called the Judgment of the Nations. But it's the story where Jesus says, I, uh, was thirsty and you gave me drink. I was hungry and you fed me. And you know, this kind of back and forth of every time you did it for the least of these, you did it for me. And for me what that motivated in me whenever I was really, you know, whenever that verse really started to become a core thing for me. Um, I worked at the cathedral in Boston with their, uh, what's called their manna community, which they run a, uh, shelter out of their basement. And I worked there for a summer as the minister of the Steppes, which was their effort to bring the ministries of the church out to the people. And because of the placement of the cathedral right off of Boston Common, that was a lot of. It was a lot of people just walking around in Boston and tourists, but it was also a lot of homeless people. And that was super formative for me and I'm so grateful that I had that experience. But that to me, my work with unhoused or the homeless is something that continues to be something that I see as a part of my faith, which is work that I continue to this day in my current place of employment.

>> Clare: Yeah. Oh, also I love St. Paul's uh, fantastic.

>> Riley Brown: Shout, uh, out to St. Paul's shout out to Danny.

>> Clare: Yeah, I think I went when I was anywhere between like 15 and 17 on pilgrimage. And it was the first time I had once seen a pride flag in faith, ah, based space. Um, and two where we, um, each served each other, um, around the altar. So Another youth on the youth trip that I was on would say, you know, the blood of Christ, the cup of salvation and the chalice was passed around to us like we were all gathered around the altar. And I just thought that was, like, such a cool experience. I don't know if that's an actual practice on the regular at, uh, St. Paul's but it was one of the priests at St. Paul's I mean, this was 15 years ago, so hopefully I'm not getting a priest in trouble by saying that. But it was. It was such a cool experience being in that space and getting to learn about the ministries that were going on there at that time. So, yeah, shout out to St. Paul's Cathedral.

Have you been involved in young adult ministries within the Episcopal Church specifically

So perhaps this is too much of an assumption here. Have you been involved in young adult ministries within the Episcopal Church specifically? And what was that like? And if you haven't, then just tell us what you dream of, what they will be like since you're the youth or young adult ministry.

>> Riley Brown: Uh, yeah. So I think the short answer is no. Within the Episcopal Church. I have not really been involved in young adult ministries until I got this role that I'm currently inhabiting, largely because while I was, you know, I became an Episcopalian in Boston, and I was in Boston until a couple months ago. Um, and. But I do have some experience with young adults insofar as I am one and I worked as a campus, uh, chaplain while I was living in Boston. So not in an Episcopal, you know, sense, but what do young adults like to do in terms of ministry and all that good stuff? And I guess my goals for, you know, my. I don't know what you'd call it. My, My tenure as a, um, young adult missioner, um, is. I think that young adults, at least from my own experience, want something tangible and something that is firm and that might be different from the kind of religiosity of our. Our parents. And I think we're kind of in a point of transition of how does the Episcopal Church offer something firm without it being exclusive, Right. Or something that pushes people away? And in that sense, I think that's what I hope to bring. Uh, one of the things I've been tossing around in my own mind is like adult catechism. Because I think everybody, when they go through. And I, uh, say this as someone who never went through an Episcopal confirmation. Well, I did as an adult, but I think most kids when they go through confirmation are doing it because their parents have told them to. And a lot of it just kind of by the Time they're adults is like, well, I learned that as a kid, and it's already kind of weird information, and it doesn't stick by the time you get to college. So that leaves this. This opening of adult formation or adult catechesis, which is something I'm really passionate about, especially because it lets us explore, like, lowercase O, Orthodoxy.

You talked about the pride flag being at the cathedral

Right. Which is something I'm very passionate about because a lot of people like to say, well, you talked about, um. And this is relevant. You talked about the pride flag being at the cathedral. Um, and because I was on the steps in the summer, in June, I was under that pride flag, and I had to talk to a lot of people who did not like that and did not like the church. And I've heard a great deal that the Episcopal Church is not Orthodox. It is not a real church. It is a fallen church. I was given numbers for local pastors that would set me straight, all sorts of things. And my. One of my things is like, we are a legitimate church. We are an orthodox church. We say Nicene Creed more than, like, you know, probably. I would. I don't want to, like, be facetious, but, like, I would bet that we say the Nicene Creed more than Baptists or all those other kind of, like, evangel, you know, there. So there's. That's kind of my. My response. My ministry is a response to that mentality that the, uh. The Episcopal Church is just NPR with a little bit of Jesus on the side or something like that.

