As In Heaven

Our guest on this episode is Michael Aitcheson. Mike is the senior pastor and planter of Christ United Fellowship (PCA) and is deeply involved in ministering to downtown Orlando.He tells us how he went from playing football at the University of Kentucky to planting churches in Central Florida, and gives us a glimpse of the joys and struggles of starting a church from scratch.He unpacks the story of Division street and some of the historic racial tensions in Orlando, and what it means to shepherd a diverse congregation as a local pastor. Mike is a lovely guy and we were honored to have him on the podcast.

Leigh Swanson serves as Vice President of Community Relations at Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando.She’s also a trained theologian, teacher, and speaker.In our conversation, Leigh talks about why her course on teaching women to teach the Bible has exploded so quickly in Orlando and beyond; she unpacks a healthy way to think through biblical manhood and womanhood, and shares her personal thoughts on the Billy Graham rule and how it applies to Christian women in the workplace.Leigh is a fount of knowledge and a pure joy to be around. We are delighted to have her on the podcast.

Today’s guest is Vicky Matthews. Vicky is the Executive Director of Choices Women’s Clinic, which exists, “to equip and encourage women and men to make informed pregnancy decisions.” In this episode, Vicky shares her story of being a young woman with a crisis pregnancy, the way that Choices Women’s Clinic cares for men and women before and after challenging pregnancy decisions, and stories of the ways that the Lord has worked in the lives of so many men and women in Orlando. Vicky’s passion and love for the image of God in all people is inspiring, and our conversation was equal parts emotional and educational.

We’re excited to kick off episode 1 of As In Heaven with our guest, is Dr. Joel Hunter. Dr. Hunter is the retired pastor of Northland Church, one of the largest churches in the Central Florida area. He served at Northland Church for over three decades in addition to serving as the spiritual advisor for President Barack Obama. His impressive career is matched only by his humility and heart to serve the hurting and disenfranchised, specifically in Orlando.In this interview, Joel talks about how Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination catalyzed his faith, he shares lessons he’s learned after 30 long years in ministry, and even gives us a glimpse into intimate interactions he had with President Obama. Every minute of this episode is solid gold, and it was a privilege to have Dr. Hunter on the show.