Dear Friends,
On June 7th, 25 extraordinary emerging leaders from divinity schools across the country will show up for work at 25 social change organizations in Washington, D.C., Chicago, the San Francisco Bay Area and Atlanta. It's exciting to grow this program this year to include a fourth "cluster city," Atlanta! These students - our 5th class of Summer Fellows - will spend eight weeks serving as interns at social change agencies like Sojourners, Faith in Public Life, Interfaith Power and Light and Protestants for the Common Good.
During that time, they will be meeting weekly with their local mentors for reflection, connecting the dots between their theological commitments and their work in the public square, using our new small group process entitled "Communicating a Progressive Christian Vision for our Time." (If you'd like a view of this small group process, please contact Stephanie Borrett Stephanie@BeatitudesSociety.org.)
Another highlight of the summer leadership training experience will be a day of media training in each of the four cities provided by AuburnMedia.
It is a great joy to see the summer begin, because I trust it will not only be a time of rich learning for these students, but I trust that they will become a blessing in their future work as advocates for compassion and justice. Meet the future!
Your support makes this program possible.
Thank you,
Anne
Washington, DC Fellows
Emily Bagwell, Sojourners
My name is Emily Bagwell and I am a first year Master of Divinity student at Wesley Theological Seminary. I hope to practically merge faith and politics in a significant and enlightening way in order to bring about meaningful change for my daily ministry.
Erin Betz, Episcopal Public Policy Network
My name is Erin Betz and I am a final year Masters student at The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg and Boston University, School of Theology. It will be a privilege and honor to work alongside those who are involved with public advocacy for the sake of the Church and the world.
Susan Evans, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
My name is Susan Evans and I am final year Master in Theological Studies student at Candler School of Theology. I look forward to learning what it means to be faithful a witness to God in the public sphere through researching the impact of climate change on low-income communities and the growing food crisis world-wide.
Tonia Petty, Catholics United
My name is Tonia Petty and I am a second year Master of Divinity student at Andover Newton School of Theology. I worked for several years in education, social services, and speech therapy before I determined that to fully serve people I would need to attend seminary. I am looking forward to learning how faith-based organizations successfully work to help various under-served populations in today's political culture.
Whitney Pierce, Bread for the World
My name is Whitney Pierce and I am a first year Master of Divinity student at Candler. I'm looking forward to my Fellowship, because working toward social justice and compassion is a universal call of Christ's Church, and understanding ministry in the social context is a vital experience for any minister.
Shannon Sullivan, Faith in Public Life
My name is Shannon Sullivan and I am a first year Master of Divinity student at Drew Theological School in Madison, New Jersey. I look forward to working collaboratively with the staff towards a progressive faith community whose voice shapes public debate. I hope to take the passion for action and resources from my Fellowship back to my seminary studies and one day my congregation.
Steven Wilco, Jubilee USA
My name is Steven Wilco and I am a senior Master of Divinity student at the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia. I look forward to incorporating my passion for social justice and my experience with JubileeUSA in my future congregational work.
San Francisco Bay Area Fellows
Lyvonne Briggs, Glide Memorial Church
My name is Lyvonne “Proverbs” Briggs and I am a first year Master of Divinity student at Yale Divinity School. I will help develop a new creative space, and during this project, I hope to sharpen my writing, performance, and community organizing skills to enhance my ministerial aptitude.
Kirsten Dumke, California Interfaith Power and Light
My name is Kirsten Dumke and I am a second year Master of Divinity student at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary in Berkeley, CA. I feel extremely blessed by the opportunity of this fellowship, through which I hope to combine my passion of care for the environment with my love and experience with faith communities.
Kit Evans, Pace e Bene
My name is Argrow “Kit” Evans and I am a first year Master of Divinity student at the Pacific School of Religion. My Beatitudes Fellowship is a blessing. I will have the opportunity to blend my seminary education with a field experience grounded in giving voice to the hurt, healing, and power that comes from survivors of violence as well as peace makers.
