The Disciples Divinity House at Vanderbilt provides a center for members of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) community within the context of the Divinity School and an exciting city. It is a place where Disciples gather for worship and meals together, for social events and friendship, for mutual nurture and support. But it is more than a place. It is a community in which lifelong connections are forged, friendships bonded, beliefs tested, and life experiences sifted in light of new thoughts and new people. It is a community in which Disciples discover what makes them Disciples and a context in which their identity and call can be challenged and confirmed.
May 2010 Wise Practice & Graduation
Despite torrential rains and flooding, the fourth annual “Wise Practice” event for Disciples ministry students at Vanderbilt Divinity School took place after finals and before graduation this May at the Disciples Divinity House and Vine Street Christian Church, Nashville.
The mission of Disciples House is to shape excellent ministers for the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). “Wise Practice” teaches Disciples aspects of pastoral ministry that can best be learned in a different sort of classroom, by teachers who are ministers in practice. Pastors and a church musician led sessions on weddings in the church, funerals, and baptisms, including pastors’ classes. Student practiced baptizing, wedding processions, and rehearsals. Three recent graduates who serve as “Pastoral Residents” in the Disciples House’s Congregational Immersion Project, funded by a grant from the Lilly Endowment, returned to speak about the challenges of their first year or two. Nashville songwriter Don Schlitz came to sing his hit “The Gambler,” with its wisdom of “You’ve got to know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em.”
In addition, seven Disciple students graduated May 13-14 in ceremonies at the Divinity School and at the Disciples House. Seventy graduates, family, friends, and classmates attended a Celebration Dinner at the Disciples House following Divinity Baccalaureate where they were gently roasted and bid “Godspeed.”
In between Wise Practice and graduation, House students helped in gutting and cleaning out the offices of the Christian Church in Tennessee, which were destroyed by three feet of floodwater in early May. The first ordination among the graduates took place on May 16.
For the third year, Disciples from seven Nashville-area congregations gathered to support the Disciples Divinity House at Vanderbilt. Residents treated guests to an after dinner hour of dueling pianos, classical guitar and oboe, original composition and clawhammer banjo while the audience enjoyed dessert and coffee. “A Day in the Life of a Divinity Student” captured on video a typical Divinity student’s life for those who only see residents at church on Sundays and Wednesday nights. The evening concluded with guests listening to a rousing “dueling pianos” rendition of the Hallelujah Chorus, played jointly by Mike Lehman and Ryan Motter. What a night for Middle Tennessee Disciples!
Photos from the evening can be viewed below.
Images of Talent in the House 2010
What Disciples say about Disciples House
"I know my story would not include Vanderbilt but for the tremendous opportunity to live, study, share, pray, and worship here at the Disciples House. Because I decided to concurrently pursue my law and divinity degrees at Vanderbilt, my program has been five years ending this May. The costs for such a long program would have been prohibitively expensive without financial support from the Disciples Divinity House."
-- Rob McRight, JD/MDiv 2010
"During my time here at the Disciples House, I have loved being a part of this welcoming and loving community, and I now consider the people in this house to be my close friends. This year has been really good for me at Vanderbilt. I really love my classes this semester. I am taking Constructive Theology, Ethics in a Religious Perspective, Field Education and Peace, Restoration, and Reconciliation, which is offered for Vanderbilt students and men who are in Riverbend Maximum Security Prison. This class meets at Riverbend once a week, where I go through some pretty intense security in order to get in. This has been a wonderful experience so far, and I have really enjoyed getting to know the men who are in the class."
-- Jackie Twedell, MDiv 2011
"This is my third and final year at Vanderbilt Divinity School. Your scholarship money enables me to participate more fully as a student with less financial concerns. I am a retired school teacher and recently celebrated my fifty-fifth birthday. I look forward to being called into congregational ministry after I graduate and am ordained. The Disciples House has given me a community (even though the others are much younger than me) which has continually supported me as I participated in school work. Their friendships will continue throughout my life."
-- Debby Neal, MDiv 2010
"This scholarship has lightened my financial burden allowing me to concentrate on my studies. I admire this generosity and hope one day I will be able to help students as I have been helped."
