A short pamphlet about serving in the church

2. [The Kingdom is] like a man going off on an Have you ever noticed that you treat other peo-
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ple’s stuff better than you treat your own?
extended trip. He called his servants together
and delegated responsibilities. To one he gave
When we realize our stuff is really God’s stuff, it
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five thousand dollars, to another two thou-
should change the way we take care of it.
sand, to a third one thousand, depending on
their abilities. Then he left. Right off, the We have an opportunity to “partner” with God,
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first servant went to by taking care of HIS stuff the same way he
work and doubled would.
his master's invest-
Would God use your stuff (money, possessions,
ment. The second •
position, time, abilities, interests, etc.) differently
did the same. But
than you do?
the man with the single thousand dug a hole
and carefully buried his master's money.
After a long absence, the master of those three
servants came back and settled up with them.
The one given five thousand dollars showed him
Everything we have how he had doubled his investment. His master
has been given to us by God: commended him: 'Good work! You did your job
well. From now on be my partner.'
Our money
quot;The servant with the two thousand showed how
Our possessions
he also had doubled his master's investment. His
master commended him: 'Good work! You did
Our social positions
your job well. From now on be my partner.'
Our time
Our abilities
Our interests
Everything...

3. The servant given one thousand said, 'Master, I Steward
know you have high standards and hate careless a person who manages another's property or fi-
ways, that you demand the best and make no al- nancial affairs; one who administers
lowances for error. I was afraid I might disap- anything as the agent of another or others.
point you, so I found a good hiding place and se-
cured your money. Here it is, safe and sound
down to the last cent.'
quot;The master was furious. 'That's a terrible way to
live! It's criminal to live cautiously like that! If
Stewardship is often viewed as
you knew I was after the best, why did you do
“what we do with OUR money”.
less than the least? The least you could have
Nothing could be further from the truth.
done would have been to invest the sum with the
bankers, where at least I would have gotten a lit-
We are called to be stewards of everything GOD
tle interest.
HAS GIVEN US.
He has given all of us different amounts of differ-
ent things. He has given each of us
EXACTLY what we need to best build the
Is it okay to do nothing church and represent Him in the world.
with the things God has
Stewardship is leveraging what God
given us? has entrusted to me in order to bring
about HIS desires in the world.

4. The way God designed our bodies is a model for under-
Paul wrote a letter to the church in Corinth
standing our lives together as a church: every part de-
encouraging them to be good stewards of the
pendent on every other part, the parts we mention and
abilities God had given them.
the parts we don't, the parts we see and the parts we
don't. If one part hurts, every other part is involved in
He suggested that when they all used their the hurt, and in the healing. If one part flourishes, every
gifts as God desired them to, they would func- other part enters into the exuberance.
tion together much like the human body.
You are Christ's body—that's who you are! You must
never forget this.
I want you to think about how all this makes you
more significant, not less. A body isn't just a sin-
God gave you certain abilities.
gle part blown up into something huge. It's all the
different-but-similar parts arranged and function-
He designed you to contribute to His body.
ing together. If Foot said, quot;I'm not elegant like
Hand, embellished with rings; I guess I don't be-
Choosing not to use your gifts the way God de-
long to this body,quot; would that make it so? If Ear
signed them to be used is like…
said, quot;I'm not beautiful like Eye, limpid and ex-
pressive; I don't deserve a place on the head,quot;
a steward who buries his master’s money
would you want to remove it from the body? If
the body was all eye, how could it hear? If all
a body without important organs
ear, how could it smell? As it is, we see that God
has carefully placed each part of the body right
where he wanted it.

5. Committing to SERVE is...
A commitment to use God’s gifts to you for
His glory and His benefit.
Finding a place to serve at Calvary is not difficult. Five
simple questions have been designed to aid the process
of finding a venue in which to serve.
When you are ready to find a place to serve, the best
thing to do is to talk about these five questions with
your LIFEGroup. They know you well and care about
Calvary Church is a local expression of the
you enough to help you honestly answer these ques-
body of Christ.
tions.
We want every person who is connected to Before you start answering these questions, you need to
Calvary to find a place they can utilize their ask yourself this:
talents and abilities the way God created them
Am I more committed to building myself?
to be used.
Or
Am I more committed to building God’s church?
If you’re ready to build God’s church, you’re ready for
question #1.

