From achievement culture to kids’ ministry, improv, table ethics, and more
Senior Ministry Projects are an important feature of the Divinity School's MDiv program, as well as an opportunity for vocational exploration and theological expression. They involve a forty-page written thesis and a public presentation. Five Disciples Scholars together with another DDH resident are presenting their work this spring.
On Friday, May 16, Tyler Ashman will speak on "Judging Faithfully: Law and moral conviction in the federal judiciary." Tyler, a MDiv/JD dual degree student, will begin a clerkship with a federal judge after graduation.
Justin Carlson (see photo) has been exploring ecological approaches to biblical interpretation. He will present his project,"Reading Among Reeds: Interpreting scripture in post-industrial ecology," at Big Marsh Park, on May 10 and 14. The area, which is in South Chicago, just off the eastern banks of Lake Calumet, has been partially restored after suffering industrial pollution.
On May 5, Nate Travis combined a dinner experience with a formal presentation to consider Whose table? Which ethics? Food and eating as ethical practice. First, guests sat down for a Monday Night Dinner, where Nate assigned seats at random and asked attendees to serve food to an immediate neighbor instead of themselves. He explained the concept of "foodways" across religions and culture and shared two case studies to illustrate the delicate practice of negotiating differences across a table.
Marissa Ilnitzki presented her project on April 28: What hospital chaplaincy can learn from the art, theory, and practice of improvisation? This question emerged from her felt recognition of similarities when crossing the threshold into a patient's room as a chaplain and when entering into an improv skit. She spoke of postcolonial models for multi-faith hospital chaplaincy, as well as deep into the history of improvisation through Second City and back to Hull House, primarily in the person of Viola Spolin. Marissa invited her audience to try a variety of improv games and scenes, at first to great trepidation and then to great laughter.
On April 21, Morganne Talley presented her project, focused on the unwelcome potential for creating religious trauma in kids' ministry and what can be done to prevent it. She worked with a Disciples pastor to develop a baptism class for a Disciples congregation, hence the project's title: From Hell to Holy Water: A trauma-informed paradigm for kids' ministry. She included a "Sword Drill" demonstration in her presentation: under pressure, three volunteers competed to see how quickly they could locate a Bible citation, most often about sin and wickedness! Morganne emphasized the importance of raising children, not with a "wall"-like faith (strong, but rigid and brittle), but with a "web"-like faith (strong, stretchable and flexible). Thirty people Zoomed into Morganne's presentation from across the country.
On April 14, Kylie Winger presented her Senior Ministry Project, Already Enough: Countering achievement culture in the creative writing classroom. She began by inviting her audience into two short exercises, and by allowing her audience to experience her presence as a teacher. She discussed the achievement culture she has encountered in the high school classroom and the spiritual dimensions of her work. She explored and demonstrated approaches to encourage curiosity, experimentation, and creativity. In the fall she will begin as a theology teacher at DePaul College Prep in Chicago.