Dear alumni/ae and friends,
“Oh, the places you will go,” was my only thought as three staff members of VDS and I stood on the basketball court at Memorial Arena, preparing to toss t-shirts into a crowd of fans gathered to watch a woman’s basketball game - featuring the currently undefeated Lady Commodores. We were there to spread the news about the great work of the Divinity School, particularly to the Vanderbilt undergraduate community. We had a great time attempting perfect throws in order to land Divinity School t-shirts into excited hands. I was so excited that I actually missed the Jumbotron announcement welcoming us to the arena!
That moment became a time of reflection for me as I thought about the many unexpected places that ministry work may take you. There are graduates of VDS serving in the halls of political power, including elected officials at the local and national level. We have alumni in churches and faith communities throughout the country and the world. Ministry is being done in the streets by VDS-trained chaplains; as well as those providing care in hospitals, palliative care wards, and all the branches of the military. Ministry has led some to careers in journalism; to justice work as attorneys and litigators; and to providing religious education for the next generation of children in a K-12 setting. An expansive sense of ministry is what has brought domestic and international students to our doors, leaving here with doctoral degrees and new forms of scholarship in hand.
VDS is a community that helps to form, equip, and train those called by God to be the next generation of servant-leaders. I’m thankful for all the wonderful places, even unto the very end of the earth, or a NCAA basketball court, that ministry takes us.
Best,
Yolanda Pierce, Ph.D.
Dean
University Distinguished Professor of Religion & Literature
University Distinguished Professor of African American and Diaspora Studies
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Join us for the launch of Rev. James M. Lawson Jr.'s memoir Nonviolent: My Life of Resistance, Agitation, and Love, honoring the life and legacy of Lawson, one of the most influential architects of the modern civil rights movement and a global teacher of nonviolence. This celebration will feature musical performances and a dialogue with Lawson’s son, John Lawson, and co-author Emily Yellin, at the historic Woolworth Theatre on Feb. 18, 6 p.m.
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Vanderbilt Divinity School will host Rep. Harold Love Jr. (MTS ’98) as its Spring 2026 Practitioner-in-Residence, engaging students through mentoring and shared vocational experience. Rep. Love serves as pastor of Lee Chapel A.M.E. Church in Nashville and represents Tennessee’s 58th District in the House of Representatives.
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The Divinity School is reviving Vanderbilt Voices, a student-written blog offering firsthand reflections on life before, during, and beyond the classroom. Through stories on discernment, community, and belonging, current students will share their experiences and perspectives. Follow along as new student voices shape this renewed space.
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The first post in Vanderbilt Voices focuses on helping prospective students prepare their Divinity School application essays. It highlights the types of questions applicants can expect and and shares a current student’s perspective on the process.
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Religion in the Arts and Contemporary Culture (RACC) presents "Clear Chaos," collages by Sarah Oh, a student exhibition on view January 14–31, in the hallway next to Room 119 at Vanderbilt Divinity School. The exhibition explores creative engagement with religion and contemporary culture. Learn more about RACC here.
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Join us for a book talk and conversation with Dr. Biko Mandela Gray (MTS'10), author of Black Life Matter: Blackness, Religion, and the Subject, on Feb. 4, 5 p.m. in The Space (G29) at the Divinity School. Gray's book mourns, honors, and remembers the lives of Aiyana Stanley-Jones, Tamir Rice, Alton Sterling, and Sandra Bland and the violence enacted against them, offering a religious perspective on the Black Lives Matter movement. The event includes a Q&A and light reception, presented by the Carpenter Program and the Kelly Miller Smith Institute.
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Vanderbilt Divinity School and the School of Nursing will co-host the "Spirituality and End-of-Life Care Conference" on Feb. 7, 2026. Open to the Vanderbilt community, this free, one-day event explores spiritual care in end-of-life settings, multicultural perspectives on death, and hands-on strategies for addressing spiritual needs in underserved populations.
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Join the Carpenter Program in Religion, Gender, and Sexuality for a screening of 1946: The Mistranslation That Shifted Culture, followed by a discussion of the film’s themes on Jan. 29, 6:30 p.m. in The Space (G29) at Vanderbilt Divinity School. The film follows tireless researchers who trace the origins of the anti-gay movement among Christians to a grave mistranslation of the Bible in 1946. Complimentary parking is available at the Wesley Place Garage left entrance. Questions? Email Rachel Heath.
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Join the James Lawson Institute's Community Over Chaos Speaker Series for a conversation with Sharon and Shamyra Lavigne of RISE St. James on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 4 p.m. at Vanderbilt Divinity School. They will discuss grassroots organizing, environmental racism, and the fight for health equity and dignity in frontline communities.
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