Hello! I wanted to share a bit about a podcast that I have been listening to called C.A.M.P., which stands for Canadian Asian Missional Podcast.
It started back in early April or so, in one of the meetings we had for the Gospel Fluency book study ministry at CCF. We were sharing about people we had been reaching out and sharing the gospel with and after I had shared about my friend and the situation they were in, Anda (yes the current blog guy!) suggested this podcast. In particular, it was a series that C.A.M.P. had gone through called “Nones & Dones” which discusses people who have no religious affiliation, have left the church, or are done with faith. I had not really listened to any podcasts before, but at the time I had no clue how to approach the situation with my friend, so I decided: “why not give it a listen?”
Wow! I remember listening to the first two episodes of that series and was pretty captivated by the story that was shared about someone’s experience with the church and the community. Although I had not heard a story like that before, apparently it was much more common than I thought. This was surprising to me, and listening to a few more episodes showed me that these topics have a lot more nuance and complexity than I originally thought. As well, the podcast is a bit more specific to a Canadian Asian context, making the content sometimes uncomfortably relatable. The discussions can be challenging as well, particularly with their relevance to today: Nones & Dones, anti-Asian violence, cultural identity, and Asian immigrant churches to name a few.
Listening intently to each person’s story is critical, as well as prayer and reflection with God afterwards. It has also been informative to hear different perspectives, and also a challenge to my own thoughts and opinions (some of which I have not even formulated yet!). Coming into first year has already been challenging me spiritually to grow and learn, and this podcast adds to that as well :)
Even though there are still many (many) more episodes to listen to, and although I am not going as fast as I was in April, I am looking forward to continuing listening, praying and reflecting on all the fascinating subjects that have been brought up and will be brought up. Definitely would recommend this podcast, so take a listen if you get the chance!