Ernest Morrow, Pace e Bene
My name is Ernest Morrow and I am a second year Master of Divinity student at Church Divinity School of the Pacific. I am looking forward to the opportunity to teach and provide resources for nonviolent education, which is something I am passionate about and resonates deeply with my call to ministry.
Meighan Pritchard, The Regeneration Project
My name is Meighan Pritchard and I am a final year Master of Divinity student at Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, CA. During my Beatitudes Society Fellowship, I hope to learn more about how to work with communities of faith to address global warming.
Sam Rennebohm, First Congregational Church of Berkeley
My name is Samuel Rennebohm and I am a first year Master of Divinity student at the Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, CA. I plan to enter parish ministry upon completion of seminary, and I look forward to the opportunities to learn and grow while working in a congregational setting this summer.
Betsy Slate, United Religions Initiative
My name is Betsy Slate and I am a first year theology and social work student at Boston University. I am eager to make a long lasting impact in seeking global peace through the special medium that religion provides in terms of power differentials, identity politics and social justice.
Chicago Fellows
Neil Ellingson, Interfaith Worker Justice
My name is Neil Ellingson and I am a first year Master of Divinity student at the University of Chicago Divinity School. I am looking forward to learning more about what religious voices and communities can do to improve the lives of working people.
Kathleen Mills-Curran, Faith in Place
My name is Kathleen Mills-Curran and I am a first year Master of Divinity student at the University of Chicago Divinity School. Through my Beatitudes Society Fellowship I hope to better understand the skills needed to work with diverse faith communities for the common goal of sustainability and the public policy of environmental justice.
Lucas Pepper, Protestants for the Common Good
My name is Luke Pepper and I am a second year Master of Divinity student at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary. I am looking forward to my Fellowship, which will provide new insights in how to engage faith communities in social justice and how to effectively speak on progressive Christian concerns.
Emily Rostkowski, Council for a Parliament of the World’s Religions
My name is Emily M. Rostkowski and I am a second year Master of Arts student at Catholic Theological Union at Chicago. In seminary, my concentration is intercultural studies and ethics with an emphasis on interfaith relations. I am particularly interested in the way that religious thought influences development projects.
Katherine Schofield, Campaign for Better Health Care
My name is Katherine Schofield and I am a third year Master of Divinity student at Chicago Theological Seminary. I look forward to learning more about how faith communities and non-profit organizations can work together to bring positive transformation to their local areas and stimulate action on a national level.
Atlanta Fellows
La Ronda Barnes, Oakhurst Presbyterian Church
My name is La Ronda Barnes and I am a second year Master of Divinity student at Candler School of Theology. I have been called to ministry to be a Progressive voice, and part of my work at Oakhurst will be the development of a community forum on social justice issues.
Shelley Donaldson, Youth Theological Initiative
My name is Shelley Donaldson and I am a first year Master of Divinity student at McCormick Theological Seminary, in Chicago, IL. YTI is an amazing opportunity to combine my passions for social justice and helping youth understand that social justice and Christianity are the same thing, even though we are often told it is not.
Leslie Essien, Central Outreach and Advocacy Center
My name is Leslie Essien and I am a second year Master of Divinity student at Candler School of Theology. My Beatitudes Fellowship at OAC, which ministers to the homeless community in Atlanta, GA, will create learning opportunities that I cannot gain in seminary. Serving at OAC will allow me to wed my passion and convictions.
Melissa Gilbert, Emmaus House
My name is Melissa Gilbert and I am a second year Master of Divinity student at McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago, IL. I am excited about the opportunity to learn more about ways to work for social justice and the shapes ministry can take outside the walls of the parish.
Emily McNeill, Druid Hills United Methodist Church
My name is Emily McNeill and I am a first year Master of Divinity student at Union Theological Seminary in New York City. I look forward to exploring further how Progressive Christianity is lived out in congregational life.
Cliff Poole, Georgia Interfaith Power and Light
My name is Cliff Poole and I am a second year Master of Divinity student at Candler School of Theology. I am a staunch supporter of environmental conservation and advocacy, and a Christian who believes we are blessed by God to be preservers and stewards of the land.