Higher education has been an important focus for Disciples since the very beginning of the movement. Throughout our history, Disciples have founded institutions of higher learning to educate students and form leaders to make a difference in the world. The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is still committed to higher education.

In the midst of national and global challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, our higher education institutions are facing unprecedented challenges and they need our support now, more than ever. Even as they work diligently to ensure safe and healthy learning environments, the financial realities faced by many of our schools are adding additional stress to students, faculty, and staff.

This year’s offering will take place on November 15 and 22. You can also give online at https://disciplesmissionfund.org/special-offerings/thanksgiving/ (please choose “Thanksgiving Special Offering” on the Designation Dropdown List). Your gift to the Thanksgiving Offering helps support the education of thousands of students at our fifteen colleges and universities as well as our seven seminaries and divinity houses. In addition, it helps continue the ongoing collaborative work of the church and higher education that is such a foundational part of the heritage of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).

Please give generously to this offering. Your gift makes a difference in the lives of our students and it makes a difference in the world.

Where are you currently serving?  Please share a bit about the work/ministry in which you are involved.

I am currently serving as Associate Pastor at First Christian Church of Orange in Orange, California. I lead in several areas of congregational life, including worship, education, and overseeing ministry with children, youth, families, and young adults. During the time since I participated in DLI, some ways that I have participated in the life of the larger church include coordinating the youth program for General Assembly (Orlando), serving on and chairing the General Nominating Committee, and (currently) serving on the board of Disciples Seminary Foundation. In the Pacific Southwest Region, I have participated in the early years of the Youth Immersion Ministry (YIM) as one of the adult leaders; YIM is an anti-racist pro-reconciling ministry composed of an intentionally multi-racial, multi-cultural group of high school youth.

What skills, experiences and/or knowledge did you gain by participating in DLI?

Before participating in DLI, I felt a commitment to anti-racist pro-reconciling work, to open and affirming ministries, and to having conversations across differences. DLI helped me to put into practice all of those ways of being— in the same setting! The program naturally facilitated building relationships, several of which have maintained connection.

In what ways has this participation shaped your understanding of ministry and, in particular, what it means to be a leader?

Something that I have learned from my time in DLI is that rich diversity— where everyone has not only a seat at the table but also a voice— does not just happen without a lot of intentionality and work. And the fruit of the work, although messy, is so well worth it. DLI invites young leaders to wade in these waters and emerge with more experience and confidence in doing essential work that the Church is called to. I am so happy that DLI helped shape my story and my call!

The Disciples Divinity House (DDH) at Vanderbilt seeks a full-time Dean. The Dean will provide visionary leadership, guiding our community in discerning our next bold steps. They will fundraise for our mission to make excellent ministers for the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and mentor students attending Vanderbilt Divinity School (VDS) through coaching, programming, and other forms of support. As theological education evolves, DDH has done the same. This position no longer includes a teaching role at VDS, through collaboration and partnership with VDS will be encouraged and celebrated. Less an academic position and more of a chaplain/pastor/executive director role, we invite candidates with experience in fundraising, organizational leadership, spiritual formation, and pastoral care and counseling to consider applying.

Please follow the link below to see the full description and benefits!

DDH Vanderbilt Search Letter

1) Where are you currently serving/working?  Please share a bit about the work/ministry in which you are involved.

I am currently in my fourth year of medical school at the Texas A&M College of Medicine and doing my clinical rotations at Baylor Scott & White in Temple, Texas. Upon graduation, I plan to go into a three-year Internal Medicine residency program. Afterward, I hope to specialize in Hematology/Oncology, which is another 3-year fellowship program. I am hoping to return to a more rural and underserved area when I become an attending physician.

2) What are some of your memories from your time in the LF program?

Every trip I have had with the LF program was memorable! The trips were definitely some of the highlights of my college experience. Some of my favorite memories include the wonderful and eye-opening experiences I had in Cuba, learning about how Christian faith and socioeconomic policy intersect in a socialist country. Hearing from Cubans about their country, and their goals to continue an “ethics-based economy” with the country opening up to the world, was a humbling experience. As a future physician, I also appreciated the time I got to spend talking to a physician from a small Cuban town, learning about how their community-based medical system works and how it truly cares for all types of citizens, rich or poor.

3) What skills, experiences and/or knowledge did you gain by participating in the LF program?

As fellows, we were so lucky to learn from great leaders. Rev. Chris Dorsey really set the tone and allowed for meaningful experiences in the program. I continued to learn about the importance of living out our Christian faith, not only by word but also through service. We were encouraged to seek out systems of injustice and evaluate the ways we can transform those oppressive systems.

