Congratulations to current Scholar Mark Lambert who passed his qualifying examinations with flying colors on November 7. A PhD student in Theology, he studies medieval attitudes about leprosy and addresses the ongoing stigmatization of illness.

Sandhya Jha (2001) has written Transforming Communities: How People Like You are Transforming Their Neighborhoods (Chalice Press). "Real stories of ordinary people who took action and changed their corner of the world, one block at a time. Equal parts inspiration, education, and Do-It-Yourself, Transforming Communities by veteran community activist Sandhya Jha will open your eyes to the world-healing potential within you, and give you the vision, the tools, and the encouragement to start transforming your neighborhood, one person at a time."

Joan Bell-Haynes (1995) participated in the dedication of the Disciples of Christ Historical Society’s recently reinstalled Oscar Haynes Exhibit on African American Disciples of Christ. The exhibit is named in memory of Joan's late husband, who served on the Historical Society's board and in many other capacities as a lay leader the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).

“Throughout her journey, JoAnne had several choices to do something easier with her life, but didn’t…. If there were more JoAnnes in the world, perhaps our movements [for social change] would be stronger.” Sarah D. Park explores “The Extra Ordinary Case of JoAnne Kagiwada” in the latest issue of Inheritance magazine. JoAnne Kagiwada (trustee), a graduate of law school at Berkeley, helped to ensure passage of redress for Japanese Americans who were interred in camps during WWII. Inheritance is a quarterly publication that chronicles Asian and Pacific Islander stories, experiences, and reflections that affirm Asian Pacific Islander identity and contribute to a more inclusive and multi-faceted understanding of Christian faith. Sandhya Jha (2001) is a member of the magazine's editorial board.

Jennifer Hope Kottler (1999) will serve as the retreat leader for the Capital Area clergy spiritual renewal retreat February 9-10, 2018.

On October 27-28, Daisy Machado (1989) gave the 2017 Cole Lectures at Vanderbilt University Divinity School. Entitled, "Of Marginal Identities and Heterotopic Saints: Lived Religion in the Borderlands," the lectures focused on how religion crosses borders, in this case, "how marginal people bring with them beliefs in what some call 'pseudo-saints,' further complicating the practices of lived religion in marginal Latinx communities." One such “heterotopic saint” is Santa Muerte, whose veneration has crossed the border from Mexico into U.S. communities.

Jeremy Fuzy (2012), a religion journalist, returned to the Divinity School October 27 to participate in a panel on education about religion beyond academia.

Sympathy to Nancy and Clark Gilpin (1970; trustee; former dean) on the death of Clark's mother, Jo Ann Gilpin, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on October 3. She was 94. Born in Garber, Oklahoma, Jo Ann Gilpin became an educator and leader in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). She was married for sixty-eight years to William C. Gilpin, Jr., who died in 2012. She served as a director of Christian education at Crown Heights Christian Church, Oklahoma City, and for sixteen years at Harvard Avenue Christian Church in Tulsa. "Be a friend, instead of expecting them to be like you," she said of how a Christian educator should relate to youth; "Help them to become themselves." She was a member of the Association of Christian Church Educators, a curriculum representative for the Christian Board of Publication, and office manager of Phillips Theological Seminary. She served as a member of the board of the Division of Homeland Ministries and of the General Board of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). She is survived by three sons, Clark (Nancy) Gilpin, Dennis (Kelley) Hays-Gilpin, and Neil (Bendy) Gilpin, four grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren. More here.

Sympathy to Kerry Waller Dueholm (2000) and Ben Dueholm on the death of Kerry's mother, Kathy Waller, in Spring Hill, Kansas, on September 30.

Former resident Braxton Shelley was featured in a Harvard Gazette article, “Giving Harvard a little more groove.” This fall, he became is the Stanley A. Marks and William H. Marks Assistant Professor at the Radcliffe Institute, and assistant professor of music in the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences, and he is teaching a graduate seminar entitled, "Groove." As he explains in the article, “The phenomenon of groove is embedded in a long history of music and dance.” Shelley said, “At some level groove is thought to result from the interaction between instrument and/or performers. In this case, groove seems to be understood as both a feeling and a musical entity that facilitates the production of that feeling....In a broader sense, it’s a cut or ridge that facilitates movement, so I want to see what happens when we put together all of the conversations of the way we think of groove.” He was recently ordained in his home congregation in North Carolina.