DDH welcomed in the new academic year with an opening chapel service and the first Monday Night Dinner of the autumn quarter on Monday, September 28th. The DDH community heard words of wisdom, spirit, and vulnerability from our chapel preacher Rev. Joan Bell-Haynes. She preached on the story of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane from Mark's gospel, reminding us to build community, pay attention, and be compassionate and courageous. Constant chatter, laughter, and conversation could be heard as House scholars, residents, alums, and friends sat down for dinner in the basement. If this past Monday was any indication, this is going to be a wonderful year for the House.

On Sunday, September 27th, DDH hosted a celebration to commemorate the full funding of the Amy Ann Northcutt scholarship. Amy's husband, daughter, sister, and friends were able to attend to celebrate the life and legacy Amy left and will continue to leave through this scholarship fund. Numerous works by Chicago artist Gwen Yen Chiu were on display, and we got to hear from Gwen about her personal story and where she finds her own identity and history in her art. We also heard from Larry Bouchard, about spirit: how spirit blows on everything, interacts with everything, gives everything magnitude and mutuality; gives us things to do, to imagine and hope for, to revise and confess. The first named Amy Ann Northcutt scholar - first year M.A. student Lauren Blakemore - was honored at the celebration. Thank you to all of the friends of Amy, friends of the House, alums, and students who showed up to celebrate this occasion.

On September 21st, Delaney Beh spoke at the United Church of Christ's Future of Faith: The Courage to Be Church webinar. Delaney's M.Div. thesis, titled "The Courage to Be Church: Renewing Liberal Protestant Discipleship in an Age of Uncertainty," explored what the future of the church could be by inviting congregations to confront their precarity with hope rather than fear and consider the power of faithful discipleship amid an uncertain future. The webinar reinvigorated congregations through a reclamation of the rich theological and practical tools found within our progressive Protestant history through a contemporary lens

The 2026-2027 school year is set to begin next week at the Divinity School, and so with it comes a return of weekly Monday Night programming at the Disciples Divinity House. The first Monday Night program of the year will be a chapel service, where we will have the honor of hearing DDH alumna Joan Bell-Haynes preach. Our new and returning House Scholars and ecumenical residents are excited to get back into the Monday Night routine and are looking forward to hearing from and talking with Rev. Bell-Haynes.

Invoking the spirit of Monday dinners and forums, the Alumni/ae Council kicked off the first in a series of virtual gatherings on September 14 (a Monday, of course). We started the evening enjoying a Carménère wine and paired cheeses together while hearing Gary Sparks talk about the history, significance, and story of that particular wine. After, Sandhya Jha led a presentation and lively discussion about the history of religious politcal power in the USA and the potential for a resurgence of political institutional power of the religious left. 

The series will continue with 3 more instances throughout the year, featuring alums as presenters with eclectic programs and also as “sommeliers” who will recommend selections of convivial refreshments and tasting notes. 

This summer, due in part to the renovations and new AC in the House, a large number of Scholars and Ecumenical Residents stayed in Chicago and in the House. Thus, House Council was able to plan a summer "outing" for the House community staying in Chicago over the summer. They decided to go to a Chicago White Sox game, and were able to cheer on the South Side team while sporting the Barbie-themed jerseys that came complimentary with the tickets. It was an evening of good friends and food, even though the Sox lost!

On Sunday, September 27, DDH will host an afternoon of art and conversation to celebrate the full funding of the Amy Ann Northcutt Scholarship and the naming of its first recipient, entering DDH Scholar and MA student Lauren Blakemore.

After a light lunch, prize-winning Chicago sculptor Gwen Yen Chiu will give an artist talk about pieces that will be on display. Her work explores home, belonging, and identity in the Asian diaspora. Her metal sculptures are influenced by her upbringing in Chinese calligraphy and painting.

