Circuit Rider's Post: Making Connections

Yesterday I had the opportunity see our work at The Beatitudes Society come nearly full circle.  As many of you know we are about the business  and the ministry of connecting and "sustaining emerging Christian leaders as they build a progressive network for justice, compassion and peace as expressed in the Beatitudes."  One critical way we do this is through our Summer Fellowships.  Last year we had fantastic cohorts of Fellows serving in Washington DC, the San Francisco Bay Area and Chicago.  After a summer of service we brought all of the Fellows together for a weekend of reflection and fellowship, which is where I initially met the Fellow with whom I reconnected yesterday.  (As I am writing this our newest class of Fellows is beginning work at social change organizations around the country.  Watch this blog and your inboxes for an introduction to this year's emerging leaders!).

I’ve stayed in touch with this bright and energetic Fellow via facebook, reading and "liking" posts and watching as she prepared for graduation.  It was via facebook that she let me know she would be in Atlanta visiting family and she wanted to connect and learn more about the progressive environment in Georgia.  So we sat down for a beer and fries and talked about the difference in life, faith and politics inside the perimeter -ITP- and outside the perimeter -OTP-.  (The perimeter is Interstate 285 that runs a ring around the city of Atlanta and separateds urban from suburban and beyond.)  She is in the processes of discerning the long term trajectory of her career and is considering life in Atlanta a few years down the road.  For her, finding a progressive Christian community is an essential piece of the puzzle as she searches for the place to put down roots.  

While chatting about the next ten or so years for which she is planning  she mentioned she will be remaining in her current city for a few more years and is currently a candidate for a position in Christian Education serving a well-known congregation.  As it turns out, this congregation is led by another member of The Beatitudes Society - and there we are folks where the work I do comes full circle.   I am thoroughly excited to be able to write (totally unsolicited by her) a recommendation for  a Beatitudes Society member who served in the 2009 Sumer Fellowship program with dedicated professionalism and a strong commitment to teamwork on a variety of projects.  She is definitely a shining example of the emerging, Progressive Christian leaders who WE are proud to know and serve as members of The Beatitudes Society.

This my friends is exactly what The Beatitudes Society is all about!