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Follow The Light | Sermon | Rev. Venida Rodman Jenkins The season of Epiphany can help ground us in the light and love of Jesus even during unprecedented times. Watch Rev. Venida Rodman Jenkins preach as she opens our new Sermon Series, Forever Forward.

At our Christmas Celebration service, Rev. Venida Rodman Jenkins unpacks the hidden meaning behind Angels, hidden figures of Advent and Worship Pastor Angela Lockett leads the band in a powerful and inspiring 2021 finale!

If you've followed this podcast for a while, then you've already heard the name of Rev. Wil Gafney when we spoke with Char Adams, who had written a thesis on Womanist Theology and in this episode, we get to speak directly to the Right Rev. herself! A leading voice and intimidating intellect in the study of Womanism, Rev. Gafney speaks to Forefront about many topics including why the phrase "the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob" neglects the importance of biblical women figures and is indicative of a long history of male-centric theology. Just in time for the holiday season, she also sheds light on approaches to studying both the Advent and Christmas seasons, what the Church means when it differentiates the two, and which figures have been overlooked in the long tradition of retelling the Christmas story. ABOUT REV. GAFNEY Womanist biblical scholar, the Rev. Wil Gafney, Ph.D. is the Right Rev. Sam B. Hulsey Professor of Hebrew Bible at Brite Divinity School in Fort Worth, Texas. She is the author of Womanist

Rev. Josh Lee takes the stage and explores the hidden message behind the Advent figure: the Donkey. Have you every felt left out or unappreciated? Have you ever been the ass in a Christmas pageant? If you have, you probably weren’t very excited about it, few people want to be the donkey. The donkey is totally hidden and only a part of our sanctified imagination in the Christmas story. It’s only oral tradition, not written tradition that even has the donkey in the story. What can we learn from this hidden character? Who else is unseen or unappreciated in our Scriptures and in our lives?

Rev. Venida Rodman Jenkins reflects on the Shepherds and The Great Joy of Good News in our series: "Hidden Figures of Advent". The shepherds in ancient times were deemed to be unreliable witnesses, and these hidden figures received and shared the good news of the birth of the Christ child. There are things in our life which we may deem to be insignificant yet can bring great joy to someone else's life.

This Sunday we began a new series: "Hidden Figures of Advent". Community Pastor Rev. Josh Lee took inspiration from the story of the three wise men and how the coming light of a star led the men to find hope and relief in a newborn baby. Are you in need of hope and relief? What burdens do you carry?

Let's be honest, y'all - there's been a lot of transitions at Forefront recently and many of you have certainly been wondering what the future of our church is going to look like. Thankfully, with the commissioning of new Community Pastor, Josh Lee, we're all celebrating knowing what the next steps are going to look like as we work towards ushering in the next 500 years of Christianity! Deacon Jim is joined by Teaching Pastor, Venida Jenkins, and Executive Producer, Makenzie Gomez, to chat with Josh and help you all get a clearer picture of his story, his background, and how his journey of overcoming shame as a queer man ultimately led him to becoming the person that he is and Forefront's newest member of the Executive Council. ABOUT JOSH Josh's experiences have exposed him to a wide spectrum of thought, that compelled him to create greater unity among diversity. He has served as an Associate Pastor in the Assemblies of God & United Methodist Church, Youth Director in the American Baptist Church, Senior

During those times that we wrestle with pain and challenging situations where we find it difficult to forgive, God can help us release the burden of un-forgiveness and live with peace and freedom. Rev. Venida Rodman Jenkins explores forgiveness in this service. This sermon marks the end of our "Keepin' It Real" series. Watch the entire series here: t.ly/4B4s.

We're excited to welcome our new Community Pastor at Forefront, Rev. Josh Lee to the stage today as he tackles shame and how we might overcome it in our own lives.

In our "Keepin' it real" sermon series, Rev. Venida C. Rodman Jenkins presents a powerful message about fear. "It seems at times action from fear is easier than action from hope - how can we change that?".

Building a radically inclusive and diverse Church requires understanding the difference between our written and our lived theology. In this sermon Guest Preacher Mark Charles challenges us to explore where we believe we are included into the Gospel story. And the answer might not be where we think. Systemic racism, white Christian Nationalism and implicit racial bias are continuing to dominate the national news and headlines. And unfortunately, the Church is not a place of refuge from the issues. This sermon challenges the church to be better.

