Trustee Charles Watkins marked 41 years in ordained ministry and retired as Senior Minister of Central Christian Church, Decatur, Illinois, at the end of April. With his leadership at Central Christian, which began in 1992, the congregation expressed its life in vital worship, education, outreach to the community and, through strong support of the wider ministries of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), mission around the world. (More here.) Charles and Jane Watkins will move to Bloomington, Indiana, in June.

Matt Rosen (2003) will be the speaker at the Divinity School's Ministry Alumni Reunion Dinner on April 23. He is the Director of Advocacy and Social Justice for So Others Might Eat (SOME), an interfaith, community-based organization in the District of Columbia that offers a comprehensive, holistic approach to caring for the homeless and poor.

Ayanna Johnson (2000) was one of six featured preachers at the Festival of Preaching Northwest, April 19-21, 2010, in Seattle.

House Scholar Michael Swartzentruber is a co-chair of the 2010 Student Ministry Conference, "Worship in Crisis," to be held April 23 at the Divinity School. House Scholar Aaron Smith and House residents Michael Le Chevalier and Jimmy Hoke are chairing committees in preparation for the event.

Andrea and Ross Martinie Eiler (2002) along with their son, Paul, welcomed Tressa All the Saints Martinie Eiler, who was born April 11.

Kindling Desire for God: Preaching as Spiritual Direction by Kay Northcutt (1985) has been named one of the Top Ten Clergy Books of 2010 by the Academy of Parish Clergy. See the full list here.

Bill Crowl (1962) is serving as interim Associate Regional Minister in Illinois-Wisconsin during Christal Williams's sabbatical.

Congratulations and thank you to L. Dale Richesin (1976) who has written Seven Ways to Read the Bible: A Glimpse at Over 250 English Translations and 951 Questions of Bernard Shaw: A Question From Almost Every Play and Essay, and who gave copies of these newly-published books to the DDH library.

Floyd Knight (1985) has published Loving, Open and Transforming: Questions and Answers Regarding Homosexuality and Gay Marriages from a Biblical Perspective under his pseudonym, Sadao Nitta. Written from a multi-cultural perspective, the book-length Bible study contains lesson plans and handouts.

John McCaw (1939) has published Prayers of Record: A Collection of Public Prayers. The original setting for many of these prayers was at Drake University, where he served as Dean of the Drake Divinity School and as unofficial chaplain for numerous events including the visit of President Truman, the dedication of buildings, and commencements.