Allison Arsenault: The Vocation of Discernment

05/12/23 • 28 min

This week, Dr. Patrick Reyes talks to FTE’s own Allison Arsenault. The two discuss her nomadic childhood and how she found deep affirmation and a welcoming community within the walls of Presbyterian churches. Allison has spent a lot of her life discerning her own vocation and now uses her experiences to help others do the same.

Allison is an experience design manager at FTE, where she works with programs supporting young adults in discernment and grantee partners. She received her Master of Divinity degree from Emory University’s Candler School of Theology and is currently a candidate for ordination in the Presbyterian Church (USA). She also serves on the alumni board of her alma mater, Millsaps College, and on the board of Memorial Drive Ministries. Allison and her husband live with their daughter and two corgis in Atlanta, Georgia.

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Sandhya Jha: The Sacred Work of Justice

This week Dr. Reyes talks to Rev. Sandhya Jha about their multiracial, interfaith upbringing, which is deeply rooted in both a love of Jesus and the fight against injustice. Their work in politics, the church, and non-profits is where they find community, inextricably tied up with the sacred.

Sandhya Jha (they/them) is an anti-oppression consultant who particularly loves helping organizations get diversity, equity, and inclusion teams off the ground. Sandhya is the founder and former executive director of the Oakland Peace Center, a collective of 40 organizations working to create equity, access, and dignity as the means of creating peace in Oakland and the Bay Area. An ordained pastor with a master’s in public policy, Sandhya is comfortable in the pulpit, on the picket line, or hanging out with friends and friends-to-be over a good cup of tea and a good story. Sandhya’s fifth book with Chalice Press, Rebels, Despots, and Saints, is now available where books are sold.
Portrait Illustration by: Triyas
Music by: @siryalibeats

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Patrick B. Reyes: Risk Love

In the final episode of season four, Dr. Patrick Reyes answers questions from staff and previous guests that help him reflect on his past and present. He shares his thoughts on theological education, advancing technology, and the things in his life that contribute to his thriving and bring him joy. In typical Patrick fashion, his reflections are braided with deep gratitude for the people and places that continue to shape him.

Dr. Patrick B. Reyes is the bestselling and award-winning author of The Purpose Gap: Empowering Communities of Color to Find Meaning and Thrive, and Nobody Cries When We Die: God, Community, and Surviving to Adulthood. A Chicano educator, writer, futurist, and cultural change strategist, he is the dean at Auburn Seminary. He was the Senior Director of Learning Design at the Forum for Theological Exploration and former host of the Sound of the Genuine podcast. He is the current board President of the Religious Education Association and co-dean of the Children's Defense Fund Dale Andrews Freedom Seminary. He serves on several boards in higher education and the non-profit sector, supporting the next generation of Black, Indigenous, and Chicano leaders and educators. Patrick lives in New Mexico with his family, loving and belonging to the land and his people.

You can learn more about Patrick and his work at thepurposegap.com.

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Sound of the Genuine - Allison Arsenault: The Vocation of Discernment

Transcript

Patrick Reyes: Welcome to the Sound of the Genuine, FTE’s podcast on how to find meaning and purpose in your lives. I'm your host, Dr. Patrick Reyes.

Today, I'm excited because you get to meet one of my work colleagues, one of my friends, Allison Arsenault, who is a candidate for ordination in the Presbyterian Church, a program manager here at FTE, putting together our experiences for young adults to help them discern their call to ministry. I'm really excited for yo