Your Personal Invitation


Sitting in my doctor's waiting room, I picked up the 9/21/2009 issue of TIME Magazine. In big bold letters on the front cover, it read, "INSIDE: SPECIAL REPORT ON SERVICE."  This was the magazine's third annual service issue focusing on volunteerism in America.  Very timely, since I have been in the process of organizing Holy Comforter's Hands-On Outreach events - volunteer opportunities for our parishioners.

As I read the article, it was not surprising that they addressed the dismal fact that charitable giving in America is down as a result of the recession. However, with the passage of the Kennedy Serve America Act and the offical designation of 9/11 as National Day of Service and Remembrance, Americans are still volunteering at a steady rate because, as the article states,"our DNA as Americans contains a commitment to vounteerism and civic participation." 

I decided to do some research on national service, which led me to an organization called Corporation for National and Community Service, an independent federal agency and the nation's largest grantmaker supporting service and volunteering. They provide funding, training and technical assistance to non-profit organizations, and help promote and, most importantly, retain volunteers. Their website offers many facts, figures and national programs, but what I found most interesting was their report on non-volunteers: why is it that some people choose not to volunteer? Their research offers three reasons:

  1. Non-volunteers worry about the time commitment. They feel that volunteering means signing your life away to a particular organization. They fear that if they volunteer for something small, they will be asked to take on additional responsibilities or to stay on indefinitely. A valid point - many of us have been put in that position.
  2. Non-volunteers see themselves as essentially different from volunteers. They perceive volunteers as retired, without children, or having an abundance of leisure time. Or they feel they don't have a worthwhile skill to offer. Data, however, shows quite the contrary - volunteers tend to have busy schedules filled with work, children and other commitments, and everyone has a skill, talent or interest worth sharing.
  3. Non-volunteers say the main reason they don't volunteer is that they simply have never been asked to do so by someone they know and trust. Therefore,

Church of the Holy Comforter 

cordially invites you to participate in their

 Hands-On Outreach Activities

Dates: several from which to choose

Time: at your convenience

Activity: dependent on your interest or skill level

Commitment: 2 hours; one-time only 

So, consider this your personal invitation from someone you know and, hopefully, trust.

Our parish provides a variety of one-time hands-on volunteer opportunities for ages 12 years and up. You can choose an activity based on your interest, skill level or availability. Although a few of the opportunities are a bit longer, the average time commitment is two hours - JUST TWO HOURS. That's it!

Two hours serving a meal at Good News Community Kitchen; two hours folding laundry or packaging bakery goods at Misericordia; two hours working with children at St. Gregory's Episcopal School or Good News Children. Two hours delivering food to the Primo Center, or Easter baskets to Cathedral Shelter, or Christmas gifts to Connections for the Homeless. And if you're feeling really generous with your time, consider participating in the Parish Service Project at Good News Partners on November 14 - an all-day group project that will have jobs for all skill levels and abilities, from construction to arts and crafts projects. 

Go to Ministry & Outreach to find out more about these local community service projects sponsored by the parish.  You can trust that:

  1. if you volunteer one time, we will not harass you about re-upping (because you'll probably want to do that on your own anyway!).
  2. our current volunteers all have hectic schedules but manage to give back to the community many more than the average two hours. And it doesn't take a whole lot of skill to fold a bed sheet - just a bit of practice.
  3. volunteering as a parish makes the event fun as well as meaningful and productive.  We understand the scope of the work, we have long-term relationships with the organizations, and we know and enjoy each other. 

The current economic situation has created a much greater need for volunteer services, so we hope you will consider volunteering for at least one parish event this year. Volunteering isn't just good for the hungry, the needy, the down-and-out.  We are confident that by sharing your unique talents, working side by side with friends, and providing a much needed service to the community, this experience will ultimately change your life.

And you might surprise yourself by becoming a regular volunteer.