Time. There are 24 hours in a day and 7 days in a week. So why does it feel like I have 175 hours of work to do and only 6 days to get everything done? I have spent many hours, days and quite frankly, years being selfish with my time - maybe some of that selfish time was enjoyable, but the more I spend time with God and with His people, the more I understand that His plan for my time is more important than my plan for my time.

With summer comes a fresh, and new season. This is a great opportunity to adopt some new Godly habits and a fresh start in continuing some of these habits that some of us have been doing for years. As I dive deeper into my relationship with God, I have found that God doesn’t just ask me to spend time with him, but also to spend time with His people. Here are 5 reasons you can’t miss out on volunteer opportunities this summer:

1. You are called.

Galatians 5:13, “You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.”

God never intended for us to keep all of the blessings he has given us to ourselves. He intended for us to use our gifts and talents to edify one another! I want to love my neighbors, my family, my friends, and my church in the humble way that Christ loves his bride, but if I’m only serving myself, the reality would be that I’m loving myself more than I am loving the people I am called to love. That’s not my call. My call is to serve.

2. You are needed.

Ephesians 4:11-12, “So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.”

From the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-20), we learn that it is important for us to use the gifts that God has given us to glorify Him. Ephesians 4:11-12 shows us that our gifts are needed in order to build up the body of Christ. Your gift may be art, encouraging people, relating to strangers, being a really good friend, or even being really good at making your grandma’s blueberry cheesecake. Verse 16 in this chapter continues to say, “From him, the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.” If we want to be supported and to work as a whole unit, we need all parts of the body to work together. And for that to happen… we need all parts of the body to work. Whatever gift you have and at whatever measure it is given to you, it is needed in the Church and it can bring glory to God. You are needed.

3. You look like Jesus.

John 13:15, “I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.”

In Genesis 1:27, it says that we were made in God’s image - that doesn’t just that we look like him, but we also have the qualities that God has. Jesus was the ultimate servant. As Christ followers, our mission in this life is to follow the example he left for us. This means serving and one of the greatest opportunities that we have to serve is to serve our church body in the same way that Jesus served his disciples - selflessly and fully. Jesus didn’t just serve the people closest to him though. He served the people who were far from him and far from God as well. This is something that we are charged with too because His example includes His service among all people.

4. You can build community.

Ecclesiastes 4:9, “Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble.”

Serving alongside fellow believers is one of the easiest ways to build Christian community - and having a strong community is necessary if we want to do life well. For some people, it can be difficult to approach someone in hopes of befriending them, but when you serve with people, you get past the awkward pretty quickly. Not only are you doing life with them, but you quickly establish trust among the people you serve with. This is partly because you need to, but also because there is something special about serving among brothers and sisters that builds community in a way that just knowing them can’t.

5. You will Grow.

2 Peter 3:18, “but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.”

There is always more. More knowledge to gain, more characteristics of God to understand, more people to witness to, more songs to sing and prayers to pray. God isn’t stagnant so we can’t be either. Our ability to reach the “more” is directly connected to our ability to say yes. This is an idea shared by Choco De Jesús that our Young Adult group at the church has really gotten attached to. It would be a loss for ourselves and for the people around us if we stayed comfortable in the “here”. Because the “here” is disconnected from the more and if God is in the more, then I want to be in there too.

At Vineyard, it’s almost like serving runs in our DNA. Our mission statement is Loving Jesus, Growing Together, and Giving Back. Luckily there are a lot of next steps that you can take in order to grow in serving others and giving back. You may have immediately thought about our Outreach Teams! They are taking Jesus outside of the church walls and loving the people in this city and this world. How cool is that? If you’re passionate about helping children and teens understand the importance of the Gospel in their lives, you can volunteer with Vineyard Kids and Vineyard Students to help them do just that! If you love music or playing music, our sound, production, lights, and worship teams are an amazing opportunity to share that passion with the congregation. If you love art and thinking creatively we have a Creative Design Team where you are free to express those passions and gifts. The church even has a Coffee Team! I mean… who doesn’t love coffee? These are only a few areas where you have the opportunity to serve in this summer… for more information about our teams, you can visit Serve the Church. Don’t miss out on finding God in the more this summer. Don’t miss out on going and serving where God is calling you.

Matthew 15:25  “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

Bailey is the communications intern here at The Vineyard! She assists the communications team with planning and implementing effective communications through our website, social media, print, and word of mouth.

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