4) In what ways has this participation shaped your understanding of ministry and, in particular, what it means to be a leader?

I think that the HELM Leadership Fellows Program has taught me that to lead doesn’t necessarily mean one has to be the loudest or bravest or wisest person in the room. It means to learn about each member of your community, realize the God-given gifts each has to bring to the table, and learn how to make those talents shine as bright as they can. In addition, being a leader means realizing the best ways we can live out Christ’s mandate to love one another as much as we love God and to evaluate the ways in which we aren’t living up to that standard. It means to continually challenge the status quo and to do right by those who are oppressed by the status quo.

1) Where are you currently serving?  Please share a bit about the work/ministry in which you are involved.

I currently serve as the Lead Pastor of First Tongan Christian Church (DOC) located in West Valley City, Utah. We are a multi-generational and bi-lingual congregation that emphasizes both Tongan and Modern culture. Our mission statement states, “Seeking Christ, Fostering Community, and Cultivating Culture.” One of the ways we try to uphold God’s mission is through our music ministry under the direction of my younger brother, Sifa Uesi. He helped start a marching band for the church by offering free music lessons to the community. Students come from different backgrounds regardless of religious affiliation, race, age, gender, etc. The congregation also works in partnership with our fellow sister congregation, Granger Community Christian Church (DOC), led by Rev. Vinnetta Golphin.

2) What are some of your memories from your time in the DLI program?

Some of my memories from the DLI program involve being able to meet other Disciples from across the country. Worship and fellowship with fellow DLI participants were refreshing, considering there are not many Disciples here in Salt Lake City, Utah. There were activities that helped build our relationship with each other and with God. It was also nice to hear different perspectives about how to do church as well as reflect how we can help our particular congregations.  It was a really good time, especially when Beau Underwood talked about the meaning of hashtags (this is when hashtags became a thing lol!).

3) What skills, experiences and/or knowledge did you gain by participating in the DLI program?

One of the skills I gained by participating in the DLI program is learning how to network and stay connected not only within DLI but the wider church and the community. I believe networking is an essential part of ministry, and I learned how to essentially connect with people that I had never met before. To this day, I still connect with my fellow DLI members, even some who have continued to higher positions in the church as well as serving their respective communities.

4) In what ways has this participation shaped your understanding of ministry and, in particular, what it means to be a leader?

One way that this experience helped me to become a better leader is learning how to build relationships, which I believe is one of the components of the Disciples of Christ ethos. The invitation to the table is not necessarily about a ritual but about relationships. Christ sought relationships with his disciples and those on the margins of society. Building relationships with my fellow DLI participants opened my eyes that the table of life extends to different parts of the world. I witnessed this when we gathered together at the table to break bread. Building relationships is therefore an act of service to the community.

1) Where are you currently serving?  Please share a bit about the work/ministry in which you are involved.

I serve as the Director of the National Benevolent Association XPLOR Program. XPLOR is a ten-month service residency year within the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) for adults 21-30 seeking to explore the connection between the life of faith and the work of justice. (XPLOR programming is currently on hiatus as NBA navigates our best responses to the pandemic). I have served in this role for six years. I attended DLI in my first year working with NBA.

2) What are some of your memories from your time in DLI?

I attended the Disciples Leadership Institute in 2014, in Salt Lake City, UT. Favorite memories include using free time one afternoon to go with several participants exploring the city by public transit, and then getting massages and a meal together. I remember a very powerful closing worship experience led by a person in active recovery from self-harm and addiction. I also remember missing my departure flight and being grateful for one of my co-participants, Rev. Delesslyn Kennebrew, who let me bunk with her for one extra night at the retreat center. We went shopping for shoes together!

3) What skills, experiences and/or knowledge did you gain by participating in DLI?

I experienced an enormously diverse group of emerging leaders within the denomination who were seeking to bring their faith to bear on the major issues facing society and church: racism, environmental degradation, immigration justice, indigenous rights, and more. I especially heard and learned in this group about the history and relationship between a colonial US church and Canadian Disciples and one takeaway I had was to stop speaking of the “national church” and instead speak of the “general” church, which truly is inclusive as the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada. I experienced a growing relationship, trust, and friendship among many people who I still encounter and serve within ministry.

4) In what ways has this participation shaped your understanding of ministry and, in particular, what it means to be a leader?

