Marissa Ilnitzki, a Disciples House Scholar and June graduate of the MDiv and MSW programs, was honored with the 2025 Joseph Gray Rhind Award at the Divinity School's pinning and hooding ceremony on June 6. Each year a recipient is selected from MDiv graduates for their excellence in training and promise for religious leadership.

The following comments are adapted from the award presentation. Marissa's MDiv cohort knows her as a deep listener, a skilled interlocutor, and a committed friend: as one who pays close attention to others and in whose presence they feel seen, heard, and respected. At Northwestern Hospital, where Marissa trained and continued to work shifts as a hospital chaplain, patients experienced a sense of dignity and understanding among her abundant gifts for spiritual care. Her care for persons and communities is matched and sustained by her lively intellectual curiosity, courage, and love for the arts.

Her skill and insight were powerfully articulated in her MDiv thesis, “A Postcolonial Image: What Hospital Chaplaincy Can Learn from the Art, Theory, and Practice of Improvisation.” In the thesis, Marissa paired her training in improvisation (including at Second City) with research into its use in social work at Hull House, and the felt similarities with moments of jointly crafting theological and care giving responses to illness, grief, and change. She advocates for chaplains and other caregivers to use improv exercises to “ground themselves in humility, remind themselves of the limits of their knowledge, take in new information, and trust that each person has something unique and beautiful to contribute to our mutual understanding.”

Ilnitzki is pictured in the center, with a fellow DDH scholar, Justin Carlson, and resident, Halley Haruta.

Virginia Johnston White was ordained to the ministry in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) on May 31 in DDH's Chapel of the Holy Grail. Gathered for the joyous celebration were family members, friends, and colleagues from local, regional, general, global, and ecumenical manifestations of the church and from the academy. William Schweiker preached; he is the Edward L. Ryerson Distinguished Service Professor of Theological Ethics at the Divinity School, a United Methodist minister, and Virginia's dissertation advisor.

After a welcome by Dean Kris Culp, the service was convened through the words and prayers of Colton Lott and Cynthia Lindner. Virginia's mother, Rev. Mary Lu Johnston, gave the ordination prayer. Participants included Associate General Minister Yvonne Gilmore, Executive Director of Week of Compassion Vy Nguyen, Bethany Fellows Director Aneesah Ettress Veatch, Regional Minister Rick Hamilton, and representatives of Virginia's sponsoring and home congregations, Root + Branch in Chicago and University Christian Church in Austin, Texas. The service culminated with Virginia--newly ordained, fitted with the signs of the office, and joined by her father, Ted White--presiding over communion and giving the benediction. Crowning the service was a glorious postlude of Widor's Toccata from Symphony No. 5 by guest organist Patrick Scott.

Four generations of Head Residents were present for the final Monday dinner of the academic year. Sarath Pillai (served 2021-22), a historian of modern India who is now the A. Kenneth Pye Visiting Assistant Professor of South Asian Studies at SMU, had returned to visit. Justin Carlson (2022-23) and Kylie Winger (2023-25) will graduate in June with MDiv degrees. Katie Varon, a rising second-year House Scholar and MDiv student, has been named the next Head Resident. DDH is grateful for their leadership.

Senior Ministry Projects are an important feature of the Divinity School's MDiv program, as well as an opportunity for vocational exploration and theological expression. They involve a forty-page written thesis and a public presentation. Five Disciples Scholars together with another DDH resident are presenting their work this spring.

On Friday, May 16, Tyler Ashman spoke at 5pm in the Swift Hall lecture room on "Judging Faithfully: Law and moral conviction in the federal judiciary." Tyler, a MDiv/JD dual degree student, will begin a clerkship with a federal judge after graduation.

Justin Carlson (see photo) has been exploring ecological approaches to biblical interpretation. He presented his project,"Reading Among Reeds: Interpreting scripture in post-industrial ecology," at Big Marsh Park, on May 10 and 14. The area, which is in South Chicago, just off the eastern banks of Lake Calumet, has been partially restored after suffering industrial pollution. 

On May 5, Nate Travis combined a dinner experience with a formal presentation to consider Whose table? Which ethics? Food and eating as ethical practice. First, guests sat down for a Monday Night Dinner, where Nate assigned seats at random and asked attendees to serve food to an immediate neighbor instead of themselves. He explained the concept of "foodways" across religions and culture and shared two case studies to illustrate the delicate practice of negotiating differences across a table.

