Santiago Piñón (1998) presented “The God Who Fails Los Desaparecidos: A Political Theology of Migration” at the Divinity School conference on Political Theology, November 7-9.

Sarah West (1994) was installed as Senior Minister of First Christian Church, Wadsworth, Ohio on Sunday, October 21.

Kristin Van Heyningen (1995) became Chaplain for Mayo Hospice in La Crosse, Wisconsin, in October.

In October, current scholar Hannah Fitch and her mother, Karen Merrick, Senior Minister of First Christian Church, Peoria, made a pilgrimage to sites in Germany associated with the twelfth-century Benedictine abbess, theologian, composer, and polymath Hildegard of Bingen.

Rebecca Anderson (2007) curated a Story Hour at the Regional Assembly of the Christian Church in Illinois and Wisconsin in October. Yvonne Gilmore (2001; associate dean), Judith Guy (2013), and current scholars Sarah Zuniga and Hiatt Allen were among the story tellers.

Tabitha Isner (2005) was featured in the October 17 New York Times Magazine article, “Struggling to Bring the ‘Blue Wave’ to Deep Red Alabama.” It portrays her as pursuing “a calling to be in the race,” even if a win was “nearly impossible.” Against formidable odds, she garnered 38.5% of the vote for the Alabama 2nd Congressional race.

Michael Karunas (1995; trustee) performed the Gospel of Mark at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago on October 14.

Yvonne Gilmore (2001; associate dean) and Sandhya Jha (2001) were the keynote speakers for the 2018 Capital Area Regional Assembly.

Sympathy to Irami and Bonnie Osei-Frimpong (2005) on the death of her father, David William Carenen, on September 13, 2018. 

Carolyn Crook Long, 85, widow of alumnus Arthur Long (1950) died at her home in Elyria, Ohio, on August 3, 2018, following an extended illness. Mrs. Long was born in Wadsworth, Ohio, in 1932. She graduated from Hiram College in 1954. In August, she married Rev. Arthur Long, whom she met on summer staff at Camp Christian when she was 17. They raised three daughters and were married for 49 years until his death. The Longs served the Ohio communities where Mr. Long ministered: Champion, Crooksville, and Elyria. After earning education credentials at Ohio University, Mrs. Long was a dedicated teacher at Crooksville High School for more than two decades, retiring to Elyria. Active in religious and civic organizations and musical groups throughout her life, she most recently served as an elder, pianist, and choir member of Washington Avenue Christian Church in Eyria. She volunteered at the Salvation Army and with the public library. She is survived by her daughters, Janet A. Long (Daniel Clark), Rachel Long (Robert Mattox), and Barbara J. Long; and by a granddaughter, her sister, Alice Crook Massay, and extended family. Her daughter, Janet Long, officiated at her memorial service.