Happy National Volunteers’ Week!
How many times a week do people tell you that the lack of volunteers is a barrier to the vision they have for their ministry?
Some brilliant people from around the Growing Faith networks have been kind enough to share words of wisdom, encouragement, top tips and examples of culture change in the way volunteers are thought about, recruited and supported. I commend them to you – their words are honest and real, but full of hope and faith in God’s provision as well as really practical suggestions and stories. You may recognise some familiar faces such as:
- Louise Willis – Founder & Coordinator, Hope for Families, Corby
- Rev Dr K. Augustine Tanner- Ihm – Team Curate, St James & Emmanuel Church, Didsbury
- Lou Peet – Lay Chaplain, Bluecoat School, Coventry
- Elizabeth Olulari – National Education Lead for Racial Justice, Church of England
- Becky May – Founder, The Resources Cupboard
- Lydia Kibaara – Volunteer Manager, USPG
- Lucy Moore – Head of Growing Faith Foundation, Church of England
- Annika Mathews – Growing Faith Young Adults’ Network
- Kalyn Mallard – Events Manager, Church of England Education Office
- Revd Mark Nam – Curate, Diocese of Bristol / The Teahouse
- Martha Flavell – Children & Family Lead, Bible Society
There are 5 x 10min videos:
- Why is volunteering important?
- How do we recruit volunteers?
- How can we value and recognise volunteers?
- How do we ensure volunteering is life-giving, faith-deepening and sustainable?
- Words of wisdom at a time when recruiting volunteers is tricky
These videos can be used separately or together – a series of bitesize independent learning snippets for ministry leaders; a chunked resource for a PCC away day; five short weekly sessions for a CYP team to engage in together, for example. They can be used as a stand-alone piece, embedded in existing training, expanded with your own contextual questions/reflection prompts, or simply watched at home. They may be useful for your colleagues in dioceses, parishes, churches, outreach groups, schools, youth & children’s (and other!) ministries.