December 10, 2025 • 49 mins
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Our newest episode of the Living Reconciled Podcast is here!
This week, we sit down with Rev. Jill Buckley from Stewpot in Jackson for a powerful, down-to-earth conversation about what reconciliation really looks like—breaking bread with our neighbors, choosing humility, and learning to love people well in everyday life. It’s honest, hopeful, and one of our most inspiring episodes yet. Tune in, be encouraged, and let us know what stood out to you!
Special thanks to our sponsors:
Nissan, St. Dominic's Hospital, Atmos Energy, Regions Foundation, Mississippi College, Anderson United Methodist Church, Grace Temple Church, Mississippi State University, Real Christian Foundation, Brown Missionary Baptist Church, Christian Life Church, Ms. Doris Powell, Mr. Robert Ward, and Ms. Ann Winters.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_04 (00:12):
This is Living Reconciled, a podcast dedicated
to giving our communitiespractical evidence of the gospel
message by helping Christianslearn how to live in the
reconciliation that Jesus hasalready secured for us by living
with grace across racial lines.
Hey, thanks so much for joiningus on this episode of Living
Reconcile, episode 89.
(00:32):
I'm your host, Brian Crawford,with my incredible co-host and
good friend, Nettie Doctor,Reverend Nettie Winners.
Sir, how are you doing?
SPEAKER_01 (00:42):
I'm doing great, man, but Nettie would just be
fine, man.
Just as long as you you can callme whatever you lack.
Just don't call me too late too.
SPEAKER_04 (00:48):
No, no, no, no.
I mean, for those that arelistening but cannot watch, I'm
I'm I'm looking at Nettie uhsitting in front of this
illustrious backdrop of books.
And so it brought it it inspiredme academically, which is why I
use the term doctor, ReverendDr.
Nettie Winners.
Um great to have you, brother.
Great to have you.
It's good to be here.
SPEAKER_01 (01:09):
I'm really excited about our program today.
SPEAKER_04 (01:11):
Yes, I'm incredibly excited about our program and
our guests.
But before we get started havinga chat with our guests, we want
to give a quick shout out andspecial thanks to our sponsors,
Nissan, St.
Dominic's Hospital, AtmosEnergy, Regis Foundation,
Mississippi College, AndersonUnited Methodist Church, Grace
Temple Church, MississippiState, Bell Haven University,
Real Christian Foundation, BrownMissionary Baptist Church,
(01:32):
Christian Life Church, and thengood folks like Miss Doris
Powell, Robert Ward, andWinners.
Thank you so much for everythingthat you do.
It's because of what you do,that we're able to do what we
do.
If you would like to join uhthis incredible uh list of
sponsors and investors in thework of reconciliation, you can
do so very easily.
Just visitmissionmississippi.org.
(01:53):
There is a donate slash investbutton, typically on the top
right of that page.
Click on it, and you too canjoin uh this incredible,
incredible list of uh sponsorsand participants in the work of
reconciliation, those that makethis podcast possible.
Today on our podcast, we have avery special guest.
Um she is a dear friend to thisministry and a dear friend to
(02:16):
us.
Uh, she is um an incrediblewoman with an incredible passion
for God's kingdom and the peopleof God uh all across all across
this state and all across thiscountry.
Her work is very unique um butvery impactful and very
necessary, and we can't wait todig into it.
And that is uh Reverend JillBuckley.
Uh Reverend Jill Buckley is thedirector of the Stew Pot, which
(02:40):
is an incredible ministry uh inthe city of Jackson, and you
will hear more about that injust a moment.
Um but Reverend Jill, it's apleasure, pleasure to have you
on our podcast today.
SPEAKER_00 (02:52):
Thank you.
It's really an honor to be askedand to spend time with both you
and Nettie.
Nettie and I have known eachother a long time.
Anytime I get to spend withNettie just makes me a better
person.
So glad to be here.
SPEAKER_01 (03:05):
I want you to know, Brian, she was a very little
girl at the early age.
I'm sure you figured that outalready because she's still a
young lady.
So, you know, she had to be evenyounger when I met her.
SPEAKER_00 (03:19):
Yeah, okay.
Thank you.
SPEAKER_04 (03:21):
Absolutely.
Well, why don't you just whydon't you just start uh our
time, Jill?
Tell us a little bit about yourjourney, a little bit of your
background, a little bit of yourstory, and then and in
particular your journey of faithand how you just came to uh to
walking with the Lord.
SPEAKER_00 (03:37):
Sure.
So I had the really uh goodblessing to grow up in the
church.
My parents were very involved inuh the church when I was little
from the time I was a baby on.
So I never knew anythingdifferent.
Well, my dad served as chair ofdeacons, my mom was, you know,
(03:59):
chair of finance committee, andthey we were at church all the
time.
I kind of consider the churchlike like a womb, right?
So like it really protected meand uh formed me for the world.
So um, so because of that, Imade that decision for Christ to
(04:24):
accept Christ as my Lord andSavior at an early age when I
was like seven.
I was baptized when I was seven.
Um but of course I have reallybeen working out that decision
my entire life.
You know, as I uh as I grow andevolve uh as a person, as I
encounter new and differentthings, as um as life presents
(04:47):
itself.
So that is a um a decision thatI find myself having to make
over and over again to followJesus.
Um so it hasn't been just allyou know, kind of all peaches
and cream since, you know, sinceage seven.
So um my calling really came asreally when I was about 12.
(05:11):
So I've known for a long timethat I wanted to be involved in
missions.
Like I really felt that urgewhen I was young.
And when the very first timethat I saw someone walk down the
aisle of the church, I grew upBaptist and give themselves to
full-time Christian service.
I was like, that is what I wantto do.
SPEAKER_04 (05:32):
And so you were driven, you were driven towards
that at the age of 12, watchinga missionary announce that, hey,
I've been called to the field.
Wow.
unknown (05:40):
Yes.
SPEAKER_00 (05:41):
Well, and at that time, of course, uh, this was,
you know, 1984, like really, andliving in a small town and
growing up Southern Baptist, Ireally thought the only avenues
available to me were going to beum teaching children or going
really across the seas as amissionary.
So that was really what I wasprepared to do um because I
(06:05):
thought that was the only way Icould serve God through the
church.
But um, you know, as uh Godwould have it, you know, life
unfolded in a different way.
And I had some really differentmentors um kind of come out
along and show me that that Godactually had something different
in mind for my life.
So um, so again, I I want to saythat I mean, just because I was
(06:30):
12 years old when I first feltthat um that calling doesn't
mean that um that it was astraight line from there to
here.
It was very crooked.
And I had several times when um,you know, mentors and people who
barely knew me or knew me wellkind of called me back to it.
(06:52):
So uh so it just wasn't astraight line, but you know,
here I am.
SPEAKER_01 (06:57):
Yeah, there's a lot of small towns across
Mississippi now.
Which small town you hail from?
SPEAKER_00 (07:04):
Summerall, Mississippi.
Right outside of Hatburg.
SPEAKER_01 (07:07):
I know where Summerall is than that on some
of the kids.
Yeah, absolutely.
SPEAKER_00 (07:11):
A lot bigger now than it was when I was growing
up growing up there, a lotbigger, and I'm happy for them.
SPEAKER_01 (07:20):
It was 10 in your family when you were here, and
now it's 50 in your family, isthat right?
SPEAKER_00 (07:24):
Sure, sure, exactly.
So uh so when I I say that Igrew up in Summerall, but really
I grew up in Hattiesburg becauseat that time Summerall was so so
small, like everything we didbesides go to church and go to
school was in Hattiesburg.
So uh so I kind of grew upbetween Summerall and
Hattiesburg.
SPEAKER_04 (07:42):
Hattiesburg has changed so much.
Oh much since then.
Yeah, it's incredible.
It's incredible.
Yeah, Jill, when you when youtalk about uh, you know, kind of
straight lines and cricketlines, I'm re I'm reminded of a
story I was um told years agowhen somebody he he he had a
vocation in mind and he hadsomeone that he um had a lot of
(08:05):
respect for who was in thatparticular space and in that
particular vocation and so andwas doing incredibly well in it.
And he said, he he walked up tothe gentleman because he got a
chance to meet him.
He said, Man, I admire you somuch and what you do and um and
and where you are in thisparticular space.
Could you give me some advicebecause I'm aspiring, I want to
be in this position.
And and the guy told him, hesaid, you know, I like to think
(08:28):
about my own life like the life,like the story of Moses.
Like um, you know, Moses, Mosesdidn't Moses didn't start out
saying, you know, what I reallywant to do is I really want to
go and deliver the people of Euh uh Israel out of Egypt.
That's not that's not how Mosesstarted, right?
He did not have that in mind,but God had it in mind, and so
(08:50):
and so he took him on thisscenic journey around his
vocation and the and around hiscalling, but it all started with
just simply the the daily act ofobedience, just simply saying,
Lord, I'm yielded to you, justtake me where you desire to take
me.
And so, and so I'm reminded ofthat in turn in terms of hearing
your journey to StuPot.
Um, and speaking of StuPot,could you talk to us a little
(09:12):
bit about just the ministry ingeneral?
Um, what what the the aim, thepurpose, um, its particular
reach and audience.
Uh, talk to us a little bitabout this ministry in general.
SPEAKER_00 (09:24):
Sure, sure.
Um, I before I do that, I wantto just go back a little bit, uh
kind of preference what you weresaying, Brian.
