Faith & Community

11:15 am | Shalom Hall
Format | Guest Speaker, Topical Lectures
Audience | Adult - Large Group
Led by | Bruce Elliott

What can our community leaders and influencers teach us as a people of faith? Join us for guest speakers each week who will cover a variety of topics to challenge us to live out our faith in community. We draw heavily on the arts, literary, social and spiritual issues as viewed from a faith perspective.

NOTE | Registration is not required for this class, but if you’d like to stay in the loop, you can join our email list. We’d love to have you with us!

Join the Faith & Community Email List

This Sunday

One of Charlotte’s most effective locally based nonprofits is Roof Above. It is the most comprehensive service provider for the unhoused in North Carolina. Its current CEO, Liz Clasen-Kelly, is coming to tell us about Roof Above’s mission and the many things she has learned in her 25+ years of ministering in this field. She will also tell us stories of the real people whose lives have been affected by this work—and how some of these folks have impacted her life for the better.

One of the major programs that Roof Above coordinates is one that our congregation has participated in for many years: Room in the Inn (RITI). This innovative ministry was founded by Father Charles Strobel in the mid-1980s in Nashville, TN. Room in the Inn first began in Charlotte in 1995, and one of its earliest advocates was Dale Mullennix, who was then Executive Director of the Urban Ministry Center.

Liz, who earned a B.A. in religion from Davidson College and a master’s in public policy from Duke University, started working as Associate Executive Director at the Urban Ministry Center in 2011, working under the tutelage of Dale Mullennix. His mentoring greatly assisted Liz in gaining the deep knowledge necessary to understand the entire operation, as well as the people being served, and those serving them.

When Dale retired in 2019, Liz was ready to step into his leadership role as Executive Director of the newly formed and renamed Roof Above.

Liz agrees that major changes are needed for us to move towards sustainable solutions to end homelessness in America. An essential change must come in how we see those affected by this widespread problem. She agrees with the assertion by Father Gregory Boyle, the Jesuit priest in Los Angeles who founded and directs Homeboy Industries: “the measure of our compassion lies not in our service of those on the margins but only in our willingness to see ourselves in kinship with them.” Father Boyle expressed this sentiment when he spoke in person at Charlotte’s Covenant Presbyterian Church earlier this month.

We are most delighted and fortunate to offer you an hour in the company of this faithful and joyful servant, and one of Charlotte’s most heartful and gracious leaders.

Upcoming Sessions

You may remember when women’s professional and collegiate sports were afterthoughts in the sports world. Always consigned to second or third rate status in comparison to men’s sports, it was often a challenge to find a basketball or soccer game televised on a lower-rated cable channel. Over-the-air networks scarcely bothered.

But how things have changed! Women’s team sports have been elevated to a place of prominence over the past 20 years which has defied predictions by sports pundits, most of whom did not see this coming. The American women’s soccer team exploded in popularity during the decade of the 2010s, led by marquee players like Abby Wambach, Mia Hamm, Megan Rapinoe, and Brandi Chastain. These were among the players who led the U.S. Women's National Team to World Cup and Olympic victories which catapulted their team’s and sport’s popularity to new levels in America and abroad.

Also in this same time period, a revolution has taken place in women’s basketball, especially in the college game. From 2020-2024, the University of Iowa women’s basketball team was led by Caitlin Clark, a native Iowan. They went from being an afterthought in the Big Ten Conference, to becoming a perennial contender for the NCAA national championship.

Along the way, Clark’s play and star power filled arenas and gained huge numbers of TV viewers new to women’s basketball. The pinnacle came during the NCAA Tournament in early 2024 as her Iowa team swept through the tournament to reach the Final Four. Astoundingly, many of Iowa’s games during the tournament as well as the Final Four games drew much higher TV ratings than the men’s 2024 Final Four games did!

In their new book, authors Pamela Grundy and Susan Shackleford tell the remarkable story of women’s basketball over the past several decades. Shattering the Glass tells this story from the eyes of those who coached the game, those who played the game and those who covered it. Their extensive research and oral histories of those who were there inspired their writing, as they created a book that is being called the definitive history of the sport.

