WEBVTT 00:00:03.439 --> 00:00:06.360 Hello everyone and welcome to this week's episode 00:00:06.360 --> 00:00:10.140 of Trinity Talks. My name is Kyla and this week 00:00:10.140 --> 00:00:14.740 is National Volunteer Week here in Canada. And 00:00:14.740 --> 00:00:17.519 as a church, as a non -profit organization, volunteers 00:00:17.519 --> 00:00:20.719 are so critical to the work that we do here at 00:00:20.719 --> 00:00:23.059 Trinity. And so I'm really happy to be sitting 00:00:23.059 --> 00:00:26.059 down with a few of our volunteers and just talk 00:00:26.059 --> 00:00:29.629 about what it is that... excite them about this 00:00:29.629 --> 00:00:32.210 work and the impact that they are having. So 00:00:32.210 --> 00:00:34.329 thank you for joining me, folks. You're welcome. 00:00:34.509 --> 00:00:37.210 Great to be here. Thank you. So maybe we'll start 00:00:37.210 --> 00:00:39.750 with some introductions. Maybe you can just say 00:00:39.750 --> 00:00:42.030 your name and what are some of the volunteer 00:00:42.030 --> 00:00:44.090 roles you've been doing here and how long you've 00:00:44.090 --> 00:00:47.149 been doing that work. Very happy to be here. 00:00:47.369 --> 00:00:51.649 My name is Bridgette and I have been volunteering 00:00:51.649 --> 00:00:56.090 to be my second year volunteering table with 00:00:56.090 --> 00:00:59.890 Alpha. It's a series of weekly sessions exploring 00:00:59.890 --> 00:01:04.689 Christian faith. And it starts on April the 29th. 00:01:04.870 --> 00:01:08.189 So I'm very excited for that. And as it's been 00:01:08.189 --> 00:01:10.969 five months now, I've been volunteering at the 00:01:10.969 --> 00:01:14.590 welcome desk. Okay. Yeah. Great. So you don't 00:01:14.590 --> 00:01:17.170 need to keep your hand on the mic there. Okay, 00:01:18.129 --> 00:01:22.129 and yeah, what about you? So my name is Liz and 00:01:22.129 --> 00:01:25.909 I've been at Trinity for, along with my husband 00:01:25.909 --> 00:01:32.969 Al, for 26 years now. And so in that time, you 00:01:32.969 --> 00:01:36.469 know, I've volunteered in lots of different ministries 00:01:36.469 --> 00:01:39.189 and just sort of explored all the various opportunities. 00:01:39.189 --> 00:01:43.450 We started sort of in the music ministry. But 00:01:43.450 --> 00:01:47.250 currently what I'm doing is I'm volunteering 00:01:47.250 --> 00:01:50.629 as a member of the tech team, so running the 00:01:50.629 --> 00:01:53.769 slides on Sundays, which initially terrified 00:01:53.769 --> 00:02:00.329 me. I'm also involved in, I'm on the prayer chain 00:02:00.329 --> 00:02:10.280 and on the meal train as well and the So many 00:02:10.280 --> 00:02:15.620 things. Oh my gosh. And I'm on the Chancellor 00:02:15.620 --> 00:02:23.259 Guild. Okay, yes. And that's it for now. That's 00:02:23.259 --> 00:02:28.719 all I'm doing. That's all? I'm a slacker. Good, 00:02:28.719 --> 00:02:31.379 and what about yourself? My name is Theo Fitch. 00:02:32.319 --> 00:02:34.900 After Liz, you know, my Liz is very short. That's 00:02:34.900 --> 00:02:41.120 okay. I've been actually Came back to 30. So 00:02:41.120 --> 00:02:43.199 been volunteering in the welcome team for the 00:02:43.199 --> 00:02:46.479 last two years And also help out whenever we 00:02:46.479 --> 00:02:48.680 can on the events team So in by helping out on 00:02:48.680 --> 00:02:50.900 this Thursday doing the cleaning up after the 00:02:50.900 --> 00:02:53.659 committee meal So but I'm on the roster for the 00:02:53.659 --> 00:02:58.639 welcome team. Okay. Okay, great so My first question 00:02:58.639 --> 00:03:01.560 is just what motivated you to want to volunteer. 00:03:01.560 --> 00:03:04.879 Why why did you get into this? Maybe we'll start 00:03:04.879 --> 00:03:09.840 here Liz. Yeah, it's um, well what I I I find 00:03:09.840 --> 00:03:12.900 is or have found is that volunteering is a great 00:03:12.900 --> 00:03:16.199 way to get connected to people. You know especially 00:03:16.199 --> 00:03:18.560 if you're coming into the church new and you 00:03:18.560 --> 00:03:21.860 don't really know anybody and I don't know I'm 00:03:21.860 --> 00:03:24.620 an extrovert so I like to get involved and have 00:03:24.620 --> 00:03:26.699 my hands and things and I'm more comfortable 00:03:26.699 --> 00:03:29.439 you know if I go to a party I'm like let me help 00:03:29.439 --> 00:03:31.939 you serve the hors d 'oeuvres or whatever you 00:03:31.939 --> 00:03:36.159 know and so I just sort of looked at what are 00:03:36.159 --> 00:03:40.379 the opportunities for me to get involved and 00:03:40.379 --> 00:03:45.599 to meet people. And then as I did different things, 00:03:46.460 --> 00:03:51.780 I made great friends and I developed new skills 00:03:51.780 --> 00:03:56.520 that I never thought I would be able to do. And 00:03:56.520 --> 00:04:01.270 also, Just to be to serve right and to be to 00:04:01.270 --> 00:04:04.530 bless people and you know come alongside people 00:04:04.530 --> 00:04:07.830 in their journeys There you know, there's so 00:04:07.830 --> 00:04:12.310 many great reasons to get involved. Yeah What 00:04:12.310 --> 00:04:15.789 about for you Co? So one thing actually not just 00:04:15.789 --> 00:04:18.610 a good deed, right? But it's also big aspect 00:04:18.610 --> 00:04:21.290 of the Christian discipleship, right? We talked 00:04:21.290 --> 00:04:24.310 about discipleship and for me it started off 00:04:24.310 --> 00:04:28.259 I think is more from a sense of gratitude because 00:04:28.259 --> 00:04:31.500 I felt when someone to a church or you go somewhere 00:04:31.500 --> 00:04:34.480 else, they reach out to you and touch you in 00:04:34.480 --> 00:04:37.720 many ways, right? just more than saying hello. 00:04:38.060 --> 00:04:39.839 You know, what can I do for you? How can I help 00:04:39.839 --> 00:04:42.519 you? That kind of helps me to set up. And like 00:04:42.519 --> 00:04:45.319 Liz said, I'm also extrovert. I was in sales 00:04:45.319 --> 00:04:48.759 for over 30 years. So I was love reaching people 00:04:48.759 --> 00:04:51.379 and connecting with people. So that's part of 00:04:51.379 --> 00:04:54.199 my way of giving back as well, right? And if 00:04:54.199 --> 00:04:56.779 you look at the scriptures in scripture, right? 00:04:57.319 --> 00:04:59.779 When Christians volunteer, they follow the footsteps 00:04:59.779 --> 00:05:02.920 of Christ. who dedicated his life serving others, 00:05:03.540 --> 00:05:06.459 and he set an example of selflessness, right? 