And and for me, it really wasn'tan unwillingness to go where God
wanted me to go.
It was more of uh disbelief.
And it was more of um, it'sreally more of a very dark
(09:47):
night.
I consider that discernment timein my life, getting to to where
I where I was ordained is areally time of real struggle
where I really had to reshapeand reform some of the things
that I had been taught from achild.
(10:07):
You know, being an ordainedwoman in ministry, it's not
something that, you know, thatmany, you know, little girls
growing up in Southern BaptistChurch know they can dream of.
But um, fortunately, the way Isee it, the um, yeah, I see it
as the good news still has to beembodied sometimes to be
(10:28):
believed.
And the way that that happenedin my life was that I was uh
ministered to and mentored bysome women who were ordained
ministers, and I saw how God wasworking through them to
accomplish God's purposes.
And that is what got me to thepoint where I was willing to
(10:50):
entertain that God might be alsoinviting me to uh to ordination
and to a pastoral ministry asopposed to you know being a
missionary.
So uh I I really want to makethat clear to anyone out there
who's listening is that you knowthe road from calling to um to
(11:12):
kind of realizing that callingor whatever uh can be very hard,
right?
It can be really difficult forsome of us.
And so I don't want to I don'twant to diminish that in any way
because uh I've reallydiscovered over time that part
of my story is really importantfor some people to hear.
SPEAKER_03 (11:31):
So yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (11:35):
Stewpot.
Um so stewpot was started backin 1981 by a group of
congregations uh um uminterdenominational that came
together to um address needs inthe Jackson community that
increasingly were kind ofpresenting themselves at their
(11:55):
doorsteps, right?
So so for example, Stew Potright now is located at 1100
West Capitol Street in the oldCentral Presbyterian Church
built building in that campus.
Central Presbyterian Church,where we are right now, is only
two or three blocks from uh fromUnion Station where buses and
(12:16):
train, you know, the Amtrak gouh come and go.
And and so it it is a placewhere you know over time, you
know, people have come and thenstarted looking for help, you
know, originating from the busstation uh or going to the bus
station, but it's a place wherepeople, you know, kind of
(12:39):
central enough where people havestarted just looking looking for
assistance.
And so Central early on becameuh a destination for people who
were seeking some some some kindof assistance.
So um Central PresbyterianChurch, their um the chair of
(12:59):
their missions committee at thattime had heard about an effort
in Dallas, Texas, where FirstPresbyterian Church was feeding
uh people lunch on a dailybasis, and it was called
Stewart.
And he and his wife went tocheck it out and loved it and
came back and was like, youknow, we can do something like
(13:20):
this here.
So they gathered mostly downtowncongregations uh at that time at
Capitol Street United MethodistChurch, which is the building
that is now Voice of CalvaryChurch, um Galloway Methodist
Church, St.
Andrew's Cathedral, St.
Richard's Catholic Church, um,Calvary Baptist Church, which is
(13:41):
just a block away from here, andthen St.
James Episcopal Church, which isa little bit north of here,
gather them together and justdecided that they could all give
some volunteers and all give alittle bit of money and start
doing lunch five days a week.
So it was uh um it was a verykind of interdenominational
(14:02):
effort of working together to umto respond to needs of our time
that just grew.
The more the way I see it, andthe way that I've really heard
the story over time and come tobelieve about the story, is that
as soon as people got toStewpot, which uh which was
(14:26):
opened in an old gas stationacross the street from Central
Presbyterian Church, as soon aspeople got to Stewpot saw and
understood the need, then theyreally became passionate about
helping their neighbors.
Like it it was it's it caughton.
(14:48):
And I think it's because somepeople for the first time
actually met their neighbors inneed, right?
Um kind of name and a face and astory um to go along with it,
and were kind of in my you know,in the the way that again, the
way that I've heard the storytold by the people who were
there, just found their life,you know, and in serving others
(15:12):
at Stewart and found a realsense of like living out their
own faith.
So over time, uh through lots ofvolunteer efforts, lots of
congregational efforts, Stewartgrew right now.
You know, we're 44 years old andwe have 14 different ministries
(15:33):
under our umbrella.
SPEAKER_03 (15:34):
Wow.
SPEAKER_00 (15:35):
Probably uh involve around 200 congregations somehow
in our ministry.
SPEAKER_03 (15:41):
Wow.
SPEAKER_00 (15:42):
Um and that is, you know, whether some congregations
are giving us money, some aredoing food or clothing
donations, some are sendingvolunteers uh to our various
ministries.
So about 200 congregations allacross the metro area, as far as
away is Utica.
They come, you know, um as far,you know, north as you know,
(16:05):
Gluckstadt, and south as youknow, Byram and Terry.
So it really does take in thewhole metro area of uh
congregations working togetherfor one purpose.
SPEAKER_04 (16:16):
How what I guess I guess the the piece that I heard
that really stood out to me isthis ideal of people connecting
with their neighbors and thatenergizing them in some ways.
They they they see somethingdifferent about what it means to
to support their neighbors whenthey connect with their
neighbors.
Could could you just can we justtake that thread a little
(16:38):
further and just kind of peelthe layers back on that?
What is it that you see and thatyou that you hear and that you
observe and that you experiencewhen you're watching people for
the first time connect to theirneighbors and then the light
bulb starts clicking, like, oh,wait a second.
What what are some what are somethings that are uncovered during
those times that just kind ofthat stand out to you?
(17:00):
Sure.
SPEAKER_00 (17:01):
Well, I do think the discoveries go both ways.
So I don't think it's just thepeople who come to serve here
who suddenly get to know theirneighbors.
I do think that it's the peoplewho come to us for assistance
who also get to know theirneighbors in a different way,
right?
So, like there is a real sense,especially when people have the
(17:23):
opportunity to interactone-on-one of breaking down
walls and um somehow really kindof changing our minds about
those stereotypes that we haveabout one another, even if it's
you know, one person at a time,you know.
Um, you know, I um I reallythink, for example, I I'll say
(17:44):
this.
So like I have many, many timesencouraged people to come and
eat at stew pot as a way, it'skind of a doorway into ministry.
Um, and I say to help you getthrough the awkwardness of
sitting at a table with astranger with you have which you
(18:05):
have very little in common.
SPEAKER_03 (18:06):
Right.
SPEAKER_00 (18:07):
Come on a Monday, make sure on Sunday you have at
least like seen what the scoresof the football games are, the
NFL football games are, or ifit's basketball season, the NBA
games are, uh come sit at atable and start talking about
whatever professional footballgame was on Sunday and start
(18:33):
talking about who is yourfavorite team, why is that favor
your favorite team, and thatright there can get you started
on a really unexpectedconversation that goes both
ways, and you realize oh gosh,this guy likes the Dallas
Cowboys for the same reason thatI do, because he was watching it
(18:57):
when he was nine years old, youknow, or or whatever.
Like, you know, this guy hates,you know, the Chicago Bulls as
much as I do because you know,and so like that gives enough
common ground to um to startconnecting in other ways, right?
So it's it can be very hard forstrangers to talk to each other,
(19:22):
which is why you know, um you'vegot to have one at least one
common thing to talk about inthe food pantry.
It is um, oh my gosh, do youlike this is how I use diced
tomatoes in my cooking.
And uh the person that you'reshopping with will say, Well, I
(19:44):
use them this way.
And you like, well, I neverthought about that.
What about this?
And so, and so there is thatbreaking down of the strangeness
uh where we're not strangersanymore.
Really, just two humans kind ofhaving a conversation.
(20:04):
Um you know, it makes it soundvery simplistic, but it it can
be that easy.
Um so I I do think that we wantto recognize that in one
another.
We want to find common ground.
I don't think that we have verymuch opportunity on a regular
(20:27):
basis.
Stew pot is a a place that givesyou opportunity.
In my life, I don't have verymany like natural places where I
would just be able to sit downand talk to someone who is that
different from me.
But stew pot is an opportunityfor anyone to um to start
(20:51):
breaking down those barriers.
SPEAKER_01 (20:53):
You know, you know, Jill, as you describe uh Stew
Pot and neighbor getting to knowneighbor and and uh making those
connections.
And you said when you were 12,you saw these missionaries going
on a mission field.
Now it's it can you distinguishbetween what you do at Stew Pot
(21:14):
and that vision and dream youhad when you was 12?
SPEAKER_00 (22:39):
Oh, I think that um um part of me wants to say that
this is the fulfillment of likethat mission work.
At the same time, um I hesitateto call it mission work because
(23:00):
I want it to be more part of mylife and my living.
You know, I I don't want it tobe the thing I do, I want it to
be the person I am, right?
So um so I I guess I justhesitate to call it missions
necessarily or as a descriptor.
(23:23):
I understand why we do, but Ithink that can be kind of uh
othering, you know.
I think that it can be a way tolike put people at arm's length.
SPEAKER_01 (23:32):
Yeah, I know.
Um, you know, I I spent sometime, you know, serving S DuPot
as well as serving on the boardand been in the inner city ever
since I moved to Jackson in '81.
You know, the the challenge Ihave with that, I feel like this
is and and and Brian, you'reprobably gonna have to get me
off of this, but anyway, this isauthentic mission and ministry
(23:55):
where you don't go visit, butit's in your face every day, and
you have the capacity to reallydisciple folks out of the
situation that they're in, andyou do it by taking those those
that are more fortunate, if wesay, in in a sense, to disciple
(24:16):
them.
