Coffee with Melanie Mullen

Rev. Melanie Mullen lives her life in professional service to God
and others as the Director of Reconciliation, Justice, and
Creation Care at the Office of the Presiding Bishop of the
Episcopal Church. So this episode holds stories that connect her
North Carolina roots, her time in Richmond, and certainly her
time now in D.C., New York City, and everywhere Bishop Curry's
staff goes!


My original lead for the show notes was, "If you're wondering
what a "drag show for the saints" is then this could be your
favorite episode of the Coffeepot Fellowship Podcast," but I went
another way. That statement, however, still holds true. This is
another great story of an Episcopal priest truly asking herself
(and letting congregants ask) what a gathering time together can
and should look like, how it can be most fulfilling for
participants? (I cannot help recall a future podcast guest, Rev.
Megan Anderson, in California and several guests from the past.
Keep your eyes open for Megan in the future.)


We interviewed Melanie especially because I kept crossing paths
with her in Richmond every time I showed up for a justice event!
Often she would be one of the coordinating leaders. Clearly we
were colleagues who cared about many of the same things in the
world and it can feel lonely out there as clergy doing justice
work. I'm sure, at least I hope(!), that Melanie wished I had
been more present, more supportive at more justice advocacy
events!  And she would not be surprised that I also wish I
was able to be present for more advocacy ministry.


The first place I met Melanie was requesting special assistance
from an Episcopal priest as a Baptist seminary student. My final
year of seminary I was fulfilling an internship and one of my
personal objectives was to learn to offer Eucharist in the
tradition of the Catholic Church. But no Catholic priest was
allowed to teach a non-Catholic minister that holy sacrament. So
my Sr. Pastor (past guest, Jim Somerville) reached out to to the
Rector at St. Paul's and poor Melanie got asked if she would help
me out. I met her in her office, we talked, she lent me some of
her personal books on the matter and I kept them entirely too
long! (But I did eventually return them.) It was after I
graduated and engaged Richmond more widely as clergy that I began
happily seeing her out and about.


Melanie is also my second Episcopal priest friend who has worked
closely with Bishop Curry. The Rev. Canon Catherine A. Caimano
served as canon for regional ministry for the Episcopal Diocese
of North Carolina before launching her Free Range Priest
ministry. Father Cathie speaks very well of Bishop Curry so I was
frustrated when he came to Richmond recently and he was preaching
at the same time as my wife.


With so many Episcopal connections in Upstart Ministry, Free
Range Priest, United Faith Leaders, the Coffeepot Fellowship, and
social justice in general, it is no surprise that I keep crossing
paths with Melanie Mullen. For Mellanie's time at Virginia
Theological Seminary I checked her connections with our past
podcast guests: Tricia Lyons, Kyle Oliver, Alex Moreschi,
Sarah Stonesifer, and Taylor Devine.


Another mutual friend was revealed because of ABCD (Asset Based
Community Development) rather than being Episcopalian. That
connection is with our common colleague Wendy McCaig.
 Wendy and I both went to Baptist Theological Seminary at
Richmond. My wife, Kelli, also did her first year master of
social work internship at Embrace Richmond, the ministry Wendy
founded. Embrace Richmond has been implementing ABCD for over a
dozen years. Now Wendy and Melanie have both taken this model of
ministry to the national scene, Melanie with Called to
Transformation and Wendy with View from the Bridge. I know Wendy
and Melanie both want to spread this model as widely as possible
so that the greatest benefit can be affected for the most people.
So please review all of their resources and contact them both.
The work is plenty and the laborers are few so this is an "all
hands on deck" endeavor.


There may be more, in hindsight, but I have only just realized
before publication that past guest Stephanie Spellers is also an
Episcopal priest and currently on the Presiding Bishop's staff!
Maybe with all of these connections, we'll get to have the Bishop
himself on the show!  Would he be the first bishop on the
Coffeepot Fellowship Podcast?  Indeed, he would not.
 Let the record show Coffee with Will Willimon Part 1 and
Coffee with Will Willimon Part 2.


Thought we had to be done? As we had photos to the show notes,
more connections become apparent! Coffee with Phoebe Roaf and
Coffee with Winnie Varghese! I may need to convert if this keeps
up.
Asset Based Community Development:

Called to Transformation


View from the Bridge


From the Sanctuary to the Streets: How the Dreams of One City's
Homeless Sparked a Faith Revolution that Transformed a Community
by Wendy McCaig


Coffee with Wendy McCaig
LINKS:

Sponsor: United Faith Leaders


Sponsor: Free Range Priest


Sponsor: Clergyprenuer Training


Clark Atlanta University


Virginia Theological Seminary


University of NC Chapel Hill


Coffee with Stephanie Spellers


Coffee with Tricia Lyons


Coffee with Kyle Oliver


Coffee with Alex Moreschi


Coffee with Sarah Stonesifer


Coffee with Taylor (Poindexter) Devine