LEAD Pods, the USMB podcast, will release its 100th episode March 29. To mark the milestone, one lucky listener will receive a $100 gift card courtesy of USMB.
”When the podcast releases on Friday, March 29, listeners can comment on our USMB social media post about what their favorite episode has been of the first 100 and/or share our post and they will be entered into a drawing to win a $100 Visa gift card,” says J.L. Martin, LEAD Pods coordinator.
Recording 100 episodes is an accomplishment, says Matt Ehresman, LEAD Pods host.
“I’ve seen stats that say only 11 percent of podcasts make it to 50 episodes,” Ehresman says. “When we launched in 2020, I think all of us involved really didn’t know what to expect or how long this was going to last.”
In addition to Ehresman, LEAD Pods feature Katie Goings, an experienced radio host from Ridgepoint Church, who voices the advertisements about USMB activities and from LEAD Pods sponsors. Sponsors include Fresno Pacific University, Tabor College, MB Foundation, Multiply and Mennonite Central Committee.
The 100th episode was recorded in November 2023 when USMB staff held their annual in-person meeting in Wichita, Kansas. The episode features Don Morris, national director; Martin, who is also the bookkeeper, social media coordinator and event coordinator; Connie Faber, CL editor; Brian Harris, USMB church planting mobilizer who became the Southern District Conference minister in January 2024; Janae Shafer, CL associate editor and USMB administrative assistant; Donna Sullivan, administrative secretary and bookkeeper; and Lori Taylor, webmaster, talking with host Ehresman.
As of March 8, LEAD Pods has seen 14,117 downloads for an average of 100 downloads per episode, Martin says.
“I have enjoyed the quality of the podcast and the great content provided for the USMB family,” Martin says. “We are always looking for new guests and new topic ideas from the USMB family. We want to continue to provide a variety of guests and topics as we move forward into the next 100.’’
Martin welcomes suggestions for guests and topics. He can be reached at jl@usmb.org.
LEAD Pods are billed as “the best of us to the rest of us” and is the brainchild of National Director Morris who worked with the staff to launch the podcast in March 2020. New episodes drop every two weeks and listeners can find LEAD Pods on Apple, Google and Spotify.
Read Matt Ehresman interview about his experience as LEAD Pods host.
Connie Faber joined the magazine staff in 1994 and assumed the duties of editor in 2004. She has won awards from the Evangelical Press Association for her writing and editing. Faber is the co-author of Family Matters: Discovering the Mennonite Brethren. She and her husband, David, have two daughters, one son, one daughter-in-law, one son-in-law and three grandchildren. They are members of Ebenfeld MB Church in Hillsboro, Kansas.