00:05:06.860 --> 00:05:11.279 And in Matthew 20, 28, Jesus declares, the Son 00:05:11.279 --> 00:05:14.579 of Man did not come to be served, but to serve 00:05:14.579 --> 00:05:19.220 and to give his life as a ransom for many, you 00:05:19.220 --> 00:05:21.779 know? And maybe I can quote another scripture, 00:05:22.100 --> 00:05:26.120 another verse is from 1 Peter 4 .10, it says, 00:05:27.610 --> 00:05:31.310 Each has received a gift. You see this one another 00:05:31.310 --> 00:05:35.930 as good stewards of God's very grace. So good. 00:05:36.589 --> 00:05:38.850 Yeah. Yeah. So the faith is a really important 00:05:38.850 --> 00:05:41.569 part of that motivation. For sure. Yeah. Yeah. 00:05:42.290 --> 00:05:44.850 And what about for you? Totally. I love that 00:05:44.850 --> 00:05:49.250 scripture. Absolutely. For me, volunteering as 00:05:49.250 --> 00:05:53.990 serving others is a way of me loving God. You 00:05:53.990 --> 00:05:57.910 know, God has been so good to me. And it's a 00:05:57.910 --> 00:06:02.850 way of worship and just being a disciple. And 00:06:02.850 --> 00:06:06.990 again, to Scripture, just paying that forward. 00:06:07.089 --> 00:06:10.370 And I remember back in, well, around Christmas 00:06:10.370 --> 00:06:14.670 time, I really felt the Christ in Christmas. 00:06:15.769 --> 00:06:19.250 And I thought to myself, okay, happy birthday, 00:06:19.329 --> 00:06:22.819 baby Jesus. I need to reach out to Sally. And 00:06:22.819 --> 00:06:26.240 I did. And I said, Sally, I'm ready to take this 00:06:26.240 --> 00:06:29.600 to another level. I'm ready to volunteer. And 00:06:29.600 --> 00:06:31.319 what are your thoughts about me being on the 00:06:31.319 --> 00:06:33.139 welcome desk? Oh, Bridget, that's great, and 00:06:33.139 --> 00:06:36.540 the whole bed. And so here I am. And it's a way 00:06:36.540 --> 00:06:41.220 of such gratitude for all that Christ has done 00:06:41.220 --> 00:06:45.480 for me and how I see how Christ has moved in 00:06:45.480 --> 00:06:50.279 other people's lives. And it's just, it's so 00:06:50.279 --> 00:06:53.800 fulfilling. Yeah. Oh, that's so good. Yeah. Yeah. 00:06:53.939 --> 00:06:57.000 It's interesting to hear like the different angles 00:06:57.000 --> 00:06:59.480 that you're each coming to it from, right? Because 00:06:59.480 --> 00:07:03.060 there is that sense of connecting to our community, 00:07:03.300 --> 00:07:06.920 connecting to our church family. But then, yeah, 00:07:07.019 --> 00:07:09.579 also following the way of Jesus and seeing this 00:07:09.579 --> 00:07:12.360 as something that really is a part of your particular 00:07:12.360 --> 00:07:15.379 faith journey, right? And Trinity has been so 00:07:15.379 --> 00:07:19.779 good to me. It's a family and it's a way of building 00:07:19.779 --> 00:07:24.819 this church and supporting it. For sure. Yeah, 00:07:24.959 --> 00:07:28.540 I mean, I know I think about for myself in this 00:07:28.540 --> 00:07:30.279 church community, but in other churches that 00:07:30.279 --> 00:07:33.879 I've been part of, it's that stepping into volunteering. 00:07:34.220 --> 00:07:37.500 that like has then allows me to feel actually 00:07:37.500 --> 00:07:40.000 really connected to the community. Right? Because 00:07:40.000 --> 00:07:42.259 it's easy to walk in the door on Sunday morning 00:07:42.259 --> 00:07:44.480 and then walk out an hour later. But if you're 00:07:44.480 --> 00:07:46.879 there to volunteer, you get to know people in 00:07:46.879 --> 00:07:49.860 a different way. It's a sense of belonging. For 00:07:49.860 --> 00:07:54.339 sure. And I think too, you know, as you volunteer. 00:07:54.960 --> 00:07:58.600 there's a depth of caring. Yes. Part of that, 00:07:58.600 --> 00:08:02.600 right? And you just sort of grow, go deeper in 00:08:02.600 --> 00:08:05.079 God and, you know, connecting with each other 00:08:05.079 --> 00:08:08.339 and you care, you know, you care about this community, 00:08:08.459 --> 00:08:11.620 you know, as you care through volunteering in 00:08:11.620 --> 00:08:14.680 lots of different ways. Yeah, yeah, for sure. 00:08:15.459 --> 00:08:18.959 So what do you enjoy the most about volunteering? 00:08:19.379 --> 00:08:20.860 Maybe we'll start with you, Thea. What do you 00:08:20.860 --> 00:08:25.220 like the most? We already touched on, we just 00:08:25.220 --> 00:08:27.040 talked about sense of belonging, right? So one 00:08:27.040 --> 00:08:29.759 of the things that I didn't expect, which is 00:08:29.759 --> 00:08:32.399 a great blessing, is that within the family, 00:08:32.580 --> 00:08:34.500 we have another family, within the Trinity family, 00:08:34.620 --> 00:08:36.120 we have another family, which is a volunteer 00:08:36.120 --> 00:08:39.120 family. I made some good friends already, right? 00:08:39.879 --> 00:08:43.700 So that's in itself a big blessing. We volunteers, 00:08:43.940 --> 00:08:46.120 we help each other, a little bit more stronger 00:08:46.120 --> 00:08:48.320 fellowship, because you obviously learn from 00:08:48.320 --> 00:08:50.899 each other more. So not only are you getting 00:08:51.200 --> 00:08:54.179 the blessing from serving as a volunteer but 00:08:54.179 --> 00:08:57.220 it's also the fellowship shared among the volunteers 00:08:57.220 --> 00:09:00.080 as well. We help each other, we cover for each 00:09:00.080 --> 00:09:02.960 other and things like that. I can call upon another 00:09:02.960 --> 00:09:05.860 volunteer if I can't make a particular time or 00:09:05.860 --> 00:09:10.820 something. The other thing is, It's more meaningful 00:09:10.820 --> 00:09:13.399 about part of someone's first impression, me 00:09:13.399 --> 00:09:15.740 being on the welcome team. First impression of 00:09:15.740 --> 00:09:18.500 the church, right? Helping and creating that 00:09:18.500 --> 00:09:22.080 atmosphere. Let them exhale and relax and feel 00:09:22.080 --> 00:09:24.720 like you belong. And make that impression for 00:09:24.720 --> 00:09:28.080 them. And when you see even last Sunday, I met 00:09:28.080 --> 00:09:32.039 somebody new, introduced him to Sally. And that's 00:09:32.039 --> 00:09:34.429 in itself, sorry not last Sunday. previous son 00:09:34.429 --> 00:09:36.690 and then she came back. So to see people are 00:09:36.690 --> 00:09:39.909 coming back and being part of your family, that's 00:09:39.909 --> 00:09:42.029 a blessing and you see the fruitfulness happening 00:09:42.029 --> 00:09:45.610 there, right? Yeah, and I think about like when 00:09:45.610 --> 00:09:48.909 we talk to folks who are new to Trinity or who 00:09:48.909 --> 00:09:50.450 are coming for the first time, one of the things 00:09:50.450 --> 00:09:52.409 that they'll often say is that they feel very 00:09:52.409 --> 00:09:54.409 warmly welcomed, right? And so you get to be 00:09:54.409 --> 00:09:56.750 a really important part of that, which is cool. 00:09:56.970 --> 00:10:00.070 Exactly. building deep, meaningful relationships. 