>> Clare: That is so awesome. I think we just figured out the tagline of this episode. The Episcopal Church is NPR with a little bit of Jesus.

>> Riley Brown: Is more than NPR with a little bit of Jesus.

>> Clare: Sorry, More than npr. Sorry.

>> Riley Brown: Yes. That's my whole deal. That's my shtick.

>> Clare: I love that.

>> Riley Brown: I love that.

What would you say to someone curious about faith but hesitant to walk into church

>> Clare: So with that being said, what would you say to someone your age, dare I say also my age, who's curious about faith but hesitant to walk into a church?

>> Riley Brown: I would say I would. I would ask if they wanted to come with me, and I would say, give it a shot. I think that. And that's one of the things. It's hard for me to talk about that because while I would say that the kind of, like, religiosity and churches of my youth burned me in a way insofar as I had questions that I never got legitimate answers for. And, uh, you know, there's a lot of bitterness about that for me personally and all that sort of stuff. I've never been the type of person being like, A young white man, a young white straight man, I should say, who's ever felt any fear to go into a church. So, like, that's why I feel the only thing that I can. That I would say is I would offer to go with them if they wanted to. If they wanted somebody to go with. And any information that, um, they're curious about, I would tell them that they're more than welcome at the Episcopal Church. But that's always a question I feel not super well equipped to answer because I'm not someone who's dealt with a lot of religious trauma directly. Like I said, I've never been. Whenever I. I moved to Boston, I was. I was waltzing into every church that I found that I thought looked pretty, but without any inhibitions. So it's also just kind of not in my. My personality to be hesitant. But, uh, yeah, I don't know. That's. That feels like a non answer, but I hope it's. It's helpful nonetheless.

>> Clare: No, I think it's. It's an honest answer, which is what we want in the church. Honest and authentic and transparent. Because that's the person that Jesus meets, is Jesus knows everything about us. And why not be your most authentic self in the one place that you should be bringing your most authentic self to? So I love your honest answer.

Use these questions to help you understand our first episode

So we're about. We're a little over 30 minutes here with our first episode, so I'm gonna wrap us up with some rapid fire questions. And you have not seen these questions, so I hope you'll be a. Okay, first question. High church or low church?

>> Riley Brown: High church.

>> Clare: Favorite part of the liturgy.

>> Riley Brown: Um, Eucharist. Getting. Getting the going up. Yeah.

>> Clare: Scripture, tradition or reason? Pick one tradition. Vestment, color you vibe with most.

>> Riley Brown: My favorite color is blue. I don't know if I've seen blue vestments. And we're in ordinary times. I'm seeing a lot of green. So do people wear bl. Isn't it blue and purple are interchangeable. Yeah, I'm going to go with blue.

>> Clare: Yeah. Uh, Advent. Yeah.

>> Riley Brown: Yeah.

>> Clare: Um, would you rather Easter vigil or Christmas Eve service?

>> Riley Brown: Oh, boy. Is there candlelight carols at Christmas Eve?

>> Clare: I'll let you decide.

>> Riley Brown: Let's say if there are candlelight carols, definitely Christmas Eve. If there's no candlelight carols, Easter vigil.

>> Clare: See Middle way right there. Perfect answer.

>> Riley Brown: Church.

>> Clare: Uh, potluck must have m. I feel.

>> Riley Brown: Like every church potluck needs, like a good soup.

>> Clare: Okay.

>> Riley Brown: Yeah.

>> Clare: Love it.

All Things Episcopal podcast kicks off season four with story from young adults

Well, Riley, thank you so much for being our first story on Holy inhuman stories from young adults in the pews. There we go. Long, long title and kicking off season four of All Things Episcopal. And I'm looking forward to working with you more and, um, really excited for your ministry as the new young adult missioner of the Diocese of West Missouri. Put that on a business card, right?

>> Riley Brown: High hopes. High hopes. Yeah. Thank you for your time and this was fun.

>> Clare: Well, friends, we are, like I said, kicking off season four. And look out for more episodes that are, uh, going to be filled with story and maybe even attention grabbing. We'll see. To be determined. All right, be well, friends. Hey, friends, thanks for listening. Please like and subscribe and leave a review wherever you listen to podcasts. To learn more about all things Episcopal on the Diocese of West Missouri's communication pages, Please visit dio westmo.org podcasts backslash and in the Diocese of Kansas, please visit edokformation.WordPress.com all things Episcopal podcast All Things Episcopal Podcast is a production of the Diocese of West Missouri and the Diocese of Kansas in association with Resonant Media.