Trustees journey into the past to prepare for the future
On September 12, members of the Board of Trustees gathered at the historic Meeting House at Cane Ridge, Kentucky. Joel Brown, President of the Disciples of Christ Historical Society and a alumnus of DDH, and special guests from the area joined the trustees for the day. Brown and trustee Claudia Highbaugh explored truth-telling and tradition. Cane Ridge, Joel said, “is not just a backdrop for our tradition’s origin story. It is a lens.”
What draws us together? What do we leave behind? What do we take with us? Exploration of these questions continued as the Board of Trustees formally convened in retreat at Shaker Village in Pleasant Hill, Kentucky, September 12-15, 2025. Each day explored a theme through conversation, deliberation, and worship: Learning from the past, How do we vision amidst these times? and Moving forward in hope. The trustees heard a report on the renovation and reaffirmed DDH's commitment to in-person, face-to-face education and the cultivation of community life. They reflected on the meaning of vocation in fraught times. And they asked, Where do we go from here? How can we prepare for a future that is beyond our present imagining?
Every board member participated, and they were pleased to be joined by Divinity School Dean Jim Robinson for the entire retreat. It was planned by a task force led by Melinda Keenan Wood with Angela Kaufman, April Lewton, Colton Lott, and Board President Pam Jones. Various trustees made or convened panel discussions. The retreat closed in worship with a homily by Vy Nguyen, Rooted while moving, communion led by David Vargas and Tony Rodriguez, and a benediction by Cynthia Lindner.