00:10:00.929 --> 00:10:04.250 It's like one body, many parts, all working together. 00:10:04.590 --> 00:10:07.690 For sure. What about for you? What do you enjoy 00:10:07.690 --> 00:10:11.070 the most about volunteering? You summed it up 00:10:11.070 --> 00:10:14.730 exactly. Definitely. Just again, building deep, 00:10:14.870 --> 00:10:18.250 meaningful relationships, knowing where you are 00:10:18.250 --> 00:10:22.629 in your journey and seeing someone come in for 00:10:22.629 --> 00:10:27.539 the first time and just being of... discipleship 00:10:27.539 --> 00:10:32.700 for them, like being there for them. And I just 00:10:32.700 --> 00:10:35.500 hand it over to God. It's like, you know, I believe 00:10:35.500 --> 00:10:38.539 the Holy Spirit just works through us and volunteer, 00:10:39.240 --> 00:10:44.240 and just leave it to, leave it to God. Definitely. 00:10:44.740 --> 00:10:48.960 For sure. And what about for you, Liz? So, I 00:10:48.960 --> 00:10:51.460 would say, I think, you know, when I look back 00:10:51.460 --> 00:10:54.080 at the different volunteer roles that I've had, 00:10:55.309 --> 00:10:58.970 I look at them all through a lens of hospitality. 00:10:59.830 --> 00:11:03.870 I just realize over the years how important hospitality 00:11:03.870 --> 00:11:09.269 is to me. And I define it really broadly. It's 00:11:09.269 --> 00:11:11.370 not just about having people over for dinner 00:11:11.370 --> 00:11:15.309 or whatever, but it's welcoming people, helping 00:11:15.309 --> 00:11:19.370 people to feel comfortable in our space, in the 00:11:19.370 --> 00:11:26.759 service, in whatever way. And that really blesses 00:11:26.759 --> 00:11:30.379 me. And I think about working on the chancel 00:11:30.379 --> 00:11:33.480 guild, which is the group of people who prepare 00:11:33.480 --> 00:11:36.539 all the elements for communion and look after 00:11:36.539 --> 00:11:41.879 the chalices and wash the red wine stains out 00:11:41.879 --> 00:11:45.759 of the linen, all of that stuff behind the scene. 00:11:46.039 --> 00:11:49.100 But I think about, well, that work is like I'm 00:11:49.100 --> 00:11:53.230 setting the Lord's Table for the whole congregation 00:11:53.230 --> 00:12:00.570 to participate in. And I think, and I love that 00:12:00.570 --> 00:12:04.870 Trinity is really oriented toward hospitality. 00:12:05.909 --> 00:12:09.379 And the broader that we can sort of... You know 00:12:09.379 --> 00:12:11.840 define that and implement that that you know 00:12:11.840 --> 00:12:14.919 the better in my view Yeah, for sure. I felt 00:12:14.919 --> 00:12:17.879 that with the community meal. I know that I volunteered 00:12:17.879 --> 00:12:20.620 Yeah, yeah community mill the same way. Yeah, 00:12:20.799 --> 00:12:23.360 it's beautiful. Just all coming together. Yeah. 00:12:23.440 --> 00:12:28.470 Yeah, absolutely Yeah, yeah for sure So the theme 00:12:28.470 --> 00:12:31.710 for National Volunteer Week here in Canada this 00:12:31.710 --> 00:12:35.830 year is volunteers make waves. Which I think 00:12:35.830 --> 00:12:40.049 is just a really fun kind of imagery. Yeah, but 00:12:40.049 --> 00:12:43.529 I want you to think about in your own life, I'm 00:12:43.529 --> 00:12:45.590 sure that there have been volunteers who have 00:12:45.590 --> 00:12:48.889 made waves in your life. Volunteers who have 00:12:48.889 --> 00:12:52.950 impacted you in some way. So maybe we can just... 00:12:52.759 --> 00:12:55.840 Do a little bit of storytelling here. Um, I'm 00:12:55.840 --> 00:13:00.120 looking at her. So, um, there's been many, but 00:13:00.120 --> 00:13:02.779 I'll start with Liz. I remember coming to the 00:13:02.779 --> 00:13:05.460 first, was it the lunch, the welcome lunch on 00:13:05.460 --> 00:13:09.080 your first Sunday on my first Sunday. And I think 00:13:09.080 --> 00:13:11.759 I was a little terrified. I was out of sorts 00:13:11.759 --> 00:13:16.419 and Liz was just, she was love and she was welcoming. 00:13:17.080 --> 00:13:20.419 And then from there it was, uh, Jane and Wally, 00:13:20.580 --> 00:13:25.960 who now I'm in there. and I went to Alpha and 00:13:25.960 --> 00:13:29.519 Sally and Cathy at the welcome desk. I remember 00:13:29.519 --> 00:13:31.259 going to the welcome desk the first Sunday I 00:13:31.259 --> 00:13:33.899 came here and I'm like, so what's this all about? 00:13:34.320 --> 00:13:39.059 No, seriously, right? All of that. And just, 00:13:40.059 --> 00:13:43.120 when you say making waves, the analogy when I 00:13:43.120 --> 00:13:46.019 read that, it was like making waves, I was lost 00:13:46.019 --> 00:13:50.139 at sea and these waves brought me to shore. And 00:13:50.139 --> 00:13:53.679 this is through the help of the volunteers. And 00:13:53.679 --> 00:13:57.879 I am so grateful. And everyone, there's more 00:13:57.879 --> 00:14:02.039 names to mention, but they were so instrumental. 00:14:02.320 --> 00:14:05.000 Thank you for the how much time, how many time, 00:14:05.179 --> 00:14:08.460 Liz, but thank you. No, it's true. She was there 00:14:08.460 --> 00:14:13.419 and just supportive, very supportive. That's 00:14:13.419 --> 00:14:17.860 so good. Yeah. Any other stories, Theo, for you? 00:14:18.920 --> 00:14:20.960 One, I'd like to come back to you about Trinity 00:14:20.960 --> 00:14:22.720 as well. But before that, when I was growing 00:14:22.720 --> 00:14:26.200 up as a young Christian boy in a Christian family 00:14:26.200 --> 00:14:29.399 in Sri Lanka, went to church. We are one of 10 00:14:29.399 --> 00:14:32.360 siblings, so we all go to church. So I'm just 00:14:32.360 --> 00:14:34.759 one number. I'm number seven in the 10, right? 