Three Reasons to Volunteer
If you’ve spent some time on our website, or you’ve followed us for a while, you already know that Love Chapel loves its volunteers. Even so, maybe you’re still on the fence about whether or not to get involved. After all, time is precious, trying new things can be hard, and it may feel like a big commitment. With that in mind, here are three reasons to consider volunteering:
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It’s a great way to meet people.
When we were children, it was easy to meet friends at school or in community sports, but it’s not as simple as adults. There are simply fewer natural opportunities for people to spend time together, and this is truer than ever in a post-2020 world. Plus, even if you are able to interact with new people, there can be awkward conversational hurdles to get past as you try to make small talk.
Volunteering simplifies a lot of that. It creates a straightforward opportunity to spend time with other like-minded individuals, all of whom share a concern for bettering their community. Service together is a strong foundation for friendship, and we know many of our volunteers would say the same.
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It goes where money can’t.
You’ve probably heard the phrase: “Money makes the world go round,” but does it ever sit poorly with you? Does it seem like that shouldn’t be the case? Volunteering allows resources to go far beyond their normal capacity. In fact, at Love Chapel, volunteers have a financial impact worth more than $80,000 every month. That’s a community-wide reach that simply wouldn’t be possible if we were drawing only from our staff team and private resources.
Furthermore, volunteering makes a statement about values. For anyone who is seeking help, it also signals to them that people are genuinely invested in their needs. A government or private organization can still do good, but the behind-the-scenes financial realities may lead people to feel less valued—as if they are a financial obligation.
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It has a genuine impact on real lives.
The third point should be obvious, but sometimes we all forget how meaningful our time and presence can be. It’s tempting to think people just want a load of groceries or a place to stay for the night, but these physical needs are only part of a holistic life. More importantly, they can wear down on someone’s sense of self-worth and gradually be internalized as something shameful.
Volunteering is a counter-argument. If you show up at a site, especially on a regular basis, you’re saying a lot about how you view other people. You’re communicating that they are worth spending time with, not simply to fix their problems, but to see and celebrate them as a whole person. You can be a friendly face each time someone picks up a load of groceries, and they may look forward to seeing their smiling neighbor each time they go.
Why Volunteer at Love Chapel?
If those three general reasons haven’t fully convinced you, we have one final reason: At Love Chapel, volunteering matters because it’s a core part of our ethos.