Marissa Ilnitzki presented her project on April 28: What hospital chaplaincy can learn from the art, theory, and practice of improvisation? This question emerged from her felt recognition of similarities when crossing the threshold into a patient's room as a chaplain and when entering into an improv skit. She spoke of postcolonial models for multi-faith hospital chaplaincy, as well as deep into the history of improvisation through Second City and back to Hull House, primarily in the person of Viola Spolin. Marissa invited her audience to try a variety of improv games and scenes, at first to great trepidation and then to great laughter.

On April 21, Morganne Talley presented her project, focused on the unwelcome potential for creating religious trauma in kids' ministry and what can be done to prevent it. She worked with a Disciples pastor to develop a baptism class for a Disciples congregation, hence the project's title: From Hell to Holy Water: A trauma-informed paradigm for kids' ministry. She included a "Sword Drill" demonstration in her presentation: under pressure, three volunteers competed to see how quickly they could locate a Bible citation, most often about sin and wickedness! Morganne emphasized the importance of raising children, not with a "wall"-like faith (strong, but rigid and brittle), but with a "web"-like faith (strong, stretchable and flexible). Thirty people Zoomed into Morganne's presentation from across the country.

On April 14, Kylie Winger presented her Senior Ministry Project, Already Enough: Countering achievement culture in the creative writing classroom. She began by inviting her audience into two short exercises, and by allowing her audience to experience her presence as a teacher. She discussed the achievement culture she has encountered in the high school classroom and the spiritual dimensions of her work. She explored and demonstrated approaches to encourage curiosity, experimentation, and creativity. In the fall she will begin as a theology teacher at DePaul College Prep in Chicago.

In 2015, Paul Steinbrecher was elected Secretary of the Board of Trustees and to its Executive Committee. Now retired as a principal at Interactive Design, Inc. (IDEA), a Chicago-based architecture firm. Paul first became associated with DDH in 1995 because of his expertise in historic preservation and cultural and religious institutions. He was elected to the Board in 2012 and quickly became as indispensable to its work as he was already to the well-being of the building. After serving as secretary for ten years, he has handed over those duties while continuing his trustee work as a member of the House Committee.

Melinda Keenan Wood has picked up the pen. She was first elected to the Board of Trustees in 2019 after serving as President of the Alumni/ae Council. Lindy has been Senior Minister of Pilgrim United Church of Christ in Durham, North Carolina, since 2017. From 2002-17, she was Senior Minister of Pershing Avenue Christian Church in Orlando, Florida. Among the ways she has served the wider church is chairing the Week of Compassion. Lindy came to her MDiv studies with a background in nonprofit work; she was ordained in 2000 at National City Christian Church in Washington, DC.

Congratulations to 2025 graduates Nate Travis, Muhammad Hassan, and Kevin Poe, who have accepted offers to study at the University of Oregon (Philosophy and Ecology), the University of Chicago Divinity School (Religions in the Americas), and University of California-Santa Barbara (South Asian Religions).

J. Marshall Dunn, Minister Emeritus of University Christian Church, Hyattsville, Maryland, will be honored with the Distinguished Alumnus Award. The Alumni/ae Council will present the award on July 15 at DDH's luncheon at the General Assembly in Memphis.

He has been for me and others what is best of the Disciples of Christ: working towards wholeness, modeling deep Christian spirituality, loving compassion, and a passion for justice, commented one alumna who was one of several who submitted nominations. Another explained, Marshall Dunn is a pastor par excellence. For over 50 years he has led congregations and communities as a rigorous teacher and a practitioner of ministry that cares for the soul with competence and heart.

Marshall Dunn entered the Divinity School as a Disciples Divinity House Scholar in 1965. Encouraging his fellow students in the new DMin program to live at DDH, he helped to usher in the ecumenical student community that exists to this day. He interned at the Coordinating Council of Community Organizations on Chicago's south side. When Dr. King came to Chicago to confront northern racism, Marshall's passion for racial justice grew. After his ordination, he served two south side congregations, which would merge under his leadership. He was the founder of Reach Out, an ecumenical crisis center for families in need. He became the first president of the Illinois-Wisconsin College of Ministers.

