I am Lutheran. I have always been Lutheran. I was baptized a month after my birth in a Lutheran church. I have attended Lutheran schools my whole life. I even decided to go to a Lutheran university. But I had never heard of Lutheran Services in America (LSA) before the CAPS Fellowship. I knew of Lutheran social service agencies around the country, but I was honestly surprised when I first started researching LSA and found that they are an umbrella organization for over 300 Lutheran health and human service organizations. Who knew that such an organization even existed in the Lutheran world? Because I hope to professionally work for a faith-based service organization, I was intrigued by the opportunity to work for the connector of Lutheran service around the country. The draw of living in the nation’s capital for a summer also made the position as the Development Fellow of LSA the top on my wish list.

Fortunately, I was invited to join LSA for the summer, and I am very glad that I did, even if the position keeps me very busy. So far at LSA I have worked on forming the criteria and marketing plan for our new Associate Membership. I’ve also started poring over the donation records of LSA for the past 4 years to try and find opportunities to expand giving. It’s nothing terribly exciting unless you’re like me and you find donor trends as interesting as people watching on the National Mall. And then there’s the various meetings I attend on topics ranging from project management software to national youth gatherings that keep the day even busier.

The LSA office went to a Washington Nationals game and fellow CAPS Fellow Nate King and I got to meet the president.

I wouldn’t have it any other way though. I bet I get to do more meaningful work than most of the interns I share a crammed Metro car with every morning. Not that taking your Congressman’s dog out for a bathroom break doesn’t serve a purpose, it just doesn’t seem very fulfilling. At LSA I have the opportunity to work with amazing people every single day. We work hard, we have fun, but most importantly we serve God and others through all of our work.

And through this service, I have never felt more connected with the Lutheran church. I am not working in a church or at a Bible camp or on a mission trip like some of my friends this summer. Instead, I’m sitting in an office, working on ways to connect Lutheran organizations around the world that share a heart for service and to increase the visibility of Lutheran social ministry. Living in a generation of people disenchanted with institutions like the Church, I am passionate about sharing the story of this compassionate part of the Lutheran church that I think my many of my peers would love to get behind. This is what makes the busyness worth it and all of the work here at LSA so fulfilling as an individual; and as a life-long Lutheran. Plus, the view of the Capitol building through my window at the office isn’t half bad either.

–Caleb R. 

–The opinions expressed in this post are mine and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Lutheran Services in America.