Larry Bouchard, a leading scholar of Religion and Literature and Emeritus Professor at the University of Virginia, will join the conversation by video. His talk is entitled, Windblown, or, Spirit on Writing and Art. A DDH alumnus and former President of the Board of Trustees, he knew Amy well.

The event will conclude in the late afternoon with a reception. Come celebrate Amy’s legacy, the connections that have built the scholarship, and the promise that Amy Ann Northcutt Scholars will bring.

On September 1, Rachel Abdoler began a new part-time position as Assistant Dean for this academic year. She will work with students to plan chapel services and programs as well as give leadership to various initiatives.

Rachel is a DDH alumna and graduate of the University of Chicago Divinity School's MDiv (2017) and PhD (2026) programs. She was the 2026 recipient of the J. Coert Rylaarsdam Prize, which recognizes a student who has made special efforts to promote interfaith relations with particular reference to the Christian, Jewish, and Muslim traditions. In 2021, she was the inaugural recipient of the Barbara and Clark Williamson Scholarship at DDH for “excellence in theological thinking that furthers understanding and accountability between traditions.” (Read her remarks about the scholarship, Dayenu!, which reflect on her internship in a Jewish congregation in Indianapolis and her work with Clark Williamson.)

Rachel's PhD dissertation, Between Defense and Devotion: Butrus al-Sadamantī’s Kitāb al-Tashīh in Its 13th Century Copto-Islamic Milieu, seeks to deepen the understanding of the thirteenth-century “Golden Age” in Copto-Arabic theology and scriptural commentary. The dissertation includes the first critical edition of the Arabic text based on extant manuscripts from the Vatican Library, Syria, and Egypt. Her research was supported by a Fulbright-Hayes Dissertation Research Abroad Award. She was awarded “distinction” for her dissertation defense.

Preparations are underway for the arrival of five new Scholars and several new residents. We are also looking forward to the return of many other students. It will be a full House. The fall quarter begins on September 28. DDH's opening chapel service and first Monday dinner will be held that same evening.

However, if you stop by DDH this week, you'll find scaffolding across the courtyard exterior. In August, fierce rain and near-tornadic winds, drove water through the third-floor dormers and behind the plaster walls down to the second floor. Staff and contractors were all over the roof to puzzle out where the rain entered. (Turns out it's not a roof problem, but a matter of reinforcing seams and joints in the slate-tiled dormers and nearby gutters.) The repairs will be completed before the academic year begins.

Five individuals have been named as entering Disciples Divinity House Scholars for the 2026-27 academic year. Welcome Lauren Blakemore, Allie Lundblad, YeChan Park, Amelia Richter, and Paulo Yánez! The fall quarter begins September 28.

Lauren Blakemore (MA) studies “the theme of identity within religion and how language, culture, history, and society can influence its manifestations.” She is a summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Kenyon College (2026), where she majored in History and Arabic. Her home church is Sturgeon Christian Church, near Columbia, Missouri.

Allie Lundblad (PhD) recently concluded a decade of ministry at the Christian Church of Arlington Heights. An MDiv alumna, she studies Pastoral Theology, Personality, and Culture at Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary. DDH’s award, in combination with full tuition from Garrett, will allow her to pursue her studies full-time.

YeChan Park (MDiv) brings a business degree from Purdue University-Northwest, master’s studies at Trinity Evangelical Seminary, and five years in campus ministry with Inter-Varsity, where he developed the innovative Global Bridge Project. He came to know the Disciples through Bethel Christian Church in Indianapolis.

Amelia Richter (MDiv) is a 2021 cum laude graduate of Kansas State University (BS, Biology). This summer she is learning about disaster relief in the Philippines through Week of Compassion. She is a member of First Christian Church, Manhattan, Kansas.

Paulo Yánez (MDiv) received Bachelor’s (English, 2022) and Master’s (2025) degrees cum laude from the Universidad San Francisco de Quito in Ecuador. He is a member of Advent St. Nicholas church in Quito, an ecumenical congregation.