In this episode … we’re breaking down two churchy words that carry a lot of weight: grace and salvation. What do they really mean—and more importantly, what do they mean for your actual, everyday life?
We explore these big ideas through the Episcopal lens, where grace is God’s unconditional love, freely given, and salvation is about becoming whole—starting now, not just later.
Joining us is Fr. Ryan Williams, one of the newer priests in The Diocese of West Missouri and a behind-the-scenes worker bee on this very podcast. We talk about his journey into the “wonderfully weird and holy chaos” of The Episcopal Church, plus what grace has looked like in his life and ministry.
Guest Bios
The Rev. Ryan Williams
The Rev. Ryan Williams is the rector at St. Philip’s Episcopal Church in Joplin, Missouri. In a previous life, he was an organic vegetable farmer and Baptist pastor. In another previous life, he worked in student leadership and development at the university level. He continues to have a passion for exploring the big questions of life and faith with people of all ages, but particularly students and young adults. Ryan lives with his wife, Anna, their two kids, John Mark and Eleanor, and their dog, Scout. When he isn’t taking Scout for runs or enjoying downtime with family, you can find Ryan rooting for the Milwaukee Bucks (basketball) and continually on the search for the perfect pizza dough recipe.
Our Cohosts
Hayley Cobb
The Rev. Caroline Howard
The Rev. Karen Schlabach
Clare Stern-Burbano
The Rev. David Wilcox
Our Podcasts
We want to introduce the Episcopal Church from multiple perspectives and with different voices, utilizing social media to find out what questions students may have about who we are and what we do. Guest speakers, including college students from around our diocese, are already being scheduled for future sessions.
We do not currently have a physical presence on college campuses in our diocese, but we think podcasting offers a great opportunity to meet young adults where they are and share our faith in a way that is personal, comfortable, and always accessible. We hope that these sessions will be a bridge to connect college students with local parishes and with other young adults.
For more information and to suggest a topic or pose a question, please visit the College and Young Adult webpage. Look for All Things … Episcopal wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts!
Deacon Alisa Carmichael currently serves as Chair of the College and Young Adult Commission in The Diocese of West Missouri. She assisted with an Episcopal campus ministry at the University of South Florida in Tampa prior to moving with her husband John to their current home in Kansas City. She is the organist at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Lee’s Summit.
