Going to this group brothers to brothers a few times now and i will be coming back and going back. When i asked them if they would like to have a representative from mosaic on the program, you most unanimously recommended reginald liles. Welcome. Thank you for having me thank u taking the time to be here. One of the things before we get to brothers to brothers, i always like my audience to know who you are, some of your background and some of your history. Show me your experiences. I was raised in north oakland. I lived in other places in the city of oakland. And member of Temple Baptist church. I have been there for 40. I was a chairman. A deacon. A servant, believer. I teach class nine, sunday school class nine. It is an adult class. 3540 people attend every sunday. Interesting. Make the woour context as our understanding. And i teach Old Testament one and two with the leadership institute. Institute. , seminarian undergraduate. Graduate of San Francisco state. High school at oakland
Parish chair, they put it together. It was so dynamic. I will never forget that moment. It was so wonderful. And all the people that came, the music was glorious. Ed goldfarb, the director, the choir was superb. All of the soloists i asked to sing from betty and marion in the choir along with kim and then there was janel, a professional singer who sings with a group called sold out band and they had ron coleman i grew up with him at tabor memorial who came from los angeles to participate. And then i had michael ladd, mike cousin who has a quartet and plays the saxophone with many people. Of course, dear lord by john cole train. So all of those who were just wonderful along with my speakers. Fernandez and skyler rhodes and the superintendents. My colleagues and friends, Anthony Jenkins and bobby jones and jim hopkins and dale witherspoon. And then also, gail barrels, the wife of the late hugh barrels, our mentor and cohost and producer of mosaic for 30 years. And i was so glad to see he
Work yo. Well deserved because cant work in ice lace. Thats right. You cant be a parish in isolation anymore. One of the things you said after47 years, you are during the break one of the things churches do is disaster officially retiring from parish ministry. Thats right. But not from ministry. Relief. What we have given to more about that later. Okay. We are so glad you are here. Communities throughout the thank you. And you are local. Midwest now. And even before that. You were born in oakland. Thats right. Grew up in alameda and tell and with the hurricane and puerto rico all the ways in us about your call to ministry, which we give. Thats one of the things check why did you end up serving in theed connected to United Methodist a lot of church give the Methodist Church . At the age of 18 i had a but thats key to us. About being a methodist. Right. We have to be a part of a conversion experience da mass cuss experience two friends i lamunind njust chch. Grew up with, Elementary Scho
Good morning and welcome to mosaic. I am ron swisher. I want to thank elizabeth and the staff for giving such a wonderful tribute to hugh burrells last month. He was a long time host as well as producer. Over 30 years i met him in the early 70s when i began a ministry in east oakland and he was at the high Street Presbyterian Church and i was set elmhurst United Methodist church and we were involved in the east oakland clergy. The president was dr. Jay alford smith and he got us involved in city council, school lord and emphasis on social justice began. And hugh was a pastor for 13 years. We continue ministry together and 17 years ago he asked me to host here and i was mentored along with elizabeth , being a host and we are grateful for all of his ministry. We want to thank gail, his wife, for the wonderful celebration of his life. We had that about five weeks ago. Blessings to you and your family and all that you contribute. You have been all over the world with hugh. Your ministry to
Mosaic. Our host, ron swisher of Community United Methodists Church in fairfield is with us and we thought we would take this opportunity to interview ron. To begin with, what are you see are the top religious stories as you are looking back . There are so many of them. But what stood out for me was Nelson Mandelas death and what he represented. Time magazine captured him as being the person who was the protester, prisoner and then the peacemaker. After spending 27 years in prison, we all know about that, but the idea of coming out, i think people expected violence and war and revolution and they got reconciliation. Peace and forgiveness , especially those who imprisoned him. I think that is major. When you talk about forgiveness being so essential to our faith. He is practicing it, i think it is very impactful, not just for the Christian Church but for the world. He is one great example. The number one story of 2013. As i look at that and make that assessment, it would be Nelson Mande