When people ask what the typical volunteer in children and youth at BMPC is, that person is hard to describe. They range in age from 9 to 98. They’ve been connected to the church for their entire lives or for just a few months. Some have formal backgrounds as educators or pastors, and others are still looking in the table of contents to find books of the Bible.
There are the stalwart volunteers who commit to a particular role and lead every week, with rare exception, and the volunteers who fill in during an emergency.
There are the discipling volunteers who commit to a particular student or small group and walk with them through the year.
There are the behind-the-scenes volunteers who are prepping, tending, and putting things in action.
There are those who come early to set up spaces, and those who stay late to check in with a particular family or student.
There are the teachers who are comfortable at the front of the classroom and the ones who make sure everyone has the supplies they need, hanging out on the side or in the back of the room, making everything run smoothly.
There are the volunteers who are always ready for a game or a surprise, and those who have their lesson plans memorized before class begins.
We have volunteers who are up with the most recent slang, movies, and episodes of Bluey, and others who are happy to learn about the current culture from our students.
There are the volunteers who love a good art project and the ones who endure them.
There are volunteers who respond to a text a few minutes into the worship service to help in a classroom, and others who have their schedule worked out a year in advance.
We are grateful for these volunteers who show up every week and bring themselves, just as they are, for young people in the church; for these volunteers who are willing to teach what they know and share their wisdom, who are willing to learn something new alongside a young person, and who are willing to learn something new from a young person.
We are grateful for these volunteers who embody the variety of gifts that we all have to bring and that make up the body of Christ. Meaning, they teach the rest of us that if you feel a little too wiggly to sit in worship every Sunday, there’s still a lot you can contribute to the life of the church.
We are grateful for these volunteers who don’t try to fix the intensity, candor, or curiosity that young people bring, who are able to hold the tough questions they’re asked, who, in so doing, are in real community with young people.
Our programs would not be possible without these incredible people sharing their time, energy, love, and faith with our children and youth. You create the foundation and the framework that allow our students to continue building the church Christ calls us to be.
Thank you. And if you want to be part of this team next year, let us know!