Michelle Icard is nationally recognized author, speaker, and educator. With over 20 years of experience working with middle schoolers, parents, and teachers, Michelle brings deep insight and practical wisdom on how to navigate the complex world of adolescence with grace, humor, and clarity. In this Faith Forum conversation, we explore themes from her books, including Middle School Makeover (2014), Fourteen Talks by Age Fourteen (2021), and 8 Setbacks That Can Make a Child a Success (2023), with guidance on how faith, connection, and conversation can shape the spiritual and emotional wellbeing of our families.
What does Lent ask of us and how might it shape our hearts and lives? Lent is a season of reflection, repentance, and renewal—a time to prepare our hearts for the joy of Easter by drawing closer to God through prayer, fasting, and acts of love.
The Reverend Dr. Russell Levenson is the recently retired Rector of St. Martin’s Episcopal Church in Houston—the largest Episcopal parish in the country. A gifted preacher and pastor, Russ is the author of Preparing Room: A Lenten Journey and will offer insights into how we can walk more deeply in the way of Jesus this season. Don’t miss this opportunity to reflect, prepare, and embrace the journey of Lent with one of the Church’s most thoughtful voices.
Americans are now living decades longer than previous generations. These added years offer exciting possibilities but also raise crucial questions. How long will I live? Will I be healthy? Will I lose my memory? How long will I work? Will I have enough money? Where will I live? How will I die? The Reverend Chip Edens talks with Debra Whitman, a globally recognized expert on aging, about her groundbreaking book, The Second Fifty: Answers to the 7 Big Questions of Midlife and Beyond.
Whitman is an economist and expert on aging issues with an extensive background in policymaking and research. As Chief Public Policy Officer for AARP, Debra leads global policy and research to help communities, lawmakers, and the private sector improve our lives as we age. Previously, as staff director for the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging, Debra worked across the aisle to increase retirement security, lower health care costs, protect vulnerable seniors, make the pharmaceutical industry more transparent, and improve our long-term care system. As she approached her 50th birthday, Whitman wanted to delve deeper into why so many Americans struggled to live well as they aged. And she began to wonder what was in store for her own second fifty. Suddenly, the questions she’d been studying for years became personal. In her groundbreaking book, Whitman provides a roadmap for navigating, and celebrating, the second half of life.
Tyler J. VanderWeele, PhD, is a professor at Harvard University specializing in the study of wellbeing and its determinants. His research focuses on how factors like spirituality, social relationships, and a sense of purpose influence health and wellbeing. He often explores how faith and community engagement can be vital to an individual’s holistic health, providing a scientific perspective on spirituality.
Life brings storms—some expected, others that shake us to our core. In this deeply moving conversation, we will hear the candid story of Jane and Mike Harrell. Jane, a physician dedicated to caring for patients, and her husband, Mike, a commercial real estate developer, will share their journey through faith, marriage, parenting, and profound loss. Their beloved daughter, Jane, died of brain cancer—a reality that reshaped their lives and deepened their reliance on Christ.
This class is for anyone who has faced or is facing a storm—whether in grief, uncertainty, or struggle—seeking the peace only Christ can give. Join us as we listen, learn, and find hope in the midst of life’s hardest moments.
The Reverend Connor Gwin hosts an engaging panel discussion with Lisa Cashion and Matthew Alexander exploring the keys to building and maintaining healthy relationships. This conversation will delve into emotional, spiritual, and practical aspects of fostering connection, communication, and mutual respect. Whether you’re navigating romantic, familial, or friendship dynamics, this session offers diverse perspectives and actionable advice to nurture meaningful and fulfilling relationships.
Lisa Cashion is a licensed counselor, certified life coach, and wellness educator.
Matthew Alexander is a licensed psychologist specializing in the treatment of couples. He has been a couples therapist for the past forty years and is considered by many in the Charlotte region to be the “go to guy” for couples in distress. He is also an internationally acclaimed educator and public speaker.
In this conversation with Laura Belcher, CEO of Habitat for Humanity, we delve into the many ways Habitat is adapting to the changing needs of the housing crisis, from offering a path to home ownership for low-income families to deploying volunteers to Western NC after Hurricane Helene.
