In God’s kingdom, no job too big or small
 For most, opening doors and making phone calls might seem like small ways to serve but God doesn’t see it that way, according to Sunday morning greeter Debbie Walz.
“Any step toward obedience is acceptable to the Lord," says Debbie. "He doesn’t measure our efforts. He doesn’t define big and small that way.” Debbie, who has served as a West Shore Church greeter for five years, claims the “little” ways we serve others have the greatest impact. Like opening doors for Sunday morning churchgoers.
“Seeing these people every Sunday morning and sharing something nice to say about them has become a beautiful ministry for us,” says Debbie who greets alongside her husband of 26 years, Robert. Although Debbie admits resisting God’s call to the greeter’s ministry.
“I preferred to do some kind of teaching ministry, which is where I’m most comfortable,” she said. “But we were new to the church and I didn’t want to jump into something with a big commitment until I knew a little more about West Shore.” So through Robert’s encouragement (“He’s the true servant!”), the couple volunteered to greet on Sunday mornings.
“I’ll admit I have OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) and was struggling with greeting people who were late to church. I wanted to get in there to worship and was standing by the door saying hello to Johnny-come-latelies,” chuckles Debbie. “Now I can’t wait for those people to cross our threshold so that I can bless them with a smile or cheery greeting. Robert will even go out to their car with an umbrella if it’s raining!”
Debbie recognizes that God puts us in places where we are not necessarily comfortable—using the experience to not only bless others, but to sharpen and grow our own spiritual character. “The Lord helped me to grow, to see how my ‘small’ contribution can make a ‘big’ difference in other people’s lives. I’ve come to know and love so many people through this experience.”
The lesson for Debbie and others? “If you don’t step out and serve, you don’t grow. And we’re all called upon to grow in Christ.”
Your story might inspire others to take a step toward serving at West Shore and beyond. To share words of encouragement, please contact Laurie Brown at 620.2330, x114.
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Take Me to the River
 For Cindy Parker—wife, mother, mentor, small group leader, and family manager—learning how to volunteer is keenly more arduous than the work itself. With so many opportunities to serve at West Shore and beyond, it’s easy to over commit, to avoid committing altogether, or to work in areas where God did not ask and/or lead us to. As Parker shares here, deciding when and where to volunteer involves riding the currents of God’s “roaring river.”
“The things that God is up to are like a great roaring river,” Cindy says. “He’s on the move, ever flowing. If we don’t participate, His plan doesn’t stop. But He invites us to join in and experience His strength flowing through us and the work we do. If we choose to jump into the river, and go with God’s flow, His power is behind us as we work. When the obstacles come while serving (and they will come), His power helps us to press on. He will be the strength we need when we are involved in His work. Trusting Him and His power has kept me in His current and my head above water.
“However, when I have gone against the flow of the great roaring river, I got tired or burned out because I was trying to work under my own power and sometimes even against God’s power. Conversely, when I have allowed God’s strength to move me along the river it has been a fulfilling experience and required much less energy than doing it under my own determination and strength.”
It’s the river analogy that helps Cindy and her husband Mike to discern where they should use their gifts, and how much of their time should be committed to the effort. “I’m the type of person who has to be careful about over committing to volunteer work,” remarks Cindy, who has served as a West Shore volunteer for the past few years. “Mike and I prayerfully consider volunteer opportunities to determine how much we’ll put into it to balance our jobs, family, etc. And by giving it up to God, by moving with the flow, it seems to work out.”
Cindy’s work at West Shore Church and beyond has been an evolutionary process. First, co-teaching women’s Bible study, next teaching a class on family management, then serving as a mentor to other West Shore women, leading a small group, and now preparing to teach a Fall class entitled, “How to make your child mind without losing yours.”
Even this go-getter admits her own apprehension. “When God began ‘tapping me on the shoulder‘and asking me to teach Bible study classes, I was nervous. But He encouraged me to try. So I jumped in. I just keep thinking of the river and let God take me where He wants me to be.”
It might seem like a lot, but Cindy truly strikes a balance between serving, family, and community. “I choose things I am passionate about and then ask the right questions to determine what exactly is the expectation, how much time I’ll have to put in, and what challenges I will face. Then I can make an informed decision about my involvement.”
For example, although leading a small group might seem like a lot of work, by asking the right questions and creating an entrepreneurial spirit among group members, Cindy claims she puts in less than an hour a month preparing for their get-togethers. “There are many opportunities to jump into what God is already doing that take so little of our time but makes a big difference,” she says.
