The Final Service

Latest Episodes:

EP4. Stigma May 01, 2025

Show notes

A church in decline tries to reinvent itself, and its young members struggle with how to talk about Christianity.

The Final Service is written and produced by Mateo Schimpf with additional writing and reporting from Ray Suarez. It's edited by Jarrod Sport with production support from Elize Manoukian. It's made possible with generous support by the Henry Luce Foundation and is distributed by PRX.

EP3. Chicago Apr 24, 2025

Show notes

Julian Deshazier is a rapper and a pastor. That sounds like it would be appealing to kids from his old neighborhood on the South Side. But getting them to show up to church on Sundays isn't easy.

The Final Service is written and produced by Mateo Schimpf with additional writing and reporting from Ray Suarez. It's edited by Jarrod Sport. It's made possible with generous support by the Henry Luce Foundation and is distributed by PRX.

EP2. Little Lithuania Apr 17, 2025

Show notes

Christian Allyn is proud to be Lithuanian. So when he found out that the archbishop was going to close his Lithuanian church in Waterbury, Connecticut, he decided to step in. Can his appeal save St. Joseph’s Church?

The Final Service is written and produced by Mateo Schimpf with additional writing and reporting from Ray Suarez. It's edited by Jarrod Sport with production support from Elize Manoukian, Sienna Barnes and Joshua Dudley. It's made possible with generous support by the Henry Luce Foundation and is distributed by PRX.

EP1. The Mayordomos Apr 10, 2025

Show notes

This is the first chapter in a four-part series about church closures in America.

Lorraine Pacheco is the caretaker for a tiny church in an even tinier town in the eastern plains of New Mexico. As she gets older and her congregation shrinks, she’s starting to wonder if it will survive after she’s gone.

The Final Service is written and produced by Mateo Schimpf with additional writing and reporting from Ray Suarez. It's edited by Jarrod Sport with production support from Elize Manoukian, Sienna Barnes and Joshua Dudley. It's made possible with generous support by the Henry Luce Foundation and is distributed by PRX.

Trailer Apr 03, 2025

Show notes

Notice anything about churches in America? In a lot of place they're boarded up. Converted to some other use. Or just abandoned.

Reporters Mateo Schimpf and Ray Suarez go on a journey to find out why so many churches are closing, and whether pastors can do anything to save them.

Jonathan Rauch on the Limits of MAGA and Trump Jan 02, 2025

Show notes

One theme was consistent throughout this election year: the assertion that democracy was under threat. Throughout the year, Jonathan Rauch weighed in on whether democracy is waning, and how the Republican party could build a future without Trumpism.

Jonathan Rauch joins Ray Suarez to discuss Trump's reelection, and how he feels today about the health of our republic.

This is our final episode of On Shifting Ground. Thank you for all your support over the years. We'll miss you.

Guest:

Jonathan Rauch, Senior Fellow, Governance Studies, Center for Effective Public Management

Host:

Ray Suarez

If you appreciate this episode and want to support the work we do, please consider making a donation to Commonwealth Club World Affairs. We cannot do this work without your help. Thank you.

Ambassador Michael McFaul: Ukrainians May Fight On, Even with a Trump/Putin Deal Dec 30, 2024

Show notes

In less than three weeks, Donald Trump will be back in the White House, and we’re waiting to see what he will tackle on Day One. On the campaign trail, Trump promised he’d end the fighting in Ukraine on January 20th. The war is nearing its third anniversary, and there are few signs an end is in sight.

Russian president Vladimir Putin has recently signaled he’s ready to compromise, but can president-elect Trump deliver a deal after almost three years of war?

This week, Ray Suarez speaks with former US ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul on the precarious future of Ukraine.

Guest:

Michael McFaul, Director, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies

Host:

Ray Suarez

If you appreciate this episode and want to support the work we do, please consider making a donation to Commonwealth Club World Affairs. We cannot do this work without your help. Thank you.

Why You’re Probably Not Going to Church this Christmas Dec 23, 2024

Show notes

100,000, that’s the estimated number of Protestant churches that will close in the U.S… not by 2050, but five years from now. What some scholars are calling “The Great De-churching” is already well under way, and the exodus is accelerating.

This week, Ray Suarez speaks with Ryan Burge, professor of political science at Eastern Illinois University, about why non-religious people and atheists are on the rise, and whether religion can still play a role in American society.

Guest:

Ryan Burge, professor of political science at Eastern Illinois University

Host:

Ray Suarez

If you appreciate this episode and want to support the work we do, please consider making a donation to Commonwealth Club World Affairs. We cannot do this work without your help. Thank you.

Overuse of Antibiotics and the Threat of Antimicrobial Resistance Dec 19, 2024

Show notes

When bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites change over time and no longer respond to medicines, it makes infections harder to treat. This increases the risk of disease spread, severe illness, and death.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) leads to deaths, high health treatment costs, and economic and livelihood losses.

Jennifer Cohn, Director, Global Access at Global Antibiotic R&D Partnership (GARDP), joins Ray Suarez to talk about the threat of AMR, and how to prevent it.

Guest:

Dr. Jennifer Cohn, Director, Global Access at Global Antibiotic R&D Partnership (GARDP)

Host:

Ray Suarez

If you appreciate this episode and want to support the work we do, please consider making a donation to Commonwealth Club World Affairs. We cannot do this work without your help. Thank you.

Denier-in-Chief: The Threat of Trump and RFK, Jr’s Health Policy Dec 16, 2024

Show notes

Third party candidate, Robert Kennedy, Jr., played an out-sized role in the 2024 presidential election. Trump said Kennedy would have “a big role in health care” if he were re-elected. And on November 14th, Trump announced RFK, Jr. would be nominated to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.

More than 75 Nobel laureates have urged the US Senate to deny Kennedy, because they feel he would “put the public’s health in jeopardy.” If confirmed, how could Kennedy disrupt policy at HHS?

This week, Ray speaks with Stanford’s Keith Humphreys about what RFK’s nomination means.

Guest:

Keith Humphreys, Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University

Host:

Ray Suarez

If you appreciate this episode and want to support the work we do, please consider making a donation to Commonwealth Club World Affairs. We cannot do this work without your help. Thank you.

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