Laura Belcher is known for her work in affordable housing and community building, focusing on providing affordable, safe housing options for families in need. She is passionate about the intersection of social justice and housing, highlighting the importance of accessible housing in achieving community stability and equity.
Dr. Damon Tweedy is an author and psychiatrist. His latest book, Facing the Unseen: The Struggle to Center Mental Health in Medicine, is a powerful and urgent call to center psychiatry and mental health care into the mainstream of medicine.
As much as we all might wish that mental health problems, with their elusive causes and unsettling behaviors, simply did not exist, millions of people suffer from them, sometimes to an extreme extent. Many others face addiction to alcohol and other drugs, as overdose and suicide deaths abound. Yet the vast majority of doctors receive minimal instruction in treating these conditions during their lengthy medical training. This mismatch ignores the clear overlap between physical and mental distress, and too-often puts psychiatrists on the outside looking in as the medical system continues to fail many patients.
In Facing The Unseen, bestselling author, professor of psychiatry, and practicing physician Damon Tweedy guides us through his days working in outpatient clinics, emergency rooms, and hospitals as he meets people from all walks of life who are grappling with physical and psychological illnesses. In powerful, compassionate, and eloquent prose, Tweedy argues for a more comprehensive and integrated approach where people with mental illness have a health care system that places their full well-being front and center.
Lisa Damour, psychologist and author of The Emotional Lives of Teenagers and two other New York Times bestselling novels, joins us for a special Faith Forum. The Reverend Elizabeth Walker facilitates the conversation as we explore how to support teens and their families with wisdom, empathy, and faith.
Dr. Lisa Damour is a clinical psychologist specializing in child development, particularly in adolescent and teen mental health. She is a bestselling author and a regular contributor to publications like The New York Times and The Atlantic. She provided expertise and insight to the creators of the hit movie Inside Out 2. Her books, including Untangled and Under Pressure, focus on helping parents and caregivers understand and support young people’s emotional lives.
A large part of the Episcopal Church's work has been about Becoming Beloved Community through Truth Telling, Proclaiming the Dream, Practicing the Way, and Repairing the Breach. Learn about our very own Beloved Community that has developed over the last few years. Panelists from St. Michael & All Angels Episcopal Church and Christ Church share their stories that highlight opportunities for fellowship and action.
As part of our city's work to address challenges in affordable housing, we are partnering with the Housing Impact Fund, whose wrap-around approach is drawing attention nationwide for its use of existing infrastructure and community navigators. Doug Ey leads a Faith Forum discussion with Nelson Schwab, Erskine Bowles, Mark Etheridge, and Adelaide Martin of the Housing Impact Fund, as well as the community health worker (navigator) whose position in an underserved East Charlotte community was funded by our Transforming Hearts campaign.
An interactive exploration of how we view our own wellbeing and that of the community around us. Many of our community partners and other organizations offer a small ministries fair for you to explore.
Is it possible to embrace suffering as a privilege, rather than a punishment? After surviving a near-fatal brainstem stroke at age 26, life for Katherine Wolf changed forever, and so did the way she viewed God, the world, and herself in it. She encourages us to trust a known God with an unknown future, and offers practical insights into surviving anything by redefining how we think about everything.
Katherine Wolf is a survivor and advocate who leverages her redemptive story to encourage those with broken bodies, broken brains, and broken hearts. She and her husband, Jay, live in Atlanta with their 2 sons, James and John. Together, Katherine and Jay have co-authored three books, Hope Heals, Suffer Strong, and Treasures in the Dark: 90 Reflections on Finding Bright Hope Hidden in the Hurting.
As we launch our new Center for Wellbeing and Care, Becca Stevens will help us think about how we sharpen our focus on community wellbeing and what we as a church can do, based on her own story as a survivor, her experience with abused women, and her belief that love is the strongest force for change in the world.
Becca Stevens is a nonprofit leader, entrepreneur, priest, survivor, and founder and President of Thistle Farms. She has founded 13 nonprofits and justice enterprises, mentored another 60, and has raised over $75 million to support them. Becca has authored 12 books and sold over 300|000 copies. She has served as chaplain at St. Augustine’s Chapel on Vanderbilt’s campus for almost 30 years. Becca has been featured on PBS NewsHour, The Today Show, CNN, ABC World News, named a CNN Hero and White House Champion of Change, and holds five honorary doctorates. Drawn from 25 years of leadership in mission-driven work, Becca leads important conversations across the country with an inspiring message that love is the strongest force for change in the world.
