CST alumna finds new passion as children’s book author

When Claremont School of Theology alumna Rev. Caroline Hamilton-Arnold and her family began to shelter in place for the COVID-19 pandemic last year, her son Campbell was just 10 months old.

“Our world seemed to shrink significantly,” she recalled. “Yet, as I watched Campbell explore this little world, it opened up, and he reminded me how to find wonder and recognize the holiness in our backyard.” 

“At the same time,” Caroline said, “I was having conversations with a dear friend about how to raise children who are compassionate, curious, and attuned to God’s Spirit. We kept returning to the idea of wonder, of holy curiosity.”

Meanwhile, Campbell only wanted to read three books – a counting book about rock collecting and two picture books of babies.

Caroline decided to write a book for Campbell. The result – Wonder Awaits – uses a simple counting form, with 10 ways to learn to seek wonder, beautifully depicted with real photographs of children in their actual lives. “I charted out the book with a crayon while sitting on the floor coloring on a giant piece of cardboard with Campbell,” she explained.

With her book slated for February 2022 publication by Chalice Press, Caroline is grateful that a portion of every sale will benefit the Christian Church – Disciples of Christ’s Week of Compassion to support and empower children experiencing poverty, displacement, or disaster. 

Graduating from CST in 2014, Caroline especially appreciated the seminary’s commitment to interreligious cooperation and education as integral to Christian ministry, the available concentration in worship and the arts, the Center for Process Studies, and the partnership with Disciples Seminary Foundation.

“My husband was in a graduate program in Berkeley,” she said, “so being in the same time zone again after having spent a year split between California and Texas was a nice perk.”

Now associate director of domestic disaster response for the Christian Church – Disciples of Christ, Caroline had planned to pursue a doctorate in religion and literature. But, she said, “a piece of my heart was already being pulled toward congregational ministry. 

“My field placement and work as chapel coordinator,” she added, “pulled me toward ordination and the parish, and I served a wonderful United Church of Christ congregation in Connecticut in an interim associate position.”

When Caroline heard about a job opening with Week of Compassion, the denominational relief, refugee and development fund, she was intrigued. “I had long been passionate about the work of Week of Compassion,” she said, “and the job was a unique blend of ministry in local church and nonprofit settings.”

She loves what she does. “The work of disaster response and recovery,” Caroline said, “involves encountering communities in moments of crisis and despair and accompanying them through the process of restoring hope and rebuilding – sometimes reimagining – their communities. In the midst of that, I see churches living out the call to love our neighbors in truly transformative ways. I see resurrection happening and the ‘kin-dom’ of God made real.”

Climate change, Caroline noted, is affecting the frequency and severity of disasters. 

“We work early in the disaster cycle, providing relief to and through local churches,” she said, “Then our primary investment of resources is throughout long-term recovery, which can take years.”

Caroline continued, “[Recently] I had meetings about rebuilding from the 2020 fires in Oregon, reviewed a grant proposal for ongoing Hurricane Harvey recovery (2017), scheduled volunteer housing for teams in North Carolina rebuilding from Hurricane Florence (2018), checked in with folks who had damage during the 2021 winter storms in Texas and Oklahoma, reviewed grant reports from Hurricane Irma recovery in Florida (2017), worked on identifying partners to respond to the recent flooding in Tennessee and Kentucky, and spent significant time supporting congregations recently affected by Hurricane Ida in Louisiana and its remnants in New Jersey, and New York.”

Her work doesn’t stop there, however. 

“We are also trying to help congregations become more prepared for disasters,” she said, “both to mitigate their risks and to put them in a better position to help their neighbors well during and after a disaster.”

What has Caroline learned from her vocation?

“In one sense, my career has taught me that I have an affinity for a well-organized spreadsheet and that I find wool socks invaluable on a cold airplane. In a deeper sense, it has taught me that, for someone whose theology is informed by ideas of chaos and creation, I am profoundly resistant to change. I have learned to hold most things lightly to allow for adjustment, for loss, for growth, for possibilities, and for transformation.”

Storytelling is central in Caroline’s life.

“The heart of my theology and my call to ministry,” she said, “is connecting people’s stories and lives to the (re)creative power of a living God. That has carried through every ministry setting.”

Editor’s note: Wonder Awaits will be available through the major online sellers. The best way to purchase, Caroline said, is through Chalice Press. “Compared to purchases through other retailers,” she noted, “a direct purchase translates to roughly twice as much revenue for Chalice Press, which translates to more great books that align with the values that matter to CST students and alumni.”