Over the January intersession, Andover Newton Seminary at Yale Divinity School embarked on the second iteration of its new form of travel seminar called “Emmaus Encounters: Building Community on the Road.”

ANS at YDS teaches future ministers how to build community, and Emmaus Encounters provides students with the opportunity to build community within groups, build bridges in previously unfamiliar contexts, and challenge themselves to reflect theologically on what they learn.

From January 2-9, nine ANS at YDS students journeyed to Oʻahu to participate in Emmaus Encounters. Site visits included Kawaiahaʻo Church, The Punahou School, Paepae o Heʻeia fish preserve, Kamehameha Schools Kapālama, the Kōkua Kalihi Valley, Missions Houses, Pearl Harbor’s Navy and Marine Base, the USS Arizona Memorial, and the Center for Hawaiʻian Knowledge at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.

To practice the art of fostering relationships, student participants were responsible for leading daily devotions, facilitating debriefings, and preparing the group for each site.

During the fall 2024 semester, the nine student participants prepared for the journey by learning about how ministerial leaders build community within and among groups. They also studied the history of Andover, Newton, and Yale in Hawaiʻi, where past missions have created a meaningful yet fraught set of two-centuries-old relationships.

Students learned about Henry ʻŌpūkahaʻia and his studies at Yale and Andover in the early 19th century. They explored the lives of Andover Graduate Hiram Bingham I and his wife Sybil, who traveled with the 1819 mission, which included both Yale and Andover graduates. The Binghams founded schools and churches still serving the Honolulu community today.

JaQuan Beachem, Associate Dean for Community Development and Spiritual Formation, served as lead instructor for the course. Supporting the trip were Founding Dean Sarah Drummond and current student Antonio Vargas, Jr., past participant and course assistant.

Recognizing the complicated and dynamic legacy of ANS at YDS and Hawaiʻi, this course endeavored and succeeded in developing space for deep learning, meaningful dialogue, and theological reflection.