I like the way you said itworked both ways because I see
discipleship taking place bothin the people you are serving in
that community, but also thepeople that come to serve has
and many times I like the wayyou introduced the subject of
fighting over the Dallas Cal.
Now, you know, uh uh uh how youintroduce that and get people to
(24:37):
come to that.
Many times people come there,they don't expect to be, how do
I say this?
They don't expect to have thetransformative mindset and some
other things that happen tothem.
Some people even uh how do I saythis, get real say?
But you know, they come thereand you know, and and they leave
(25:01):
there with eyes running,mascarica messed up, you know,
and all those things becausethey've been church so much, and
sometimes I think it does morefor uh me.
You know, I would stupot, uh wewould go, you know, the church
of the city, all those sameinner city ministries that I was
a part of.
And it did more for me to showup at three o'clock on Sunday or
(25:24):
or or on Tuesday morning inStuPot than it did for the
people that were there, Ibelieve.
That's my take on.
SPEAKER_04 (25:30):
Yeah, 100%.
100%.
Uh uh, I'm sorry, Jill, goahead.
SPEAKER_00 (25:35):
Well, I I just want to say in response to that,
Nettie, is that um it's that atStupot, because we are
represented, we you know, aresupported by a range of
congregations, you know,Christian congregations mostly,
because that's where we live.
But we also have some folks whoyou know are serving who are
(25:57):
Jewish, some people who areagnostics, you know, Unitarians,
you know, so it's it's a bigumbrella.
So we don't kind of as a rulecall um people to proselytize.
And that's because can youimagine how quickly it can get
(26:19):
confusing around here if you arehearing from every single
Christian denomination, youknow, all of the minutiae that
we all get, you know, kind offocused on.
We want to keep the main thingthe main thing.
God loves all of us, all of uswithout exception, and uh wants
(26:42):
a relationship with all of us,period.
And I think actually thatStewart, as opposed to like
being a place to preach thegospel, has a gospel to offer.
It's a gospel of conversion toyour neighbor, you know, um to
(27:03):
your your the neighbor that youare are estranged from because
of the way that society isordered or because of the way
that you're you have orderedyour life, you know, based on
you know norms.
Um I have a friend that I met along time ago that says that you
(27:24):
know, if all of your friendslook like you, think like you,
act like you, then you areliving in a kind of poverty.
And um, and so there are lots ofdifferent kinds of poverty.
Stew pot, the what we, you know,our mission is is to um is to
(27:46):
help people who are in financialdistress mainly.
They don't have enough of thisworld's goods, they're depending
on other people to share so thatthey can have enough.
But spiritually, often there's alot of richness there that other
people may lack around ourcommunity.
Um, and you know, that's whatpeople I think sometimes get
(28:10):
when they come and they're theyserve, but they realize, I
think, that there's a spiritualdepth or maybe a spiritual um
kind of richness that they'relacking, even though they have,
you know, plenty of money.
So uh so you really have to lookat poverty wholly, I think, if
you want to really get whatStuPot is and does uh to me.
SPEAKER_01 (28:36):
Yeah, yeah, Jill, that's powerful.
You said it exceptionally well.
My whole point was where youtook us through, and I thank you
for that, is the diversity ofthe people that shows up in and
out of StuPot is is so rewardingin every every sense of our
society.
And I think we so so often limitourselves to our perspective,
(28:59):
faith, belief, or whatever thecase might be, and not have the
full exposure and discovery ofthe whole human race.
If I can put it that way.
unknown (29:07):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_03 (29:08):
Yeah, I agree.
SPEAKER_04 (29:09):
Yeah, yeah.
Uh, I mean, you you said a wholelot, Jill.
I I I just want to I just wantto um echo appreciation for for
the work that StuPod does andbringing in bringing some of
those truths that you'vehighlighted to life and to
light, for that matter.
Um, because that thatoverarching identity, that
common ground piece that youtalked about where it's like,
(29:30):
hey, I like football, you likefootball, right?
Let's let's let's let's let'sstart there.
I like sports, you like sports.
Let's start there.
Um Yeah, but but but it's justthat ideal of just finding you
know, exploring all the ways inwhich God has created us alike.
(29:53):
And and so so much so much ofthe struggle right now in our
day and time is that we've weare always razor sharp focused
on the things that divide us.
And and our and our eyes and ourgaze are fixed there, and there
are so many other things thatthat br that that that we hold
in common, but we cast all ofthose things aside in favor of
(30:16):
the one or two things that mayseparate us.
And we and like I said, we areso sharply focused on those on
those particular things.
And so thank you for the workthat Stu Pot's doing in that
area.
And then and then the otherpiece about this idea of the the
gospel, uh, of uh uh proclaiminga proclamation of the gospel
being made visually, um, I thinkis an important thing because so
(30:38):
you know there are times inwhich we lose all of the all of
the implications of the gospel.
It's yeah, the gospel isvertical, and uh, and it's a
restoration uh with God and man,but it's also very much a
horizontal gospel.
And there and there's arestoration that sometimes goes
untouched as it relates to uhhumankind and humankind being
(31:01):
connected uh together and andand rich, poor, black, white,
um, you know, uh Vicksburger andJacksonia, you know, all of
those different pieces and partsand geographies being brought
together is very much a part ofthe uh the gospel proclamation
and the gospel experience aswell.
And we oftentimes don't putenough emphasis on it.
(31:22):
Um if you don't mind, let'sexplore a little bit.
I want to take a little bit moreof uh the remaining time than we
have to explore some of themisnomers or misconceptions,
rather, that um that wesometimes have as it relates to
this line of ministry, thisparticular space of ministry.
(31:43):
What are some of the ways inwhich the church, um, more
broadly speaking, when I say thechurch, and just the community
at large, what are some ways inwhich we misunderstand this this
work and misunderstand the thethe object of this work, the
people that we are engaging?
What are what are some ways inwhich we misunderstand?
SPEAKER_00 (32:06):
Well, um I think one place where we could really grow
and evolve our thinking is uh isnot painting homelessness or
poverty or any of the um relatedkind of challenges or struggles,
(32:29):
uh not painting it all withreally a broad brush stroke.
Uh all homeless people arealike, all people living in
poverty are alike, you know, youknow, and so on.
Uh because while there might besome similarities, um you'll
find that people are in thesituation that they're in for a
(32:51):
variety of reasons.
And so often, especially in thecase of homelessness, uh, it's
because for some reason thecommunity to which they were
connected or their supportnetworks have fallen apart,
(33:11):
whether it's because they burnedthose bridges, you know,
sometimes we find that true,they burn those bitch bridges
through like substance abuse anduh other kinds of abuse.
Um, you know, or you know, it'sa mental health issue, and
families just don't really knowhow to help someone with a
(33:34):
severe mental health issue, uh,and that becomes unmanageable.
And so they have to, you know,for family survival, have to
create some separation, or youknow, met so many people who
there's been somebody importantin their family who has died.
It was a mom, a grandmother, aspouse, and just a cascade of
(33:56):
things happens after that, anduh, and their support networks
fall apart, all of the you know,bad family drama gets all
stirred up, and then suddenly,you know, you don't have a place
to go anymore.
So I think um I've heard someonesay, and I do agree with this to
a large extent, thishomelessness is not just about
(34:19):
not having a place to go, it'sabout not having a people to go
to.
It's isolating.
And um, and so I I think that'simportant to remember um when we
think about how we want torespond, right?
So we respond not just withproviding housing, which is a
(34:42):
just response, uh, butfriendship, relationship,
restoration to some kind ofcommunity.
Um, so I think that's veryimportant to to include.
Also, I really think that umthat because people are so
estranged from their neighborsthat people don't realize how
(35:07):
difficult some people have it,like how the lack of a
consistent income or the lack ofa uh like a enough of an income,
how hard that really is.
Like I don't really think thatunless you know somebody or she
live through it, you probablydon't really understand.
(35:30):
And I'm even always learningmore, right?
So this whole SNAP crisis, youknow, is even a new level of
learning uh for me.
And you know, I I spend a lot oftime thinking about these things
and talking to people aboutthese things, right?
So so I I think that if we'regoing to if we're gonna make, if
(35:53):
we're gonna um come to someconclusions, if we're going to
say anything, if we're gonna sayanything about homelessness,
about poverty, substance abuse,mental illness, um we we need to
we need to start with what isthat experience for the person
(36:13):
who is living it, uh find outand then there should be a
response, right?
So um, so yeah, I think there'sa just a real real
misunderstanding that can be tosome extent kind of remedied by
getting to know your neighbor.
SPEAKER_04 (36:35):
Yeah, yeah, I appreciate I appreciate that,
Jill, especially the thesentiment about about Snap and
the and kind of the the theNovember the November crisis
that that um that many people uhwere were experiencing because
it is it is something that we'rereally a lot oftentimes you're
just kind of watching it from adistance, and so you don't know
(36:57):
the implications.
You don't know the personal orthe emotional implications, but
sometimes you don't even knowthe the kind of widespreading
like the institutionalimplications.
For example, oftentimes when wewe think about Snap, we're
thinking we have one picture inmind of who's on Snap.
But then when you drill into it,you realize it's a totally
different group of people,right?
That that it's 70 70 of the 79%of people on Snap, it's you
(37:21):
know, households that includechildren, it's el it's elderly,
or it's non-elderly, uhnon-elderly with disabilities.
Right.
So that's 70, that's 79% of thehouseholds.
It's elderly, childrenhouseholds, and and disabil uh
disability households.
