News of Alums & Friends

Noah Sveiven, resident and second-year MDiv, has spent the summer studying Urdu in Lucknow, India. He writes, "Warmest greetings from Lucknow. India is wonderful. Teachers are excellent. Students are diligent, with the inevitable exception or two. My host family is daily exceedingly generous and kind. I'm a lucky person!"

From Ana Gobledale (1975): "Thanks to Thandiwe's (Dale-Ferguson, 2009) sabbatical renewal grant from the Lily Foundation, we accompanied her and Cora and Ezra  on an amazing trip, taking us to places of 'home and belonging' in Zimbabwe and South Africa. We visited McCord Zulu Hospital in Durban where Thandiwe was born in a storage closet, because we weren't allowed on a ward, due to apartheid laws. We preached together at the rural Mfanefile United Congregational Church (UCCSA) we served 40 years ago! And again at Plumtree UCCSA in Zimbabwe, where we served 30 years ago, reconnecting with so many folks. A highlight for me was celebrating the four youth (in our day) who are now ministers! The grant enabled us to enjoy several days in game parks, sharing the space with lions, elephants, cheetahs and brilliant birds."

Judith Guy has been called as pastor of Cascade Christian Church in Grand Rapids, MI. Her first day is Monday, September 25. She was formerly pastor of Mackinaw Christian Church in Mackinaw, IL, where she had served since 2017.

This summer, DDH Scholar MariaIsabelle Garcia is learning with two alums who are part of the ministry staff at Allisonville Christian Church in Indianapolis. Sarah Zuniga is her supervising minister and Beau Underwood is the senior minister. ACC is a great fit for her aspirations in ministry and her experience in community organizing. 

Kristel Clayville (2001) gave the Northey Lecture on July 29 at the University of Divinity in Melbourne, Australia. She was invited by fellow Divinity School alum, Robyn Whitaker, Associate Professor of New Testament. Kristel's talk was entitled, "Dei Ex Machina: The Images of God in our Conceptions of AI."

June graduate Morganne Talley (2022) was ordained to the Christian Ministry on July 26 at Timberlake Christian Church in Lynchburg, Virginia. The preacher was Stephanie McLemore (1992), who was Morganne's undergraduate college chaplain. 

W. David Hall (1989) retired from Centre College at the end of the academic year and was granted emeritus status; his title is now W. George Matton Professor Emeritus. He is currently Visiting Professor of Religion and Philosophy at Augsburg University.

In a publication of the World Council of Churches (WCC), entering House Scholar Fiyori Kidane reflects on a conversation held in Memphis at the General Assembly between emerging Disciples leaders and the WCC General Secretary, Jerry Pillay. Vy Nguyen (trustee; 2004) arranged the gathering.

Sailesh Srinivas, current resident and rising second-year MA student, is enrolled in a Classical Arabic study program based in Amman, Jordan. However, because of tensions in the region, he has had to participate remotely, from the U.S. One class is a close reading of a medieval Islamic philosophical text and the other is speaking, listening, and writing Arabic, while learning about Islamic history and culture. 

This summer, resident and rising second-year MA, Ethan Yu, is spending eight weeks in residence at the annual Kierkegaard Institute at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota.