Yale Divinity School
409 Prospect Street, New Haven, CT 06515Worship
Tuesday, October 11
9 am.—Marquand Chapel
Laura Ahrens ’91 M.Div
Laura Ahrens received a B.A. in geology and geophysics from Princeton University in 1984; a Master of Divinity (M.Div.) from Yale Divinity School/Berkeley Divinity School in 1991; and a Doctorate of Ministry (D.Min.) from Hartford Seminary in 2000 (the theme of her doctoral work was “Engaging a Generation, Adult Education for Baby Boomers”). She was ordained as a priest in 1992. She is currently Suffragan Bishop of the Diocese of Connecticut
Laura served as curate at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Osterville, MA (1991-1993); served as associate rector at Trinity Episcopal Church in Concord, MA (1993-1995); and served as associate rector at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Darien, CT (1995-2000). She has served as a member on the Bishop and Diocesan Executive Council and was a part of the design team that articulated the theme “God’s People on Mission.” She served as well on the Diocesan Stewardship Committee. Presently, Laura is serving the diocese as a member of the Standing Committee, a member of Committee I (Priesthood), a member of the Program and Budget Committee, and as secretary of Diocesan Convention.
From 2000 to 2007, Laura served as rector of St. James’ Episcopal Church in Danbury, CT. She worked with the city of Danbury in creating the Overflow Homeless Shelter, began a relationship in her parish with Habitat for Humanity, and strengthened her parish’s relationship with Covenant to Care. She is also currently an associate of SSJE (Society of St. John the Evangelist). Further biograpghy Information
Wednesday, October 12th
9 am—Marquand Chapel
Otis Moss III ’95 M.Div
Otis Moss III is pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, IL, the largest congregation in the UCC. Prior to joining Trinity, which describes itself as “unashamedly Black and unapologetically Christian,” he served as pastor of the historic Tabernacle Baptist Church in Augusta, GA., where, under his leadership, the congregation grew from under 200 to over 2,100 members. He has been praised for his passion for youth and intergenerational ministry, which led to his creation of a consulting group, Issachar Movement, that works to bridge the generation gap within churches and to train a new generation of prophetic church leadership. Moss has spoken and preached around the globe, and Newsweek magazine singled him out as one of God’s leading “foot soldiers.” He has also been highly praised for his strong leadership of Trinity following the controversy surrounding then-presidential candidate Barack Obama and Jeremiah Wright, Moss’s predecessor in the Trinity pulpit.
Wednesday, October 12th
5:30 pm —Berkeley Evensong Marquand Chapel
Marilyn McCord Adams
Marilyn McCord Adams joined the faculty of the UNC-Chapel Hill Department of Philosophy in July 2009. Previously she was Regius Professor of Divinity at Oxford and before that, until 2003, was the Horace Tracy Pitkin Professor of Historical Theology and Professor of Religious Studies at Yale. Her interests are in philosophy of religion, medieval and early modern philosophy and metaphysics. Her ‘medieval’ books include William Ockham (2 volumes) and Some Later Medieval Theories of the Eucharist: Thomas Aquinas, Giles of Rome, Duns Scotus, and William Ockham (one focus of which is the metaphysics of body). She continues to explore medieval theories of causality and to investigate how medieval engagement of doctrines of revealed theology provoked philosophical insights and renovations. Another current project examines medieval Aristotelian theories of how the intellectual soul relates to the animal nature of human beings. In philosophy of religion, she has written two books on the problem of evil--Horrendous Evils and the Goodness of God and Christ and Horrors: the Coherence of Christology--as well as numerous articles.