Ms. Grundy and Ms. Shackleford bring to life those who have fought on the court and on the field for athletic excellence, and off the field for recognition and respect, fair pay, and full empowerment as equal citizens of our democracy.

Their book has become a best seller, and they have spent much of 2025 traveling around the nation speaking to audiences about this book, with plans for more this year. Join us for an opportunity to get to know two very fine writers who also happen to live right here in Charlotte.

Previous Sessions

The Peace Walk by the holy Buddhist monks began in late October in Ft. Worth, TX and will finish in Washington, D.C. in mid-February.

Hundreds of people from all walks of life have been turning out in smaller towns and larger cities to greet these messengers of peace. Millions more are following their walk by way of news coverage and internet posts.

They are expected to arrive in Charlotte Wednesday, January 14, for a brief stay.

We have all read articles or watched video coverage of this march, but this Sunday we will have the opportunity to listen to a first-hand account of one Charlotte citizen who went to a rural road below Rock Hill earlier this week and encountered the monks in person.

Molly Barker will join us this Sunday morning in the Faith and Community Forum to give us a firsthand account of her encounter with the monks. She will also offer a platform to discuss our own experiences from following the Peace Walk as well as the myriad feelings we have experienced from the continuing assaults on our first amendment rights, our rule of law, and in some cases the very lives of American citizens.

A native of Charlotte, Molly is best known for founding and growing the nonprofit Girls on the Run. Starting out with 13 young girls in Charlotte in 1996, Girls on the Run eventually spread to nearly every U.S. state and has helped 2.5 million girls to this day.

Molly left that organization in 2013 and her career has since included serving on Capitol Hill, writing books, traveling all over the country and listening as people share their stories. She also founded an organization that teaches the art of deep listening, and she advocates for people experiencing home and food insecurity.

Please come out and support this servant leader as she shares some of her recent personal stories and is eager to hear some of your personal stories too.

The First Amendment protects five core freedoms: freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of the press, freedom of assembly, and the right to petition the government. These rights protect citizens from government interference, but the protections can vary depending on the context and are not absolute, with certain exceptions for speech that causes direct harm.

Since last January 20, many of us have become deeply concerned about the Trump Administration’s efforts to constrict and eat away at the protections provided by our U.S. Constitution.

These journalists will tell us what this looks like now at the state, regional and local levels. They will speak to their long experience working as journalists whose daily work requires them to keep close tabs on how first amendment freedoms play out here.

Jon Buchan has worked as an attorney in his career, and has for many years been the chief counselor to the Charlotte Observer. He will tell us the dangers when organizations serving the public prevent access to controversial or sensitive documents—the City of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County are key local examples--and how this can keep under wraps shady practices or other malfeasance from public view. The potential for having a government that is much less responsive to what is in the best interest of the public are very real, if less considered by the general public.

Please join Ed Williams, Mary Newsom, Jon Buchan and Karen Garloch for what promises to be an illuminating conversation about this very pressing issue that affects each American, and how they are more endangered today than at any time since the First World War.

Entrepreneur, Artisan Chef, Outstanding Citizen—Manolo Montoya is All These and More

Manuel Betancur Montoya, known as “Manolo,” is leading a most extraordinary life. You might say he is on a mission, and so is his incredible bakery.

Born and raised in Colombia, Manolo (pronounced ma NO lo) moved to Charlotte in 1997, looking to establish himself as a citizen of our city, and one who makes a difference. He founded Manolo’s Bakery on Central Avenue, and with entrepreneurial spirit and keen business acumen, his company has become a thriving, highly respected and now nationally recognized bakery.

His bakery’s success is such that the beloved PBS TV show, North Carolina Weekend, did a segment about Manolo’s Bakery on one of their episodes. You can view the segment here.

Manolo graduated from Presbyterian-affiliated King University in Tennessee and later completed a business entrepreneurship program at Stanford University.

Manolo’s Bakery is celebrated for its mission: "We Are Our Bread, We Stand for Our People, We Believe in Our Future." Manolo put his faith in action during the pandemic, partnering with World Central Kitchen to provide hot meals for low-income families, and in recent years he has delivered humanitarian aid in Ukraine through The We Care Initiative.

