About, People - January 2013

Bonita Grubbs ‘84 M.A.R. ‘85 M.P.H. has been named New Haven Register Person of the Year for her service to the community as executive director of Christian Community Action (CCA), an ecumenical nonprofit providing “help, housing and hope to those who are poor in New Haven.” Grubbs has been at CCA for 24 years. “I’m an introvert at heart, but I do what I’m called to do,” Grubbs said in a Dec. 3 story in the New Haven Register, “What I believe is that I’ve been selected to be here for such a time as this. And I fulfill as best I can what my purpose is.” >Go to full story

“Rather than being embodied by institutional structures, these communities strive to incarnate the life and spirit of Jesus in the world - in the streets, in bars, in cafes, on farms - wherever two or three are gathered together by the unqualified love of the Christ.” Christopher Carlisle ’82 M.Div. in an article about Clearstory Collective, a new ministry of the Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts, where Carlisle is responsible for campus ministry. Dec. 16, 2012, “Episcopal minister Christopher Carlisle uses technology to knit together small communities of faith,” online on Masslive.com. >Go to full story

“I am excited to be a part of this fellowship and to become better equipped to help the college become a leader in our community in its care for creation and stewardship of the earth,” said David Ellingson ’72 M.Div. in a press release from Trinity Lutheran College announcing his appointment as a GreenFaith Fellow, part of an environmental theology and leadership program. Ellingson is professor of children, youth, and family studies at Trinity Lutheran College and an ordained ELCA pastor.

 “The way you live your life is an expression of your faith,” says Tyler Hale ’13 M.Div. in an online article from the Yale Office of Sustainability about the local-food project he and his wife Julie coordinate between Connecticut farmers and YDS students, “For us, that includes our relationship to the earth, to farmers, to the food we put in our bodies…” Dec. 3, 2012, “Yale Divinity School couple brings farm-fresh dairy to students.” >Go to full story

New York Annual Conference Board of Church and Society has selected Paul Fleck ’11 M.Div. to serve as Organizer for Social Concerns and Social Justice Advocacy and Education. Fleck is currently pastor at New Milford United Methodist Church.

The Vatican’s censure of Gilbert L. Stark Professor Emerita of Christian Ethics Margaret A. Farley’s book Just Love: A Framework for Christian Sexual Ethics has been named of the most notable Literary Feuds of 2012 by The New Yorker and one of the biggest 2012 news stories about the Catholic Church by America magazine. >Go to story from The New Yorker >Go to story from America

Forbes has named Michael Del Ponte ’08 M.A.R. an “Up and Comer” for his recent entrepreneurial venture, Soma, a company that “makes stylish and sustainable carafes, then sends subscribers organic filters (made of charred coconut shells!) every month.” Dec. 24, 2012, “Forbes Up And Comers: Mike Del Ponte, Jessica Rosenkrantz, Andrew Laffoon,” online on Forbes.com. >Go to article

“We will turn the old hymn book into true doxology for today-helping the homeless, working with prisoners and aiding victims of domestic violence.” Nancy Taylor ’81 M.Div. in an article about the decision to sell a rare 1640’s psalm book owned by Old South Church in Boston where she is senior minister. Dec. 5, 2012, “Hymn book worth $20 million?” online on Examiner.com. >Go to story

 “A mother’s reading level correlates directly with how far her children will go in school,” said Jane Ferreira ’89 M.A.R. in an article about Mercy Learning Center, a Bridgeport, CT nonprofit dedicated to providing literacy and life-skills training to low-income women. Ferreria is president and CEO of Mercy Learning Center, which she has led for nearly 10 years. Dec. 12, 2012, “Sunrise Rotary Message: Our Mothers are our Future,” online in Minuteman News Center, Westport, CT. >Go to full story

“What I am interested in is getting people to think about class consciousness,” said Steve Jungkeit ‘01 M.Div. ‘09 M.Phil. ‘09 M.A. ‘10 Ph.D. in an interview about his course on Karl Marx at Harvard, where he is an ethics lecturer, “In order to have that conversation, it makes all the sense in the world to turn to Marx and the Marxist tradition, to see what one of the finest thinkers on class consciousness has to say about this stuff.” Dec. 28, 2012, “Teaching Marx at Harvard: An Interview with Steve Junkeit,” online in The Huffington Post. >Go to full interview