It's not it's not this, youknow, this kind of thing that we
tend to think about when wethink about Snap, where it's
(37:43):
just, you know, 100% of thepeople out there are just kind
of gaming the system.
That's not that's not how thisworks, you know.
But but again, sometimes whenwe're when we're so far removed
from a lot of these things andand we're not in we're not
integrated in one another'slife, um then the only thing
left is assumptions.
That's the that's the only thingleft when we're not integrated
(38:05):
in one another's life.
SPEAKER_00 (38:07):
Sure.
And I think that not all not allour of our sources of input are
reliable sources of input.
And so to me, one of the mostreliable sources of input is
someone who has experience or isexperiencing the problem, right?
And that's why, you know, onething we really strive to do
here at Stewart is making makesure that we have people on our
(38:28):
staff who have experienced foodinsecurity or experienced
homelessness because they are anecessary corrective to people
like me who've never experienceda problem, but have a lot of
theories about it.
And you know, that can throw outa lot of good ideas about what
we can do, and you know, andthey can just be torn right down
(38:48):
by someone who's like, you knowwhat, that is really a
misconception.
SPEAKER_02 (38:52):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (38:53):
Someone who's experienced the problem.
That that to me has been one ofmy most important learnings here
at Steapot is you really can'tmake good decisions uh unless
you are in conversation withpeople who are experiencing the
problem that you're trying to umaddress.
SPEAKER_01 (39:13):
You you gotta hear their story.
You gotta know uh theirexperiences.
You gotta connect with them inin terms of that, you know.
And with Snap, we found out thateverybody was not homeless,
everybody was not on Sheet Rowor had a house full of cheering
(39:35):
in the chat.
We found out in some instancesthat our neighbors, our friends,
our church members, people weinteract with on a social level
and and otherwise was on Snap.
And so we have these uhstereotypical statements we make
inside of what I call inside of395 and 495 in Washington, DC,
(39:56):
had no concept of people 20miles away from them in poverty.
So uh but anyway, I think theway that you describe what you
all do and how you do it, youhelp people that are in
isolation, that are in theirwhat what do you call them, uh
(40:16):
Brian, in their little camps orlittle silos, silos in those
silos to come out of them andlearn that they're real folks
beyond my silo, beyond myconnection.
And so I like the integration ofhow the diversity of the real
world connects at Stewart.
(40:38):
I talk about the real world ofpolitics, sports, everyday life,
and how those connections uhempower, inspire, and motivate
our entire community, uh spreadacross the metro area, or even
across the state of Mississippi.
SPEAKER_04 (40:57):
Yeah, and I love the diversity of story.
Um, you know, there's there'sthe you know, oftentimes when
we're looking at how do we cancomprise our leadership groups
and councils and boards andteams, you know, we we think
purely in terms of ethnicdiversity, color diversity.
Um, but stupid is taking it alevel uh deeper in terms of
(41:19):
diversity of story.
Um and and you know, la lastyear uh we spent uh a summer
traveling around SouthMississippi and doing
conversations on uhreconciliation and economic
restoration and communities andgetting different people of
different backgrounds togetherto have dialogue around these
(41:39):
subjects.
And I'll never forget when I wason the coast um facilitating
these one of theseconversations.
One of the most important thingsthat I heard uh was uh was um a
woman who worked uh with thehospital systems who were doing
similar work there.
And she said, when they bringthat when they convene these
groups together, the one thingthat they try to um one the one
(42:01):
truth that they try to hold toor the one uh motto that they
try to hold to, nothing for mewithout me.
Nothing for me without me.
So if there's going to be anywork that's going to reach a
particular community, then thereneeds to be representation from
that particular community, notjust color, not just ethnicity,
(42:21):
but all the way down to stories,experiences, class, and and I I
think I think you guys are arereally, really, really hitting
the nail on the head in in sucha powerful way.
That's that's so that's sooutstanding, uh Jill.
SPEAKER_00 (42:33):
Um we're just we got I mean we we do have room to
grow, like I, you know, so we'renot perfect at it, but I do
think that um we've worked on itover time, uh, and we want to
continue to grow, right?
SPEAKER_03 (42:45):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (42:46):
It's something we've really tried hard to do, and we
want to keep growing.
SPEAKER_04 (42:51):
Absolutely.
How go ahead, go ahead, Brian.
How can people connect?
How can people connect withStewart, your ministry, uh, your
work?
Um how can how can peopleconnect you?
SPEAKER_00 (43:03):
So, really one of the best ways to find out about
what we're doing, kind of at amore kind of like a detailed
level, is to go to our website.
We've worked really hard to makesure it's informative without
being too wordy.
So um, because we do a lot andsometimes it can get really
wordy, but um, we're atstewpot.org.
(43:24):
And uh once you get there, we'vecreated two buttons, which
actually the idea we totallystole from Baitway Rescue
Mission.
So I gotta give Rex Baker propsfor that.
Um button says um I need help,and another one says, I want to
help.
And so, you know, you kind ofclick on whichever one uh fits
(43:46):
you at that time.
They might, you know.
I say this to people a lot oftimes.
People say, Well, thank you forhelping me.
And I'm like, Well, you wouldhave done the same thing for me.
Never know.
Life is weird.
You uh it might come backaround.
SPEAKER_03 (44:00):
Absolutely.
SPEAKER_00 (44:00):
I understand that.
So it could be one or the other.
I want to help or I I need help.
Um, and if you want to um to douh some volunteering or get
involved in some of ourministry, then just click on the
I want to help button and our umour volunteer director will get
back in touch with you with akind of a list based on what
(44:22):
your um what you said is yourpreferences and what your times
are that you know that you'reavailable.
So that's the best way.
Um I also think that coming toStewart, there's never really
nothing like coming and andseeing it uh in the flesh.
So I love giving tours and welove showing people around.
Um and just come come see us.
(44:42):
We're we love it.
We we think it's necessary.
I think I really do think.
So two two thoughts.
Number one um this uh is a placethat is going to more than
probably most other places inJackson, but on any given day is
(45:02):
gonna look more like the kingdomof God than any other place that
you'll go in our city.
Um and I don't say that as abrag, I say it as a reality
because it's like I've saidwe've got you know folks from
you know all walks of life fromall parts of the city
representing, you know, the thebest and the worst of us.
(45:25):
Like we're we're all here on anygiven day.
Um and so that actually mysecond thing is that is what
gives me hope in times likethese where we are just so
deeply divided and can't figureout a way to heal those
divisions, is that stew pot isan example of something that we
(45:49):
can agree on enough to dotogether.
SPEAKER_03 (45:53):
Yes.
SPEAKER_00 (45:54):
We don't talk about politics, you know, we don't do
a lot of like who's right andwho's wrong.
We do talk about our faith.
I don't I encourage everybody totalk about your faith, like what
brought you there, what keepsyou there, what's inspiring you,
you know, who is God for youright now?
Like that's essential.
(46:14):
You can't separate that, youcan't check yourself, you cannot
check that part of yourself atthe door when you come.
Because then you're not showingup in full as yourself.
And that is what God needs isfor all of us to show up as
ourselves fully.
So, but we just don't get intothe minutiae because we can, you
know, have an opportunity tokeep the main thing, the main
(46:36):
thing.
Uh for just a little while.
It doesn't, you know, it's notall day, every day, but you can
come and for a little while keepthe main thing, the main thing,
and restore a little bit of hopethat we can work together um
somewhere in the world.
SPEAKER_01 (46:50):
Yeah.
I think it's a great place tocome and lose yourself from the
minutiae of all of that.
I don't I don't I can't use thatword on the air, but anyway, uh
all of that other stuff thatwe're grounded and in and well
not grounded, but uh into thattakes our attention and and all
of that, we can come there andjust be free to love folks and
(47:13):
be free to not have to deal witha lot of the stress and strain
of the everyday minutiae as youcall it.
So what would be good if I justwanted to show up, what would be
a good time for me to show up?
SPEAKER_00 (47:24):
Our best hours are uh between nine and one of at
the main campus during the daybecause that's when you know
food pantry and communitykitchen are going.
We have a lot of people comingand going during that time.
Um, we have an afterschoolprogram that meets in the
afternoon.
(47:45):
So kindergarten through twelfthgrade.
We've got one building for kids,one building for teens.
So if that's your particularthing, it's to you know be with
kids and hang out with teens andmentor them, then afternoons are
a good time for you to comeanytime between two and six.
SPEAKER_04 (48:03):
Awesome.
Awesome.
Jill, it's been a pleasure.
It's been a pleasure and a joyuh to spend some time um with
you and to hear more about yourstory, hear more about your
passion, hear more about theministry that God um has
assigned you.
And it is obvious that he hasassigned the right person.
So we're incredibly grateful tohave you in the trenches uh
doing the Lord's work.
(48:24):
Uh, for those of you all whohave uh who are listening in,
feel free to like, share, andsubscribe uh this podcast.
You can go to Living Reconciledon any podcast app, just search
on Living Reconciled MissionMississippi, and you'll find us.
Or you can go to our website,missionmississippi.org, get more
details about not just thispodcast, but about our ministry
(48:44):
and the work of reconciliationthat the Lord has assigned us uh
to continue in not just the cityof Jackson, but all across uh
the great state of Mississippi.
It's been a great joy andpleasure to be with our friend
uh Jill Buckley.
I'm your host, Brian Crawford,with my good friend and co-host,
the Dr.
(49:05):
Nettie Winners.
