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Volunteering. Serving. Chipping in.
Cam and I have been volunteering once a month, in some capacity, for the past 1-1/2 years. It's something we both enjoy doing. I've got one of the few kids who gets up at 7:00AM on Saturday to help out at the food bank without so much as a complaining grunt.
You know how some times we get stuck in thinking that all people are like us? Volunteering seems like a no-brainer to me. If there is one thing I have it's time. I can always find 2-4 hours/month to help out someone or some organization in some capacity.
If the truth be known, I feel a little guilty when I volunteer. I know I should be giving of my time for the greater good, and certainly that does play a role, but it makes me feel good too! In fact, study after study shows there are very real personal benefits to volunteering.
When our church announced they were doing an 8-week series on serving, I was a little surprised. It seemed odd to me that "good Christian folks" needed 8-weeks ofbrow-beating encouragement to serve I mean, the Bible is pretty clear on that one, right? If there is a need, the "right" thing to do is to address that need.
That was the moment I realized that "good Christian folks" are just like everyone else. They figure someone else will take care of it, or it's too difficult to find a place to volunteer, or they just don't have the time, or ... or ...
I'm interested to learn how all of you feel about this. Do you volunteer? Do you prefer to donate money rather than time (organizations need both!)? If you don't volunteer, what are the things that keep you from volunteering?
Volunteering. Serving. Chipping in.Cam and I have been volunteering once a month, in some capacity, for the past 1-1/2 years. It's something we both enjoy doing. I've got one of the few kids who gets up at 7:00AM on Saturday to help out at the food bank without so much as a complaining grunt.
You know how some times we get stuck in thinking that all people are like us? Volunteering seems like a no-brainer to me. If there is one thing I have it's time. I can always find 2-4 hours/month to help out someone or some organization in some capacity.
If the truth be known, I feel a little guilty when I volunteer. I know I should be giving of my time for the greater good, and certainly that does play a role, but it makes me feel good too! In fact, study after study shows there are very real personal benefits to volunteering.
When our church announced they were doing an 8-week series on serving, I was a little surprised. It seemed odd to me that "good Christian folks" needed 8-weeks of
That was the moment I realized that "good Christian folks" are just like everyone else. They figure someone else will take care of it, or it's too difficult to find a place to volunteer, or they just don't have the time, or ... or ...
I'm interested to learn how all of you feel about this. Do you volunteer? Do you prefer to donate money rather than time (organizations need both!)? If you don't volunteer, what are the things that keep you from volunteering?
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22 comments:
I volunteer my deep and profound wisdom on a daily basis. Sure, that might be a burden for lesser folks, but for me? I see it as my calling. Cheers Dana!!
I used to volunteer all.the.time. Once my kids are old enough, I will absolutely expose them to volunteering. I look forward to that.
Matt-Man, so I know you were being a smartass, but I would guess that you do a lot of "serving" in the beer mines ... and not just the beer and cigs! Something tells me you make a positive difference in the lives of many.
Gina, you might be surprised at how many "family friendly" volunteer opportunities there are for families with young kids. I wish I had been more aware of the opportunities when Cam was younger.
Sadly, I do not volunteer. Time is precious for me. However, I support my wife who does volunteer. Dana, as you know, we have an Autistic son. So anything I can do to help her with him and give her time, I do. This is mostly where my time goes. Besides work, of course.
I think most people enjoy volunteering. It's a little difficult in a small town like mine, because you run into the same people all the time and they are usually the ones who think they invented vounteering and always want to remind everyone how superior they are to the rest of us. But, I do my best to ignore them.
I used to volunteer much more before I had a 2 year old to chase... I do a lot with our church youth group though. I guess that counts.
I volunteer as part of program through my church...although not very often. Now that I think about it, we participated more as a family when the kids were little up through high school.
I donate a small amount to IJM to support the efforts to end sex trafficking of children.
Joker_SATX, and similar to my comment to Matt-Man, I would say that doing something to enable your wife to have a break *is* serving.
