I want to share with you five reasons why you want to serve and volunteer in your local church. Parents if you have children one of the best things you can do is first serve and lead by example and train your children in serving and volunteering. The life skills serving provides your children, teens and young adults is priceless. You also want to serve as a couple, it will strengthen your marriage, I'll save that for another post. A little background I was not raised going to church consistently, my parents grew up with a Catholic background, growing up we usually only attended church on Easter and Christmas Eve.
I was invited to a Christian Church by a friend in High School when I was fifteen. Christian Church was completely new to me, I fell in love with Jesus and serving in my local church.
As a teenager I had fun volunteering and helping with the kids classes, serving in the snack bar after church, our youth group had a variety of serving opportunities, and I am extremely grateful for the experiences serving provided me.
After growing in my involvement in my local church and serving over the years I have learned so much and have grown as a person. Serving has strengthened our marriage and our family.
Here are five reasons to serve in your local church:
1. What is my purpose? This is a question a lot of people ask and search for. In volunteering at your local church you will discover your purpose. In working with a variety of people and being willing to do anything, you will find your strengths and weaknesses, you will find what you are great at and what you need to work on. You will discover things you enjoy doing that you would have never tried if you did not volunteer.
2. Get rid of selfishness. We all have a selfishness in us. When you serve and volunteer you will see areas where you need to yield. Yield to your way of doing things, in serving and working with people you don't always get to do things your way. In serving in your local church you often have to arrive early and stay late, this will help get rid of selfishness in you. Often, your commitment to church will collide with "your weekends", "your time", serving will definitely provide you opportunities to get rid of selfishness. Serving causes you focus on the needs of others.
3. Bigger Thinker. In serving at your local church you will be a bigger thinker. Serving will cause you to think of the big picture, look through a new perspective. Serving will have you be a problem solver, many times having you not rely on just what you know but thinking outside the box and including others.
4. A happier, healthier you. Serving in church will have you realize you are making a difference and give you a sense of purpose that your life and what you do matters. When you feel you are making a difference, you end up feeling better about yourself. Serving provides a huge confidence booster. In serving and volunteering, you have opportunities to grow in public speaking, team building, all making you a better and happier you.
5. Relationships. In serving in your local church you will make new friends. You will meet and work alongside people you never would have. You will also strengthen connections with those who you were already friends with but serve alongside. You will get to know each other in a whole new way serving together. I can think of so many fun times and late nights, doing inventory at our local church bookstore, I would have never pulled all-nighters with certain people if it wasn't for volunteering with them. I have volunteered and helped people move and again, your friendship is strengthened when you are invited into the personal lives of people. I have built lifelong friendships through serving overseas on missions trips. When you serve in your local church, those you serve with see you when you are having a good day and when you are not having a good day, people I have served alongside have seen me laugh, cry and everything in between.
I strongly encourage you to serve and volunteer in your local church, you learn new things, you'll grow in people skills, and so much more. Don't wait until someone asks you to help, sign up to help, call the church office, e-mail the staff, reach out to someone who is a leader in your local church and volunteer, be willing to do whatever is needed.
Even in this season with a lot of churches doing more livestream services, there is something you can do even from home, writing thank you cards, making phone calls, checking in on the elderly congregation members. I am certain there is something you can do.
Over the years I have volunteered in the church office, I would type, make copies, do whatever was needed. Volunteered for fundraisers, car wash, cleaning, and more. Before I had children I volunteered in the Church Nursery, this was a great way to gain experience in changing diapers and hands on experience feeding and caring for babies. I also have taught in other ages the toddlers, 4-5's and the 5-12 year old's. Working in the kids classes is a lot of fun, crafts, puppets, skits, and kids really do say the funniest things.
Another great aspect of serving in my local church is opportunities to step out of my comfort zone. I am currently very involved in our Audio/Visual Department. When I first started helping operating a camera I would have never imagined where it would lead. I am so grateful for the people skills, leadership skills, and tech and innovative skills I have been introduced to as a result of serving.
I believe there is a difference between volunteering and serving, volunteering is you offering some of your time to help out, serving is giving of yourself and taking ownership. I have done both, there are times when I come in and volunteer for a project, offer some time, but it is not "my baby", then there have been other times when I have served and made it my own, followed through to make sure it was completed. When you serve fully committed to the project no one has to ask you to stay till it is finished or come back, you take on the project, task, department as your own.
I know as a result of serving in my local church I am the one who has ultimately been blessed. Yes the church receives your help, your skill, I receive eternal reward that goes far beyond my knowledge as well as every area of my life is impacted as a result of serving, I am a better person, better friend, better wife, better mom, better employee and the list goes on.
If you are in the Sacramento area and looking for a great church to attend I invite you to our church Family Community Church, 6331 Watt Avenue, North Highlands, CA 95660, you can stream services online at Familycc.org. We have services on Sundays at 11 AM and 6 PM and our mid-week service is on Tuesdays at 6:30 PM. Thank you for reading if you’ve enjoyed the content you’ve read above please share with your friends.
