Floyd Knight (1985) has been awarded the Carter G. Woodson Fellowship for his PhD work in Linguistics at Northern Illinois University. The award is for two years, 2010-12. Congratulations!

Congratulations to Richard N. Johnson (1959) and Virginia B. Johnson, who celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary on February 16. Dick and Ginny met and married at the Graduate School of Ecumenical Studies, Chateau de Bossey, Switzerland, which Dick attended on a Traveling Fellowship from Disciples Divinity House. They add, "As Diane Sawyer says her father put it, 'If you find love in your life, you have won the lottery!'"

A memorial service for May Sweet Lord was held on March 5 at University Church in Chicago. She died on February 5. She was 84. A graduate of Phillips University and Goddard College, she was a teacher in Chicago and Indianapolis inter-city public schools for 22 years. She and her husband, C. Harvey Lord (1962) were married 63 years. They served in the Philippines as teacher and as founding pastor and organizer for the Koinonia Congregation on the campus of Northern Christian College. They were the founding pastors of Villa Park Christian Church in the Chicago area before Harvey served a long pastorate at University Church. Later they were founders of Disciples Justice Action Network (DJAN).

Kay Northcutt (1985) was the opening speaker and a featured seminar leader for the first CENTER Institute for Excellence in Ministry for the Unitarian Universalists Ministers Association, February 7-11, in Pacific Grove, California. Roger Bertschausen, spouse of Amy Bertschausen (1983) was the co-chair of the event. Northcutt is the author of Kindling Desire for God: Preaching as Spiritual Direction (2010). In 2009 she was diagnosed with myasthenia gravis, an autoimmune neurological disease, which has severely curtailed her speaking and involved a different kind of learning.

Armand Antommaria (former resident) was promoted to Associate Professor with tenure at the University of Utah School of Medicine, where he holds appointments in the Divisions of Pediatric Inpatient Medicine and Medical Ethics and Humanities. His recent research focuses on the ethics of pediatric mass critical care.

Amy Lignitz Harken (2000) has accepted a call as Pastor of Mattapoisett Congregational Church United Church of Christ in Massachusetts. For the last five years, she has led the historic First Christian Church of Independence, Missouri, as its Senior Minister. She and spouse Bruce will move in March. 

House Scholars Alexis Vaughan and Andrew Packman were among seventy Disciples and UCC participants in Turning Walls into Tables, a conference held February 10-13 at Iglesia Cristiana Casa De Oracion in San Diego. Scholarships made their participation possible. The conference provided opportunities to learn about immigration policies, to learn from ministries on both sides of the border, and to experience firsthand the border reality. Daisy Machado (1989) gave the keynote, "To Welcome the Stranger, To Welcome Ourselves." Also participating was David Vargas (1971; trustee), Co-executive of Global Ministries, one of the sponsoring organizations.

The Christian Church of Northern California-Nevada honored JoAnne Kagiwada (trustee) with their Martin Luther King, Jr., Award on January 9 in Stockton, California. The citation read in part: "For a lifetime of service on behalf of God and Jesus Christ as a witness to and a leader for justice, bridge-building, healing and wholeness of society, and the bringing about of the Realm of God in the Christian Church of Northern California-Nevada." She is the fifth recipient of the award; previous recipients include Robert Lemon (1944) and Esther and Carl Robinson (1944).

Harvey R. Thomas, pillar of the church, friend of the House, and spouse of trustee Sybel A. Thomas, died early Friday morning, December 10. He was an elder at Park Manor Christian Church, Chicago, and held numerous leadership roles in the regional and general church. Together, Harvey and Sybel Thomas received numerous recognitions for their leadership. They shared 62 years of marriage. A memorial service was held December 22 at Park Manor Christian Church.

Marvin Smith (1939; life trustee) volunteers for six hours a week with the Gainesville Hospice Resale Store, working with donated books. He remains an avid reader (about three books a month). He celebrated his 97th birthday in August.