Student Volunteer Connects Congregations with Social Services

Kristin Vought, a Master of Arts in Public Leadership student at the Lutheran Seminary, is dedicated to connecting congregations with socials service organizations such as Liberty Lutheran. “It’s really valuable for congregations to be aware of what services are available in the area, and the ways that they can get involved,” she said.

Kristin is also completing the requirements to become a Diaconal Minister, which include a service project. Kristin chose to work with young adults at Lutheran Church of the Holy Communion in Philadelphia. She talked to them about the importance of service, and connected them with Liberty Lutheran for a service project. They cleaned up a church in Philadelphia that had closed, removing trash and fixing up the yard. “They were all really engaged in the project, and are excited about getting out there and doing more,” Kristin said.

A mission trip to Costa Rica and Nicaragua during her senior year of college helped Kristin to realize that she wanted to work in social services.  “I really felt called to travel and to help people around the world,” she said.  After graduating, she went on a year-long mission trip to England with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), where she worked with children. “It was a really enriching experience, and I realized that I have grace-given gifts that can be used to help build the church and the ministries that the church provides,” she said.

Kristin has always been a service-minded individual. “It’s the foundation of who I am,” she said. “It’s a very spiritual thing for me. You can see and feel God’s presence through the people that you are working with. It’s not just me and the person I’m serving, it’s God and the community as well. We say we’re doing it to help people, but I think that they help us.”