00:14:35.240 --> 00:14:38.059 But that is the Sunday school teacher and the 00:14:38.059 --> 00:14:40.360 pastor, he makes sure that he address you by 00:14:40.360 --> 00:14:42.960 name. He didn't say son of Reggie and Madara, 00:14:43.100 --> 00:14:45.960 my parents, you know, and address you by name 00:14:45.960 --> 00:14:49.789 and make sure that You are cared for. You are 00:14:49.789 --> 00:14:52.769 treated as an individual. That meant a lot. Those 00:14:52.769 --> 00:14:56.570 are the things that always stood on me. I've 00:14:56.570 --> 00:14:58.450 been to many churches in Canada before as well, 00:14:58.649 --> 00:15:01.690 but when you came to Trinidad, at the Welcome 00:15:01.690 --> 00:15:04.970 Dex, they treated me like a person, not another 00:15:04.970 --> 00:15:10.679 person in the crowd. part of the life group. 00:15:10.860 --> 00:15:13.279 So Cathy and Alan already included us in the 00:15:13.279 --> 00:15:15.980 life group. Right. And so that's an extension 00:15:15.980 --> 00:15:18.139 of, you know, going from the welcome team to 00:15:18.139 --> 00:15:20.820 part of the life group and then now become volunteers 00:15:20.820 --> 00:15:24.539 as well. So it's just that extra touch that someone 00:15:24.539 --> 00:15:28.360 gives you from coming back to Trinity that now 00:15:28.360 --> 00:15:30.399 I'm making the ripple effect to other people, 00:15:30.799 --> 00:15:32.700 right? Yeah. Able to do the same thing. Yeah. 00:15:32.759 --> 00:15:34.919 So making waves and bringing you back to shore. 00:15:35.399 --> 00:15:40.000 Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, the waves, you know, 00:15:40.019 --> 00:15:42.700 I think about the variety of waves that there 00:15:42.700 --> 00:15:45.679 are. There can be huge waves, you know, or they 00:15:45.679 --> 00:15:48.480 could be gentle ripples or you could be sitting 00:15:48.480 --> 00:15:51.679 on the shore of a lake and it's just, you know, 00:15:51.879 --> 00:15:55.639 lapping against your feet. But, you know, I love 00:15:55.639 --> 00:15:59.659 the ripple effect idea, right? And people don't 00:15:59.659 --> 00:16:03.820 realize, I think, how one little tiny action 00:16:03.820 --> 00:16:09.509 or a word or a hug The impact of that is going 00:16:09.509 --> 00:16:14.090 forward in that person's life. I've experienced 00:16:14.090 --> 00:16:21.289 that in my own life. Just this idea of the water 00:16:21.289 --> 00:16:25.889 too, which is like something that nourishes us, 00:16:26.470 --> 00:16:32.889 the water of life. Yeah, but it's those tiniest 00:16:32.889 --> 00:16:35.429 ripple that you know you can make and I mean 00:16:35.429 --> 00:16:38.370 you don't have to do a big dramatic thing Yeah, 00:16:38.370 --> 00:16:41.190 it's just it can be just a simple little act. 00:16:41.389 --> 00:16:43.870 It can be remembering someone's name. You're 00:16:43.870 --> 00:16:46.769 right So yeah important, you know people understand 00:16:46.769 --> 00:16:51.049 that they we we know, you know who they are and 00:16:51.049 --> 00:16:53.769 What you know a bit of their story or you know, 00:16:53.889 --> 00:16:57.649 whatever whatever, you know that may be but it's 00:16:58.299 --> 00:17:01.940 it's a nourishing thing. You know, the water 00:17:01.940 --> 00:17:07.960 is life -giving, right? And that's, yeah, it's 00:17:07.960 --> 00:17:11.380 a beautiful thing. Yeah, and I think about too, 00:17:11.799 --> 00:17:15.269 the like, compounded ripple effects, right? Like, 00:17:15.269 --> 00:17:18.150 cause I can think about, okay, here's one volunteer 00:17:18.150 --> 00:17:21.210 in my life who started something and then for 00:17:21.210 --> 00:17:23.049 whatever reason that season sort of came to an 00:17:23.049 --> 00:17:24.769 end, but there was another volunteer and another 00:17:24.769 --> 00:17:27.289 moment you like picked that up, right? And so 00:17:27.289 --> 00:17:31.309 if I, yeah, another wave. So like, if I think 00:17:31.309 --> 00:17:35.259 about, you know, my faith journey is like, defined 00:17:35.259 --> 00:17:39.799 by volunteers, really. Like from the moment that 00:17:39.799 --> 00:17:42.259 I was a kid in the nursery, where there were 00:17:42.259 --> 00:17:45.839 nursery volunteers, to being a teenager and having 00:17:45.839 --> 00:17:48.559 volunteers willing to wrestle with the hard questions 00:17:48.559 --> 00:17:52.160 with me. And all throughout my life, it's been 00:17:52.160 --> 00:17:55.220 volunteers who have helped bring me to this point 00:17:55.220 --> 00:17:59.140 that I'm at. Yeah. Are there any specific volunteers 00:17:59.140 --> 00:18:01.440 who stand out in your life, Liz? Well, yeah, 00:18:01.680 --> 00:18:05.460 I mean, so many. Like, you know, so many, you 00:18:05.460 --> 00:18:10.440 know, and I apologize to everyone. But I mean, 00:18:10.599 --> 00:18:15.509 I remember like coming to Trinity and Just you 00:18:15.509 --> 00:18:18.470 know the people who were involved in music ministry 00:18:18.470 --> 00:18:20.930 because that was what Al and I were doing in 00:18:20.930 --> 00:18:24.089 our previous church You know and and you know 00:18:24.089 --> 00:18:25.890 the other volunteers who were involved they sort 00:18:25.890 --> 00:18:30.769 of just embraced us and brought us in and the 00:18:30.769 --> 00:18:35.150 leaders at the time just gave us opportunities 00:18:35.150 --> 00:18:40.390 and trusted us to do stuff as well and that helps 00:18:40.390 --> 00:18:43.890 just grow your experience and build your confidence 00:18:43.890 --> 00:18:49.049 and you take those lessons on board so that you 00:18:49.049 --> 00:18:53.769 can ripple them out to other people. I think 00:18:53.769 --> 00:18:56.220 it's really... You know, I've been encouraged 00:18:56.220 --> 00:18:59.299 by so many volunteers in so many different ways. 00:18:59.640 --> 00:19:03.180 And it's, you know, it's had an eternal impact, 00:19:03.240 --> 00:19:08.319 I would say. Yeah, for sure. Yeah. Yeah. So in 00:19:08.319 --> 00:19:11.940 this this theme of making waves, we've talked 00:19:11.940 --> 00:19:13.240 about, you know, the people who have made the 00:19:13.240 --> 00:19:15.279 waves in our lives. But how do you see yourselves 00:19:15.279 --> 00:19:19.759 making waves in other people's lives? Sathya, 00:19:19.900 --> 00:19:21.599 you already sort of talked about this woman who 00:19:21.599 --> 00:19:23.960 came to church one time and then you were able 00:19:23.960 --> 00:19:26.359 to see her come back again. I think that's one 00:19:26.359 --> 00:19:31.660 example. Do you have other examples? Mainly examples 00:19:31.660 --> 00:19:34.660 like either meeting people for the first time 00:19:34.660 --> 00:19:36.859 and then take them to the welcome team and make 00:19:36.859 --> 00:19:39.039 sure they're registered or there are people who's 00:19:39.039 --> 00:19:41.569 been here But they know about the life group. 