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Home My WebLink AboutThe Citizen, 2012-04-19, Page 24PAGE 24. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, APRIL 19, 2012.By Pastor Ernest Dow, Living Water Christian Fellowship (EMC), Blyth Time... “Some folks save it, others make it, most waste it, several kill it, and a few actually are on it. Many try to manage it and end up losing it. Time is a taker. Once past, it never returns. How it’s spent determines the satisfaction of life.” (Steve May, The Story File) How are you spending your time? Do you try to hoard it for yourself, or do you find yourself increasingly giving it away because that satisfies you? This National Volunteer Week (Apr.15-21) in Blyth our local Volunteer Agency Network (VAN) kicked it off with some churches and community groups displaying opportunities they offer for folks to pitch in and donate their time. We also have a new website, helpinblyth.ca, where people can find out services these agencies offer, and who individuals can contact if they wish to become involved. The word “volunteer” is seldom found in the Bible; perhaps the most relevant verse would be Deborah’s song following a defensive battle in Judges 5(9), “My heart is with...the willing volunteers among the people. Praise the Lord!” When there’s an urgent need, success may require willing people to step forward and volunteer their time and resources - sometimes at significant cost and risk to themselves. While the word ‘volunteer’ itself occurs rarely in Scripture, the concept of ‘giving’ is much more common. Generosity with one’s resources is encouraged, as a sign of grateful response to God’s own generosity and grace toward us. In the Old Testament, generosity is a quality of righteous people, who often find benefits resulting from their willingness to give. “Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely...A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed....A generous man will himself be blessed...” (Psalm 112:5; Proverbs 11:25; 22:9) Jesus modelled a giving attitude for His disciples, and taught them to share their time and resources unselfishly. He urged, “Freely you have received, freely give...Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you...It is more blessed to give than to receive.” (Matthew 10:8; Luke 6:38; Acts 20:35) Jesus recognized there was real blessing experienced by those who give of themselves unselfishly. Easter is the proof that He was a giver par excellence – stopping at nothing, giving His life for us all so our sins could be forgiven and so that those who believe might enjoy eternal life. He claimed to be a ‘good Shepherd’ who “lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:11). The apostles picked up on this theme, encouraging early church members to give sacrificially of their time and resources. “God loves a cheerful giver,” Paul asserted (2 Cor.9:7). They were less concerned with becoming rich in material wealth than with richly sharing all they had: “Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.” (1Tim.6:18) My parents’ generation, coming out of the Great Depression and the Second World War, understood how critical voluntary involvement was for community betterment. As a young boy, I remember my Dad participated in a variety of agencies in a volunteer capacity – the Federation of Agriculture, school board, soil and crop association, local fair board, church work, and so on. Nowadays it seems people are very busy with their own work and recreational pursuits, including TV, Netflix, Playstation, getting their children to all their games (commendable), and that recent great time-consumer in which I too am complicit (Facebook); however this whirlwind of commitments makes it increasingly difficult for community groups to find volunteers. Sadly, we prefer ‘vegging’ to volunteering. Yet those who do squeeze in time to volunteer find it can be very rewarding. One person at Sunday’s VAN event acknowledged that what she enjoyed most about volunteering was the socializing that went on while they did their work. The worldvolunteerweb.org website lists a variety of benefits volunteers discover: “learn or develop a new