Have you visited someone in prison lately? Or talked to, encouraged, or assisted such a person? I’ve never visited anyone in jail and doubt I ever will; the thought terrifies me. But when I consider how my God wants meRead more…
Add a Little More Joy to Your Serving
If we’re driving, we need to know how much gas is in the tank. When we’re serving, it can be equally helpful to look at how much joy is in our tank! Let’s do a self-check. Do you look forwardRead more…
Simplify Your Serving
Some of us don’t need to be encouraged to serve. We’re serving at church and elsewhere so much so that we’re running nonstop. If you’re overwhelmed by obligations, if a relaxed family dinner is a rarity, if you say ‘yes’Read more…
Get Off the Couch!
Is it time to get up and get moving? To start giving back? To spend a little more time helping others? We all need time to rest and refresh, and to care for ourselves and immediate family. But it’s easyRead more…
The Jungle Cruise and Insubordination
What can we learn from Disneyland’s Jungle Cruise? What Laszlo Bock has to say here about employees is actually MORE true of volunteers. Empowerment can be key in keeping volunteers, particularly the highly skilled ones. How does a leader ofRead more…
What’s Your Joy Level?
Have you measured your joy level lately? We count the miles we jog or the steps we walk and we track our bank accounts. What if we quantified our daily joy? Our joy goes up when we’re praised at work,Read more…
He’s Calling You
Bartimaeus was blind. And noisy. He heard Jesus was nearby and, to get his attention, he started hollering. People nearby told him to hold down the noise. But he just got louder! And when Jesus noticed and asked for Bartimaeus,Read more…
Good Stuff: Do We Overspiritualize Calling?
In “Stop Overspiritualizing Calling,” Bethany Jenkins uses her own experience as a pianist to question some aspects of the way we talk about calling. It’s a great starter for helpful and important discussions on calling. Here are some quotes andRead more…
From Compassion to Action
Her commute home from work — that’s what prompted Cheryl Bokelmann’s 17 years of service in St. Peter’s PADS ministry. Every evening, as she walked from her downtown Chicago office to the Metra station, she noticed the homeless; so manyRead more…
A Question: Is a Retreat Worthwhile?
I am thinking about hosting a winter retreat for my church’s volunteers. Do you think it’s worth it? — a reader Response: Is a retreat worthwhile? Jesus certainly thought so! “Then, because so many people were coming and going thatRead more…
Good Stuff: Good Deeds and Good News
Here’s a good read that reminds us of how good deeds and Good News go hand in hand. Serving/volunteering leads to opportunities to share the good news of Jesus . . . and to the growth of His kingdom. “TowardRead more…
Good Stuff: Benefits of Volunteering
A good reminder of some of the side benefits of volunteering in our communities. http://blogs.volunteermatch.org/engagingvolunteers/2016/09/28/unintended-consequences-of-volunteering-and-theyre-all-good/
A Question: Where’s the Joy?
I’ve got a question. “Do you have any articles about serving with joy? I feel some of our teams around here are in a slump.” — from Carolyn at a church in Wisconsin Response Thanks for asking, Carolyn. It’s anRead more…
Former Volunteers as Friends
Susan Ellis wrote a great post on “Keeping Former Volunteers as Long-term Friends.” If you lead volunteers in a particular ministry at your church, think of that ministry as your ‘organization.’ If you’re a pastor or staff leader, think ofRead more…
Recruiting 101: Tips
The three other articles in the Recruiting 101 series cover common practices to avoid; the important job description, and how to invite people to serve. Many other aspect of recruiting (such as helping new members get involved, ministry fairs, parentsRead more…
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