00:19:41.849 --> 00:19:43.809 So again, take them to make a connection with 00:19:43.809 --> 00:19:46.789 the right people for the life group. And they 00:19:46.789 --> 00:19:50.089 may have specific questions. And so you direct 00:19:50.089 --> 00:19:52.809 them to appropriate people. So just being as 00:19:52.809 --> 00:19:55.150 an extra resourceful person for them, right? 00:19:56.809 --> 00:20:00.410 And sometimes it's embarrassing because I've 00:20:00.410 --> 00:20:02.589 come across somebody who's been coming here for 00:20:02.589 --> 00:20:05.549 weeks. And because I happen to ask a question, 00:20:05.730 --> 00:20:08.119 they say, oh, yeah, I've been coming here. They 00:20:08.119 --> 00:20:11.000 know about all what we provide. So then I was 00:20:11.000 --> 00:20:12.859 able to take her to the welcome dinner and make 00:20:12.859 --> 00:20:15.200 sure you talk to somebody here and there might 00:20:15.200 --> 00:20:17.519 be things that you might be interested. So those 00:20:17.519 --> 00:20:19.259 are the things with the scope of the church. 00:20:19.619 --> 00:20:21.640 Right. Yeah. And also I'm just thinking about 00:20:21.640 --> 00:20:24.319 the newcomers now, trying to connect them with 00:20:24.319 --> 00:20:26.400 the life groups. You know, there's always one 00:20:26.400 --> 00:20:28.380 life group. They may have more room for it so 00:20:28.380 --> 00:20:31.880 you can include them in there. Right. Yeah. Yeah. 00:20:31.980 --> 00:20:37.299 Yeah. Yeah. What about for you? I'm going. totally 00:20:37.299 --> 00:20:41.819 on faith here. I always pray, God, make me an 00:20:41.819 --> 00:20:44.359 instrument of your will. So when I volunteer, 00:20:45.140 --> 00:20:49.259 it's thy will be done. And I operate from a place 00:20:49.259 --> 00:20:52.880 of love and that love I want to shine through. 00:20:53.119 --> 00:20:58.039 I wanna be a light. So whatever, however that 00:20:58.039 --> 00:21:01.779 shows up, I have faith that I can be of service. 00:21:02.700 --> 00:21:05.940 to whatever comes my way. But I find a really 00:21:05.940 --> 00:21:08.980 great tool, being on the Welcome Test, is the 00:21:08.980 --> 00:21:12.059 app. The app is really great in terms of people 00:21:12.059 --> 00:21:13.640 really getting connected, because there's so 00:21:13.640 --> 00:21:16.279 much going on and then, you know, volunteering 00:21:16.279 --> 00:21:18.900 and from all the different events and things 00:21:18.900 --> 00:21:21.000 of that nature. So that is a great tool that 00:21:21.000 --> 00:21:24.019 I love to. to put out there for people, I find 00:21:24.019 --> 00:21:26.599 that very useful. Yeah, and then you don't even 00:21:26.599 --> 00:21:29.160 know from there what the impact is, right? Absolutely, 00:21:29.279 --> 00:21:30.759 and they might leave and just, you know, a lot 00:21:30.759 --> 00:21:32.839 of, and it was interesting because last, it was 00:21:32.839 --> 00:21:35.940 last Sunday, a lot of people didn't know about 00:21:35.940 --> 00:21:38.039 this church app. Right. And then they're, you 00:21:38.039 --> 00:21:40.240 know, and then they opened it up and said, oh 00:21:40.240 --> 00:21:42.000 my goodness, okay, who knows what they do when 00:21:42.000 --> 00:21:44.460 they go home and they go through it. So I think 00:21:44.460 --> 00:21:47.200 that's, again, in itself, very instrumental in 00:21:47.349 --> 00:21:49.630 you know, directing people. And again, the Holy 00:21:49.630 --> 00:21:52.609 Spirit will guide them accordingly as well. Yeah, 00:21:52.910 --> 00:21:54.769 yeah. So just for a bit of context, we have this 00:21:54.769 --> 00:21:58.490 church center app that then allows us to check 00:21:58.490 --> 00:22:01.049 into church if you're joining online or to find 00:22:01.049 --> 00:22:04.089 out about events that are coming up or life groups 00:22:04.089 --> 00:22:07.269 that you might want to join or giving, all kinds 00:22:07.269 --> 00:22:09.289 of things. Yes, absolutely. So yeah, pointing 00:22:09.289 --> 00:22:11.930 them to this one tool then ripples out in all 00:22:11.930 --> 00:22:15.839 of these ways and lets them get connected. Definitely. 00:22:16.299 --> 00:22:18.759 I think I've signed, I don't know, maybe about 00:22:18.759 --> 00:22:21.460 six or seven people just this past week, Sunday. 00:22:22.180 --> 00:22:26.299 So that's good to know. Yeah, for sure. It's 00:22:26.299 --> 00:22:29.339 a really good tool. Right. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. 00:22:29.339 --> 00:22:31.220 What about for you, Liz, how do you see yourself 00:22:31.220 --> 00:22:36.920 making waves? Well, I mean, I don't know. I think 00:22:36.920 --> 00:22:42.299 that I love the idea of being wave makers, like 00:22:42.299 --> 00:22:48.720 individually and collectively. And I don't know 00:22:48.720 --> 00:22:53.009 where at the end of the ripple what... what really 00:22:53.009 --> 00:22:57.450 happens, but I think for me, and all of us probably, 00:22:58.490 --> 00:23:04.829 it's just to be faithful every day, step by step 00:23:04.829 --> 00:23:09.369 in your day, praying and just seeking God's direction. 00:23:09.970 --> 00:23:14.700 And I really, I try I try really hard, and this 00:23:14.700 --> 00:23:16.920 is hard for me sometimes, to not get ahead of 00:23:16.920 --> 00:23:20.920 God. To think maybe that my ideas are better. 00:23:22.740 --> 00:23:28.339 But I'm working on that. But yeah, I think just 00:23:28.339 --> 00:23:37.160 sort of continuing to be a light bearer, as Bridget 00:23:37.160 --> 00:23:41.829 said, and to be a joyful, you know, and and to, 00:23:41.829 --> 00:23:46.069 you know, root myself in Christ and the joy and 00:23:46.069 --> 00:23:48.549 the peace that he brings me and trust that God 00:23:48.549 --> 00:23:52.670 will use that in some way. Yeah. In however and 00:23:52.670 --> 00:23:56.950 whoever. Yeah. Yeah. He's in charge. Yeah, absolutely. 