Sarah HedgisSarah Hedgis, a rising third-year MDiv student at Candler, has been chosen as a Summer Fellow at The Beatitudes Society, a national organization that focuses on shaping Christian leaders to respond to social justice issues.

Hedgis will spend her summer serving at Interfaith Worker Justice in Chicago, IL from June 6 – July 29, 2011.

“The Beatitudes Society shows a deep commitment to illuminating the connections between current events and faith-based communities,” she said. “I’m looking forward to exploring and communicating the deep value that faith traditions, my own included, have for fair labor.”

The Rome, Ga., native said she’s excited about the opportunity to explore and articulate her views concerning faith and public life in general and on various specific social justice issues, something she says the past two years at Candler have enabled her to do. “I look forward to hearing other voices and traditions contributing to the intersection of faith and public life, as well as better cultivating my own voice,” she said.

Sarah and the other 19 Beatitudes Summer Fellows were chosen from seminaries across the United States. They will participate in weekly theological reflection sessions facilitated by a local mentor and explore the links between social change advocacy and Christianity. They will also receive media training designed to help hone their public speaking skills.

“I am excited to work for Interfaith Worker Justice to learn pragmatic and logistical aspects that keep an organization running, as well as how social justice groups mobilize and work toward their mission,” she said. “Working with a social justice organization has always been a part of my own sense of ministry. I also think my ministry will be in an interfaith setting, so I’m looking forward to working closely with people from different religious backgrounds.”