Volunteer and Ministry Opportunities

Gustavus students have a wealth of opportunities for ministry and volunteer work during their student careers. Often, these experiences lead students to choose volunteer employment after graduation in programs like the Peace Corps, AmeriCorps, and many others.

This page is designed to help students connect with offices and programs on campus that can help them gain volunteer and ministry experiences. In addition, the page contains links to agencies with available summer and post-graduate service work, as well as to seminaries and graduate schools that help prepare students for ministry.

Campus Service and Ministry Resources

Gustavus students volunteer in Saint Peter and the surrounding communities through Community Service Center programs, as well as through their involvement in student groups that value service, such as Gusties Against Poverty, Athletes in Action, Alpha Phi Omega, and many others.

Ministry opportunities are available through the Office of Church Relations, such as supply preaching at Minnesota congregations, or leading lock-ins through Gustavus Youth Outreach. Many of these opportunities are advertised on the back of the Chapel Bulletin when they become available, but interested people can always contact the Office of Church Relations directly.

Post-graduate and Summer Service Opportunities

Gustavus students have volunteered or found internships and employment at many of the following agencies. This list is an excellent starting point if you are interested in summer or post-graduate service work, but it is not an exhaustive list.

• Peace Corps http://www.peacecorps.gov/
• AmeriCorps http://www.americorps.org/
• American Red Cross http://www.redcross.org/
• HECUA (Higher Education Consortium for Urban Affairs) http://www.hecua.org/
• Lutheran Volunteer Corps http://www.lvchome.org/
• Global Mission with the ELCA http://www.elca.org/dgm/
• Global Teach with the ELCA http://www.elca.org/globalserve/teach/search.asp
• Global Health Care Ministry with the ELCA http://www.elca.org/globalserve/health/search.asp
• Catholic Network of Volunteer Service http://www.cnvs.org/
• Holden Village http://www.holdenvillage.org/work.html
• The Fresh Air Fund http://www.freshair.org/
• Youth Farm and Market Project http://www.youthfarm.net/
• World Teach http://www.worldteach.org/index.html
• Operation Crossroads Africa http://operationcrossroadsafrica.org/
• Boys Hope/Girls Hope http://www.boyshopegirlshope.org/
• Saint Vincent Pallotti Center/Connections Publication http://www.pallotticenter.org/
• Habitat for Humanity International http://www.habitat.org/
• Lutheran World Relief http://www.lwr.org/
• Heifer International http://www.heifer.org/
• Peacework International Volunteer Programs http://www.peacework.org/
• White Earth Land Recovery Project http://www.welrp.org/index.html
• Common Hope http://www.commonhope.org/
• SERRV International http://www.serrv.org/
• Urban Servant Corps http://www.servantcorps.org/
• World Council of Churches http://www.wcc-coe.org/wcc/english.html
• The Humane Society of the United States http://www.hsus.org/ace/352
• Youthworks http://www.youthworks.com/
• Jesuit Volunteer Corps http://www.jesuitvolunteers.org/

ELCA Seminaries

• ELCA Division for Ministry Seminaries List http://www.elca.org/dm/te/seminaries.html
• Luther Seminary http://www.luthersem.edu
• Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago http://www.lstc.edu/
• Lutheran Seminary Program in the Southwest http://www.lsps.edu/
• Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg http://www.ltsg.edu/
• The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia http://www.ltsp.edu/
• Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary http://www.ltss.edu/
• Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary http://www.plts.edu/
• Trinity Lutheran Seminary http://www.trinitylutheranseminary.edu/
• Wartburg Theological Seminary http://www.wartburgseminary.edu/

Divinity Schools

The following are some of the Divinity Schools Gustavus faculty and alumni have attended. Again, this list is a good starting point rather than an exhaustive listing.

• Harvard Divinity School http://www.hds.harvard.edu/
• Yale University Divinity School http://www.yale.edu/divinity/
• Church Divinity School of the Pacific http://cdsp.edu/
• Duke Divinity School http://www.divinity.duke.edu/
• The University of Chicago Divinity School http://divinity.uchicago.edu/
• Vanderbilt University Divinity School http://divinity.library.vanderbilt.edu/div/index.html
• Episcopal Divinity School http://www.episdivschool.edu/
• Brite Divinity School http://www.brite.tcu.edu/
• The Wake Forest University Divinity School http://www.wfu.edu/divinity/
• Beeson Divinity School http://beeson.samford.edu/
• Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School http://www.crds.edu/
• Regent University School of Divinity http://www.regent.edu/acad/schdiv/
• Trinity Evangelical Divinity School http://www.tiu.edu/divinity/