Mak Gomez takes to the stage and speak about the disciples and community. In the midst of loss, change or fear, where do we turn for stability, for reassurance? In this sermon, Mak reminds us of the love that surrounds us all as being part of a community. We aren't meant to go it alone.

Yá’ át’ ééh. Mark Charles yinishyé. Tsin bikee dine’é nishłí. Dóó tó’aheedlíinii bá shíshchíín. Tsin bikee’ dine’é dashicheii. Dóó tódích’ íi’ nii dashinálí. In the Navajo culture, that is how Mark Charles - pastor, author, 2020 Presidential candidate - would introduce himself to you. Mark grew up believing the same narrative that we all believed: that America and the Church stood for justice and equality. But after moving his family from Denver, CO to a Navajo reservation and learning more about the history of his people and his culture, he began to break down the myth of a just America and an affirming Church when the two have been so intertwined throughout the centuries of genocide committed against indigenous peoples. In this episode, Mark discusses the journey that led him to co-author "Unsettling Truths: The Ongoing, Dehumanizing Legacy of the Doctrine of Discovery" and what it truly means for a country and a religion to lament and work towards racial conciliation. ABOUT MARK Mark is a dual citizen

Love and dignify your neighbor. Rev. Venida C. Rodman Jenkins inspires us to consider how we can embrace others, regardless of differences, and how scripture speaks to this through the passage of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10: 25-37). Happy National Coming Out Day!

Our discontent with the challenges of life can be channeled into productive actions which can help us find contentment and freedom. Watch Rev. Venida C. Rodman Jenkins in this third sermon in our "This Far, By Faith" series.

Guest Preacher, Emmy Brett talks about change, about a new dawn rising. Emmy takes the recent changes at Forefront as inspiration for the continued journey to usher in the next 500 years of Christianity. We remain the change, and forge ahead. Though the church may not always have welcomed change, Jesus was a catalyst for change. How do we respond to his example and how do we adapt to the changes we see in our church and in our lives? In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, an entire globe has found itself faced with unprecedented change. Socially, new changes are making us re-consider how we define Christianity and whether or not America is the true center of expanding Christian practice.

“There is no such thing as a woke white person. That is a specimen of human that doesn’t exist. We will always be waking up.” These might be hard words for white allies to hear, but as the white pastor of a multiracial congregation on the South Side of Chicago, David Swanson knows a thing or two about it. In this episode, David talks about his history in the problematic worlds of mission work and church planting and how that informed his approach of servitude and equity when he was asked to be the lead pastor of New Community Covenant Church. We dig deep into his book, "Rediscipling the White Church: From Cheap Diversity to True Discipleship," and discuss the tangible approaches that white churches and white churchgoers can take to truly integrate diversity, equity, and multicultural respect into churches in ways that go way beyond just the simple aesthetics of a congregational makeup. ABOUT DAVID David is the founding pastor of New Community Covenant Church, a multiracial congregation on the South Side of

Why do you attend church? In our new series, "This Far, By Faith", we explore the underpinnings of faith. Rev. Venida C. Rodman Jenkins starts us off with the basic question, "why church?" The church can be a beacon of hope promoting equity and working to end all forms of oppression. We've been through quite some change at Forefront these past months, but some things never change, especially when it comes to the Spirit.

This past Sunday Guest Preacher, Pastor Josh Lee (he/him/his), shined his bright light on the Forefront congregation! Thank you, Josh! In this sermon, Josh Lee speaks about community. Many of us feel like spiritual refugees, fleeing, or being chased out of our communities of faith because we weren’t in a safe place anymore, or left because of oppressive doctrine. Our community at Forefront is made up of spiritual refugees and we can be an example of a community that doesn’t require uniformity to have unity. Josh is the Teaching Pastor at Imago Dei Church in Peoria, Illinois, and has a rich theological background.

We're excited to welcome Forefront's Deacon Jim Rohner to deliver the message. Jim explores the story of Job. It's not a story that can be broken down into simplistic, easily conveyed morals. Instead, it's a complicated and nuanced look at a culture trying to find meaning amongst uncertainty, which in turn gives us permission to question the easy lessons that have been told we should believe. In fact, the story of Job has great relevance to what we're facing today with so many crises at our doorstep. With an ongoing COVID pandemic, climate change, an economic roller coaster, and social unrest, accepting uncertainty about the future has never been so difficult, especially when powerful forces seek to advance a narrative of certainty that keeps them in power.