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Servant Appreciation
Thank you to the hundreds who serve in and outside of Grace
volunteer (väl΄ən tir΄)
1. A person who enters or offers to enter into any service of his own free will.
2. Serving as a volunteer, usually without compensation.
I had a friend who served at a large rand influential church in Grand Rapids, Michigan who often said, “There is no such thing as a volunteer in a church.”
I can remember the first time I heard him…
I was startled and surprised. My knee-jerk response was: “Of course there are volunteers in a church! We couldn’t begin to function without all the ushers, choirs, Sunday School teachers, VBS staff, nursery workers, altar guild members, and countless other places where people serve.”
However, upon deeper reflection, I realized the intent of his words…for a Christian there is no option about serving…it’s the main thrust or point of being a Christian. If we clearly understand the point of Jesus’ ministry as one “who did not come to be served, but to serve and give his life as a ransom for many,” (Mark 10:45) then we catch the sense that serving is as integral of being a Christian as breathing is to a living person.
In one of his greatest works, A Treatise on Christian Liberty, Martin Luther wrote: “A man does not live for himself alone in this mortal body, so as to work for it alone, but he lives also for all men on earth, nay, rather, he lives only for others and not for himself. And to this end he brings his body into subjection, that he may the more sincerely and freely serve others, as Paul says in Romans 14, ‘We do not live to ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves. If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord.’ Therefore, it is impossible that he should ever in this life be idle and without works toward his neighbors.”
I believe that the mission statement of Grace promotes the same idea: Welcome, Encourage, and Equip. At Grace, we believe that our community of faith is a place for us to grow stronger, flex our spiritual muscles, and become equipped to go out and serve others. Serving is to be the end result of all that we do. There really is no option, is there?
So…in one sense, my friend was right…there is no such thing as a volunteer at a church. Yet, I do realize that there are many places to serve in and outside Grace. I am well aware of the needs throughout our community as well in the cities and far beyond…even in places like Lesotho and Botswana in Africa! (Grace has two young women serving through the PEACE CORPS in these countries.)
I am also thankful for all of you who feel a call to serve in these important ways! But I am also thankful for those who serve and “volunteer” at Grace in order to help us Welcome, Encourage, and Equip others. I know that we could not be nearly as effective in our mission without all the people who serve! I want to truly celebrate our common ministry and give thanks to God for all who serve.
As things begin to wind down, I want to express my gratitude and thanksgiving for those who have served in Youth Ministry, SONday School and Bible Club, worship and music, fellowship, stewardship, leadership, and outreach ministries. There are literally hundreds of people who serve at Grace and I am truly thankful. I know that we could hardly begin to open our doors each weekend if it were not for all those who give of their time and energy on behalf of others. Although I cannot personally thank each one of you, I want to express my gratitude for the partnership we share in this ministry of Grace. We could not exist if it weren’t for the fact that so many of us put our “faith into action” by serving.
I hope that the summer months, when things slow down a bit at church, may give you opportunities to look for places to serve in your neighborhoods and communities. I wonder about the people who live on my street as well as yours…are there ways in which we can share a bit of “grace” and serve. What a great thought and goal for us to aim for, as we scatter for vacations, trips, cabins, and weekend family outings. For after all, there’s no such thing as a volunteer in a church!
Looking for ways to serve,
Pastor Mark