Disciples Divinity House

At the Convocation Service held Friday evening, June 13, the Disciples Divinity House celebrated the achievements of five graduates and marked the end of DDH's 119th academic year. Two House Scholars received their degrees the next day at the University of Chicago and Divinity School Convocation ceremonies: Alexandra McCauslin received the MDiv degree, and Brandon Cook received the MDiv and MA in Social Service Administration degrees. On August 24, Alex will be ordained at her home congregation, Central Woodward Christian Church in Troy, Michigan; Brandon will be ordained on June 29 at Mayslick Christian Church in Mayslick, Kentucky. The DDH Convocation service also recognized three persons who anticipate receiving their PhDs later this year: Mandy Burton (Religion and Literature), and House Scholars Kristel Clayville (Religious Ethics) and Patricia Duncan (Bible). The service, planned by the graduates, began with the chanting of the Shema and the V'ahavta, and included readings from Deuteronomy, Ezekiel, and Matthew. It was followed by a festive reception and dinner prepared by Emily Mulder, who has been the Monday dinner chef this year.

The Convocation speaker was alumna Sandhya Jha. Using Ezekiel's image of eating the scroll of life, she addressed "The Myth of Book Smart vs. Street Smart." Ms. Jha received her MDiv degree from the University of Chicago Divinity School and her MA in Public Policy from the Harris School of the University of Chicago in 2005 as a Disciples Divinity House Scholar; she was ordained at National City Christian Church in June 2005. An organizer, anti-racism trainer, speaker, and spiritual leader, she became the Director of Interfaith Programs for the East Bay Housing Organizations in Oakland, California, in 2012. She is also the Director and Founder of the Oakland Peace Center, a collaborative of over 30 peace organizations, and the author of Room at the Table, the groundbreaking book about the 200-year multicultural history that makes up the Disciples of Christ. She previously served as Senior Pastor, First Christian Church of Oakland, and as Minister of Transformation and Reconciliation, The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Northern California and Nevada. While finishing her BA from Johns Hopkins University (1998), she became a staff assistant in the Office of U.S. Congressman Tom Sawyer, and subsequently served for two years as Religious Outreach Coordinator for The Interfaith Alliance in Washington, DC. She is pictured here with her parents, Janette and Sunil Jha, who were special guests at the Convocation.