This year Manolo’s Bakery has been selected as the 2nd best bakery in the nation by USA Today’s prestigious Readers’ Choice Awards.

Bread of Life
In many places in scripture, we are reminded of how essential bread is to sustain human life, physically and spiritually. To illustrate, we will have some of Manolo’s freshly baked artisanal bread, and some of his bakery’s renown tres leches desserts available to enjoy.

What a celebratory way to start off Thanksgiving week, and you are invited to join in!

Sunday, October 26, 2025
Place | Shalom Hall
Speaker | Sofia Bartholomew
Topic | Our Evolving Relationship to Nature: An Indigenous and Holistic Way of Seeing

MPBC’s own Sofia Bartholomew will guide us on an exploration of eco-spirituality, environmental action, and ecological consciousness in the award-winning book Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer. Originally published in 2013, this book has been a publishing phenomenon. It has sold nearly 3 million copies, been on the NYT bestseller list for 4 years, is published in 20 languages, and achieved all this without benefit of a major publisher. The book’s popularity has been as surprising as it is welcome.

Kimmerer is a leading botanist and superlative writer who teaches at SUNY in Syracuse, NY. She is a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation and is well-steeped in scientific knowledge as well as indigenous ways of understanding the natural world. One of her core beliefs is that each of these ways of knowing is essential to crafting sustainable ways of living.

We must create new models that integrate indigenous philosophy and scientific tools on behalf of land and culture. She emphasizes that the long-standing western way of looking at nature is from a place of dominance and exploitation, and that this must change to an ecological ethos of acknowledgment and reciprocity with the natural world. Our attitude must be marked by a recognition of all the natural world provides us—including our ability to sustain our communities and our very lives. When we come to understand how dependent we are on natural world, we are more likely to feel gratitude for all she provides us.

We’ll listen to a portion of Kimmerer's talk on Emergence Magazine’s podcast and discuss how our own community can live in closer connection with the earth’s rhythms and seasons of life, and to recognize how completely all life on earth depends upon them.

Sofia is the eldest daughter of Julie and Rene Bartholomew and a student at Queens University and a member of MOJO’s Environmental Justice group. She is pursuing multiple majors, including a B.S. in Conservation Biology and is also working to revitalize the student sustainability club at Queens.

Sunday, October 19 - No class

October 12, 2025
Location | Shalom Hall
Speaker | Elaine Jones, RDN, LDN
Topic | Nutrition and its Power for Healing and Health

In the mid-20th century, doctors and other healthcare professionals working for the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture established the ideal food pyramid--foods we should eat from less healthy to most healthy. In 2025 we know so much more about health and nutrition than in those earlier days. Greater scientific knowledge and generations more of experience have given us a far more nuanced and detailed understanding of what foods are best for us, how to prepare them for maximum nutrition, and when is the best time of day to eat them. In fact, it can be confusing for a layperson to sort through it all. But you don’t have to resort to sketchy sources to get the information that can help you. This is your chance to listen to a real expert on health and nutrition.

Elaine Jones (RDN, LDN) is the community engagement manager at Atrium Health Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute. She is committed to talking with patients at Sanger and also with people around the metro area about health and nutrition—and she has a way of explaining these that will make the information clear to those of us not steeped in the health sciences. And we can gain the confidence that comes with getting our information from an expert in the field rather than someone on YouTube whose main goal is to sell you some wonder supplement. Elaine Jones wants people to know that nutritious eating doesn’t rely on complicated diets or high-end food stores and supplements. She wants people to understand that while healthy eating is crucial, it’s simple and it’s for everyone.

We will also learn more about the power of food to change the course of a disorder or disease, and sometimes to prevent them from occurring in the first place.

It has been many years since we have had a program on nutrition, so make plans to join us for what is sure to be a very enlightening and helpful program to better understand what healthy nutrition is, and how it can improve your health and overall quality of life.

In 2018, Elaine Jones was awarded the Pinnacle Award, which recognizes Atrium Health teammates who best exemplify Atrium Core Values: Caring, Commitment, Integrity and Teamwork. Elaine was selected from among 65,000 Atrium Employees because of her devotion to spreading loving kindness, humility, and compassionate concern for others.

