Race, Justice and the Church

Matt Mueller Part 1

Matt is white and grew up in the Christian Church/Church of Christ and graduated from Ozark Christian College in Joplin, MO. He grew up in the racially mixed suburb of Florissent, MO. Florissent is next door to Ferguson, MO, which we’ll definitely talk about. Matt moved to NYC in 2010 to help start Everyday Church Church, where he first met Nate. He has been a catalyst for helping the Everyday Church work toward diversity and justice.

Tia Richards

Tia grew up in a black pentecostal church. When she moved to NYC, she got connected with Renaissance Church in Harlem where she later heard about and joined The Gathering Harlem. Tia is a Brooklyn native and worked for the NYC Mayor’s Office to End Domestic & Gender-Based Violence. She now works for Safe Families, an organization that connects families in crisis to neighborhood resources and relationships. At The Gathering Harlem, Tia has been a major key is our hospitality ministry, growing it from a dozen volunteers to nearly 80. She has recently become our Life Groups coordinator & joined the staff as the Team-Development Coordinator.

Elisabeth Louie

Elisabeth (Libby) is a NYC native, raised in Fresh Meadows, Queens. Libby is Chinese-American and grew up in a Chinese church environment, before joining The Gathering Harlem. She is an early childhood educator with a specialization in special education. This year she started teaching her own pre-kindergarten class at the Harlem Children’s Zone, a leading charter school in Harlem. Libby previously served as the Kids Team Director at The Gathering Harlem. We discuss her experience of race in church, the education system as well as the myth of Asians as the "model minority."

Deborah Metts

The episode we hear from Deborah Metts. Deborah’s church experience was as an African-American family growing up was in a reformed, majority white church. She met Nate by being a part of the launch-team of The Gathering Harlem, planted in 2016. Deborah works in marketing for the Macy’s Department Store, while also pursuing teaching business at LIM College in Manhattan, NYC. Deborah continues to serve and lead as a part of The Gathering Harlem.

Welcome to Race, Justice & The Church

In this episode Nate tells a little of his story and the origins of the podcast. Get to know Nate, the goals of the podcast and why it's so important to talk about these issues. Subscribe today!