00:23:57.430 --> 00:24:00.170 Let me just add, adding another sentence. Yeah. 00:24:00.549 --> 00:24:04.470 If I can be helpful and helping someone to be 00:24:04.470 --> 00:24:08.750 part of the Trinity family, that's a way that 00:24:08.730 --> 00:24:12.170 worth making. If they come back and say, this 00:24:12.170 --> 00:24:14.329 is why I belong, this is why I want to come home, 00:24:14.710 --> 00:24:16.970 that's the end of the day, that's a big way we're 00:24:16.970 --> 00:24:20.690 making. And it's one person at a time. And then 00:24:20.690 --> 00:24:26.690 they will move on. I like what you said about, 00:24:27.109 --> 00:24:29.670 I'm just trusting that God is going to do something. 00:24:30.490 --> 00:24:33.009 And knowing we don't always get to see the end, 00:24:33.230 --> 00:24:36.069 but we can trust that I'm faithful in my part 00:24:36.069 --> 00:24:39.400 and God will be faithful in... Bringing something 00:24:39.400 --> 00:24:43.140 through through this impact. Yeah, knowing it's 00:24:43.140 --> 00:24:45.380 the knowing that he will bring. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah 00:24:45.380 --> 00:24:50.500 for sure So you've all served in different ways 00:24:50.500 --> 00:24:54.059 in a sort of hospitality role or a welcome role 00:24:54.059 --> 00:24:57.059 here at Trinity Which I think is just really 00:24:57.059 --> 00:25:01.960 important to this ministry So I'm wondering how 00:25:01.960 --> 00:25:05.509 have you seen people? Get connected like do you 00:25:05.509 --> 00:25:08.490 have any examples of folks who have really sort 00:25:08.490 --> 00:25:11.930 of come through this welcome ministry? Well? 00:25:12.390 --> 00:25:18.309 Alpha, okay. Yeah alpha is You have to do alpha 00:25:18.309 --> 00:25:25.430 It's all questions there's they're all welcomed 00:25:25.430 --> 00:25:29.690 I was mentioning earlier to Wally that I was 00:25:29.690 --> 00:25:34.019 a cherry picker in the Bible You know, and I 00:25:34.019 --> 00:25:37.359 had so many questions and those questions I think 00:25:37.359 --> 00:25:40.880 were in the way of me moving forward with my 00:25:40.880 --> 00:25:45.400 faith. So I think Alpha, Alpha is incredible. 00:25:46.180 --> 00:25:49.220 Oh my goodness, yes. Yeah. And it is a space 00:25:49.220 --> 00:25:52.390 of... of welcome, both for those questions, of 00:25:52.390 --> 00:25:56.130 welcome for sharing meals together. Family, and 00:25:56.130 --> 00:25:58.630 you just become friends because you're going 00:25:58.630 --> 00:26:02.369 through this together, you know? And I'm in their 00:26:02.369 --> 00:26:06.210 life group now, and you know, I'm on a text basis 00:26:06.210 --> 00:26:08.970 with the people that I was in alpha with, and 00:26:08.970 --> 00:26:13.490 we go for coffees, and it's community. It just, 00:26:13.490 --> 00:26:17.230 it flows, like the water, it just flows. Yeah, 00:26:17.329 --> 00:26:22.019 yeah, for sure. Yeah. And the other stories or 00:26:22.019 --> 00:26:24.519 thoughts on how, you know, hospitality and welcome 00:26:24.519 --> 00:26:26.980 is such an important part of what we're doing 00:26:26.980 --> 00:26:32.259 here and your volunteer ministry. I mean, I guess 00:26:32.259 --> 00:26:33.900 it goes back to this thing that I said earlier 00:26:33.900 --> 00:26:36.359 about, you know, the newcomers who come in often 00:26:36.359 --> 00:26:38.539 will say, I can't come into this building without 00:26:38.539 --> 00:26:43.259 being welcomed. Right. And it is that sense of 00:26:43.259 --> 00:26:46.299 warmth that creates something really special 00:26:46.299 --> 00:26:51.279 and that is not possible, I think, without volunteers, 00:26:51.799 --> 00:26:53.920 without people to really stand in the gap and 00:26:53.920 --> 00:26:59.220 do that work. And I would add that, you know, 00:26:59.259 --> 00:27:03.140 for newcomers especially, I mean, when they walk 00:27:03.140 --> 00:27:05.500 in the door, we don't know their stories. We 00:27:05.500 --> 00:27:07.920 don't know where they're coming from, what they're 00:27:07.920 --> 00:27:11.019 dealing with or anything. And so it's really 00:27:11.019 --> 00:27:16.559 important to have an open attitude and an open 00:27:16.559 --> 00:27:19.200 mind and just like... wherever you're at, whatever 00:27:19.200 --> 00:27:22.359 you're going through, you are welcome here, you 00:27:22.359 --> 00:27:25.259 know, and let's walk together as, you know, we 00:27:25.259 --> 00:27:29.519 explore different things. That's, I don't know, 00:27:29.779 --> 00:27:32.940 that's like, that hospitality, you can sort of 00:27:32.940 --> 00:27:39.359 define it as, you know, welcoming people, you 00:27:39.359 --> 00:27:42.500 know, who are coming in and loving and caring 00:27:42.500 --> 00:27:46.740 for them until they feel like they're in a family. 00:27:47.279 --> 00:27:52.220 It's from the outside to the inside. And that's 00:27:52.220 --> 00:27:55.180 key. I mean, I could frame everything we do as 00:27:55.180 --> 00:27:58.599 an act of hospitality in one way or the other. 00:27:59.480 --> 00:28:02.940 And just following the example of Jesus in so 00:28:02.940 --> 00:28:06.480 many ways. Do you find sometimes that, I know 00:28:06.480 --> 00:28:09.720 from my experience coming here, you feel, felt 00:28:09.720 --> 00:28:13.220 like I was broken or not worthy or not good enough. 00:28:13.869 --> 00:28:17.910 the welcoming here was there was just so much 00:28:17.910 --> 00:28:22.470 love and so much caring and it was such a safe 00:28:22.470 --> 00:28:26.609 place where there was no judgment and that's 00:28:26.609 --> 00:28:30.309 that's what I feel here yeah that's great that's 00:28:30.309 --> 00:28:33.210 good yeah yeah that's what I feel yeah I can 00:28:33.210 --> 00:28:38.009 say that that's huge for sure yeah yeah and I 00:28:38.009 --> 00:28:40.589 too I think back to what What you said earlier, 00:28:40.690 --> 00:28:42.910 Theo, that being on a volunteer team feels like 00:28:42.910 --> 00:28:46.089 a family within a family sometimes, right? And 00:28:46.089 --> 00:28:48.549 that's another element of hospitality. It's not 00:28:48.549 --> 00:28:50.549 just the hospitality that our volunteers extend 00:28:50.549 --> 00:28:53.609 to our newcomers. It's the hospitality of volunteers 00:28:53.609 --> 00:28:55.970 extending to one another. Of each other, yeah. 00:28:57.349 --> 00:29:00.130 The other thing about the newcomers, right? Anybody 00:29:00.130 --> 00:29:02.509 coming through the doors or even somebody who 00:29:02.509 --> 00:29:06.150 hasn't been to charity coming back again. They're 00:29:06.150 --> 00:29:08.769 coming back because in their search of either 00:29:08.769 --> 00:29:12.410 a new community, a church, or in hope, or in 00:29:12.410 --> 00:29:14.829 search of God, right? Either way, we are the 00:29:14.829 --> 00:29:17.269 ones to say, look, you can get it here through 00:29:17.269 --> 00:29:19.869 fellowship, right? Come and worship with us, 00:29:19.869 --> 00:29:21.970 you can get it here. So that's why it's important. 