by Saint Browder
November 7th marks two months of my year of service with the Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (WELCA) through the Lutheran Volunteer Corps (LVC). When I first told my friends that, after earning my undergraduate degree, I planned to serve with WELCA through a Lutheran fellowship, I was mostly met with confusion. That reaction makes sense. When asked to describe my faith, I often joke that I’m a “non-practicing Christian woman,” since I identify as non-binary and have only recently begun finding faith communities where I feel truly safe. Given that, no one really expected me to end up here, as part of a church organization. Yet, I feel deeply convinced that this is where I am meant to be, especially considering the current state of the Church in this country.
During the first Trump presidency, I watched the church I grew up in turn its congregation against the perceived “enemies” that Trump claimed were threatening their values. In his second term, this pattern has only become more troubling, with growing hatred directed at the poor and at immigrants — the very people Jesus surrounded Himself with. At Charlie Kirk’s memorial, Trump said, “I hate my opponent, and I don’t want the best for them, I’m sorry,” and the audience cheered.
This moment stood in stark contrast to the teachings of Jesus as written in Matthew 5:43–48: “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? […] Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
The collective understanding of what it means to be Christian has been drifting further away from the loving faith we have been instructed to practice by Jesus Christ. He lays this out very clearly in Mark 12:30-31: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” This is repeated in Galatians 5:14: “For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” When I left my hometown and my hometown church as a teenager for the halls of Harvard University, I hoped to find a community of people eager to dedicate their lives to loving both neighbors and enemies alike. Instead, I often found peers so focused on their own success that they forgot to care for those around them. Even in spaces that encouraged compassion, I got caught up in complex theories while searching for the perfect way to make change, until I realized I had lost touch with actually doing that work. I felt drained and unfulfilled. After graduating, I resolved not to let myself get lost in analysis again. I wanted to return to serving others in concrete, meaningful ways.
That decision led me to join the Lutheran Volunteer Corps. I hadn’t always felt that faith communities lived by the moral compass Christ intended, and for a time, I wanted nothing to do with the church as I understood it. I joined LVC hoping to rediscover my faith in the faithful. I couldn’t imagine a better place for that renewal than WELCA, where love and community-based faith are at the heart of everything we do.
I want to serve the Christ who took what little was available — a few loaves of bread and some fish — and made it enough for everyone, regardless of who they were. I want to follow the Christ who teaches us to love radically. Working with WELCA has been profoundly moving. I am continually inspired by the compassion of every woman I meet here, each so committed to living as a reflection of Jesus’ love. I feel incredibly blessed to help expand the reach of that love and am eagerly looking forward to the Triennial Gathering in July. To anyone feeling discouraged by the version of “Christianity” that dominates public discourse, I hope WELCA has helped you feel less alone, as it has helped me. I can’t wait to see you at the Triennial Gathering, where, together, we will uplift Christ and continue to extend His love to others through our faith and actions.
Women of the ELCA are grateful to Lutheran Volunteer Corps for providing our staff with the opportunity to work with Saint Browder this year! If you are interested in learning more about LVC, applying to be a fellow yourself, or applying to be a host site you can do all of this at Lutheran Volunteer Corps – Building Community, Working for Justice, Living Simply and Sustainably.
How wonderful you have found a good (faith) fit.
You are awesome, Saint!
Thank you, Saint!