How can you say “thank you” to God? Try these service and volunteer opportunities!
Thanksgiving is coming. Do you feel thankful?
The Bible tells us to “always give thanks to God the Father for everything” (Ephesian 5:20). But what does that really mean—are we expected to literally say prayers of thanks to God as we go through the day? Prayer is a wonderful way to thank God… but what if there was a more tangible way to express our gratitude?
The Bible makes it clear that there is such a way: through service to others. You may have heard the quote, “whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me”—that means that when we do acts of service and kindness for others, it’s as if we are doing them for God himself.
That kind of selfless service is a great way not only to make the world a better place, but to show God our thankfulness. This Thanksgiving, think about how you can serve somebody else as an act of thanksgiving. If you can’t come up with any ideas, the ministries below are experts at connecting people like you to service opportunities that fit your skills and interests:
- ChristianVolunteering.org matches volunteers to volunteer opportunities—similar to how job sites like Monster.com work, but for volunteering. One nice resource they have is that in addition to volunteer and short-term mission trip opportunities, they have a section for volunteer opportunities that don’t involve travel—ways to serve a worthy cause from your home or office. They also maintain the useful Encyclopedia of Volunteer Management, Volunteering, and Short-Term Missions.
- The Center for Student Missions organizes short-term youth mission trips to urban areas across the United States. Their CSM Urban Updates blog is a good way to get a glimpse at the sort of work they do, and whether it’s a good fit for you (or the young people/students in your life).
- Fellowship International Mission sends missionaries to locations all over the world. Their specialty is flexibility and integrity—getting the right people to the right mission field with a minimum of red tape. They’ll happily work with you and your church to figure out a good mission opportunity for you.
- Village Missions has service opportunities for a different type of mission field—instead of sending missionaries on trips around the world, they serve and support country churches in rural areas around the U.S. They’re on the lookout for pastors and missionaries to serve rural churches in need of leadership—perhaps an ideal service opportunity for a pastor or missionary who’s retired but looking for a new ministry opportunity.
- Youth for Christ connects young people and adults to mission needs around the world. For young people, there are opportunities like Project Serve; for adults there is the World Outreach program, which sends U.S. citizens to reach youth around the globe. They also have some unique opportunities, like the Military Youth Ministry and mission internships for college students.
- Forest Glen sent two mission trips to Russia last year, with plans for more trips to come—a good choice if you really want to step out of your comfort zone.
- Latin America Mission connects people to mission opportunities (both long and short-term) in Latin American. They work hard to place missionaries in a variety of roles and positions, depending on local needs.
These are just a few of the opportunities you can get involved with. They range from long-term, international mission trips to local ministry right in your backyard—so whatever type of service you want to do, there’s an opportunity that’s right for you. Give it some thought this Thanksgiving week, and whether you take advantage of these opportunities or not, make it a point to incorporate service and volunteering into your everyday life! There’s no better way to say “thank you” to God than to care for people in need.
Note: While the holidays are a natural time to volunteer to help others, ministry needs exist all throughout the year. In fact, in some cases the need is even greater after the holiday season, after the “holiday spirit” has faded a bit and the pool of volunteers has dried up. So if you want to help out but can’t do so over the holidays, keep these opportunities in mind during the early months of 2008!
