Urban Servant Corps, 02/05/2007

On Monday evening, Feb. 5th I met with a wonderful group of individuals spending a year volunteering with Urban Servant Corps (USC) in Denver, CO. As their web sight states, this organization is "a Lutheran volunteer program involved in ministries serving inner-city Denver. The USC works in cooperation with community agencies, churches, and individuals in the city as channels of God's love and concern."

My time with the group that evening was spent sharing a meal, hearing a little about each of them and their particular ministry with USC, celebrating and thanking them for that ministry and being in conversation with them about how the seminary might be of service to them as they think about their future beyond their USC experience.

There are two things I hope the group took away with them that evening: 1. helpful answers to their many and varied questions about seminary study; 2. a sense of importance and purpose to the ministry in which they find themselves engaged with USC as they fulfill Christ's mandate to be about the needs of the "least of our brothers and sisters." (Matthew 25:31-46)

Almighty God, by the power of the Spirit you have knit these your servants into the one body of your Son, Jesus Christ. Look with favor upon them in their commitment to serve in Christ's name. Give them courage, patience, and vision; and strengthen us all in our Christian vocation of witness to the world and of service to others; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (ELW, Affirmation of Christian Vocation, pg. 84)