Cindy’s best advice to those who haven’t yet jumped into the river? “God opens doors when you least expect them and sometimes challenges you to jump through. I have found it to be a thrilling adventure with rough waters at times and cool discoveries around the next bend. He wants us to volunteer not for the sake of volunteering or earning a badge—that will only burn us out—but because He would like us join in on what He is already doing and experience the power He provides while we work within West Shore’s walls and out in the community. I would say, ‘don’t be ashamed of giving just a little, because it ends up meaning a lot'."
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 Hitting the Send Button and Sharing What's in Our Hearts
Serving at West Shore Church comes easily for Laura Sawyer, a member of the Crossroads fellowship group and all-around encourager. Technically, one might consider Laura as the group’s communications coordinator, but just a few minutes into knowing this funny, friendly lady gives one that sense that she’s just doing what comes naturally.
“I like to get past the proverbial ‘how are you today’ to listening to what’s really in people’s hearts,” says Laura, who has attended West Shore since 2006. “And by participating in Crossroads, and listening to what others are willing to share, I get an opportunity to pray, praise, and occasionally hold someone’s hand. God is so active among us!”
Each week during fellowship group, Laura gathers the news of the week into an e-mail sent to more than 100 Crossroads participants. Messages might include prayer requests, praises for prayers answered, or news and events that group members might want to know. “It’s a very large group,” says Laura, “and we don’t want anyone to get lost. The weekly e-mail allows us to remember how God is working in our lives. Whatever people are willing to share is what I will send out. It binds us together.”
"I'm not a threat to anyone or anything ... but toes!"
Laura also serves as a “nurturer” for Bible study teachers during the fall and spring semesters. When asked what a “nurturer” does, she replied, “I notice people.” Turns out this make-it-simple servant of God nurtures West Shore’s Bible study teachers by remembering their birthdays, sending thank you cards, offering words of encouragement, and expressing gratitude for things sometimes overlooked or under appreciated.
The ‘work’ is easy, according to Laura, who is often seen roaming the halls of church in her bright red scooter. Her disarming temperament and great sense of humor makes others feel comfortable, and willing to share. “I’m not selling anything,” laughs Laura. “It just feels good to ask people about what is going on with them and how I can pray for them. Interacting with people’s lives in that way gives me deep satisfaction.”
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Maintenance Volunteers Needed
Cumberland Vista, a nonprofit personal care home for special needs adults and the home of many of the A-Team members, is in dire need of local people to regularly help with yard maintenance, occasional electrical, and light carpentry work. Mowing takes about 2 hours and should be done every week to 10 days during the growing season—mowers and gas are provided. The home is 3 miles from the church on Rt. 74-North behind the BIC/CVC Church in Dillsburg. This would be a great ministry for retirees or a small group looking for volunteer work. Please contact the home at 432-2822 or Luanne at 571-8796 if you are able to help out.
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The Door Opens, Out Comes Opportunity
Every Wednesday since July, West Shore's Dean Wilt and Terry Allison have knocked on doors at about 25 Cumberland Pointe homes. They have handed the families -- mostly those whose kids participate in the church's after-school program -- grocery bags of staples and special boxes containing a variety of fruits, vegetables, and baked goods. The food comes from Mission Central in Mechanicsburg, a ministry arm of Bethesda Mission.
When those doors open, so do the lives of the residents.
Dean and Terry have met families from Somalia and Iran, spent time encouraging a woman who is driving every weekend to Altoona to care for her AIDS-stricken mother, listened empathetically to another woman recently diagnosed with cancer and unable to work, and provided transportation for a mom to pick up her sick child from school.
Then there was the mother with three kids in our church's afternoon program who invited Terry and Dean in and asked if they could possibly get some beds for her family. In the home, all they could see was a television and a king-size air mattress on the floor.
Terry had an idea. He contacted the kids' guidance counselor at Elmwood Elementary School. His name is Mitch Baum, and he not only goes to our church but has been a valued resource for the after-school program. Mitch, in turn, contacted Operation Wildcat, which provides aid for families in the Mechanicsburg School District. The organization delivered three beds, bedding, some dishes, a bookshelf, and other needed items. A second delivery is being made, which will include a bed for mom, a kitchen table, chairs, and other basics for a family that, as someone said, "has literally nothing!"
Without the church's contact and referral, says Mitch, "I don't think the mom would have asked for help."
Thanksgiving has come.
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Serving
