Sabbatical sub will keep presidential podcast going

A Minnesota chaplain and Star Trek fan will handle a weekly podcast while a United Church of Christ leader takes time off.

The Rev. Jess L. Chancey will write and record “Into the Mystic” for the rest of 2021. The podcast’s regular author and voice — the Rev. John Dorhauer, UCC general minister and president — went on sabbatical Oct. 27. He will return Jan. 1.

The audio column debuted in 2015, shortly after Dorhauer took office. It offers personal reflections on life, faith, ministry and society.

Continuity — and a tweak

Chancey’s first episode arrived Nov. 1.

Originally from Atlanta, Chancey is staff chaplain at Regions Hospital in St. Paul and a member of Mayflower UCC in Minneapolis. Their journey has included earning an M.Div at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Ga., and completing clinical pastoral education in Philadelphia. They were ordained in the UCC in 2018.

Nationally in the UCC, Chancey co-chairs the Disabilities Ministries board and is a co-founder of the Women’s Table. They say their passion for justice came, in part, from their own struggle “for acceptance and inclusion as a queer minister with a disability.”

They say “Into the Mystic” listeners can expect continuity — except in certain matters of pop culture.

“I’m extremely honored that John trusts me to fill in for him on this podcast, which is so dear to his heart,” Chancey said. “I look forward to sharing a few minutes with his listeners each week, exploring what God has in store for us as we journey together. I hope to continue in John’s tradition, just replace his Van Morrison references with my Star Trek ones.”

Where to listen

“Into the Mystic” can be found:

• at the UCC website,
• via email in the weekly UCC News Digest, and
• on Soundcloud and Apple Podcasts.

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This article was updated on Nov. 2, 2021, adding a link to the Nov. 1 edition of “Into the Mystic.”