New podcast by Washington bishop connects laypeople, clergy through stories of calling

Bishop Cedrick D. Bridgeforth of the Greater Northwest Episcopal Area of the United Methodist Church has called people to go the “M.I.L.E” with his recent podcast, which shares the stories of how laypeople and individuals in ministry received their callings.

He was inspired by Scripture and by his personal belief that God has called everyone to serve in some way, Bridgeforth said.

“I wanted to create a platform where people could share about how they were living out their calling in the world, how they were applying that to ministries within the church but also how they’re serving out in the world,” Bridgeforth said.

His podcast “Going the M.I.L.E” doesn’t solely focus on pastoral ministry. Instead, laypeople, educators, musicians, artists or people doing service projects in the community will share their stories and their callings.

“It was to expose a variety of gifts that are present in the body and to show the many ways that we show up in the world,” Bridgeforth said.

What it means to “go the M.I.L.E.” is to represent the values of the Methodist church. The acronym is the “vision container” for the values in the greater northwest ministries, Bridgeforth said. It stands for Ministries that Matter, Itineration and Location, Lay Ministry Enhancement and Elimination of Racism.

“It’s important to me because of where it came from,” Bridgeforth said. “And it came from the people I was called here to serve with.”

“It’s a practical way of living out the vision and the mission of the Methodist church, so I think that for me, just showing up every day is a testament to going the mile,” said the Rev. Byron Harris, who is a pastor of a Methodist church in Vancouver, Washington.

The first episode of the podcast was released on Sept. 17.

“It’s been amazing,” Bridgeforth said. “Every single recording has brought me to tears in some way, either from the depth of the sharing and from the commitment that I hear from each person, or just from laughter.”

Daniel Santos is a pastor in Seward, Alaska, who has enjoyed listening to the podcast.

“I also like the folks that he has selected to interview,” he said. “There’s people from all kinds of different ministry.”

Harris was the guest on the fifth episode of the podcast, “Rev. Byron Harris on Becoming Whole.” He talked about his experience as a same-gender loving clergy person in the United Methodist church and how that has influenced his call story.

“The main thing for me was that it gave me an opportunity to allow me to share my narrative and have my voice be heard,” Harris said. “And to actually normalize who I am and what I am in the gifts and graces that I bring to the church universal.”

The Rev. Troy Lynn Carr is a clergy person and pastor in the United Methodist church who listened to the podcast and was impacted by Harris’ story.

“Just listening to the deep spiritual connection of his call story – knowing that this is not just something he is responding to – but this is something deeper that’s happening and something that has been recognized about his life and his journey from his childhood,” Carr said. “That is what God has purposed for him in this type of leadership.”

“These are real stories from real people and they’re speaking from their heart,” Santos said. “They only have under 20 minutes to get it all out, and they’re doing really well with it. I’m very impressed by the guests that have come on.”

This podcast is for anyone interested in listening to these stories, but especially for people who are wondering “does what I’m doing matter to anybody” or that are asking “what am I supposed to be doing with my life,” Bridgeforth said.

By sharing the call stories of these individuals, the podcast hopes to inspire people to follow their calling.

“I believe that everybody is called to do something, and so I’m hoping that my narrative and many of the others that were shared on the podcast will help them to be able to identify and respond when they are called,” said Harris.

The greater northwest area covers four states of Alaska, Washington, Oregon and Idaho, as well as parts of British Columbia.

“People in the area don’t really know each other in deep ways, so it’s a way to get people connected across, but then to hear stories from another place that may resonate in this place,” Bridgeforth said.

Carr appreciated how the bishop used the podcast and technology to share these stories.

“I thought it was a very innovative way for the bishop to not only have a deeper dive into some of the narratives of the leaders in the Pacific Northwest, but also a very innovative way to help us build bridges and make connections,” Carr said.

Bridgeforth was assigned to the Northwest in 2023 after living in Alabama and California.

“I didn’t know anyone here,” Bridgeforth said. “I didn’t know what was important to the ministers or the ministries in the greater northwest area.”

He went out into the community to ask questions and listen to their responses to learn about the people, their stories and their passions to improve vulnerabilities in their communities. He found that people were passionate about housing and homelessness, about how resources are being used in the church and about the presence of racism and discrimination still present today, Bridgeforth said. From this, Bridgeforth came up with the acronym “M.I.L.E.”

From these conversions and connections also came the inspiration for a podcast. When connecting with the community, Bridgeforth created a list of people that he was intrigued or impressed by that he wanted to talk to further.

“I didn’t know what I’d do with the list and then when the space came for the podcast, it’s like, that’s a way for me to talk to these people,” Bridgeforth said.

Santos was inspired by this podcast and now wants to go to his church to ask questions and listen to what the people have to say.

“You kind of hear a little bit of these stories here and there, but it makes me want to sit down and maybe even record it just to have for the future generations to listen to and be inspired by as well,” Santos said.

For season two of the podcast, Bridgeforth is setting up the guest list and has plans of being more intentional about what a calling is. He also hopes to expand the audience beyond the Methodist church.

“I am excited to continue doing more podcasts, particularly with younger people. Those have really been a lot of fun,” Bridgeforth said. “I really want to do more of those and have more of those voices.”