
In this first year of Con Ed, you’ll serve in a social service or clinical setting, where you’ll be introduced to frontline ministry in various forms, like working with low-income families to meet their housing and food needs, building relationships with newly arrived refugees, or serving as a chaplain in a prison, medical center, or with the elder population.
At the end of your first year of Con Ed, you will have gained:
If you are in the Teaching Parish or the Episcopal and Anglican Studies program, your Con Ed placement may be different from what’s described here. Please see the pages on Teaching Parish and EAS Con Ed for descriptions of those equally awesome Con Ed experiences.
With Candler’s Con Ed, you get more than just hands-on ministry experience, you get a chance to reflect on that experience, plus the guidance of a seasoned site mentor and faculty member. Each week, you’ll spend four hours working at your site and 90 minutes in a reflection group in the fall or 2 hours in an integrative seminar in the spring.
There are several factors to consider when choosing your site for Con Ed I.
First, if you’re a residential student, you’ll choose from five partner sites in the metro Atlanta area. If you’re a hybrid student, you’ll identify a clinical or social ministry setting in your own geographical area in conversation with the Office of Contextual Education. Hybrid students will be grouped into themed cohorts for their reflection groups and integrative seminars. Your site placement stays the same for the academic year.
As you consider which site would work best for you, think about which contexts and experiences will allow you to explore your vocational aims and develop skills for ministry. This won’t be your only opportunity to gain practical ministry experience while at Candler, but it’s a great opportunity to dive in and try something new. And don’t forget to factor in the logistics of getting to and from the site as well as the time the reflection group or integrative seminar meets.
Lee Arrendale State Prison is the largest women’s prison in Georgia and is located an hour north of Atlanta. Students provide pastoral care to incarcerated women, support chaplaincy programs, and assist the chaplain with worship.
Campbell-Stone Apartments provides affordable housing for older adults, with a location in Buckhead (just north of Midtown Atlanta) and another in Sandy Springs (20 miles north of Emory). Students work to develop spiritual care and community programming for residents, including pastoral care, worship opportunities, and group activities.
Regional Youth Detention Centers (RYDCs) are secure short-term centers operated by the Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ). RYDCs are for youths awaiting trial in Juvenile or Superior Court, or awaiting a community placement more suitable for their needs. As chaplain interns, students assist in establishing hope, a commitment to community, and the duty to care by supporting positive change through youth accountability and responsible youth leadership and service.
New American Pathways is an Atlanta-based nonprofit with the mission of helping refugees and Georgia thrive. Students can choose between two programs: The Bright Futures After School Program, serving elementary school children, and The English at Home program, offering English as a Second Language (ESL) tutoring support to refugees.
Toco Hills Community Alliance is a group of faith communities and others working together to help those in need in DeKalb and northeast Atlanta. Con Ed I interns function in a variety of roles, including assisting with packing and distributing groceries, greeting and intake for those receiving services, working directly with volunteers, as well as assisting in locating or developing additional resources.
Students in the Justice, Advocacy, and Movement Building Cohort will work four hours each week with organizations and ministries in their local communities that support social and economic development, social justice, and community flourishing through organizing and advocacy initiatives. This work may focus on any of a wide range of social justice issues, including economic justice and labor issues, racial justice concerns, health access, educational equity, environmental and climate justice, or other issues of significance to local or regional well-being.
Students in the Immigrant and Refugee Accompaniment Cohort will work with organizations and ministries in their local communities that provide support for and stand in solidarity with migrants. This work may take a variety of forms, including initiatives that address the immediate material needs of refugee and immigrant communities; support communities through programs or events (such as after-school programs); or affirm immigrants and refugees in exercising their rights through political or social advocacy.
Students in the Food Justice and Sustainability Cohort will work with organizations and ministries in their local communities that address hunger, expand access to nutritious food, build just and sustainable food systems, and care for creation.
Students in the Care in Community Cohort will work four hours each week with organizations and ministries in their local settings that provide care to individuals and groups and cultivate or support wider networks of care, with particular attention to individuals and populations who are vulnerable or in crisis.