:: About Urban Servant Corps

Beginnings

The Urban Servant Corps was born in 1987 after months of discussion within the Lutheran community. The possibly of merging with the Lutheran Volunteer Corps, based in Washington DC, which then served the East and Upper Midwest, was explored. They were supportive of the idea, but not ready to expand to Denver.
The USC was named and "adopted" by Avondale Lutheran Church as a mission program of the congregation. A large portion of the initial funding came through a grant from the Wheatridge Foundation. Subsequent funding came from the The Division of Service and Mission to America of the American Lutheran Church (ALC) and The Division of Mission to North America of the Lutheran Church in America (LCA). Additional support was received through congregations and individuals.

Development

In the summer of 1991, an advisory board was formed to help envision direction for the USC. While many people gave valuable input over the years, this enthusiastic group stabilized the planning process. In 1992, the process of incorporation as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization began. The USC received its own status as a Colorado non-profit organization in December of 1994.

Maturity

In the Fall of 1995, USC saw its first full house of ten volunteers. This "full house" tradition has carried forward to every year since then. Fall of 1997 brought the introduction of the Border Servant Corps (BSC), another volunteer corps using USC as a model. Border Servant Corps is based in Las Cruces, New Mexico and El Paso, Texas. While the USC and BSC are cooperative in their efforts, they are separate entities within the Rocky Mountain Synod. USC also helped to found the Urban Service Corps in Omaha, Nebraska, and we also work cooperatively with the Lutheran Volunteer Corps. In the Fall of 1999, USC expanded in Denver to include two volunteer homes! This expansion allows for 18 full-time volunteers each year. In 2003-04 and 2005-06, USC supported three volunteer houses and between 21 and 24 volunteers!

Volunteers

More than 225 resident volunteers have worked with the Urban Servant Corps from its beginnings in 1987. These volunteers have come from Amersterdam, Brazil, Columbia, Denmark, Poland, France, Germany, Honduras, India, Japan, Madagascar, Sierre Leone,Canada and the United States.

Funding

The Urban Servant Corps is funded by many sources. Volunteers' work sites largely contribute to cover volunteer expenses. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is one major supporter. Congregations and individuals have also been extremely important as financial supporters.