Contextual Education I Incoming Students
The first year of Contextual Education is designed to introduce students to a variety of contexts for ministry as students begin integrating their theological education with particular practices of ministry. This year of Con Ed also expands the imagination as students consider their vocational identity and calling in new situations and contexts. Con Ed I can expand students’ notion of church and of ministry while forming students to be leaders who will “participate in ministries of justice and reconciliation.” [Candler’s Statement of Commitments]
All of our Contextual Education I site supervisors have advanced theological education, so they are able to mentor theology students and provide constructive evaluations at the end of each semester.
Because students at each site meet weekly for discussion of assigned readings and experiences of ministry on site, students are formed in a communal praxis-reflection pedagogy of theological education.
All Contextual Education 1 students also enroll in a contextualized Pastoral Care and Counseling class (PC501CE), either in the fall or spring. Our pastoral care faculty design these courses with the students’ sites in mind and draw on the particular contexts to teach the theology, theories, and methods of pastoral care, thus enhancing the pastoral skills students bring to their site work.
Incoming students will chose one of the following sites in July when they register for fall semester courses. Students should pay careful attention to the details of each site because the location of the site, the particular site work, and days/time for completing the site work will vary from site to site, as will the day and time for the weekly Reflection Group. Sites and corresponding Reflection Groups will close for enrollment as they reach their maximum of ten students.
Incoming students will receive information from the Candler Registrar and Director of Contextual Education I that will assist students in the class registration process.
Below are the ten Contextual Education 1 sites offered in 2013-2014.
- Action Ministries - Housing: Action Ministries is working to meet the hunger, housing and education needs of low-income families across North Georgia.
Students will work in the Housing Program that provides housing, case management, and other supportive services to homeless families with children.
Site Work: Students will provide job coaching and budgeting help to families in the transitional housing program. In addition, students will lead volunteer projects for our partner churches and help families connect with other community resources. Site work can be completed on Mondays, Wednesdays, or Thursdays from 4:00-8:00 p.m., or Wednesdays from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Reflection Group: Tuesday, 2:30-4:00 p.m. at Candler, led by Rev. Jannan Thomas and Rev. Laura Rappold, Site Supervisors.
Pastoral Care Class: Students who enroll in Action Ministries will also enroll in Intro to Pastoral Care PC501CE in the spring semester (day and time to be announced), taught by Dr. Karen Scheib.
Faculty Academic Advisor: Dr. John Snarey will serve as the academic advisor for Action Ministries students and will join the group for the spring Integrative Seminar.
- Campbell-Stone Apartments: Affordable housing apartments for Atlanta senior citizens, with two locations: Buckhead (north of Midtown Atlanta), and Sandy Springs (twenty miles north of Emory).
Site Work: Students will choose one of the two sites during orientation. Students will assume the role of pastor for residents on particular hallways, visiting residents, assisting with worship, programming, religious education, pastoral care, and advocacy for the elderly. Site hours may be completed Sundays through Saturdays, between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.
Reflection Group: Thursday, 2:30-4:00 p.m., at Candler, led by Rev. Dr. Janice Johnson Hume, Site Supervisor.
Pastoral Care Class: Students who enroll in Campbell-Stone will also enroll in Intro to Pastoral Care PC501CE in the spring semester (day and time to be announced), taught by Dr. Karen Scheib.
Faculty Academic Advisor: Dr. Carl Holladay will serve as the academic advisor for Campbell-Stone students and will join the group for the spring Integrative Seminar.
- Congregational Ministries with Refugees: Students will work in the community of Clarkston with either the Northlake Church of Christ (Site work: Wednesday 3:00 to 7:00 p.m.) or All Saints Episcopal Church (Site work: Saturdays from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.) Students will choose one of the two sites during orientation.
Reflection Group: Tuesday 2:30-4:00 p.m. at Candler, led by Rev. Ike Reeser, Teaching Supervisor.
Pastoral Care Class: Students who enroll in CMR will also enroll in Intro to Pastoral Care PC501CE in the fall semester, Monday 1:30-4:30 p.m., taught by Dr. Gregory Ellison II.
