Volunteering – Mary-Anne Rulfs
Showing compassion. Serving one another. Doing good. Helping where needed. Using our giftedness for the benefit of the whole community.
This is the life we are called to as followers of Jesus. Serving one another is at the heart of Jesus’ invitation to follow him.
Frederick Buechner (1926 – 2022), theologian, thinker and author, wrote this:
“The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.” Wishful Thinking: A Seeker’s ABC.
While Buechner was specifically addressing vocation, most typically our paid work, his wisdom applies equally to spaces where we volunteer – where we offer who are and what we enjoy doing for the benefit of others without expectation of remuneration.
In a world where loneliness in on the increase, and people often feel an absence of meaning and purpose in their lives, sometimes expressed as ‘boredom’, volunteering has been shown to not only enhance the lives of those at the receiving end of time, skills and energy donated by others, volunteering benefits the volunteer in significant ways!
There are many websites including
Volunteering Victoria https://www.volunteeringvictoria.org.au/volunteer-benefits-and-stories/
and the ABC https://www.abc.net.au/gives/why-volunteer-abc-gives/102286736
that articulate the benefits of being a volunteer, which include:
- making new friends
- learning new skills and gaining experience
- feeling happier and healthier, enjoying improved physical and mental wellbeing
- a wonderful way to support the community
- developing a sense of purpose and meaning in life
- getting out and having fun
- an outlet for acting on your values, passions and interests
- enjoying new social and cultural experiences
- developing as a person, building confidence and self-esteem
- spending quality time away from work or your busy lifestyle
- connecting with those around you.
My parents both volunteered generously, and I’m grateful for the pattern of generosity they instilled in me. I have volunteered in a few different capacities over the years. Two opportunities that certainly offered many of the benefits included in the list above were serving as a counsellor with Breastfeeding Australia and serving within the governance structure of faith-based schools. Both opportunities have been immensely satisfying and enjoyable, have widened my network of friends and acquaintances and been spaces where my deep gladness and the world’s deep need met.
I asked some people who serve as volunteers in various ministries in our church communities to reflect on why they volunteer, how this might benefit others and how their life is enriched by their volunteering experience.
With grateful thanks to Libby and Clara for these reflections!
Libby:
“I find that volunteering in our church environment is a rewarding way to serve our Lord and to give back to our community while growing spiritually. Whether it’s helping with Sunday services, pastoral care, assisting in our Op Shops, kids’ programs, music ministry or school religious education, mentoring, office administration, the pen pal program with All Saints Anglican School etc there’s always a role for someone willing to serve. One of the ways I serve is mentoring a student in one of our local state schools through the Kids Hope programme. I have found that this program fosters self-confidence, resilience and emotional intelligence in the child I mentor. Through mentorship, children gain valuable insights, build healthy relationships and are empowered, even in some small way, to reach their potential, shaping a brighter future for themselves.
“Volunteering not only helps our church function smoothly but also deepens connections with others, both within and outside our church. It’s an opportunity to use the talents that God has given us. It also fosters a sense of purpose and belonging, creating a supportive network within our church community. Volunteering can be a fulfilling way to live out our values and make a positive impact in Christ’s name.”
Clara:
“I think one reason I volunteer is to honour the line of women in my family who also volunteered, my mother and her mother. Probably, they would not have called it volunteering but helping others or maybe serving the community. They did what they could: knitted socks and collected pots for the war effort, made jam and cakes for cake stalls, coconut ice for school fetes, helped on stalls and school canteens, sewed bibs and aprons, cut sandwiches for the homeless, and worked in op shops. One of my earliest memories is of my mother sewing little sunsuits from a bolt of red fabric printed with tiny white boats and trimmed with white ricrac for a mission box the church was putting together for what was then known as the New Hebrides, now Vanuatu. I remember her telling me she chose the bright fabric as she thought it would look well on the children.”
As we begin a new year, there is an opportunity to consider new ways to serve within our community. Today’s newsletter has many suggestions. You’ll think of others. Please chat with someone from your parish who can help guide you to next steps.
While we are one body, we all have different personalities, gifts and skillsets. That is one of the joys of being human! Rather than allowing our differences to be a frustration, let’s work together to make a place where everyone’s deep gladness can be invested in those places where there is deep hunger in the world around us.
The outreach of our parishes and the ministry we provide will be shaped by the ways in which each of us accepts this challenging invitation to build the kingdom of God for our time and place.
Go well as you discern how you will serve in 2025.
Grace and peace,
Mary-Anne