Jay, we volunteered at the food bank with a woman who was a HUGE control freak. She followed Cam and I around most of the day pointing out what she felt we were doing wrong even after I explained to her that, although I was sure she was trying to help, Cam and I had volunteered at the food bank numerous times and were very familiar with the process. That single experience almost turned me off from volunteering.
Doc, the church youth group definitely counts (says the person who spends 3 hours with the church youth group weekly).
katherine, that makes me wonder if I would be as active in volunteering if I weren't trying to set a good example for Cam ... hmmm ...
My organization of choice is probably unsurprisingly animal shelters. I volunteer and donate as often as I can.
I think it's very admirable what you and Cam are doing and that you are so passionate about it. :)
Just because someone has a Bible in their hand doesn't mean "they walk the walk". I try to volunteer when I can. When I run into the volunteer of the year like you mentioned to Jay, I ask them to show me how they want it. I then advise them that I don't think I can do what they want and that they will need to finish it their way. I find that this method cures them of this bad habit. If it doesn't I move on to another place. Having used volunteers for various functions in the past. I always treat them like they are the Queen or King of Britain. A practice I recommend for everyone who uses volunteers.
I used to volunteer many hours (sometimes up to 20) a week at the local little league
I have not done much since I moved here. maybe a local food bank would be a good thing to find...
As a stay at home mom, I was usually doing something (sitting on the PTO, homeroom mom, etc.) every year Buddy was in Elementary school. Sissy will be in preschool this Fall and I'm sure I'll start all over with my volunteering in a school capacity.
Vixen, I admire that you can do that! Me? I'd become a cat woman!
we're doomed, one of the things that used to keep me from church was this idea that only perfect people attended church - ha! I would agree on treating volunteers well. If there is one lesson I've learned from my PTO experience it's that when you start taking your volunteers for granted, they stop volunteering!
Bond, If you click on the banner at the top of this post you can enter in your zip code and find places looking for volunteers!
Evil Twin's Wife, that school volunteer gig is a tough one but I am sure grateful there are parents like you who take it on!
I prefer to donate money over time, mostly because I like to donate to many different causes and while you can donate time like that, I am the kind of person who really needs to warm up to a situation so I'd have to find a place and stick to it. That and donating money is way easier. :)
I volunteer my legal services to a family law organization for low income families. I certainly prefer to stick my hand in my pocket and give money than to do physical volunteering to show my support. What holds me back from giving more time is that I don't really have a desire to do things that are unpleasant (for me). I guess that sounds shallow, but it is honest.
Also, I don't think that it is my responsibility - even as a Christian - to address every need that I can identify. I don't think it is a huge secret that my personal moral code leans more toward helping people who are helping themselves than those who are not - even if those who are not are actually in "bigger" need.
Lisa volunteers 20+ hours a week at our kids school. Me...not so much. I could give you a whole host of excuses why, but they would be just that, excuses.
Our church has recently started small-group ministry, and one of the foundational principles is service. We do one service for the church and one for the community at large for each 1-year session. Nearly everyone who isn't already volunteering somewhere else says that it's easier when you know others are doing something and you can be part of it. Our group talked about previous experiences we've had, positive and negative, and the worst times were always when a volunteer project or organization was poorly organized. Interestingly, Habitat projects were mentioned by more than one person. Logistics and politics can easily sap the volunteer spirit from anyone, and organizers need to keep this in mind.
I do admin work for a non profit but look forward to volunteering for the Humane Society once I am actually in town once in a while. When my son was younger my energy was completely zapped between him, school and work. My retirement goal is to join the Peace Corps for a year.
I have volunteered my time in the recent past to Susan Komen race for the Cure and Temper and I donate clothes and money to various organizations.
I don't usually comment but this post caught my eye. I volunteer a lot at my sons school and coach the soccer team however this is kind of selfish because my family and child benefit from those volunteer hours. I also raise money every year for the san francisco aids foundation last year i raised $2,500. In your post you mention being a good christian last year at a aids foundation charity bike ride a group of christians bussed in to protest SFAF for supporting homosexuality and handed out leaflets explaining aids was gods punishment so I don't take much stock in " good christians " and charity work. I think you should volunteer to support your community not out of fear of god.
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