To All the Volunteers I've Loved Before...

To all the volunteers I've loved before
Who travelled in and out my church door
I'm glad they came along
I dedicate this song
To all the volunteers I've loved before

(On a slightly ironic note, the B side of the original Julio Iglesias/Willie Nelson record was ALSO written by Albert Hammond of "It Never Rains in Southern California" fame. But I digress.)

Like you, I attend a local church and, like you, I volunteer my time to help the ministries of the church function effectively and with impact. Unlike most of you, I'm not used to doing this as a volunteer. As I sat with my pastor this morning, talking over some ideas I have for adult Sunday School and Life Groups, I realized again how little time I can give to this ministry that is so important. My pastor is not pressuring me to do more, thank God, but my own internal wiring and awareness of the needs and some of what I could do to help meet those needs, makes we wish I had more time to give. It also makes me feel like I'm not doing enough. I found myself apologizing for not doing more. (Again, this was not coming from him, it was coming from me.)

As I walked back to my District Office to put on my other "hat" as a Director of Credentialing I thought about the literally hundreds of volunteers I've been privileged to work with over the past 35 years in local church ministries. I've heard them, too, wish aloud that they had more time and energy to give to the cause of Christ. I remember reacting, as my own pastor did, by reminding them that we were grateful for whatever time and energy they did have to give and that, because of having other obligations, it was always going to be this way. Wanting to do more, but not having the resources.

We all know objectively that every part of our life is ministry. (The key question for each of us is how well we are doing our ministry.) But we all also know that organized ministry in the local church has its own challenges and its own rewards. We are all called to be ministers in all that we do throughout the day, but we are also called to minister in the context of the Body of Christ. Both/and. Not either/or.

So on this Monday afternoon I want to publicly thank all those alongside whom I have been privileged to serve. I now know by experience that extra tug on time, energy and focus that the local church calls you to and I now know by experience what it's like to want to give more, but you can't. I also now know by experience how God takes the little things and uses them for His glory even when you don't get a paycheck for it. And that's a good thing.