The Ferment Podcast - Conversations About Worship And Transformation

Ted Kim is a worship leader, songwriter, and pastor based in Evanston, Illinois. The son of Korean immigrants, Ted shares insights into the complex nature of multi-cultural and multi-ethnic ministry from his personal experience.  He is  currently the Senior Associate Pastor at The Evanston Vineyard after serving over 7 years as Worship Pastor at the Vineyard Church in Syracuse, NY. Ted is best known for his song Kyrie Eleíson (co-written with Cindy Rethmeier).

Cindy Rethmeier is one of the pioneering women worship leaders and songwriters of the modern worship era. She wrote some of Vineyard’s most well-known anthems (Exalt the Lord, I Bow Down) and served an integral role in children’s worship, penning the songs I Want to be Like Jesus and Good News. Cindy spent 7 years in an Anglican Church writing musical settings for prayers and seasonal antiphons for the liturgy, and her most-recent song —  co-written with Vineyard pastor and worship leader Ted Kim — is Kyrie Eléison, a lament based on a prayer of petition used in ancient Christian liturgies translating as “Lord, have mercy.”    Cindy lives in Southern California with her husband of 38 years, Steve. She has 2 married children & 9 grandchildren who are the inspiration for her name songs & lighthearted, everyday-life songs. On this episode Cindy shares wisdom learned from her journey — from the early days of the Vineyard movement to present day — learning to own her own voice and see herself as God has shaped her to be.

James Duke is a Nashville-based guitar player, best known for his work with John Mark McMillan, Jesus Culture, Kim Walker, and JOHNNYSWIM. On this deeply personal episode James opens up to Adam about his struggle with depression, even while on tour with some of the most-compelling names in the modern worship world.

Andy Squyres is a singer-songwriter from North Carolina. His songs are both heartbreaking and utterly hopeful. Andy's new song "You Bring The Morning" epitomizes this tension — and is more than worth a listen. In this wide-ranging conversation, Adam and Andy dig deep into what it means to evolve both as people and in our personal theology as we walk out our lives in relationship with God. Andy is currently the worship pastor of Queen City Church located in Charlotte, NC.

Hannah DeSpain is a vocalist and worship leader in Campbellsville, KY, featured on numerous Vineyard Worship projects such as Promises of Wonder and All Things Rise. She sits down with our host Adam Russell, her long-time friend, and shares her life story — from growing up singing in church with her twin sister Sarah to discovering a calling to lead people in worship in college to marrying her husband Matt.  Hannah offers some hard-won and key insights as she and Adam discuss walking through seasons of suffering and loss as followers of Jesus. 

This week we are featuring a special four part mini-series on dreaming with our, host Adam Russell. This powerful series not only will give you permission to dream again, but will also give you practical steps on how to see your dreams come to life. In this final installment Adam talks about living out our dreams.

This week we are featuring a special four part mini-series on dreaming with our host, Adam Russell. This powerful series not only will give you permission to dream again, but will also give you practical steps on how to see your dreams come to life. In this third installment Adam talks about persevering through hard times with our dreams.

This week we are featuring a special four part mini-series on dreaming with our host, Adam Russell. This powerful series not only will give you permission to dream again, but will also give you practical steps on how to see your dreams come to life. In this second installment Adam talks about dreaming out loud. 

This week we are featuring a special four part mini-series on dreaming with our host, Adam Russell. This powerful series not only will give you permission to dream again, but will also give you practical steps on how to see your dreams come to life. In this first installment Adam talks about creating space to dream. 

John Mark McMillan is a platinum-selling songwriter and recording artist best known for his songs "How He Loves," "Future/Past," and "King Of My Heart," co-written with his wife Sarah.  John Mark is known for bending genres and defying categorization by carving out his own unique and independent path. With an ear for melody and a poet’s eye for metaphor, no topic has been off-limits. While each of his albums over the past decade have continued to explore new territory, it’s McMillan’s ability to give lyric and language to the human experience that many consider his greatest gift.  McMillan is no stranger to success with nearly half a million monthly listeners on Spotify and 40 million Spotify streams, but he won’t let those things define him. He’s learned a lot about himself since his previous studio album Borderland, which held a Top 15 spot on the iTunes Albums chart and No. 41 on Billboard’s Top 200. “I’ve found that there’s a profound restlessness in the gap between the ideals of youth and the realities of adulthood,” says McMillan, “even when, especially when, you get what you wanted.”