She was named a No Kid Hungry Hero for the Kids Eat Free Program in Charlotte/Mecklenburg – there are only five such awards given to similar programs each year throughout the nation.

October 5, 2025
Location | Shalom Hall
Speaker | Judge Alyssa Levine
Topic | The Role and State of Today’s Judiciary

Mecklenburg County District Court Judge Alyssa Levine will join us to talk about North Carolina’s Judicial Branch of government. She will provide us with an overview of our state court system and explain why our courts and judicial elections matter so much.

She will also explain the crucial importance of the rule of law to maintain a healthy democracy--and what we citizens may do to support and strengthen the independence of our judicial system during this time of unprecedented stress on the judicial system.

About Our Guest Speaker
Alyssa has deep roots in our community. She is a native Charlottean and proud third-generation Mecklenburg County attorney. Her long road to practicing law began at the Charlotte Jewish Day School and Charlotte-Mecklenburg public schools. She later graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill and earned her law degree from North Carolina Central University School of Law.

Since being sworn in as a district court judge in January 2023, Alyssa has presided over civil and criminal cases in district court. She hears domestic cases as a designated Family Court Judge, and conducts bench and jury trials, first appearances, and probable cause hearings.

Alyssa is an active community leader who has served on and chaired many nonprofit boards. Alyssa currently serves as a member of the Mecklenburg Bar Foundation Board of Directors and also Larry King’s Clubhouse Board of Directors. Larry King’s Clubhouse is the children’s play and care center at the Mecklenburg County Courthouse, serving children ages 6 weeks to 12 years old while their caregivers address courthouse business. Alyssa also belongs to numerous legal and community organizations, is active in Jewish Federation’s Women’s Philanthropy, and a member of Temple Israel and the Sandra and Leon Levine Jewish Community Center.

September 28, 2025
Location | Shalom Hall
Speaker | Tom Hanchett, author
Topic | Charlotte's Affordable Housing Shortage

Charlotte has undergone explosive growth in the 21st century—in 2000, Charlotte’s population was about 577,000. As of 2025, the population stands at 945,000. That’s a 61.2% increase in just two and a half decades. Charlotte’s housing builders have fallen far short in producing the housing necessary to keep up with this rapid growth. Charlotte has needed to build approximately 10,600 affordable housing units annually to keep pace. Since 2017, housing prices in Charlotte have surged by 72%, far outpacing income growth.

Tom Hanchett, former Executive Director of the Museum of the New South (1999-2016) -- and Charlotte’s best-known historian, -- will discuss the various factors that have helped to cause this imbalance, proposals to boost affordable housing, and the success stories we have had so far. His new book, Affordable Housing in Charlotte: What One City’s History Tells Us About America’s Pressing Problem thoroughly addresses this issue and will be the basis for his talk with us.

Dr. Hanchett enjoys working with community groups on neighborhood histories, museum exhibitions, and walking tours. Educated at Cornell, University of Chicago, and UNC-Chapel Hill, he is best known for his Charlotte history book Sorting Out the New South City.

September 21, 2025
No class so that everyone could attend the Congregational Lunch and Conversation

September 14, 2025
Speaker | Lew Powell
Topic | Memorabilia from the Tar Heel State

Former Charlotte Observer Editor and writer Lew Powell will be with us to talk about his long-standing passion for collecting memorabilia from around the Tar Heel state. He has collected hundreds of items that have historical and cultural interest covering a wide range of subject matter. Lew donated much of his collection to UNC-Chapel Hill’s Wilson Library where the items can be viewed by the general public.

Lew has curated some of these items and will be telling us some of the stories behind them and how he came across them in his travels around our state. Join us as we open the 4th season of the Faith and Community Forum!

Class Details

Room

This Sunday

Upcoming Sessions

Class Categories

Adults

Childcare

Available for this class.

View classes with childcare

Faith & Community

Class Details

Room

This Sunday

Upcoming Sessions

Class Categories

Adults

Childcare

Available for this class.

View classes with childcare

Share this Page