There is a young adult mental health crisis in America. So many 20-somethings are struggling — especially with anxiety, depression, and substance use — yet, as a culture, we are not sure what to do about it. Meg Jay and The Reverend Elizabeth Walker discuss why the 20’s are the most challenging time of life and essential skills for handling the uncertainties surrounding work, love, friendship, mental health, and more during that decade and beyond.
Meg Jay, Ph.D. is a developmental clinical psychologist who specializes in twentysomethings. She is the author of The Twentysomething Treatment: A Revolutionary Remedy for an Uncertain Age, the cult classic The Defining Decade: Why Your Twenties Matter and How to Make the Most of Them Now, and Supernormal: The Secret World of the Family Hero. Her books have been translated into more than a dozen languages and her work has appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Harvard Business Review, and on NPR, BBC, and – maybe most important for her audience – TikTok.
Are you discouraged by our divided|angry culture|where even listening to a different perspective sometimes feels impossible? If so|you’re not alone|and it doesn’t have to be this way. John Inazu and The Reverend Chip Edens discuss the surprising path to learning how to disagree in ways that build new bridges with our neighbors|coworkers|and loved ones — and help us find better ways to live joyfully in a complex society.
John Inazu is the Sally D. Danforth Distinguished Professor of Law and Religion at Washington University in St. Louis. His latest book is Learning to Disagree: The Surprising Path to Navigating Differences with Empathy and Respect (Zondervan|2024). He is also the author of Liberty’s Refuge: The Forgotten Freedom of Assembly (Yale University Press|2012) and Confident Pluralism: Surviving and Thriving Through Deep Difference (University of Chicago Press|2016)|and co-editor (with Tim Keller) of Uncommon Ground: Living Faithfully in a World of Difference (Thomas Nelson|2020).
Inazu is the founder of The Carver Project and the Legal Vocation Fellowship and a Senior Fellow at Interfaith America and the Trinity Forum. He holds a B.S.E. and J.D. from Duke University and a Ph.D. in political science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His weekly newsletter|“Some Assembly Required|” can be found here.
What happens when our bodies face chronic stress? The alarming rise of stress-related conditions|such as heart disease|diabetes|and depression|show the price we’re paying for our high-pressure living and increased stressors in the world|but what can we do about it? The Reverend Connor Gwin explores these questions with Dr. Lawson Wulsin|a professor of Psychiatry and Family Medicine at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine specializing in psychosomatic medicine. Wulsin is the author of Toxic Stress: How Stress Is Making Us Ill and What We Can Do About It (April 2024)|which explores the fascinating medical and social mysteries of our stress response system and how stress affects illness.
Lawson Wulsin has been a professor at the University of Cincinnati for the past 35 years. His writings explore the lifelong dance between the mind and body|and the power of human attachments in everyday life and healing. Here he shares these explorations collected from the lessons of clinical care|teaching|and research. In addition to his most recent book|Wulsin is also the author of Treating the Aching Heart: A Guide to Depression|Stress|and Heart Disease (2007).
Miroslav Volf is the Founder and Director of Yale Center for Faith and Culture and Henry B. Wright Professor of Theology|Yale University Divinity School|New Haven|CT. He was educated in his native Croatia|United States|and Germany. He earned doctoral and post-doctoral degrees (with highest honors) from the University of Tuebingen|Germany. He has written or edited 15 books and over 70 scholarly articles. His most significant books include Exclusion and Embrace (one of Christianity Today’s 100 most important religious books of the 20th century); After Our Likeness (1998) in which he explores the Trinitarian nature of ecclesial community; Allah: A Christian Response (2011)|whether Muslims and Christians have a common God; and A Public Faith: On How Followers of Christ Should Serve the Common Good (2011). He is actively involved in many top-level initiatives concerning Christian-Muslim relations and is a member of the Global Agenda Council of the World Economic Forum.