How Can Community Help People Rebuild Their Lives? A Conversation with Krista Kilgus

In this episode of Together 4 Good, Pastor Nate talks with Krista Kilgus, Executive Director of Urban Servant Corps in Denver, about service, community, and what it means to follow where the Holy Spirit is leading next. 

Urban Servant Corps has spent decades forming young adults through intentional community and service, and now the organization is entering a new chapter: creating a pilot program supporting re-entry work and hosting a community of formerly incarcerated women; offering belonging, community, vocational discernment, faith formation, and purposeful living. 

This conversation is about faithful change, honest discernment, and the kind of belonging that helps people heal, grow, and begin again.

What You’ll Learn:

Learn the story and mission of Urban Servant Corps in Denver

Understand how intentional community shapes faith, service, and belonging

Hear why traditional service-year programs have become harder to sustain

Explore Urban Servant Corps’ new pilot program with formerly incarcerated women

Discover how churches and individuals can support this next chapter

If this conversation gives you hope, we invite you to like, subscribe, and share it with someone who cares about faith, justice, community, and the work of rebuilding lives with love.

Chapters:

00:00 Welcome and introduction to Krista Kilgus

00:45 The founding story of Urban Servant Corps

02:20 Krista’s own service year experience

03:15 What intentional community looks like in practice

05:00 Belonging, shared meals, and life skills

06:00 Why service years matter for young adults

06:55 Why interest in service-year programs has shifted

08:00 What “faith-based” means at Urban Servant Corps

10:00 Cultural pressure, independence, and countercultural community

11:25 Why Urban Servant Corps needed to reimagine its model

13:30 Discernment, sustainability, and community needs

15:15 New partnerships with New Beginnings and other Denver organizations

16:10 A new focus on formerly incarcerated women

18:30 What reentry support could look like

19:30 Co-creating the pilot program with participants

20:30 Timeline for launching the pilot

21:10 How congregations and individuals can support Urban Servant Corps

23:20 Where God has shown up in the process

25:00 Being surprised by God’s call

26:30 Gratitude for the community’s support

27:00 Closing reflections and invitation to share

Connect with Bethany:

📍 Bethany Lutheran Church – Denver, CO

🌐 Learn more: www.bethany-denver.org

Connect with Urban Servant Corps: https://www.urbanservantcorps.org/