A WORD FROM THE PASTOR:

 Do We Have a Volunteer Problem?

I have heard it once – I have heard it a multitude of times here at Resurrection!  I hear talk that we have a “volunteer problem.”  I know that I have used that expression more than once – and certainly it has come up at numerous Board and Church Council meetings.  The thought process goes something like this:

We need more Sunday School Teacher … the Stephen’s Ministry didn’t fly because people didn’t sign up … not enough volunteers to usher … more workers are needed to serve on the Altar Guild … we must have more counters for the offerings … or show up on church workdays … or “I heard about this great idea another church was doing, and thought it was so wonderful that SOMEONE should do that here!” … or “It’s a shame that Resurrection doesn’t do that one caring thing that we used to do that I thought was really nice” … or (the list is endless)! 

       We have a volunteer problem!  So, do we?  I’ve wrestled with a lot lately, and I am convinced that this question does not have a simple “yes” or “no” answer.  So I’ll say this: our volunteer problem is no more or no less than your average Lutheran or Christian congregation.  I say this because there is a PROBLEM, and it lies rooted in the heart of each congregation member – in each Christian!  But the answer to the problem is, and always has been: Christ is risen – He is alive and at work in each believer.  This is the same for every Christian Church on earth.

Yes, we have a problem.  The Church, as a gathering of flawed, sinful people, will never be perfect this side of heaven.  If Resurrection were a prefect church, I wouldn’t be able to be a member here, much less a pastor!  You wouldn’t be here, either!  Each of us should be able, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to look inside our hearts, examine our lives, see what we desire, what we live for, where we spend our time, and see that a lot of it is sinful.  Our selfish desire to see the time we have and call it MY TIME is sinful.

       The ANSWER: plain and simple is Jesus!  He served, He loved, He laid down His life, He rose from the grave – all to resurrect EACH OF US to new life now, and eternal life in heaven.  The life of a Christian, therefore, should be one where every day we repent of sin, rejoice in the forgiveness of the cross, and are raised to live for the glory of God.  And when you live for the glory of God, that means that you put yourself aside, and trusting God, love your neighbor.  That doesn’t always mean you must teach Sunday School (though Resurrection would happily welcome you!), but it might mean that you are a mom and you trust God and seek to raise godly children.  It means finding a way to impact the neighborhood and help our community see Christ in us and all around us.  It means finding a way to join with your fellow Christians in serving God at Resurrection.

You are you.  God made you unique.  He gave you gifts and put you where you are right now.  You have an allotted amount of TIME to use your abilities for His glory.  SO, GO!  DO!  Serve your family.  Help your community.  And yes, please help out at Resurrection.  What most ministries need most is probably the hardest for any of us to give: OUR TIME.  The leaders of your congregation seek to encourage and allow you to serve in an environment where you can us the first fruits of your gifts in the TIME that you dedicate to God’s glory at Resurrection.

       We don’t want to ask for volunteers.  By Christ’s command, we want to raise up DISCIPLES – disciples who GO and DO – who are “apron Christians,” not “bib Christians.”  Rather than saying, “Hey, we need someone to do x, y or z,” we want to reach to each person and say, “You have unique gifts, and we’d love for you to use them here!”  See the difference?  I hope so!

So, do we at Resurrection have a volunteer problem?  If we do, it’s the same problem Jesus Himself faced when He said, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.”  Jesus response, though, wasn’t to criticize, complain, or write a berating article for the newsletter.  Jesus response was PRAYER!  He said, “Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”  And then the very next word of our Lord to His disciples was: “GO!” [see Luke 10:1-3]  And I think you know what that means!

Lift High the Name of Jesus –

in all that we do for Him!

 Pastor Hank Hollar

P.S.: Oh … and by the way: God is doing some WONDERFUL and AWESOME things here at Resurrection, and it is an honor to be a part of it!