Signing off, saying God bless.
God bless.
SPEAKER_00 (49:10):
Bless y'all.
SPEAKER_04 (49:12):
Thanks for joining Living Reconciled.
If you would like moreinformation on how you can be a
part of the ongoing work ofhelping Christians learn how to
live in the reconciliation thatJesus has already secured,
please visit us online atmissionmississippi.org or call
us at 601-353-6477.
Thanks again for listening.
This is Living Reconciled, a podcast dedicated
to giving our communitiespractical evidence of the gospel
message by helping Christianslearn how to live in the
reconciliation that Jesus hasalready secured for us by living
with grace across racial lines.
Hey, thanks so much for joiningus on this episode of Living
Reconcile, episode 89.
(00:32):
I'm your host, Brian Crawford,with my incredible co-host and
good friend, Nettie Doctor,Reverend Nettie Winners.
Sir, how are you doing?
SPEAKER_01 (00:42):
I'm doing great, man, but Nettie would just be
fine, man.
Just as long as you you can callme whatever you lack.
Just don't call me too late too.
SPEAKER_04 (00:48):
No, no, no, no.
I mean, for those that arelistening but cannot watch, I'm
I'm I'm looking at Nettie uhsitting in front of this
illustrious backdrop of books.
And so it brought it it inspiredme academically, which is why I
use the term doctor, ReverendDr.
Nettie Winners.
Um great to have you, brother.
Great to have you.
It's good to be here.
SPEAKER_01 (01:09):
I'm really excited about our program today.
SPEAKER_04 (01:11):
Yes, I'm incredibly excited about our program and
our guests.
But before we get started havinga chat with our guests, we want
to give a quick shout out andspecial thanks to our sponsors,
Nissan, St.
Dominic's Hospital, AtmosEnergy, Regis Foundation,
Mississippi College, AndersonUnited Methodist Church, Grace
Temple Church, MississippiState, Bell Haven University,
Real Christian Foundation, BrownMissionary Baptist Church,
(01:32):
Christian Life Church, and thengood folks like Miss Doris
Powell, Robert Ward, andWinners.
Thank you so much for everythingthat you do.
It's because of what you do,that we're able to do what we
do.
If you would like to join uhthis incredible uh list of
sponsors and investors in thework of reconciliation, you can
do so very easily.
Just visitmissionmississippi.org.
(01:53):
There is a donate slash investbutton, typically on the top
right of that page.
Click on it, and you too canjoin uh this incredible,
incredible list of uh sponsorsand participants in the work of
reconciliation, those that makethis podcast possible.
Today on our podcast, we have avery special guest.
Um she is a dear friend to thisministry and a dear friend to
(02:16):
us.
Uh, she is um an incrediblewoman with an incredible passion
for God's kingdom and the peopleof God uh all across all across
this state and all across thiscountry.
Her work is very unique um butvery impactful and very
necessary, and we can't wait todig into it.
And that is uh Reverend JillBuckley.
Uh Reverend Jill Buckley is thedirector of the Stew Pot, which
(02:40):
is an incredible ministry uh inthe city of Jackson, and you
will hear more about that injust a moment.
Um but Reverend Jill, it's apleasure, pleasure to have you
on our podcast today.
SPEAKER_00 (02:52):
Thank you.
It's really an honor to be askedand to spend time with both you
and Nettie.
Nettie and I have known eachother a long time.
Anytime I get to spend withNettie just makes me a better
person.
So glad to be here.
SPEAKER_01 (03:05):
I want you to know, Brian, she was a very little
girl at the early age.
I'm sure you figured that outalready because she's still a
young lady.
So, you know, she had to be evenyounger when I met her.
SPEAKER_00 (03:19):
Yeah, okay.
Thank you.
SPEAKER_04 (03:21):
Absolutely.
Well, why don't you just whydon't you just start uh our
time, Jill?
Tell us a little bit about yourjourney, a little bit of your
background, a little bit of yourstory, and then and in
particular your journey of faithand how you just came to uh to
walking with the Lord.
SPEAKER_00 (03:37):
Sure.
So I had the really uh goodblessing to grow up in the
church.
My parents were very involved inuh the church when I was little
from the time I was a baby on.
So I never knew anythingdifferent.
Well, my dad served as chair ofdeacons, my mom was, you know,
(03:59):
chair of finance committee, andthey we were at church all the
time.
I kind of consider the churchlike like a womb, right?
So like it really protected meand uh formed me for the world.
So um, so because of that, Imade that decision for Christ to
(04:24):
accept Christ as my Lord andSavior at an early age when I
was like seven.
I was baptized when I was seven.
Um but of course I have reallybeen working out that decision
my entire life.
You know, as I uh as I grow andevolve uh as a person, as I
encounter new and differentthings, as um as life presents
(04:47):
itself.
So that is a um a decision thatI find myself having to make
over and over again to followJesus.
Um so it hasn't been just allyou know, kind of all peaches
and cream since, you know, sinceage seven.
So um my calling really came asreally when I was about 12.
(05:11):
So I've known for a long timethat I wanted to be involved in
missions.
Like I really felt that urgewhen I was young.
And when the very first timethat I saw someone walk down the
aisle of the church, I grew upBaptist and give themselves to
full-time Christian service.
I was like, that is what I wantto do.
SPEAKER_04 (05:32):
And so you were driven, you were driven towards
that at the age of 12, watchinga missionary announce that, hey,
I've been called to the field.
Wow.
unknown (05:40):
Yes.
SPEAKER_00 (05:41):
Well, and at that time, of course, uh, this was,
you know, 1984, like really, andliving in a small town and
growing up Southern Baptist, Ireally thought the only avenues
available to me were going to beum teaching children or going
really across the seas as amissionary.
So that was really what I wasprepared to do um because I
(06:05):
thought that was the only way Icould serve God through the
church.
But um, you know, as uh Godwould have it, you know, life
unfolded in a different way.
And I had some really differentmentors um kind of come out
along and show me that that Godactually had something different
in mind for my life.
So um, so again, I I want to saythat I mean, just because I was
(06:30):
12 years old when I first feltthat um that calling doesn't
mean that um that it was astraight line from there to
here.
It was very crooked.
And I had several times when um,you know, mentors and people who
barely knew me or knew me wellkind of called me back to it.
(06:52):
So uh so it just wasn't astraight line, but you know,
here I am.
SPEAKER_01 (06:57):
Yeah, there's a lot of small towns across
Mississippi now.
Which small town you hail from?
SPEAKER_00 (07:04):
Summerall, Mississippi.
Right outside of Hatburg.
SPEAKER_01 (07:07):
I know where Summerall is than that on some
of the kids.
Yeah, absolutely.
SPEAKER_00 (07:11):
A lot bigger now than it was when I was growing
up growing up there, a lotbigger, and I'm happy for them.
SPEAKER_01 (07:20):
It was 10 in your family when you were here, and
now it's 50 in your family, isthat right?
SPEAKER_00 (07:24):
Sure, sure, exactly.
So uh so when I I say that Igrew up in Summerall, but really
I grew up in Hattiesburg becauseat that time Summerall was so so
small, like everything we didbesides go to church and go to
school was in Hattiesburg.
So uh so I kind of grew upbetween Summerall and
Hattiesburg.
SPEAKER_04 (07:42):
Hattiesburg has changed so much.
Oh much since then.
Yeah, it's incredible.
It's incredible.
Yeah, Jill, when you when youtalk about uh, you know, kind of
straight lines and cricketlines, I'm re I'm reminded of a
story I was um told years agowhen somebody he he he had a
vocation in mind and he hadsomeone that he um had a lot of
(08:05):
respect for who was in thatparticular space and in that
particular vocation and so andwas doing incredibly well in it.
And he said, he he walked up tothe gentleman because he got a
chance to meet him.
He said, Man, I admire you somuch and what you do and um and
and where you are in thisparticular space.
Could you give me some advicebecause I'm aspiring, I want to
be in this position.
And and the guy told him, hesaid, you know, I like to think
(08:28):
about my own life like the life,like the story of Moses.
Like um, you know, Moses, Mosesdidn't Moses didn't start out
saying, you know, what I reallywant to do is I really want to
go and deliver the people of Euh uh Israel out of Egypt.
That's not that's not how Mosesstarted, right?
He did not have that in mind,but God had it in mind, and so
(08:50):
and so he took him on thisscenic journey around his
vocation and the and around hiscalling, but it all started with
just simply the the daily act ofobedience, just simply saying,
Lord, I'm yielded to you, justtake me where you desire to take
me.
And so, and so I'm reminded ofthat in turn in terms of hearing
your journey to StuPot.
Um, and speaking of StuPot,could you talk to us a little
(09:12):
bit about just the ministry ingeneral?
Um, what what the the aim, thepurpose, um, its particular
reach and audience.
Uh, talk to us a little bitabout this ministry in general.
SPEAKER_00 (09:24):
Sure, sure.
Um, I before I do that, I wantto just go back a little bit, uh
kind of preference what you weresaying, Brian.
And and for me, it really wasn'tan unwillingness to go where God
wanted me to go.
It was more of uh disbelief.
And it was more of um, it'sreally more of a very dark
(09:47):
night.
I consider that discernment timein my life, getting to to where
I where I was ordained is areally time of real struggle
where I really had to reshapeand reform some of the things
that I had been taught from achild.
(10:07):
You know, being an ordainedwoman in ministry, it's not
something that, you know, thatmany, you know, little girls
growing up in Southern BaptistChurch know they can dream of.
