TBYPN Profile-Ben DeLeon
Ben, a graduate of the University of Texas (BA, BS 2001; JD 2004), is a lawyer in Austin. First Baptist Church Austin is his church home, where he is also involved as a deacon.
How does your faith impact your work environment? In what ways do you minister to your co-workers?
I live out my faith at work by representing Spanish-speaking clients pro bono through Volunteer Legal Services of Central Texas. I began taking VLS cases immediately after I became licensed because I felt a genuine calling to help these hard-working individuals in need. Working with VLS has been the most humbling, rewarding experience of my legal career.
I minister to my co-workers by putting my faith in action on a daily basis, from treating opposing counsel with dignity and respect to engaging in service projects outside the work walls.
Why are you interested in the Celebration of a New Baptist Covenant?
I know that being Baptist in this day and age has taken on new meaning, most of it negative. There is an unhealthy and ever-widening disconnect among Baptists that has involved much finger pointing instead of seeking solutions. The New Baptist Covenant is a beautiful, positive counter-force to this disconnect that will unite Baptists and non-Baptists alike in constructive conversation by addressing the principles of discipleship, social justice and healing. What’s more, the New Baptist Covenant will cross racial, ethnic, societal and socio-economic lines. That’s how Jesus would have wanted it, and that’s why I’m excited to be a part of what I view as a Grand Awakening in Baptist life.
