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On Sunday, May 26th, we celebrated our Voluteer Appreciation day.  As part of the message, Pastor Kyla invited a few of our volunteers to share their experiences.  The following is an approximate summary of the dialogue between Marcello (M), our Volunteer Worship Director, and Pastor Kyla (PK).

PK: How has volunteering been a way that you've been able to connect more fully with Jesus?

M: Volunteering for me has connected me more fully to Jesus by putting me in situations that have required full reliance on Him for guidance or to just get through. In the capacity that I volunteer as a ministry leader, there are situations that are foreign, uncomfortable, complicated, or messy that just require you to step back, lift your arms up and say "Jesus take control. You know the way, let me follow you." It's a two way thing, if I get there, hopefully I can help others to as well.

PK: What goodness has God called out from you and how have you seen it distributed to others in the faith community?

M: Kindness, forgiveness, gentleness, humbleness, love. I try to approach every situation with theses qualities. Do I fail sometimes? Absolutely. But, I think if you are striving to sow the seeds God tells you to, by His will you really do reap the rewards. Many times they get reflected back to you in multiples. For example, I was going through a tough time recently and, without asking, several key people that I'm connected to in our faith family came to me individually to check in, listen, and just give me support. It's a real reflection of the kind of love that Jesus showed and that we strive for in our faith family. I see it all the time in our church in the way that people come together to care for each other. 

PK: Is there a correlation between volunteering and generosity? How so?

M: The correlation between generosity and volunteering for me relates completely to Jesus' life and what he did for us on the cross. He showed generosity of spirit, that is kindness, forgiveness, gentleness to those in need. His sacrifice on the cross was a singular, selfless act that gave us something more than we could ever deserve; and I know it's nothing that I can ever repay. But, volunteering gives me the opportunity to be as generous as possible with my time and gifting in an attempt to reflect that selflessness towards those around me.

If you have questions about how you can grow by joining us on mission through serving, check out more information on our NEXT STEPS page linked here.