But um, fortunately, the way Isee it, the um, yeah, I see it
as the good news still has to beembodied sometimes to be
(10:28):
believed.
And the way that that happenedin my life was that I was uh
ministered to and mentored bysome women who were ordained
ministers, and I saw how God wasworking through them to
accomplish God's purposes.
And that is what got me to thepoint where I was willing to
(10:50):
entertain that God might be alsoinviting me to uh to ordination
and to a pastoral ministry asopposed to you know being a
missionary.
So uh I I really want to makethat clear to anyone out there
who's listening is that you knowthe road from calling to um to
(11:12):
kind of realizing that callingor whatever uh can be very hard,
right?
It can be really difficult forsome of us.
And so I don't want to I don'twant to diminish that in any way
because uh I've reallydiscovered over time that part
of my story is really importantfor some people to hear.
SPEAKER_03 (11:31):
So yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (11:35):
Stewpot.
Um so stewpot was started backin 1981 by a group of
congregations uh um uminterdenominational that came
together to um address needs inthe Jackson community that
increasingly were kind ofpresenting themselves at their
(11:55):
doorsteps, right?
So so for example, Stew Potright now is located at 1100
West Capitol Street in the oldCentral Presbyterian Church
built building in that campus.
Central Presbyterian Church,where we are right now, is only
two or three blocks from uh fromUnion Station where buses and
(12:16):
train, you know, the Amtrak gouh come and go.
And and so it it is a placewhere you know over time, you
know, people have come and thenstarted looking for help, you
know, originating from the busstation uh or going to the bus
station, but it's a place wherepeople, you know, kind of
(12:39):
central enough where people havestarted just looking looking for
assistance.
And so Central early on becameuh a destination for people who
were seeking some some some kindof assistance.
So um Central PresbyterianChurch, their um the chair of
(12:59):
their missions committee at thattime had heard about an effort
in Dallas, Texas, where FirstPresbyterian Church was feeding
uh people lunch on a dailybasis, and it was called
Stewart.
And he and his wife went tocheck it out and loved it and
came back and was like, youknow, we can do something like
(13:20):
this here.
So they gathered mostly downtowncongregations uh at that time at
Capitol Street United MethodistChurch, which is the building
that is now Voice of CalvaryChurch, um Galloway Methodist
Church, St.
Andrew's Cathedral, St.
Richard's Catholic Church, um,Calvary Baptist Church, which is
(13:41):
just a block away from here, andthen St.
James Episcopal Church, which isa little bit north of here,
gather them together and justdecided that they could all give
some volunteers and all give alittle bit of money and start
doing lunch five days a week.
So it was uh um it was a verykind of interdenominational
(14:02):
effort of working together to umto respond to needs of our time
that just grew.
The more the way I see it, andthe way that I've really heard
the story over time and come tobelieve about the story, is that
as soon as people got toStewpot, which uh which was
(14:26):
opened in an old gas stationacross the street from Central
Presbyterian Church, as soon aspeople got to Stewpot saw and
understood the need, then theyreally became passionate about
helping their neighbors.
Like it it was it's it caughton.
(14:48):
And I think it's because somepeople for the first time
actually met their neighbors inneed, right?
Um kind of name and a face and astory um to go along with it,
and were kind of in my you know,in the the way that again, the
way that I've heard the storytold by the people who were
there, just found their life,you know, and in serving others
(15:12):
at Stewart and found a realsense of like living out their
own faith.
So over time, uh through lots ofvolunteer efforts, lots of
congregational efforts, Stewartgrew right now.
You know, we're 44 years old andwe have 14 different ministries
(15:33):
under our umbrella.
SPEAKER_03 (15:34):
Wow.
SPEAKER_00 (15:35):
Probably uh involve around 200 congregations somehow
in our ministry.
SPEAKER_03 (15:41):
Wow.
SPEAKER_00 (15:42):
Um and that is, you know, whether some congregations
are giving us money, some aredoing food or clothing
donations, some are sendingvolunteers uh to our various
ministries.
So about 200 congregations allacross the metro area, as far as
away is Utica.
They come, you know, um as far,you know, north as you know,
(16:05):
Gluckstadt, and south as youknow, Byram and Terry.
So it really does take in thewhole metro area of uh
congregations working togetherfor one purpose.
SPEAKER_04 (16:16):
How what I guess I guess the the piece that I heard
that really stood out to me isthis ideal of people connecting
with their neighbors and thatenergizing them in some ways.
They they they see somethingdifferent about what it means to
to support their neighbors whenthey connect with their
neighbors.
Could could you just can we justtake that thread a little
(16:38):
further and just kind of peelthe layers back on that?
What is it that you see and thatyou that you hear and that you
observe and that you experiencewhen you're watching people for
the first time connect to theirneighbors and then the light
bulb starts clicking, like, oh,wait a second.
What what are some what are somethings that are uncovered during
those times that just kind ofthat stand out to you?
(17:00):
Sure.
SPEAKER_00 (17:01):
Well, I do think the discoveries go both ways.
So I don't think it's just thepeople who come to serve here
who suddenly get to know theirneighbors.
I do think that it's the peoplewho come to us for assistance
who also get to know theirneighbors in a different way,
right?
So, like there is a real sense,especially when people have the
(17:23):
opportunity to interactone-on-one of breaking down
walls and um somehow really kindof changing our minds about
those stereotypes that we haveabout one another, even if it's
you know, one person at a time,you know.
Um, you know, I um I reallythink, for example, I I'll say
(17:44):
this.
So like I have many, many timesencouraged people to come and
eat at stew pot as a way, it'skind of a doorway into ministry.
Um, and I say to help you getthrough the awkwardness of
sitting at a table with astranger with you have which you
(18:05):
have very little in common.
SPEAKER_03 (18:06):
Right.
SPEAKER_00 (18:07):
Come on a Monday, make sure on Sunday you have at
least like seen what the scoresof the football games are, the
NFL football games are, or ifit's basketball season, the NBA
games are, uh come sit at atable and start talking about
whatever professional footballgame was on Sunday and start
(18:33):
talking about who is yourfavorite team, why is that favor
your favorite team, and thatright there can get you started
on a really unexpectedconversation that goes both
ways, and you realize oh gosh,this guy likes the Dallas
Cowboys for the same reason thatI do, because he was watching it
(18:57):
when he was nine years old, youknow, or or whatever.
Like, you know, this guy hates,you know, the Chicago Bulls as
much as I do because you know,and so like that gives enough
common ground to um to startconnecting in other ways, right?
So it's it can be very hard forstrangers to talk to each other,
(19:22):
which is why you know, um you'vegot to have one at least one
common thing to talk about inthe food pantry.
It is um, oh my gosh, do youlike this is how I use diced
tomatoes in my cooking.
And uh the person that you'reshopping with will say, Well, I
(19:44):
use them this way.
And you like, well, I neverthought about that.
What about this?
And so, and so there is thatbreaking down of the strangeness
uh where we're not strangersanymore.
Really, just two humans kind ofhaving a conversation.
(20:04):
Um you know, it makes it soundvery simplistic, but it it can
be that easy.
Um so I I do think that we wantto recognize that in one
another.
We want to find common ground.
I don't think that we have verymuch opportunity on a regular
(20:27):
basis.
Stew pot is a a place that givesyou opportunity.
In my life, I don't have verymany like natural places where I
would just be able to sit downand talk to someone who is that
different from me.
But stew pot is an opportunityfor anyone to um to start
(20:51):
breaking down those barriers.
SPEAKER_01 (20:53):
You know, you know, Jill, as you describe uh Stew
Pot and neighbor getting to knowneighbor and and uh making those
connections.
And you said when you were 12,you saw these missionaries going
on a mission field.
Now it's it can you distinguishbetween what you do at Stew Pot
(21:14):
and that vision and dream youhad when you was 12?
SPEAKER_00 (22:39):
Oh, I think that um um part of me wants to say that
this is the fulfillment of likethat mission work.
At the same time, um I hesitateto call it mission work because
(23:00):
I want it to be more part of mylife and my living.
You know, I I don't want it tobe the thing I do, I want it to
be the person I am, right?
So um so I I guess I justhesitate to call it missions
necessarily or as a descriptor.
(23:23):
I understand why we do, but Ithink that can be kind of uh
othering, you know.
I think that it can be a way tolike put people at arm's length.
SPEAKER_01 (23:32):
Yeah, I know.
Um, you know, I I spent sometime, you know, serving S DuPot
as well as serving on the boardand been in the inner city ever
since I moved to Jackson in '81.
You know, the the challenge Ihave with that, I feel like this
is and and and Brian, you'reprobably gonna have to get me
off of this, but anyway, this isauthentic mission and ministry
(23:55):
where you don't go visit, butit's in your face every day, and
you have the capacity to reallydisciple folks out of the
situation that they're in, andyou do it by taking those those
that are more fortunate, if wesay, in in a sense, to disciple
(24:16):
them.
I like the way you said itworked both ways because I see
discipleship taking place bothin the people you are serving in
that community, but also thepeople that come to serve has
and many times I like the wayyou introduced the subject of
fighting over the Dallas Cal.
Now, you know, uh uh uh how youintroduce that and get people to
(24:37):
come to that.
Many times people come there,they don't expect to be, how do
I say this?
They don't expect to have thetransformative mindset and some
other things that happen tothem.
Some people even uh how do I saythis, get real say?
