We recently celebrated Volunteer Week.
Please allow me to say Thanks. Thank you. Wow! Great Work!
I am guessing that most of you reading this post is, or has been, a volunteer. Maybe it was helping your church decorate for Christmas. Or helping out during Vacation Bible School. Maybe you are an elder or played the organ during a funeral.
Maybe you go to Lutheran Life Villages and help transport patients for their chapel services or stuff envelopes at Worship Anew. Maybe you mentor at Lutheran Social Services or helped the CLHS band members on and off the field.
Maybe you served on the school board of one of our partner schools in NE Indiana. Maybe you are one of the dozens and dozens of former board members of The Lutheran Schools Partnership over the last 10 years, or serve on a standing committee. Maybe you helped promote the SGO program during the seniors club meeting.
According to Independent Sector, the average value of a volunteer’s time is $25.43/hour in 2018. As the report indicates, “about 63 million Americans volunteer about 8 billion hours of their time, talent, and effort to improve and strengthen their communities.” That comes to approximately $203.4 billion.
Make sure you say thanks the next time you see someone volunteering. Volunteers do help make the world go ‘round, and are hard to replace. Thanks for joining us on the ride to be leaders, champions, and collaborators. We couldn’t help 19 schools and nearly 400 educators without your help.
Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.
-- 1 Peter 4:10
‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
-- Matthew 25:40