Faculty Academic Advisor: Dr. Susan Hylen will serve as the academic advisor for Congregational Ministries students and will join the group for the spring Integrative Seminar.
- Emmaus House: Emmaus House is a mission parish of the Atlanta Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta and is located in the PeoplesTown neighborhood near Turner Field in southeast Atlanta. Its mission is to promote economic sufficiency and stability for its neighbors, to foster the growth and development of its neighborhood’s children and youth, and to engage and support partnerships with organizations that can enhance the wellbeing of neighbors and residents.
Site Work: Students will work on site Mondays, 4:00pm-8:00pm, with neighborhood youth who come to the center for afterschool programs, a meal, mentoring, and community development activities.
Reflection Group: The fall weekly Reflection Group will meet at Emmaus House Mondays, 2:00-3:30pm, followed by a 30-minute break, then four hours of site work. Rev. Elizabeth Roles is the Site Supervisor and will lead the weekly Reflection Group.
Pastoral Care Class: Students at Emmaus House will enroll in Dr. Karen Scheib's Pastoral Care class that will be offered in the spring semester.
Faculty Academic Advisor: Dr. Steve Tipton will serve as the academic advisor for Emmaus House students and will join the group for the spring Integrative Seminar.
- Emory University Hospital System Pastoral Services: The Emory University Teaching Hospital System comprises five separate locations: EUH Clifton, EUH Midtown, Wesley Woods Center, Saint Joseph's Hospital, and Emory University Orthopedics and Spine Hospital. All are staffed by chaplains and Clinical Pastoral Education supervisors who work together to train seminary students and clergy in the field of spiritual care.
Students are required to have a flu shot and TB test before working on site, and must bring documentation to orientation.
Site Work: Students will be placed in one of the five sites during orientation. Students can fulfill their hours Monday through Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. and will sign up for specific shifts during new student orientation. Students will assist the professional chaplaincy staff by providing pastoral care to patients, families and staff.
Reflection Group: Tuesday, 2:30-4:00 p.m. at Candler, led by Rev. Heather Flaherty, Site Supervisor.
Pastoral Care Class:Students who enroll in Emory Hospital will also enroll in Intro to Pastoral Care PC501CE in the fall semester, Thursday 2:30-5:30 p.m., taught by Dr. Emmanuel Lartey.
Faculty Academic Advisor: Dr. Tim Jackson will serve as the academic advisor for Emory University Hospital students and will join the group for the spring Integrative Seminar.
- Episcopal Church of the Holy Comforter: is a small mission parish in which those with mental illness, intellectual disabilities, and others who are marginalized are integrated into parish life and day programs.
Site Work: Candler Students are encouraged to form relationships with those attending day programs as well as Wednesday evening supper, fellowship, and worship. Students fulfill site work hours on Wednesdays from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m.
Reflection Group: Wednesday, 2:30-4:00 p.m. at Holy Comforter, led by Matthew Collins, Site Supervisor.
Pastoral Care Class: Students who enroll in Holy Comforter will also enroll in Intro to Pastoral Care PC501CE in the fall semester, Thursday 2:30-5:30 p.m., taught by Dr. Emmanuel Lartey.
Faculty Academic Advisor: Dr. Walter Wilson will serve as the academic advisor for Holy Comforter students and will join the group for the spring Integrative Seminar.
- Gwinnett Medical Center: GMC is an inpatient, outpatient, and emergency/trauma care hospital in Lawrenceville, GA, located thirty miles north of Emory’s campus in Gwinnett County.
Site Work: Students will assist the professional chaplaincy staff by providing pastoral care to patients and families of patients. Site hours are generally Wednesdays before or after the Reflection Group, between the hours of 9:00-5:00 p.m, however, flexible hours in consideration of the student's schedule can be arranged in consultation with the site supervisor.
Reflection Group: Wednesday, 1:00-2:30 at Gwinnett Medical Center, led by Rev. Bob Duvall, Site Supervisor.
