Leading through Hospitality and Service

Nate Rubright, MDiv ’23, Campus Minister, Sojourn Collegiate Ministry (Somerville, MA)

View more stories on HDS alumni and their career paths.

Describe the work you do today:

I founded Sojourn Somerville in 2016 as a college ministry with an emphasis on hospitality and community service. Open to any student or young adult in the Camberville area, our community takes inspiration from the aspects of Jesus's ministry that are welcoming, loving, and restorative. Every week during the school year we meet to cook meals for local shelters, recover food to local organizations, and spend time just hanging out and talking about life.

How has your HDS degree experience influenced your career journey?

I enrolled in the MDiv program because I had very little formal education in theology. The ministry I help run is open to students of any background, and most folks in the community would not identify strongly with any one particular faith. HDS was the perfect environment to hone my skills as a religious practitioner that mostly works in multifaith spaces. I developed a deep appreciation for many types of religious expression, learning different viewpoints and the ways in which theological thinking inspires positive action. My experience at HDS also gave me a humility to the mysteries of how people connect to God, which has allowed me to better love those that think differently than I do.

What career advice would you offer to current HDS students?

The skills of pastoral care, counseling, and reconciliation will be far more useful and will require far more practice than anything else you learn.