Living Advent: Community, Courage, and the Common Good with Rev. Marcella Gillis

What does Christmas mean in 2025—when the world feels destabilized, institutions feel shakier than we assumed, and “powerlessness” is the default mood? Stephen Bauman is joined by Rev. Marcella Gillis, Episcopal rector at Christ the King in Stone Ridge, for a grounded conversation about faith, community, and living our values in real time.Marcella shares the ongoing story of her parish’s partnership with a local Afghan refugee family—and the urgent work to support Ali, detained by ICE despite a routine asylum process. From there, the conversation widens into Advent as a season of “unveiling,” how churches can become rare spaces for shared civic life amid deep disagreement, and why some boundaries (especially around harm and exclusion) matter. They also discuss technology and AI—why Marcella opts out whenever possible—and how we cultivate real community for children in a screen-saturated age. The episode closes with a bracing, non-Pollyanna vision of Christmas hope: not optimism, but a communal practice of carrying light through dark times.10 chapters00:00:00 — Welcome + why a Christmas conversation with Rev. Marcella Gillis00:01:39 — Marcella introduces herself: priesthood, partnership, and becoming a new mom00:04:08 — Christ the King’s “food + discipleship” identity and the Afghan refugee dinner00:05:20 — Ali’s detention: what happened, what’s being done, and the emotional toll00:08:39 — From powerlessness to participation: living your values locally (and together)00:11:18 — “Advent as unveiling”: a paradigm shift, privilege, and destabilized institutions00:15:26 — Pastoring honestly: prophecy vs. care, and how congregations hear what they’re ready for00:19:16 — Interfaith solidarity: shared values, different words, and complicated traditions00:30:42 — AI, integrity, environment, and community: why Marcella opts out—and why it matters for kids00:41:21 — Christmas hope without optimism: the “unkillable” love that’s practiced in community Get full access to Living in the Meantime at livinginthemeantime.substack.com/subscribe