Social servants
Service made worthwhile by human connections
By Sara Alvarez
Serving fellow humans is a social activity. Whether it’s conversing in the cafeteria of a food pantry while prepping the food in the kitchen, or outside harvesting vegetables from a garden, at the very least, a volunteer has to communicate with a supervisor who gives instructions for the project.
The experience of serving expands our perspectives because, whether we’re serving in our communities or in a new one, we often have to interact with new people and new surroundings. These people share their stories and teach us different ways of living.
Marion and Jane Beyeler mention in their reflection that it was an eye-opening experience for them to be house parents at the Frontier Boys Village as part of their Mennonite Voluntary Service placement. The Beyelers quickly learned how to care for the boys, who looked up to the couple for support.
Regardless of who is doing the serving or who benefits from the service, everyone needs water on a hot day and everyone gets tired after a long day of work.
When we think about voluntary service from this perspective, we see how Jesus is the bedrock for service. Jesus compels us to get involved in the positive change of our communities through his example of going out of his way to interact with people outside of his usual circle.
Through service, we set an example to those around us to extend Jesus’ message of love into our world.