skill; be part of your community; motivation and sense of achievement; boost your career options (73 per cent of employers would recruit a candidate with volunteering experience over one without, and 94 per cent of employees who volunteered to learn new skills had benefitted either by getting their first job, improving their salary, or being promoted); new interests and hobbies; new experiences; meeting a diverse range of people.” Research has shown that volunteering can bring health benefits, too. A study available at nationalservice.org titled The Health Benefits of Volunteering: A Review of Recent Research found that those who volunteer have lower mortality rates, greater functional ability, and lower rates of depression later in life than those who do not volunteer. “Those who volunteered in 1986 reported higher levels of happiness, life-satisfaction, self-esteem, a sense of control over life, and physical health in 1989.” Which way would you rather decrease your risk of heart disease: by taking medication, or volunteering? Giving of your time can also provide emotional healing. John Regier of Caring for the Heart ministry in Colorado during a seminar offered this example of a man whose depression lifted after he found a meaningful way to contribute to a greater purpose by volunteering: “He had been to his pastor that morning. His pastor sent him to a psychiatrist. The psychiatrist told him he had a chemical imbalance and he’d be on medicine the rest of his life. He had THE CATHOLIC PARISHES OF NORTH HURON AND NORTH PERTH CORDIALLY INVITE YOU TO ATTEND HOLY MASS. OUR SUNDAY LITURGIES ARE AS FOLLOWS: Brussels: St. Ambrose Saturday 6:00 p.m. 17 Flora Street Wingham: Sacred Heart Sunday 9:00 a.m. 220 Carling Terrace Listowel: St. Joseph Sunday 11:00 a.m. 1025 Wallace Avenue N. Youre Invited to come worship with us Sunday, April 22 Brussels Public School at 10:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. Sunday School for children 4 to 11 years of age at 9:30 a.m. Childcare provided for infants and preschoolers during the sermon. Coffee & cookies after the morning service For additional details please contact Pastor Andrew Versteeg 519.887.8621 Steve Klumpenhower 519.887.8651 Rick Packer 519.527.0173 BRUSSELS - ETHEL PASTORAL CHARGE UNITED CHURCH OF CANADA Sandra Cable, Worship Leader Church Office 519-887-6259 E-mail - bepc@wightman.ca Sunday, April 22 Ethel United Church Worship Service and Sunday School - 9:30 a.m. Brussels United Church Worship Service and Sunday School - 11:00 a.m. Celebrating our Christian Faith together in worship MELVILLE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH BRUSSELS Rev. Elwin Garland SUNDAY, APRIL 22 Wheelchair accessible ~ Nursery care available 519-887-9017 10:00 am - Sunday Morning Worship - Sunday School getlivingwater.org Pastor: Ernest Dow ~ 519-523-4848 Living Water Christian Fellowship April 22: Rom. 1:18-25 10:30 a.m. ~ Worship & Sunday School at Blyth Public School, corner of King & Mill Tuesdays 7:30 pm - Wingham Bible Study Tuesdays 7:30 pm - Forgotten God Small Group at Kerrs’ 1st & 3rd Wednesdays 7:30 pm - Women At The Well Thursdays 7:00 pm - Truth Project Small Group at Dows’ Evangelical Missionary Church Truth Project #5: Science - “What is True?” From the Minister’s StudyVegging or volunteering? Choose wisely Worship Service & Sunday School at 11 a.m. CORNER OF DINSLEY & MILL STREETS MINISTER Rev. Gary Clark, BA, M. Div. All Welcome MUSIC DIRECTOR Floyd Herman, BA, M. Ed.OFFICE: 519-523-4224 APRIL 22 ~ Do You Love Me? ~ Welcome to new members APRIL 29 ~ Have You Heard The Word On The Street? You’re Invited To Join Us In Worship Hwy. 4, Blyth 519-523-4743 www.blythcrc.ca SUNDAYS Morning Service 10:00 am Evening Service 7:30 pm BLYTH CHRISTIAN REFORMED CHURCH 119 John’s Ave., Auburn 519-526-1131 www.huronchapel.org Rev. Mark Royall, Sr. Pastor 9:25 a.m. Sunday School for all ages 10:30 a.m Morning Worship Service Missions “Dessert” Evening Sunday, April 22nd at 7:30 pm Huron Chapel Fellowship Hall Come out to hear our Guest Speaker Stephen Martin share of his mission work “Project North” in the Yukon. Dessert & Coffee will be available. Continued on page 28