Bern, April 3, 2012. [CD-EUDnews]. "If you are between 18 and 80 years of age you qualify for volunteer service in the Seventh-day Adventist church“ says John Thomas, the worldwide Adventist Volunteer Service Director at the General Conference.
19 Adventist Volunteer Service coordinators from the different unions of the Euro-Africa Division met in Barcelona, Spain from March 7-10, 2012 for training and exchange in this important and growing area of church life.
Representatives from unions/conferences and institutions offering volunteers an opportunity to get involved have had an opportunity to ask the questions they always wanted to ask. And they got some interesting answers, they said. Answers that have opened new perspectives and stirred up their creativity.
Although we highly value the work of the almost 4'000 employees within the territory of the Euro-Africa Division it is obvious to any observer that most of the inside and outreach work of the church is done by volunteers.
Informal volunteer work is done by thousands and thousands without age limit, when they sing in worship services, gather the offerings, visit as deacons, or lead as church elders.
But there is also official volunteer work. Those going oversees to serve in mission fields usually go through the General Conference Adventist Volunteer Service (AVS), while those who apply for homeland volunteer service (His Hands Volunteer Service) are processed through their local fields and the division.
Why do people get invovled in volunteer service? Because nothings helps an individual more to be happy as helping others to overcome difficulties and discover jesus.
"For me it payed to come. I have learned a lot, and I have got a lot of ideas what else we can do in our homeland“ one of the participants said. Many have expressed their desire to have more often meetings like this one.
What could happen, if many more people would join in helping others, listening to others, meeting others’ needs and sharing faith with others? Jesus has invested more time in helping others than in preaching to the multitudes. But in each occasion he pointed out that there is more than only this earthly existence, that there is a loving God who’s greatest desire is to save as many people as would accept salvation through Christ.