The network of relationships I began building at DLI has been especially impactful in my faith and work commitments – to have a broad framework and access points to think through the most important questions, opportunities, and faith perspectives within the church and beyond. This greatly informs the questions I bring to my work, the wisdom I am able to draw from, and the ways I am able to help further build trust and relationship among emerging Disciple and other leaders.

1) Where are you currently serving? Please share a bit about the work/ministry in which you are involved.

Since 2011, I have served at the Robert G. Culp Jr. Director of Service Learning at High Point University and I’m an Associate Professor in our Religion and Philosophy Department. Basically, my ministry has evolved into teaching and mentoring college students how to carry out Christ’s command to love our neighbors in a pluralistic society that is built on the scaffolding of white supremacy, sexism, and other hierarchical power dynamics. I teach Christian theology, ethics, and civic engagement courses, and I also help faculty all over the university develop classes that will teach students how to use the skills of their discipline or professional field to promote justice and community change. It’s a constantly evolving and challenging field of work, but it’s empowering to see students grow and our town/gown relationship strengthen.

2) What are some of your memories from your time in the LF and DLI programs?

I remember being pretty nervous to meet everyone with LF. As an introvert, being dropped into a group of people I don’t know and asked to do ice-breakers is my worst nightmare. But there were a few friendly faces (and Dennis Landon and Brad Lyons quickly became two of them) and by the end, I’d met disciples from all over the nation that I still work with today. I have even more memories of DLI because of the intensive nature of that program. Since I got to help structure it, I rooted out most of the ice-breakers and we focused on in-depth personal dialogue. My favorite part of DLI were the interviews we did with each other. One person would be tasked to speak deeply about an aspect of their faith, and then another participant would ask them questions (hard questions). The vulnerability and honesty in those conversations helped me understand my own faith and what it means to be a disciple more than anything. I also learned how pomegranates can be a great metaphor for faith (thank you, Wilson Dickinson).

3) What skills, experiences and/or knowledge did you gain by participating in the programs?

Most importantly, I developed relationships with the most incredible people. People who, 20 years later, are still my friends, my confidants, my professional connections, and people who keep me honest about my work and ministry. I certainly gained a better understanding of my own faith as well. I started to see a world of ministry beyond being a senior pastor, which helped me see how my academic passion and call into ministry could fit together.

4) In what ways has this participation shaped your understanding of ministry and, in particular, what it means to be a leader?

DLI, more than anything, shook my foundational assumptions about the world. It was through those conversations and relationships that I started to awaken to the level of white, straight, male privilege I had. Hearing the stories of faith and life from colleagues who grew up all over the US and had very different experiences of the church and the world was a shock. For the first time, I realized I wasn’t “normal,” but I had a distinct experience in how I engaged the world. I realized I had work to do on myself and in the world.

1) Where are you currently serving?  Please share a bit about the work/ministry in which you are involved.

I have been in my current call at Vine Street Christian Church in Nashville, Tennessee for a little over a year and a half. My primary focus is on ministries for children, youth, and families, with a focus on programming and developing intentionally intergenerational relationships and worship leadership. In the COVID era, it has taken some reimagining to see new possibilities for these types of ministries.

2) What are some of your memories from your time in the LF program?

While I enjoyed the themes and speakers each week, I most enjoyed building relationships with my fellow Fellows. They continue to be folks who have walked alongside me as I discerned a call to seminary and which seminary to attend, invited me into exciting projects (like the Constructive Theologies Project), and are the people I am most excited to see at Disciples gatherings like General Assembly.

Specific memories include visiting the arch during our retreat in St. Louis (2008), exploring the National Mall in Washington, D.C. (2007), and working with Caroline Hamilton-Arnold in Dallas (2009) to lead worship services for the group. Other memories include also nearly missing my flight for my first retreat and making the entire bus stop at a Target so I could get toiletries.

3) What skills, experiences and/or knowledge did you gain by participating in the LF program?

It is explicitly because of the LF program that I remain invested and committed to the work of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) as a denomination and movement. I took seriously the covenant to be involved in a Disciples congregation in college and because of the generosity of members, I attended church every Sunday class was in session. Because of that continued commitment and the relationships built, I felt empowered to lead, first by helping with music during Sunday morning worship and later, on campus, through two student groups of which I had spent the most time.

Because of my time in the LF program, I was introduced to denominational leaders who encouraged and empowered me to continue to lead by doing and learning, listening and being.

4) In what ways has this participation shaped your understanding of ministry and, in particular, what it means to be a leader?

Ministry and leadership begin with relationships. By leaning into relationships and interdependency, you can go much further than by yourself.