In 1974 he was called to University Christian Church near the University of Maryland, where he would serve for 31 years, building a multi-racial and culturally diverse congregation that has been deeply involved in vibrant worship, community outreach, and transformational ministry ever since. He led the church through significant decades in the relation of church and society, which included exemplary participation in Week of Compassion and Reconciliation programs and remarkable local action. For example, in the eighties and nineties, the congregation partnered with the high school next door and the Early Head Start program to support teen moms and their children. In 1991, he was honored with the Brotherhood/Sisterhood Award by the local chapter of the National Conference of Christians and Jews for his service to the community, especially for his efforts on behalf of the poor and his commitment to race relations and social justice. In 1995, he helped to found and then chaired Congregations United in Compassion and Empowerment (CUCE) a non-profit organization that provides a nexus of social services and information for the Prince George's County area that continues to this day.

His commitment to work with youth and young adults is legendary. He has spent the equivalent of more than one year of his life counseling or directing church camps--and only recently retired from that. He has been sought, too, as a mentor to rising generations of ministers. After his retirement in 2006, Dunn provided interim leadership in local congregations, as regional minister in the Capital Area, and as Temporary Associate General Minister and President of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).

Dunn was elected to the Board of Trustees in 2012. As chair of its House Committee, he is currently leading efforts to reimagine and renew DDH's two residential floors and to prepare for the future of ministry.

How can a 1928 Gothic building be readied for a future that is beyond present imagining? How can this old House provide for forms of learning and ministry that we cannot yet glimpse?

To catalyze student living and learning for the next one hundred years, the Board of Trustees has chartered a design and construction team that has expertise with historic buildings and an imagination of future possibilities. Plans focus on more climate resilient and welcoming conditions for the residential floors. Energy efficient air conditioning will not require intrusive mechanicals. All-gender bathrooms will provide private changing areas and more accessible facilities. New flooring and lighting will enhance each student room; old acoustical tile ceilings will be removed; sparkling lights will illuminate the atrium.

Disciples Divinity House is saddened to learn of the death of Mark G. Toulouse on March 2. A leading historian and theologian of the Disciples movement, ordained Disciples minister, and expert on Religion and Public Life, he was honored as the Alumnus of the Year by the University of Chicago Divinity School in 2018. A memorial service will be held at South Hills Christian Church in Fort Worth, Texas, on Sunday afternoon, March 9.  

Toulouse retired as Principal and Professor of the History of Christianity of Emmanuel College at the University of Toronto in 2017. Under his leadership, several new academic programs were introduced, including the PhD degree, the MA degree, and the Certificate of Spiritual Care and Psychotherapy, all offered conjointly with the University of Toronto. His work has included the creation of Muslim and Buddhist Studies programs. He was also Emeritus Professor of American Religious History at Brite Divinity School, where he taught from 1986 to 2008 and served as Dean and Executive Vice-President from 1999-2002. He began his teaching career at Illinois Benedictine College (1980-84) and served on the faculty of Phillips Theological Seminary from 1984-86.

Mark Toulouse received his PhD in the History of Christianity from the University of Chicago in 1984, where he was a student of Martin E. Marty. Toulouse has written or edited ten books, including Joined in Discipleship: The Shaping of Contemporary Disciples Identity (1992 and 1997); Makers of Christian Theology in America (1997), Sources of Christian Theology in America (1999), Walter Scott: A Nineteenth-Century Evangelical (1999), God in Public (2006), and The Altars Where We Worship: The Religious Significance of Popular Culture (2016). His research and teaching were been supported by grants from the Association of Theological Schools, the Lilly Endowment, the Louisville Institute, the Wabash Centre for Teaching and Learning, the Henry Luce Foundation, and the Connaught Fund at the University of Toronto.

He was serving as a member of the Disciples-ELCA Bilateral Dialogue, which met in Chicago the weekend before his death, and where he brought classic clarity, wisdom, and erudition.

Jaunty bow ties were a perennial feature of his wardrobe, signaling that he took the occasion seriously, but not himself. He entered a room with a quick step and, just as quickly, entered the flow of your life, your questions, and your ideas. He honored the time and space of the conversation.

- W. Clark Gilpin, "Martin Marty's Unfinished Conversations"

Martin E. Marty, the Fairfax M. Cone Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus of the History of Modern Christianity at the Divinity School, died February 25 at the age of 97. He was the author or editor of more than sixty books, including Righteous Empire, which won the National Book Award. He advised 115 dissertations. When he retired in 1998, the Divinity School's Center for the Advanced Study of Religion was renamed the Martin E. Marty Center. His M.E.M.O. column ran in every issue of The Christian Century from 1972 to 2008. More here and here.