One of the foundational acts we can do as Christians is to serve. There are many times in the bible where God calls His Sons and Daughters to show love, generosity and hope through serving (check out 1 Peter 4:10, Galatians 5:13 and James 1:22 for a few verses).
Churches are amazing places to serve in, where we come together to worship, connect with other followers of Jesus, learn more from the bible and encounter God. All of these great places don’t run on their own, and need people like us to help keep them thriving and reaching out to new people.
Imagine if every member of the church served in some way, what incredible things could we do?!
Having taken time out from helping in my church’s youth department (after almost seven years of serving!), I’ve learnt so much about what serving gives both to others and to us individually, and up until now I’ve never considered the benefits I’ve had from serving before. So, I thought this was a perfect time to share with the GGF family.
Whether you are already serving in your church (and this is just a pleasant reminder of what serving is like), or you don’t currently serve, I hope this is an encouragement to you to take up your place within your local church.
Community
You can make really good friends whilst serving in a church, friends that transcend age and background. The majority of my closest friends have come from serving on the youth team. The beautiful thing about a team who serve in the church, is that they all have a shared passion for God and wanting to show His love to others, whether through making sure the church runs smoothly, engaging children in worship, or getting people into car parking spaces.
You can create great memories with members of the team, which brings you closer together. As corny as it sounds, they do really become your family, week in, week out, through sharing your problems, celebrations and faith whilst you serve.
Up-skilling
Serving in church is a really good way to learn some skills or hone in on the ones you already have. Have you always wanted to learn how to play an instrument, or build up the courage to tell people about Jesus? Find a way to get into these areas of your church and see where it takes you!
Also, whilst you’re gaining or strengthening these skills, you can use these in applications for jobs or education. Are you serving teas and coffees in your church’s cafe? That’s gaining customer service and hospitality skills. Helping the tech team out? There’s a lot of audio and visual knowledge you’ll be learning. Uploading posts to social-media? That’s a big industry in the employment world.
I know my CV and employment would not have been possible if God didn’t give me the opportunity to serve on the church youth team.
Using your God-given talents
Inside each one of us, God has created gifts and talents to be used for His glory and to serve others. What better place for these to thrive than our home churches.
Even if you don’t feel confident enough to use these gifts yet, or you’re not really sure where it fits in the life of your church, have courage to talk to a church leader or a mentor, and let them help you find a way to bring them out.
