Sermons for the Month
The Volunteerism Blues
DATE: January 28, 2001
SERVICE: Epiphany IV
TEXT: Jeremiah 1:4-10“To all of you Saints here this morning, grace and peace to you from God our Father, from His Son, Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit. AMEN
James is 13 years old. He lives in New York City. His family has gone through hard times. His father lost his job as a butcher when the owner of the shop suddenly died. They were evicted from their apartment. His parents split up, and James and his brother have lived with their mother in two different shelters. But James is one of the lucky ones. He has a friend, a mentor, who's been with him for six years now. Her name is Sara Mosle, who describes herself as a "volunteer." She taught in the New York City public schools for three years and since then has volunteered as a mentor to some of her former students. At times, the group has been as large as 12 kids, a few Dominicans, the rest black. She's 36, and white. She's introduced these youngsters to words and experiences like chopsticks, Avery Fisher Hall, the Staten Island Ferry, Mexican food and Duke Ellington. She's the kind of person the federal government has in mind when it urges the private sector to assume some of the traditional services of the state. Sara knows all the political lingo: "A thousand points of light," "charitable choice" and "compassionate conservatism." She understands Colin Powell's powerful endorsement of volunteerism. So when the government called, Sara answered. It wasn't like the call of Jeremiah in today's text. But it was a call nonetheless and Sara, no doubt, like Jeremiah, had some misgivings. So also do many Americans. Measured by those who say they volunteered at some point during the last year, volunteerism is up by only one percent over its 1989 level. More telling is the fact that the total number of hours that people are donating has actually declined. People are more likely to volunteer if it's a one-shot deal, not a long-term - not to speak of a lifetime - commitment. Jeremiah is looking at a lifetime call. No wonder he's experiencing some angst. I'm no prophet, he says. I'm not the volunteer you want to go "to the nations." I don't want to stand before kingdoms "to pluck up and to pull down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant" (1:10). No, no, not me. Get somebody else. Jeremiah has excuses. "I am but a child." God says, "Don't say you're a child." Jeremiah says, "I do not know how to speak." God says, "I have put my words in your mouth." Jeremiah says, "I am afraid." God says, "Do not be afraid." Jeremiah says, "They'll eat me for lunch." God says, "I am with you and I will rescue you." Jeremiah says, "Okay then." Today, even in the church, we're not surprised when we hear similar excuses. Let me say in defense of the church we are not afflicted with the volunteerism blues like the culture at large. Still, it's becoming harder to find people who will respond to a call. Not just any call. A call from God. Perhaps that's the problem. We've forgotten the difference between a profession and a vocation. The one is what we do for a living; the other is our life's work or ministry. Of course, so much is different now from say - a 100 years ago. We've been experiencing a social revolution for 50 years since the last great war ended. Most adults, male and female, are in the work force. The work force is significantly grayer than it used to be as well, meaning that people are immersed in professional - not vocational - activity well into their 60s, even 70s. Two-parent families have two incomes now, and single-parent homes are commonplace. While work schedules were declining in the 70's they have actually risen in the 80s and 90s to beyond that of the 1960s. There simply isn't much time left for volunteering. And if there is time left over at all, we want to relax and invest our spare time recreationally. We don't want doing good deeds to get in the way of having a good time. The United Way, the Salvation Army and Catholic Charities report that they cannot keep up with requests for their services. Meals on Wheels often cannot find enough volunteers to deliver meals to the elderly of the nation's cities. To be frank I am very skeptical of the new administration's desire to shift more responsibility from the public to the private more often religious sector who already seemed stretched to their limits. Is the church facing a similar fate? Perhaps not. Busy Fingers, Soup for Hospice, our various worship volunteers, those who serve on Council, those involved in our various ministry teams like Explorers' Club, Choir, Praise Band, Lay Weeders, Garden Club, etc. Granted, it's not too hard to get one-shot volunteers in the church: we'll bake a cake for the bake sale, or help with the Rummage Sale. But finding volunteers for long-term assignments, such as ministry team work or teaching in the Explorers' Club, can be difficult. The truth is: the impulse to volunteer is still very much alive. That's why Faith Lutheran Church has been changing the way it does ministry. Since the neomodern lifestyle is more conducive to smaller, more intense bursts of activity, churches are trying team-teaching in Explorers' Club quarter by quarter. Ad hoc groups are formed for specific short-term tasks such as getting the Church Decorations out for Christmas. When the task is done, the group dissolves. The traditional form of a three-year commitment to a committee doesn't always fit the 21st-century realities of most families who may be transferred to California or Florida in two years. People want to volunteer and the church needs them, so we have changed the way we make this match. If other churches have the volunteer blues, maybe it isn't because God has stopped calling them. Perhaps it's because those churches refuse to acknowledge the paradigm shift of the past 50 years. It's not the volunteer who is making excuses; it's the church. Too often it is the church that lamely tries to blame its lack of ministry on the lack of volunteers, when - in fact - the volunteers are there, and the church has not been creative enough to use them effectively. Volunteerism could very well be alive and well, but those churches haven't caught up with where God wants them to be or go. The point I want to stress here is that the Jeremiah conundrum is not about a guilt trip but a faith trip. Being part of the body of Christ is not a spectator sport. It's being a part of a dynamic family where all are expected to work together for the sake of the family and in our case the glory of God. We are only strong as we each accept our place in the family as contributing members. God is calling. Both the church and volunteers must answer in faith. Our service must be linked to an understanding that God acts through us. His words must be upon our lips. AMEN