Volunteers

I’m a people-watcher.  You know, one of those who doesn’t mind a wait in a crowded airport because there is a never-ending procession of interesting people and stories to be played out.  I’ve learned a lot about our SFBC Volunteers recently, just by watching.  They go above and beyond, which is an ideal not always achieved for paid staff let alone those whose every minute is precious and freely given, with no expectation of human recompense.

In the thought-provoking quiet of the First Sunday, as I watch our Deacons serve communion, my heart is overwhelmed with gratitude for what our Lord did for us.  And in those moments of reflection I am humbly aware of the godly men that the Lord has called to shepherd us.  Volunteers, each one.  Men with families, jobs, heartaches, joys, struggles and victories; men with busy schedules and active families.  Faithful men, serving with loving diligence, not only on Sunday morning but often late on weeknights in obligation to the various committees and other ministries in which they serve.

Children’s Ministries is another area where people watching reveals sweet insights.  During a recent emergency procedures drill, I heard not one complaint from Volunteers shuffling rambunctious grade-schoolers, reticent toddlers, gawking preschoolers, or crying babies.  Each was tending their flock, even in the heavy drizzle of a cool Oregon morning.  Another day I saw an Awana secretary play in a corner with a child who just couldn’t maintain in a group, and another Awana volunteer speak so tenderly to a child who was out of control.  I watch the love of Christ manifest itself on a daily basis.

How many of us are aware on Wednesday evenings and Sunday mornings how carefully our Security Team watches out for us?  From kindly rousting homeless campers out of flower beds to attentively watching the crowds for potential issues, they roam the campus, week after week.

My people-watching catches the love on the face or in the tender touch and words of someone working with a child.  A volunteer “Nurse on Duty” recently blessed me beyond measure by solicitously tending one of our widows who felt very shaky and frightened.  And this doesn’t begin to mention those who work with youth or visit shut-ins.  There might be a few who consider volunteering a drudgery to be avoided when possible or endured when not.  But the joy of serving is so evident in most of those I encounter, and we are blessed beyond measure; surely the blessing of eternal reward cannot even be weighed!  Thank you, SFBC Volunteers!

Sherri Sperling
Children's Ministries Director