The Lutheran Volunteer Corps (LVC) is a full-time, volunteer service and leadership program. It was founded in 1979 by

Luther Place Memorial Church Luther Place Memorial Church is a congregation belonging to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The neo-Gothic church building in Thomas Circle in Washington, D.C., was designed by architects Judson York, J. C. Harkness, and Henry Davi ...

Washington, DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan ...

. Each year, LVC places approximately 100

volunteers Volunteering is a voluntary act of an individual or group freely giving time and labor for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergency rescue. Others serve ...

urban areas An urban area, built-up area or urban agglomeration is a human settlement with a high population density and infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas are created through urbanization and are categorized by urban morphology as cities, t ...

across the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

to work for

social justice Social justice is justice in terms of the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society. In Western and Asian cultures, the concept of social justice has often referred to the process of ensuring that individuals fu ...

with various

nonprofit organizations A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

. The program lasts one to two years. The volunteers live together in the areas they serve and are encouraged to explore living simply and sustainably in intentional community. Current placement cities include

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at th ...

, Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Minnesota,

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest cit ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, and

Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington ( Lenape: ''Paxahakink /'' ''Pakehakink)'' is the largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish settlement in North America. It lies at the confluence of the Christina ...

. In the past, volunteers have also been placed in

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland and Emer ...

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

Jersey City, New Jersey Jersey City is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, after Newark.Port Huron, Michigan Port Huron is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of St. Clair County. The population was 30,184 at the 2010 census. The city is adjacent to Port Huron Township but is administered separately. Located along the St. Clair ...

, San Francisco-Oakland, California,

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...

, and

Tacoma, Washington Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, Washington, Olympia, and northwest of Mount ...

History

In 1976,

in Washington, DC began to explore how the

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...

community might initiate a voluntary service program. Luther Place and its senior pastor, John Steinbruck, were inspired by the

Jesuit Volunteer Corps The Jesuit Volunteer Corps (JVC) is an organization of lay volunteers who volunteer one year or more to community service with poor communities. JVC works in inner city neighborhoods and rural communities in about 36 different cities throughout ...

and the

Mennonite Mennonites are groups of Anabaptist Christian church communities of denominations. The name is derived from the founder of the movement, Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland. Through his writings about Reformed Christianity during the Radic ...

Voluntary Service who had volunteers working in some of their outreach programs, such as DC Hotline and the Luther Place Night Shelter. After some discussion, a resolution was unanimously passed by the congregation, and in 1979 Luther Place organized the Lutheran Volunteer Corps (LVC). The first full year of LVC began in August 1980 with nine one-year volunteers working in nonprofit service organizations in Washington, DC. In 1982, LVC expanded to 27 volunteers in Washington, DC, Baltimore, Maryland, and Wilmington, Delaware. In 2003, LVC was formally incorporated as its own

nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

. On December 1, 2008, Lutheran Service Corps (LSC) of Omaha, Nebraska, joined Lutheran Volunteer Corps at the initiation of the LSC Board of Directors. LVC volunteers began working in Omaha in August, 2009. In 2019, LVC's 40th anniversary, approximately 100 volunteers served in eight different cities across the United States.

Core values

Social justice – LVC volunteers are placed in direct social service agencies or public policy organizations, working together for a peaceful world where basic human rights are met. LVC places emphasis on the injustice of racism, oppression, and privilege in its leadership development curriculum. Issue areas that are addressed through LVC include:

food justice The Food Justice Movement is a grassroots initiative which emerged in response to food insecurity and economic pressures that prevent access to healthy, nutritious, and culturally appropriate foods (food should fit the cultural background of the ...

legal aid Legal aid is the provision of assistance to people who are unable to afford legal representation and access to the court system. Legal aid is regarded as central in providing access to justice by ensuring equality before the law, the right to co ...

environment Environment most often refers to: __NOTOC__ * Natural environment, all living and non-living things occurring naturally * Biophysical environment, the physical and biological factors along with their chemical interactions that affect an organism or ...

, housing, immigration, education, and health care. Some example placements at which LVC volunteers have served are the

AIDS Foundation of Chicago AIDS Foundation of Chicago is a locally based, non-profit organization that advocates for HIV/AIDS prevention as well as serves as a general resource for the HIV/AIDS community. Founded in 1985, some of their better-known accomplishments include ...

Bread for the City Bread for the City is a comprehensive front line agency serving the poor of Washington, D.C., USA. The agency began as two organizations: Zacchaeus Free Clinic, and Bread for the City, a project by a coalition of downtown DC churches created in 1 ...

, Urban Ecology Center,

Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service is a non-profit organization that welcomes and supports refugees and migrants entering the United States. It is one of nine refugee resettlement agencies working with the Office of Refugee Resettlement and ...

, and N Street Village. Simple and sustainable living – LVC volunteers are encouraged to find ways to be more environmentally aware as well as work towards

simplicity Simplicity is the state or quality of being simple. Something easy to understand or explain seems simple, in contrast to something complicated. Alternatively, as Herbert A. Simon suggests, something is simple or complex depending on the way we ch ...

of time and focus on deepening relationships. Intentional community – LVC volunteers live together in

intentional community An intentional community is a voluntary residential community which is designed to have a high degree of social cohesion and teamwork from the start. The members of an intentional community typically hold a common social, political, religious, ...

in order to encourage open communication and shared diversity. This creates a supportive space to engage in social justice, live sustainably, and explore meaning and vocation. LVC takes action to invite, include, and empower a broad representation of people in all aspects of their work and program. LVC believes racism and oppression must be confronted through intentional and often uncomfortable personal and institutional transformation. LVC welcomes and encourages the full participation of people of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions. Exploring spirituality - LVC volunteers are encouraged to explore understanding of diverse beliefs and values. LVC welcomes and celebrates the participation of persons of any or no faith traditions. LVC is the most religiously diverse faith-based volunteer program in the United States. Though LVC is affiliated with the

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is a mainline Protestant Lutheran church headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The ELCA was officially formed on January 1, 1988, by the merging of three Lutheran church bodies. , it has approxim ...

, on average only about one third of the volunteers are Lutheran. One third are from other Christian denominations, and the last third come from a variety of other religious and spiritual traditions, including atheism and agnosticism.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Lutheran Volunteer Corps

Luther Place

N Street Village

USA Today, April 14, 2009 Non-profit organizations based in Washington, D.C.

History

Core values

See also

References

External links