But you know, they come thereand you know, and and they leave
(25:01):
there with eyes running,mascarica messed up, you know,
and all those things becausethey've been church so much, and
sometimes I think it does morefor uh me.
You know, I would stupot, uh wewould go, you know, the church
of the city, all those sameinner city ministries that I was
a part of.
And it did more for me to showup at three o'clock on Sunday or
(25:24):
or or on Tuesday morning inStuPot than it did for the
people that were there, Ibelieve.
That's my take on.
SPEAKER_04 (25:30):
Yeah, 100%.
100%.
Uh uh, I'm sorry, Jill, goahead.
SPEAKER_00 (25:35):
Well, I I just want to say in response to that,
Nettie, is that um it's that atStupot, because we are
represented, we you know, aresupported by a range of
congregations, you know,Christian congregations mostly,
because that's where we live.
But we also have some folks whoyou know are serving who are
(25:57):
Jewish, some people who areagnostics, you know, Unitarians,
you know, so it's it's a bigumbrella.
So we don't kind of as a rulecall um people to proselytize.
And that's because can youimagine how quickly it can get
(26:19):
confusing around here if you arehearing from every single
Christian denomination, youknow, all of the minutiae that
we all get, you know, kind offocused on.
We want to keep the main thingthe main thing.
God loves all of us, all of uswithout exception, and uh wants
(26:42):
a relationship with all of us,period.
And I think actually thatStewart, as opposed to like
being a place to preach thegospel, has a gospel to offer.
It's a gospel of conversion toyour neighbor, you know, um to
(27:03):
your your the neighbor that youare are estranged from because
of the way that society isordered or because of the way
that you're you have orderedyour life, you know, based on
you know norms.
Um I have a friend that I met along time ago that says that you
(27:24):
know, if all of your friendslook like you, think like you,
act like you, then you areliving in a kind of poverty.
And um, and so there are lots ofdifferent kinds of poverty.
Stew pot, the what we, you know,our mission is is to um is to
(27:46):
help people who are in financialdistress mainly.
They don't have enough of thisworld's goods, they're depending
on other people to share so thatthey can have enough.
But spiritually, often there's alot of richness there that other
people may lack around ourcommunity.
Um, and you know, that's whatpeople I think sometimes get
(28:10):
when they come and they're theyserve, but they realize, I
think, that there's a spiritualdepth or maybe a spiritual um
kind of richness that they'relacking, even though they have,
you know, plenty of money.
So uh so you really have to lookat poverty wholly, I think, if
you want to really get whatStuPot is and does uh to me.
SPEAKER_01 (28:36):
Yeah, yeah, Jill, that's powerful.
You said it exceptionally well.
My whole point was where youtook us through, and I thank you
for that, is the diversity ofthe people that shows up in and
out of StuPot is is so rewardingin every every sense of our
society.
And I think we so so often limitourselves to our perspective,
(28:59):
faith, belief, or whatever thecase might be, and not have the
full exposure and discovery ofthe whole human race.
If I can put it that way.
unknown (29:07):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_03 (29:08):
Yeah, I agree.
SPEAKER_04 (29:09):
Yeah, yeah.
Uh, I mean, you you said a wholelot, Jill.
I I I just want to I just wantto um echo appreciation for for
the work that StuPod does andbringing in bringing some of
those truths that you'vehighlighted to life and to
light, for that matter.
Um, because that thatoverarching identity, that
common ground piece that youtalked about where it's like,
(29:30):
hey, I like football, you likefootball, right?
Let's let's let's let's let'sstart there.
I like sports, you like sports.
Let's start there.
Um Yeah, but but but it's justthat ideal of just finding you
know, exploring all the ways inwhich God has created us alike.
(29:53):
And and so so much so much ofthe struggle right now in our
day and time is that we've weare always razor sharp focused
on the things that divide us.
And and our and our eyes and ourgaze are fixed there, and there
are so many other things thatthat br that that that we hold
in common, but we cast all ofthose things aside in favor of
(30:16):
the one or two things that mayseparate us.
And we and like I said, we areso sharply focused on those on
those particular things.
And so thank you for the workthat Stu Pot's doing in that
area.
And then and then the otherpiece about this idea of the the
gospel, uh, of uh uh proclaiminga proclamation of the gospel
being made visually, um, I thinkis an important thing because so
(30:38):
you know there are times inwhich we lose all of the all of
the implications of the gospel.
It's yeah, the gospel isvertical, and uh, and it's a
restoration uh with God and man,but it's also very much a
horizontal gospel.
And there and there's arestoration that sometimes goes
untouched as it relates to uhhumankind and humankind being
(31:01):
connected uh together and andand rich, poor, black, white,
um, you know, uh Vicksburger andJacksonia, you know, all of
those different pieces and partsand geographies being brought
together is very much a part ofthe uh the gospel proclamation
and the gospel experience aswell.
And we oftentimes don't putenough emphasis on it.
(31:22):
Um if you don't mind, let'sexplore a little bit.
I want to take a little bit moreof uh the remaining time than we
have to explore some of themisnomers or misconceptions,
rather, that um that wesometimes have as it relates to
this line of ministry, thisparticular space of ministry.
(31:43):
What are some of the ways inwhich the church, um, more
broadly speaking, when I say thechurch, and just the community
at large, what are some ways inwhich we misunderstand this this
work and misunderstand the thethe object of this work, the
people that we are engaging?
What are what are some ways inwhich we misunderstand?
SPEAKER_00 (32:06):
Well, um I think one place where we could really grow
and evolve our thinking is uh isnot painting homelessness or
poverty or any of the um relatedkind of challenges or struggles,
(32:29):
uh not painting it all withreally a broad brush stroke.
Uh all homeless people arealike, all people living in
poverty are alike, you know, youknow, and so on.
Uh because while there might besome similarities, um you'll
find that people are in thesituation that they're in for a
(32:51):
variety of reasons.
And so often, especially in thecase of homelessness, uh, it's
because for some reason thecommunity to which they were
connected or their supportnetworks have fallen apart,
(33:11):
whether it's because they burnedthose bridges, you know,
sometimes we find that true,they burn those bitch bridges
through like substance abuse anduh other kinds of abuse.
Um, you know, or you know, it'sa mental health issue, and
families just don't really knowhow to help someone with a
(33:34):
severe mental health issue, uh,and that becomes unmanageable.
And so they have to, you know,for family survival, have to
create some separation, or youknow, met so many people who
there's been somebody importantin their family who has died.
It was a mom, a grandmother, aspouse, and just a cascade of
(33:56):
things happens after that, anduh, and their support networks
fall apart, all of the you know,bad family drama gets all
stirred up, and then suddenly,you know, you don't have a place
to go anymore.
So I think um I've heard someonesay, and I do agree with this to
a large extent, thishomelessness is not just about
(34:19):
not having a place to go, it'sabout not having a people to go
to.
It's isolating.
And um, and so I I think that'simportant to remember um when we
think about how we want torespond, right?
So we respond not just withproviding housing, which is a
(34:42):
just response, uh, butfriendship, relationship,
restoration to some kind ofcommunity.
Um, so I think that's veryimportant to to include.
Also, I really think that umthat because people are so
estranged from their neighborsthat people don't realize how
(35:07):
difficult some people have it,like how the lack of a
consistent income or the lack ofa uh like a enough of an income,
how hard that really is.
Like I don't really think thatunless you know somebody or she
live through it, you probablydon't really understand.
(35:30):
And I'm even always learningmore, right?
So this whole SNAP crisis, youknow, is even a new level of
learning uh for me.
And you know, I I spend a lot oftime thinking about these things
and talking to people aboutthese things, right?
So so I I think that if we'regoing to if we're gonna make, if
(35:53):
we're gonna um come to someconclusions, if we're going to
say anything, if we're gonna sayanything about homelessness,
about poverty, substance abuse,mental illness, um we we need to
we need to start with what isthat experience for the person
(36:13):
who is living it, uh find outand then there should be a
response, right?
So um, so yeah, I think there'sa just a real real
misunderstanding that can be tosome extent kind of remedied by
getting to know your neighbor.
SPEAKER_04 (36:35):
Yeah, yeah, I appreciate I appreciate that,
Jill, especially the thesentiment about about Snap and
the and kind of the the theNovember the November crisis
that that um that many people uhwere were experiencing because
it is it is something that we'rereally a lot oftentimes you're
just kind of watching it from adistance, and so you don't know
(36:57):
the implications.
You don't know the personal orthe emotional implications, but
sometimes you don't even knowthe the kind of widespreading
like the institutionalimplications.
For example, oftentimes when wewe think about Snap, we're
thinking we have one picture inmind of who's on Snap.
But then when you drill into it,you realize it's a totally
different group of people,right?
That that it's 70 70 of the 79%of people on Snap, it's you
(37:21):
know, households that includechildren, it's el it's elderly,
or it's non-elderly, uhnon-elderly with disabilities.
Right.
So that's 70, that's 79% of thehouseholds.
It's elderly, childrenhouseholds, and and disabil uh
disability households.
It's not it's not this, youknow, this kind of thing that we
tend to think about when wethink about Snap, where it's
(37:43):
just, you know, 100% of thepeople out there are just kind
of gaming the system.
That's not that's not how thisworks, you know.
But but again, sometimes whenwe're when we're so far removed
from a lot of these things andand we're not in we're not
integrated in one another'slife, um then the only thing
left is assumptions.
