“Service is the rent you pay for living.” I have heard Oprah Winfrey, Maya Angelou and a host of others say this. Giving back is a honor and it’s something that I haven’t done alot of. My desire is to volunteer more and to teach my children the purpose of giving. Now, I have served in my church for over 10 years. But I was thinking to myself, is serving in your church the same as giving back to your community? Who are you serving if you just work (serve) at the church? If you only sing in the choir, how are you giving back? Are you giving your lovely voice to the people in the pews? I promise I am just asking a question and not trying to be judgemental or condescending. I am thinking out loud.
I ask because, I volunteered at Vision For Souls Family Worship Center along with my Mocha Moms Chapter to assist in feeding the hungry this weekend. This church feeds & clothes the hungry every Saturday from 12pm-2pm. They also served breakfast on Sunday morning from 8:30a-9:30a. Both weekly events are free to the public. Many Mochas brought their children so they could experience giving back and what it means to help someone else. The more people we served, the more I thought to myself, “I need to do this more.” The people we fed were very grateful and sincerely thankful. It really becomes less about you and more about them. That also brought me back to my thought, is serving in the church enough (at least for me)? When you serve at church, you are giving God your time & talent (sometimes money). You are helping the church run and are there when the saints (members) need you. When you serve the community, you sometimes are able to reach people who may never step foot inside a church but still feel blessed by your presence and giving back. And sometimes serving in the church can lead to serving in the community, as it did with Vision For Souls Family Worship Center giving back by feeding everyone (not just members). But guess what? They can’t do it alone. It takes volunteers, and people who have the heart to serve and giveback. People who do it with a cheerful spirit.
I have volunteered once before at Vision before I did it again with the Mochas, but after this past weekend – I plan to go back more with my children. I am thankful with the blessings I have and I do not take them for granted. If I need to pay rent for my life – I shall serve and to God be the glory!
Do you volunteer? How often? Where? Why? Share you experiences.