00:29:22.089 --> 00:29:23.490 So if you think about it, why are they coming? 00:29:24.849 --> 00:29:27.109 Remember that. They're in search of one of those 00:29:27.109 --> 00:29:30.000 things, or maybe all of them. Yeah, yeah, so 00:29:30.000 --> 00:29:31.759 if you remember that all the time they reach 00:29:31.759 --> 00:29:34.559 out to them look you can right You may not get 00:29:34.559 --> 00:29:36.660 all the answers, but you certainly get peace 00:29:36.660 --> 00:29:39.839 and eternal Eternal spirit will to help you there, 00:29:39.839 --> 00:29:42.279 right? So yeah. Yeah, so that's something to 00:29:42.279 --> 00:29:45.319 remember So that's what I always believe, you 00:29:45.319 --> 00:29:47.700 know, if I was a newcomer, I want to be approached, 00:29:47.759 --> 00:29:51.519 right? Yeah Yeah, for sure and I think too about 00:29:51.519 --> 00:29:55.079 In my own experiences of volunteering sometimes 00:29:55.079 --> 00:29:57.779 as volunteers. We are searching for those things 00:29:57.779 --> 00:30:00.650 as well We're searching for community. We're 00:30:00.650 --> 00:30:04.009 searching for hope. And so, one of the things 00:30:04.009 --> 00:30:06.670 that people will sometimes say is, well, like, 00:30:06.670 --> 00:30:10.609 oh, I could never do X, Y, Z thing, right? Because, 00:30:10.970 --> 00:30:13.309 I don't know, I'm not good at that, or I'm not 00:30:13.309 --> 00:30:15.529 an extroverted person. I am not an extroverted 00:30:15.529 --> 00:30:18.490 person. Believe it or not, I go home very exhausted 00:30:18.490 --> 00:30:23.059 at the end of Sundays. Right? Or like, I don't 00:30:23.059 --> 00:30:25.140 have it figured out. So how could I possibly 00:30:25.140 --> 00:30:27.920 lead an alpha or a life group or any of these 00:30:27.920 --> 00:30:29.519 other things? It's like, no, this is actually 00:30:29.519 --> 00:30:32.480 just a space like figure it out together. Right. 00:30:32.759 --> 00:30:38.319 And and together we get to experience hope and 00:30:38.319 --> 00:30:41.160 peace and community. We all have gifts and we 00:30:41.160 --> 00:30:43.220 all have gifts. We all have gifts. It's true. 00:30:43.559 --> 00:30:47.309 We don't. even know what they are sometimes. 00:30:48.769 --> 00:30:52.829 We have an opportunity. I remember being asked 00:30:52.829 --> 00:30:56.349 to run the slides one Sunday because the person 00:30:56.349 --> 00:30:58.230 who was doing them was going on vacation and 00:30:58.230 --> 00:31:03.250 I'm like, what? Because I'm not a techy person 00:31:03.250 --> 00:31:08.210 at all. As I said earlier, I was terrified messing 00:31:08.210 --> 00:31:10.750 something up and there were so many things to 00:31:10.750 --> 00:31:15.259 do. with practice over time and a lot of grace 00:31:15.259 --> 00:31:17.960 when I made mistakes too, I want to say, right? 00:31:18.839 --> 00:31:23.579 You know, I grew in that skill and, you know, 00:31:23.619 --> 00:31:27.700 and I, it's hard to believe that I managed to 00:31:27.700 --> 00:31:30.119 do that, you know, on the occasional Sunday. 00:31:30.940 --> 00:31:39.059 But it's, yeah. It's your gift. Yeah. Once I 00:31:39.059 --> 00:31:42.579 frame it as a hospitality thing, I feel better 00:31:42.579 --> 00:31:48.319 about it. So I've been new at this obviously 00:31:48.319 --> 00:31:52.579 two years is not long, but I talked to some volunteers 00:31:52.579 --> 00:31:55.440 who are here before. They talk about people who 00:31:55.440 --> 00:31:57.759 came for the first time. Now they're so deeply 00:31:57.759 --> 00:32:00.859 involved in the church. Yeah, absolutely. That's 00:32:00.859 --> 00:32:04.160 a huge blessing, right? So I think that's what 00:32:04.329 --> 00:32:07.369 we should be hoping for God will guide them. 00:32:07.390 --> 00:32:10.769 But we have to make that first impression. Yeah, 00:32:11.029 --> 00:32:13.990 for sure. And we have to make space for others 00:32:13.990 --> 00:32:20.849 to grow into their gifts and opportunities. Because 00:32:20.849 --> 00:32:25.029 some people, like most of us probably, we come 00:32:25.029 --> 00:32:30.029 into a church and begin exploring faith. We have 00:32:30.029 --> 00:32:33.940 no idea. Yeah, you know, we don't really understand 00:32:33.940 --> 00:32:36.240 yet about spiritual gifts and, you know, all 00:32:36.240 --> 00:32:38.460 of this sort of stuff. And, you know, a place 00:32:38.460 --> 00:32:42.019 like Trinity is a place to explore that, but, 00:32:42.019 --> 00:32:45.039 you know, also have opportunities to explore. 00:32:45.359 --> 00:32:47.079 And, you know, if you sort of try one thing and 00:32:47.079 --> 00:32:50.220 it's like, I don't like that that much. And, 00:32:50.240 --> 00:32:52.940 you know, you can try something else. And there's 00:32:52.940 --> 00:32:56.720 no judgment. Yeah. Yeah. And with Trinity, there's 00:32:56.720 --> 00:33:00.500 so many positions so much in terms of volunteering 00:33:00.500 --> 00:33:04.960 like changing someone's way you could be making 00:33:04.960 --> 00:33:07.640 coffee and you could have gone through something 00:33:07.640 --> 00:33:09.640 for example and then that person who's in the 00:33:09.640 --> 00:33:12.200 kitchen they're having a day and then you could 00:33:12.200 --> 00:33:14.859 share like it just flows it all comes together 00:33:14.859 --> 00:33:17.880 so I just think there's so many opportunities 00:33:17.880 --> 00:33:22.240 here at Trinity that just make this come together 00:33:22.240 --> 00:33:25.019 make Trinity come together yeah yeah yeah for 00:33:25.019 --> 00:33:28.369 sure For sure, yeah. So if there's some folks 00:33:28.369 --> 00:33:31.950 who are listening and they're maybe thinking 00:33:31.950 --> 00:33:34.329 about volunteering, but they're not quite sure, 00:33:34.650 --> 00:33:37.410 what would you say to them? What piece of advice 00:33:37.410 --> 00:33:40.230 you might give? Yeah. I'm going to use the tagline 00:33:40.230 --> 00:33:48.069 from Nike, and that's just do it. Because it 00:33:48.069 --> 00:33:56.259 feels right. And God has so much in store for 00:33:56.259 --> 00:34:00.240 you and God will lead