Pastoral Care Class: Students who enroll in Gwinnett Medical Center will also enroll in Intro to Pastoral Care PC501CE in the fall semester, Thursday 2:30-5:30 p.m., taught by Dr. Emmanuel Lartey.
Faculty Academic Advisor: Dr. Rex Matthews will serve as the academic advisor for Gwinnett Medical Center students and will join the group for the spring Integrative Seminar.
- Lee Arrendale State Prison: Arrendale is the largest state women's prison in Georgia and is located an hour north of Atlanta in the north Georgia mountains. Students will ride together to the prison in a van that leaves the Emory campus early every Monday morning and returns late in the afternoon. The Reflection Group will meet at the prison. Students who choose this site must not have prior convictions and will undergo an additional criminal background check. Students will have the opportunity to provide pastoral care to incarcerated women, lead small groups, and assist the chaplain with worship.
Site Work: Site work will be done on Monday from 9:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m., followed with reflection group time. Students who select this site must be available Mondays from 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Reflection Group: Monday 1:15-2:45 p.m. at Lee Arrendale State Prison, led by Rev. Susan Bishop, Site Supervisor.
Pastoral Care Class: Students who enroll in Arrendale Prison will also enroll in Intro to Pastoral Care PC501CE in the fall semester, T/TH 9:30-10:50 a.m., taught by Dr. Karen Scheib.
Faculty Academic Advisor: Dr. Andrea White will serve as the academic advisor for Lee Arrendale students and will join the group for the spring Integrative Seminar.
- Lutheran (Refugee Resettlement) Services of Georgia (LSG): This Con Ed group is a unique opportunity for students to engage international, vulnerable populations and learn about refugee life in the U.S. Students will work at LSG Refugee Services in downtown Atlanta or at a LSG satellite site in the refugee community in Clarkston. Students will work alongside LSG’s culturally diverse staff (over 50% former refugees) in an Extended Cultural Orientation (ECO) program with newly-arrived refugees, in a Self-Sufficiency and Employment-focused English as Second Language (ESL) class or tutoring refugee elementary or high school students in LSG’s Afterschool Academic/Arts Program (ASAP). During the course of the year, students will have the option to participate in a Saturday visit to immigrant detainees in the Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Georgia through LSG’s Friends in Hope Detention Visitation Ministry.
Site Work: Monday 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.(ECO), or Wednesday 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.(Employment-focused ESL), or 2 weekdays (Monday – Friday) 3:00 to 5:00 p.m.
Reflection Group: Tuesday 2:30-4:00 p.m. at Candler, led by Melanie Johnson, Site Supervisor.
Pastoral Care Class: Students who enroll in LSG will also enroll in Intro to Pastoral Care PC501CE in the fall semester, Monday 1:30-4:30 p.m., taught by Dr. Gregory Ellison II.
Faculty Academic Advisor: Dr. Jehu Hanciles will serve as the academic advisor for Lutheran Services students and will join the group for the spring Integrative Seminar.
- Transitional Center/Helms Facility: This site is actually two small correctional facilities located on adjacent grounds. Metro Transitional Center is a work-release center for female offenders, while Helms Facilities is for pregnant female offenders and critically ill male offenders.
Site Work: Students fulfill site hours on Wednesdays from 10:00 to 2:00 p.m. Students at this site should not have any prior convictions and must undergo a criminal background check in addition to the one submitted to Candler upon admissions. Students will provide pastoral care to inmates, help lead programs, and assist the chaplain with worship and group leadership.
Reflection Group: Wednesday 2:30-4:00 p.m. at Metro, led by Rev. Susan Bishop, Site Supervisor.
Pastoral Care Class: Students who enroll in MTC/Helms Site will also enroll in Intro to Pastoral Care PC501CE in the fall semester, T/Th 9:30-10:50 a.m., taught by Dr. Karen Scheib.
Faculty Academic Advisor: Dr. Ted Smith will serve as the academic advisor for Transitional Center/Helms students and will join the group for the spring Integrative Seminar.