Bill Crowl (1962) has announced that he will step down as Intentional Interim Minister at the Christian Church of Arlington Heights, Illinois, as of the Christmas Eve service, and plans to retire--really retire. He and Patty have also become the proud "grandparents" of a third restaurant: daughter Rachel Crowl and son-in-law Matthias Merges opened A-10 in Hyde Park on November 5.

The Pinon triplets, Felicita, Santiago, and Frida, made their Halloween debuts as baby Shreks. We heard that big brother Gabe dressed as a donkey. Can it be true that mom and dad, Liz and Santiago Pinon (1998), dressed as Fiona and Shrek?

Current Scholar Kristel Clayville is the author of "Landed Interpretation: An Environmental Ethicist Reads Leviticus." It is chapter one in Leviticus and Numbers, edited by Athalya Brenner and Archie Chi Chung Lee for the Text@Contexts Series published by Fortress Press. (The chapter is currently available as the sample chapter on the Fortress Press site.)

Congratulations to Ayanna Johnson (2000) and Richard Watkins, who were married on October 27 at Covenant United Church of Christ in Chicago. Ayanna continues as the Director of Community Life at Chicago Theological Seminary; Rich is an attorney.

Trustee Constance Battle, MD, was a recipient of the Caritas Award from Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington [DC] on October 25. She has been a volunteer for over five years at the Kennedy Institute's Early Head Start program; as a pediatrician, she helps review children's medical records to ensure all health concerns are addressed. Dr. Battle recently retired from the George Washington University, where she taught pediatric medicine and public health. From 1973 to 1995 she served as chief executive officer and medical director of the Hospital for Sick Children in Washington, DC, where she worked closely with the late Arthur Azlein (1939), who was the minister of the nearby Michigan Park Christian Church and chaired the hospital's board.

Loris and Phil Points (1960) made a visit from Lexington, Kentucky, to Chicago in late October and were able to have lunch with Carol Browning, who still lives in Hyde Park. Phil recalls, "Don [Browning] helped unload our trailer when we moved into our apartment across the court from Carol and Don on Ellis Avenue. They invited us to their place for pizza that evening. Thus began a long, valuable and close friendship."

We are sad to learn of the death of alumnus Parker Rossman (1941) on October 18, 2013, in Columbia, Missouri. He was 94. Read the In memoriam.

Julian DeShazier (Trustee) was ordained in the United Church of Christ and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) on October 6 at University Church in Chicago. He has served as Senior Minister of University Church since November 2010. He graduated from the Divinity School of the University of Chicago with his Master of Divinity in 2010. His father, Robert M. Franklin (former resident), who is President Emeritus of Morehouse College, preached at the 10:30 am worship service; Ozzie M. Smith Jr, Senior Minister of Covenant United Church of Christ, preached at the 3:00pm ordination.

Cheryl Jackson (House Scholar) is now the Transitional Minister of United Christian Church of Country Club Hills, Illinois, effective October 1.

Congratulations to Andrew Packman (Current Scholar) and Sarah Rohde, who were married September 28, 2013, in the chapel at the Lutheran School of Theology (LSTC) in Chicago. Sarah, a 2013 MDiv graduate of LSTC, is now Associate Pastor of Bethlehem Lutheran Church in St. Charles, Illinois. Andrew continues his studies as a PhD student in Theology; he is also a founding pastor of Root and Branch Church.