Being of Service

(c)2009 Jennifer Dennis Potter, all rights reserved.


For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.
-Philippians 2:13


I've been asked to be a deacon at our church. We've only been at this church for 6 months, so I was surprised to be asked. Maybe they're desperate! Just kidding, I think that God is giving me the opportunity to be of service. I will be part of a group of people who will visit the elderly in our church, send cards to people who are not well, stock the food pantry, make coffee for coffee hour, etc. It's hand-on work which I enjoy. I went to my first meeting the other night and it was fun. I get a little isolated being at home doing my work, as much as I love the flexibility and the ability to be home for my kids. There was a lot of laughter at this meeting and everyone was organized, too. It was a potluck dinner and there was some great food.

What good works are you being asked to do? What is pulling you forward? Maybe it's shoveling your neighbors walk after you are done shoveling yours. Maybe it's reading your daughter an extra story. Maybe it's donating those extra books to the library that you don't read anymore. Make no mistake, it is something. Just listen for what little or big thing it is.

Join in, help out

This is my "sticker" for the pledge that I'll be doing today at Starbucks. I'm pledging to put in 5 volunteer hours in my community. What do I do already? I volunteer to do videotaping for a group called The Black Pioneers of Niagara Falls. They are a group of African American citizens of the Niagara Falls area who have incredible stories to tell of their migration North in the early 20th century. I've done some editing of the dvds and a presentation with some of the co-founders of the group. I also bring food to our church food pantry and my kids love to get involved in this. It really has brought about some discussions about having and not having "enough". My kids now realize that some people in our city don't have enough to eat.

I need to do more, though. Of course, I should put in more volunteer hours, but this will get the ball rolling. You have until the 26th if you would like to get involved, too.