your path and just follow 00:34:00.240 --> 00:34:04.920 it. Follow that feeling and leave it, let it 00:34:04.920 --> 00:34:09.179 go and let God. Definitely, so just do it. Okay, 00:34:09.699 --> 00:34:11.960 what about you Liz, what would you say? I would 00:34:11.960 --> 00:34:15.079 echo that, you know, just do it and go for it 00:34:15.079 --> 00:34:19.760 and there's like, there are so many different, 00:34:19.880 --> 00:34:23.079 you know, opportunities and and some of them 00:34:23.079 --> 00:34:26.440 are um you know straightforward you don't have 00:34:26.440 --> 00:34:30.159 to you know know lots of things and you know 00:34:30.159 --> 00:34:33.079 it's sort of like entry level like so you know 00:34:33.079 --> 00:34:37.239 you could start um you know handing out chocolate 00:34:37.239 --> 00:34:40.739 easter eggs on at the egg hunt right it's it's 00:34:40.750 --> 00:34:43.389 Fairly straightforward to do, unless the weather's 00:34:43.389 --> 00:34:48.389 awful. But there's lots of different things to 00:34:48.389 --> 00:34:51.130 try. And if you don't like something, let's find 00:34:51.130 --> 00:34:53.570 something else. Find something else. Because 00:34:53.570 --> 00:34:57.230 really, there are tons of opportunities. And 00:34:57.230 --> 00:35:05.590 some of them are quite technical or require extra 00:35:05.590 --> 00:35:07.989 training and all that style. There's just so 00:35:07.989 --> 00:35:11.570 much. You know, every sort of facet of human 00:35:11.570 --> 00:35:14.889 life seems to be addressed in some way through 00:35:14.889 --> 00:35:18.469 volunteer roles at Trinity. Behind the scenes. 00:35:19.190 --> 00:35:20.889 Yeah. Behind the scenes. Lots behind. People 00:35:20.889 --> 00:35:23.150 have no idea of the stuff that goes on behind 00:35:23.150 --> 00:35:25.730 the scenes. Yeah. Yeah. It's like Sunday mornings 00:35:25.730 --> 00:35:28.650 is the tip of the iceberg. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. 00:35:28.690 --> 00:35:31.530 For sure. What would you say Theo? You know, 00:35:31.590 --> 00:35:33.429 it's such a blessing to be a volunteer, right? 00:35:33.489 --> 00:35:36.070 So I don't want to mess this question up, so 00:35:36.070 --> 00:35:39.590 I wrote it down. I got to read from what I wrote 00:35:39.590 --> 00:35:42.789 down, okay? So for future volunteers, I would 00:35:42.789 --> 00:35:45.789 say don't underestimate what you bring. Your 00:35:45.789 --> 00:35:48.230 presence, your willingness to serve can truly 00:35:48.230 --> 00:35:51.369 make a difference. Just try it. Like you say, 00:35:51.429 --> 00:35:53.989 just do it, just try it. You don't need to have 00:35:53.989 --> 00:35:56.869 all the answers or be a certain type of person, 00:35:57.030 --> 00:35:58.929 like extra virtual entity. You can be any type 00:35:58.929 --> 00:36:02.989 of person. You just need a willing heart. God 00:36:02.989 --> 00:36:06.809 can use whatever you bring. Your smile, your 00:36:06.809 --> 00:36:10.309 story, your time. One thing is a sacred work. 00:36:11.510 --> 00:36:16.409 It's God's love in action. Often, in giving yourself, 00:36:16.630 --> 00:36:20.309 you'll discover deeper purpose, connection and 00:36:20.309 --> 00:36:24.010 joy than you ever expected. More often than not, 00:36:24.150 --> 00:36:27.760 you'll find what you get as much or more out 00:36:27.760 --> 00:36:32.360 of what you then you gave. In another example, 00:36:32.559 --> 00:36:35.139 Liz talked about how she's a tech expert now. 00:36:36.739 --> 00:36:39.960 I didn't say that. Almost. But I'm a little more 00:36:39.960 --> 00:36:45.440 comfortable. My hands don't get this way. I know 00:36:45.440 --> 00:36:48.480 you didn't say that. I mean, she went in with 00:36:48.480 --> 00:36:50.500 apprehension, but she's now good at it, right? 00:36:51.000 --> 00:36:53.559 So sometimes we have the talents we don't know. 00:36:53.670 --> 00:36:57.630 and give it a try. Yeah, for sure, for sure. 00:36:58.530 --> 00:37:00.570 Yeah, I guess the only other thing I would sort 00:37:00.570 --> 00:37:02.309 of add to that is sort of, like you said, there 00:37:02.309 --> 00:37:05.510 are lots of different roles available. So, you 00:37:05.510 --> 00:37:06.889 know, we've talked about, you know, being on 00:37:06.889 --> 00:37:09.389 the welcome team, serving at alpha or community 00:37:09.389 --> 00:37:13.190 events, being an usher on Sunday morning, greeting 00:37:13.190 --> 00:37:16.059 people at the door. Being on the chancel guild, 00:37:16.119 --> 00:37:18.119 which you don't have to talk to people, really. 00:37:18.360 --> 00:37:20.639 I mean, not at all. Not at all except your partner. 00:37:21.000 --> 00:37:22.739 Yeah, the person you're serving with. But you 00:37:22.739 --> 00:37:24.659 don't have to be out in front of people at all. 00:37:24.659 --> 00:37:27.960 No, no. Right. No. Yeah. So there's on the worship 00:37:27.960 --> 00:37:31.099 team and kids ministry. That's right. All kinds 00:37:31.099 --> 00:37:34.199 of different things. And so if you're listening 00:37:34.199 --> 00:37:37.500 and there is something that you are interested 00:37:37.500 --> 00:37:40.719 in learning more about or. If you just want to 00:37:40.719 --> 00:37:43.059 learn more about volunteering in general at Trinity, 00:37:43.400 --> 00:37:45.599 if you're here in our building on a Sunday morning, 00:37:45.699 --> 00:37:48.139 the welcome desk is a great place to go and learn 00:37:48.139 --> 00:37:50.559 more about that. And if you are not here in the 00:37:50.559 --> 00:37:53.219 building or if you're joining us online, you 00:37:53.219 --> 00:37:56.340 can hit up our website trinitiestreetsfield .org 00:37:56.340 --> 00:37:59.300 slash volunteer. And there's a whole list there 00:37:59.300 --> 00:38:02.539 of all kinds of different volunteer opportunities. 00:38:03.239 --> 00:38:06.320 So thank you very much, folks, for this really 00:38:06.320 --> 00:38:09.000 good conversation. It's been fun. Thanks for 00:38:09.000 --> 00:38:11.239 having me. Thank you for having us. Thank you. 00:38:11.559 --> 00:38:14.000 And thank you for listening. And I hope that 00:38:14.000 --> 00:38:15.920 you've been inspired by some of these stories 00:38:15.920 --> 00:38:18.239 and encouraged to find your own ways to volunteer 00:38:18.239 --> 00:38:21.480 either here at Trinity or elsewhere out in the 00:38:21.480 --> 00:38:23.619 community. And we'll see you again next week.