Talking Transformation with Matt Bird

This weeks podcast was recorded in late 2020 when Matt Bird spoke to Phil Inglis, Salvation Army Wollongong, Australia and Co-Lead, Community Engagement, #TogetherForTheIllawarra, our local partner on the first #CinnamonFaithActionAudit to take place in Australia. On the 25th November 2020, Cinnamon Network Australia, in partnership with Together for the Illawarra, announced the results of the Cinnamon Faith Action Audit for the Illawarra region of New South Wales. LISTEN to gain great behind-the-scenes insights into what it takes to conduct a Faith Action Audit. Find out more about Matt and Cinnamon Network International at: http://cinnamonnetwork.com

This week's podcast is an interview with Nic Mackay, National Director of Cinnamon Network Australia. The conversation reflects on the recent highly successful #FaithActionAudit which was conducted in the Illawarra region of New South Wales. This CFAA was groundbreaking for Australia - LISTEN to find out more about Nic and Cinnamon’s work in Australia and why the CFAA was groundbreaking for Australia. A great conversation, full of insights and encouragements. Find out more about Matt and Cinnamon Network International at: http://cinnamonnetwork.com

This week's podcast is an interview with Dave Barker, a pastor in Folkestone who has helped run a Cinnamon Faith Action Audit in his town and is now working closely with local authorities to meet the needs of his community. In this episode he tells Matt about the doors that opened to the church after the Faith Action Audit, how the church has served people during the pandemic and how he thinks the church's role will change after Covid-19. A great listen, full of insights and encouragements.  Find out more about Matt and Cinnamon Network International at: http://cinnamonnetwork.com

This week Matt talks to the Dusan Beredi Bera, a pastor in Novi Sad, Serbia. They discuss Dusan's journey to faith and his incredible story of meeting God and becoming free from an addiction that threatened his life. In the challenging and inspiring interview they also talk about the work of Dusan's church, helping people in addiction to discover God's life-changing love.  To find out more about Dusan visit http://www.phz.rs/onama.php Find out more about Matt and Cinnamon Network International at: http://cinnamonnetwork.com

This week's Talking Transformation is an incredible listen as Matt talks to Dr Vladimir Ubeivolc, a pastor in Moldova who is working in a country where human trafficking is tearing apart families and communities. His church is involved in work with people at risk of being trafficked and people who have been trafficked, listen as he tells stories of challenge and stories of hope. Moldova is the poorest nation in Europe, yet this podcast shows us how much we can learn from Dr Vladimir and his team about empathy, education and transformational action.  To find out more about Dr Vladimir visit http://bol.md Find out more about Matt and Cinnamon Network International at: http://cinnamonnetwork.com

This week Matt talks to Intentional Health's CEO Niky Dix about attitudes toward health and how her organisation has grown as online training has grown exponentially during Covid-19 lockdown.  The pair also talk about how the present opportunities to resource churches far and wide, and how churches can meet huge local demand for community health solutions, especially as people emerge from the pandemic. To find out more about Niky and Intentional Health visit https://www.intentionalhealth.uk Find out more about Matt and Cinnamon Network International at: http://cinnamonnetwork.com

This week on Talking Transformation Matt talks to Alfonso Schilder, a minister at Mount Hope Kingdom Life Christian Church to hear stories of lives that have been transformed by the rehab program run through the local church. We can talk about initiatives and programs without hearing how individual lives have been changed, today Alfonso shares stories of people who have experienced the love of Jesus and seen radical life transformation. To find out more about Alfonso visit http://mounthope.co.za Find out more about Matt and Cinnamon Network International at: http://cinnamonnetwork.com

This week Matt talks to the Reverend Paul Cowley MBE, part of the HTB leadership team in the UK about his life story and experiences ministering to those in his local area and in prisons across the UK. Paul talks to Matt about the importance and impact of getting involved with actions, not just words, and how the church can provide vital infrastructure to communities in times of need. To find out more about Paul visit https://caringforexoffenders.org/who-we-are Find out more about Matt and Cinnamon Network International at: http://cinnamonnetwork.com

Today we welcome Miro Toth onto the Talking Transformation podcast as he tells us about the church in Slovakia and how God is moving in Eastern Europe. He talks with Matt about the past, present and future of the nation, with encouragement and inspiration for all those who lead in their communities. To find out more about Miro visit: https://www.instagram.com/equippersbudapest Find out more about Matt and Cinnamon Network International at: http://cinnamonnetwork.com

Today Matt talks to Shola Oladipo, the CEO of Food For Purpose, a pioneering charity that is helping Black and Asian minority ethnic (BAME) communities access culturally relevant nutritional information. They talk about the spiritual need for physical health, how the health of church leaders has an impact on members of the church and how  BAME communities face particular health challenges. Educational and entertaining, Matt and Shola have a fascinating and fun conversation on the podcast today, take a listen. To find out more about Shola and Food For Purpose visit: https://foodforpurpose.org Find out more about Matt and Cinnamon Network International at: http://cinnamonnetwork.com