Yale Divinity School Leadership Initiative
Friday Evening Conversations
and Pastor’s Study Lunch Time events
Fall, 2015
Thursday, September 10, Rev. Tracy Johnson Russell; 12:30-1:20 in Latourette
Rev. Tracy Johnson Russell (YDS ’95 is the
priest at Saint Monica’s Episcopal Church in
Hartford, Connecticut. A multi-cultural
congregation, with members from Jamaica and
throughout the Caribbean, as well as Africa and
the United States. The church hosts a food
pantry and soup kitchen, Saint Monica’s
Apartments housing, and vital weekly worship.
Rev. Johnson Russell is a trailblazer in urban
ministry within a congregational setting. Hear
about the joys and challenges of this important
work.
http://saintmbooks.blogspot.com/
Pastor’s Study lunches begin at 12:30 p.m. in Latourette Hall. A lunch of
homemade soups and bread is served. Please RSVP to indicate your
attendance, to william.goettler@yale.edu
RSVP by what deadline?
Wednesday, September 23, Executive Director Chris George;
12:30-1:20 in Latourette
Chris George, Executive Director of the Integrated Refugee
& Immigrant Services (IRIS) of Connecticut helps refugees
and other displaced people establish new lives, regain
hope, and contribute to the vitality of Connecticut’s
communities. What does it mean to lead an effort in one
community that responds to the reality of 15 million
refugees in the world? Be part of this conversation about
seeking safety, freedom and hope in a troubled world.
http://www.tariqfarid.com/helping-refugees-transitionlife/
Pastor’s Study lunches begin at 12:30 p.m. in Latourette
Hall. A lunch of homemade soups and bread is served.
Please RSVP to indicate your attendance, to william.goettler@yale.edu
Friday, October 2, DeRay McKesson of BlackLivesMatter,
7:30 p.m., Marquand Chapel, followed by a reception in the Common Room
The BlackLivesMatter movement is reshaping the
dialogue about race and justice in the United States.
Informed by the strong faith tradition of the Black
Church, the movement is being led by many young
activists. DeRay McKesson has been at the center of
the movement, a leading social media presence and
a profound voice for change. This Friday evening
event is part of McKesson’s intensive
Transformational Leadership course, which begins
on Friday afternoon and ends on Saturday (see
course listing for details). The public event, in the Pastor’s Study model, will invite
questions from those gathered, and a conversation about the issues facing the
church and society.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2015/06/16/opinionwashington-needs-to-tell-the-truth-about-police-killings/
http://fortune.com/worlds-greatest-leaders/johnetta-elzie-and-deray-mckesson11/
Wednesday, October 7, Rev. Bonita Grubbs, Christian Community Action,
12:30-1:20 in Latourette
Bonita Grubbs (YDS ’84) is an ordained Baptist
minister and the Executive Director of Christian
Community Action of New Haven, an agency that
has long been in the struggle against
homelessness, hunger, poverty, illiteracy and
social injustice. The agency provides emergency
shelter, transitional housing, a food pantry, and
sponsors Mothers for Justice, an advocacy and
education project that works to empower
women to raise their voices for sane public
policies. A graduate of Smith College and Yale Divinity School, Rev. Grubbs has been
widely honored as a visionary leader and agent of social change.
Pastor’s Study lunches begin at 12:30 p.m. in Latourette Hall. A lunch of
homemade soups and bread is served. Please RSVP to indicate your
attendance, to william.goettler@yale.edu
Friday, October 16, Senator Chris Coons, Delaware, 7:30 p.m., Marquand Chapel,
followed by a reception in the Common Room
United States Senator Chris Coons, of Delaware, (YDS
MAR ’92) holds degrees from Amherst College and Yale
Law School, as well as from the divinity school. Senator
Coons was elected to the Senate in 2010, after a decade of
government service in Delaware. He is considered a
leading voice in issues of Foreign Relations. The Senator
credits his time at Yale as central to his formation as an
ethicist and political leader. Come and consider just how
your current course of study might lead you to be
involved in leadership in the public square.
This Friday evening event is part of Senator Coon’s
intensive Transformational Leadership course, which
begins on Friday afternoon and ends on Saturday (see
course listing for details). The public event, in the Pastor’s Study model, will
invite questions from those gathered, and a conversation about the issues
facing the church and society.
Thursday, October 29, Rabbi Herbert Brockman, Congregation Mishkan Israel,
12:30-1:20 in Latourette
Rabbi Brockman leads the largest Reform
Jewish congregation in the New Haven
area. He has been a leading voice in
interfaith work for more than two
decades, and has a deep understanding of
the complexities and possibilities of
shared work by faithful people. Come and
be part of this conversation about the
interfaith reality in which we will all live
out our ministry and work.
Pastor’s Study lunches begin at 12:30 p.m. in Latourette Hall. A lunch of
homemade soups and bread is served. Please RSVP to indicate your
attendance, to william.goettler@yale.edu
Friday, November 13, Rev. Nancy Taylor, Pastor of Old South Church, Boston,
7:30 p.m., Marquand Chapel, followed by a reception in the Common Room
Nancy Taylor (YDS ’81) is the pastor of a historic
church in downtown Boston that is vital and growing.
Old South Church is also at the finish line of the
Boston Marathon; the Marathon bombing in April,
2013, took place on their doorstep. What does it mean
to minister and lead in the midst of an age of crisis?
While we never expect times of disaster and trauma to
come close by, how do we prepare for such moments?
And what does that mean for a people who long to be
hopeful?
This Friday evening event is part of Rev. Taylor’s
intensive Transformational Leadership course, which
begins on Friday afternoon and ends on Saturday (see
course listing for details). The public event, in the
Pastor’s Study model, will invite questions from those
gathered, and a conversation about the issues facing the church and society.
Monday, November 30, Bishop James B. Walker, Presiding Bishop of the Seventh
Episcopal District of the CME Church, , 12:30-1:20 in Latourette (tentative)
When Bishop Walker served as the Pastor of Phillips
Metropolitan CME Church in Hartford, the congregation grew
from 60 members to over 900. As President of the Greater
Hartford Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance, and former
Interim Dean at Hartford Seminary, as the leader of a wide
range of faith-based efforts in the city of Hartford and beyond,
Bishop Walker modeled excellence and faithfulness in church
leadership. Now, as a Bishop in the Christian Methodist
Episcopal Church, he presides over the churches on the East
Coast from Massachusetts to South Carolina. His pioneering and innovative ideas for
relevant 21st century ministry are an inspiration to many. You don’t want to miss
this conversation!
Pastor’s Study lunches begin at 12:30 p.m. in Latourette Hall. A lunch of
homemade soups and bread is served. Please RSVP to indicate your attendance,
to william.goettler@yale.edu