That's the that's the only thingleft when we're not integrated
(38:05):
in one another's life.
SPEAKER_00 (38:07):
Sure.
And I think that not all not allour of our sources of input are
reliable sources of input.
And so to me, one of the mostreliable sources of input is
someone who has experience or isexperiencing the problem, right?
And that's why, you know, onething we really strive to do
here at Stewart is making makesure that we have people on our
(38:28):
staff who have experienced foodinsecurity or experienced
homelessness because they are anecessary corrective to people
like me who've never experienceda problem, but have a lot of
theories about it.
And you know, that can throw outa lot of good ideas about what
we can do, and you know, andthey can just be torn right down
(38:48):
by someone who's like, you knowwhat, that is really a
misconception.
SPEAKER_02 (38:52):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (38:53):
Someone who's experienced the problem.
That that to me has been one ofmy most important learnings here
at Steapot is you really can'tmake good decisions uh unless
you are in conversation withpeople who are experiencing the
problem that you're trying to umaddress.
SPEAKER_01 (39:13):
You you gotta hear their story.
You gotta know uh theirexperiences.
You gotta connect with them inin terms of that, you know.
And with Snap, we found out thateverybody was not homeless,
everybody was not on Sheet Rowor had a house full of cheering
(39:35):
in the chat.
We found out in some instancesthat our neighbors, our friends,
our church members, people weinteract with on a social level
and and otherwise was on Snap.
And so we have these uhstereotypical statements we make
inside of what I call inside of395 and 495 in Washington, DC,
(39:56):
had no concept of people 20miles away from them in poverty.
So uh but anyway, I think theway that you describe what you
all do and how you do it, youhelp people that are in
isolation, that are in theirwhat what do you call them, uh
(40:16):
Brian, in their little camps orlittle silos, silos in those
silos to come out of them andlearn that they're real folks
beyond my silo, beyond myconnection.
And so I like the integration ofhow the diversity of the real
world connects at Stewart.
(40:38):
I talk about the real world ofpolitics, sports, everyday life,
and how those connections uhempower, inspire, and motivate
our entire community, uh spreadacross the metro area, or even
across the state of Mississippi.
SPEAKER_04 (40:57):
Yeah, and I love the diversity of story.
Um, you know, there's there'sthe you know, oftentimes when
we're looking at how do we cancomprise our leadership groups
and councils and boards andteams, you know, we we think
purely in terms of ethnicdiversity, color diversity.
Um, but stupid is taking it alevel uh deeper in terms of
(41:19):
diversity of story.
Um and and you know, la lastyear uh we spent uh a summer
traveling around SouthMississippi and doing
conversations on uhreconciliation and economic
restoration and communities andgetting different people of
different backgrounds togetherto have dialogue around these
(41:39):
subjects.
And I'll never forget when I wason the coast um facilitating
these one of theseconversations.
One of the most important thingsthat I heard uh was uh was um a
woman who worked uh with thehospital systems who were doing
similar work there.
And she said, when they bringthat when they convene these
groups together, the one thingthat they try to um one the one
(42:01):
truth that they try to hold toor the one uh motto that they
try to hold to, nothing for mewithout me.
Nothing for me without me.
So if there's going to be anywork that's going to reach a
particular community, then thereneeds to be representation from
that particular community, notjust color, not just ethnicity,
(42:21):
but all the way down to stories,experiences, class, and and I I
think I think you guys are arereally, really, really hitting
the nail on the head in in sucha powerful way.
That's that's so that's sooutstanding, uh Jill.
SPEAKER_00 (42:33):
Um we're just we got I mean we we do have room to
grow, like I, you know, so we'renot perfect at it, but I do
think that um we've worked on itover time, uh, and we want to
continue to grow, right?
SPEAKER_03 (42:45):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (42:46):
It's something we've really tried hard to do, and we
want to keep growing.
SPEAKER_04 (42:51):
Absolutely.
How go ahead, go ahead, Brian.
How can people connect?
How can people connect withStewart, your ministry, uh, your
work?
Um how can how can peopleconnect you?
SPEAKER_00 (43:03):
So, really one of the best ways to find out about
what we're doing, kind of at amore kind of like a detailed
level, is to go to our website.
We've worked really hard to makesure it's informative without
being too wordy.
So um, because we do a lot andsometimes it can get really
wordy, but um, we're atstewpot.org.
(43:24):
And uh once you get there, we'vecreated two buttons, which
actually the idea we totallystole from Baitway Rescue
Mission.
So I gotta give Rex Baker propsfor that.
Um button says um I need help,and another one says, I want to
help.
And so, you know, you kind ofclick on whichever one uh fits
(43:46):
you at that time.
They might, you know.
I say this to people a lot oftimes.
People say, Well, thank you forhelping me.
And I'm like, Well, you wouldhave done the same thing for me.
Never know.
Life is weird.
You uh it might come backaround.
SPEAKER_03 (44:00):
Absolutely.
SPEAKER_00 (44:00):
I understand that.
So it could be one or the other.
I want to help or I I need help.
Um, and if you want to um to douh some volunteering or get
involved in some of ourministry, then just click on the
I want to help button and our umour volunteer director will get
back in touch with you with akind of a list based on what
(44:22):
your um what you said is yourpreferences and what your times
are that you know that you'reavailable.
So that's the best way.
Um I also think that coming toStewart, there's never really
nothing like coming and andseeing it uh in the flesh.
So I love giving tours and welove showing people around.
Um and just come come see us.
(44:42):
We're we love it.
We we think it's necessary.
I think I really do think.
So two two thoughts.
Number one um this uh is a placethat is going to more than
probably most other places inJackson, but on any given day is
(45:02):
gonna look more like the kingdomof God than any other place that
you'll go in our city.
Um and I don't say that as abrag, I say it as a reality
because it's like I've saidwe've got you know folks from
you know all walks of life fromall parts of the city
representing, you know, the thebest and the worst of us.
(45:25):
Like we're we're all here on anygiven day.
Um and so that actually mysecond thing is that is what
gives me hope in times likethese where we are just so
deeply divided and can't figureout a way to heal those
divisions, is that stew pot isan example of something that we
(45:49):
can agree on enough to dotogether.
SPEAKER_03 (45:53):
Yes.
SPEAKER_00 (45:54):
We don't talk about politics, you know, we don't do
a lot of like who's right andwho's wrong.
We do talk about our faith.
I don't I encourage everybody totalk about your faith, like what
brought you there, what keepsyou there, what's inspiring you,
you know, who is God for youright now?
Like that's essential.
(46:14):
You can't separate that, youcan't check yourself, you cannot
check that part of yourself atthe door when you come.
Because then you're not showingup in full as yourself.
And that is what God needs isfor all of us to show up as
ourselves fully.
So, but we just don't get intothe minutiae because we can, you
know, have an opportunity tokeep the main thing, the main
(46:36):
thing.
Uh for just a little while.
It doesn't, you know, it's notall day, every day, but you can
come and for a little while keepthe main thing, the main thing,
and restore a little bit of hopethat we can work together um
somewhere in the world.
SPEAKER_01 (46:50):
Yeah.
I think it's a great place tocome and lose yourself from the
minutiae of all of that.
I don't I don't I can't use thatword on the air, but anyway, uh
all of that other stuff thatwe're grounded and in and well
not grounded, but uh into thattakes our attention and and all
of that, we can come there andjust be free to love folks and
(47:13):
be free to not have to deal witha lot of the stress and strain
of the everyday minutiae as youcall it.
So what would be good if I justwanted to show up, what would be
a good time for me to show up?
SPEAKER_00 (47:24):
Our best hours are uh between nine and one of at
the main campus during the daybecause that's when you know
food pantry and communitykitchen are going.
We have a lot of people comingand going during that time.
Um, we have an afterschoolprogram that meets in the
afternoon.
(47:45):
So kindergarten through twelfthgrade.
We've got one building for kids,one building for teens.
So if that's your particularthing, it's to you know be with
kids and hang out with teens andmentor them, then afternoons are
a good time for you to comeanytime between two and six.
SPEAKER_04 (48:03):
Awesome.
Awesome.
Jill, it's been a pleasure.
It's been a pleasure and a joyuh to spend some time um with
you and to hear more about yourstory, hear more about your
passion, hear more about theministry that God um has
assigned you.
And it is obvious that he hasassigned the right person.
So we're incredibly grateful tohave you in the trenches uh
doing the Lord's work.
(48:24):
Uh, for those of you all whohave uh who are listening in,
feel free to like, share, andsubscribe uh this podcast.
You can go to Living Reconciledon any podcast app, just search
on Living Reconciled MissionMississippi, and you'll find us.
Or you can go to our website,missionmississippi.org, get more
details about not just thispodcast, but about our ministry
(48:44):
and the work of reconciliationthat the Lord has assigned us uh
to continue in not just the cityof Jackson, but all across uh
the great state of Mississippi.
It's been a great joy andpleasure to be with our friend
uh Jill Buckley.
I'm your host, Brian Crawford,with my good friend and co-host,
the Dr.
(49:05):
Nettie Winners.
Signing off, saying God bless.
God bless.
SPEAKER_00 (49:10):
Bless y'all.
SPEAKER_04 (49:12):
Thanks for joining Living Reconciled.
If you would like moreinformation on how you can be a
part of the ongoing work ofhelping Christians learn how to
live in the reconciliation thatJesus has already secured,
please visit us online atmissionmississippi.org or call
us at 601-353-6477.
Thanks again for listening.
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