6. What have I been PRACTICING? What is my PASSION?
God has prepared every one of us for service. No one likes to do things they aren’t passionate about.
He uses our experiences, our history, and even our mistakes to Everyone has tedious, seemingly unimportant chores that need to
bring us to a place where we can be the most effective stewards of be done; but we’d all prefer to spend that time engaged in activity
His gifts to us. we enjoy and feel strongly about.
Paul wrote in Philippians that, “he who began a good work in you We long to be successful, so we prefer to do things we’re good at.
will carry it on to completion…” Whatever God has started in Our passions reflect our gifts. We seek to avoid acting on our
your life, He is continuing to work on you, to mold you, so that weaknesses. The gifts and abilities God placed inside us are
you can be who He envisions you. Most of the time, he does this longing to be used, to be exercised.
work through our experiences.
A sure recipe for success is to recognize our passions and use
them for the good of the body of Christ.
Our history often teaches us:
What is your passion?
What we enjoy
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What are the things you notice?
What we don’t enjoy •
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What do you see that you think you could improve upon?
What we are good at •
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What do you think about most often?
What we are not good at •
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What do you dream about?
What we want to do someday •
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What are you tempted to complain about?
What we never want to do again •
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All these questions can be indicators of your passion. How do
All your experiences have prepared you to be a steward of the
you think you can implement your passions for the good of the
gifts God has given you.
church?
The first question is, “What have I been practicing?”
Think about your life experience to this point. What have you
learned about yourself? How has your history prepared you to
serve?

7. What are my PROFICIENCIES? What PLACE in life am I at right now?
Everybody is good at something. Some people are masterful at God recognizes that we go through different stages of life. He
cooking, some dominate on the athletic fields. Some have ex- understands that what we need and what we can do changes as we
tremely charismatic personalities, some are incredible musicians. enter and exit different places in our lives. The book of Titus is a
great example of how people have different needs and responsi-
We are all proficient at different things. bilities depending on which phase of life they find themselves in.
Your opportunities for service may be dictated by the place you
You are proficient at something.
are in life. Your age, marital status, number of children, or even
your health can open and close different chances you may have to
Your proficiency was made for the church.
serve.
So since we find ourselves fashioned into all these excellently After you’ve considered your past, your passion, and your profi-
formed and marvelously functioning parts in Christ's body, let's ciency; you may find that several opportunities exist. It may be
just go ahead and be what we were made to be, without enviously that your place in life will become the determining factor for you.
or pridefully comparing ourselves with each other, or trying to be
something we aren't. God has placed you right where you are in the circumstances you
are in. These circumstances are not an excuse not to
If you preach, just preach God's Message, nothing else; if you
serve, they are a tool to help you serve!
help, just help, don't take over; if you teach, stick to your teach-
ing; if you give encouraging guidance, be careful that you don't
get bossy; if you're put in charge, don't manipulate; if you're
called to give aid to people in distress, keep your eyes open and
be quick to respond; if you work with the disadvantaged, don't let
yourself get irritated with them or depressed by them. Keep a
Guide older men into lives of temperance, dignity, and wis-
For a moment consider your past, think about your pas- dom, into healthy faith, love, and endurance. Guide older
sions, mix in your proficiencies. women into lives of reverence so they end up as neither gos-
sips nor drunks, but models of goodness. By looking at them,
the younger women will know how to love their husbands
Now think about the church. Have you found any inter-
and children, be virtuous and pure, keep a good house, be
sections yet?
good wives. We don't want anyone looking down on God's
Message because of their behavior. Also, guide the young
How might all these factors help you find a place to
men to live disciplined lives.
serve?

8. What are the POSSIBILITIES?
Nursery and Pre-School Student Ministries (Jamey New-
Finally, now that you’ve worked through a process of self- (Mike Wilkerson) sted)
evaluation, you’re ready to ask the final question. “What are the • Care-Givers • Small Group Coordinator and
possibilities?” Leaders
• Welcome Team
• Ministry Team Coordinator and
• Small Group Leaders
Leaders (media, set-up, game
Knowing the answers to the previous questions means you can • Storytellers
room, creative planning)
preview the service opportunities at Calvary with confidence.
• Wednesday Night Coordinator
Son Times (Lisa Sprague)
You already have a sense of the type of gifts God has given you
• Cooks for Events
• Small Group Leaders
and asked you to maintain for him. • Bus Drivers for Events
• Welcome Team
• Set Designers and Builders
• Resource Team
The following page contains an a general overview of the service • Web Designer
• Prayer Team
opportunities currently available at Calvary. • Graphic Artists
• Actors and Actresses
• Videographers and Editors
• Host/Comic Host
• Musicians
The ideal way to find a ministry would be to look at this list with
Celebration Gatherings
• Sound, Light, and Computer
your LIFEGroup, tell them the areas you are interested in, and ask (Contact Michael Hecksall)
Operators
for their feedback. Allow them to be honest with you, their en- • Sound, Light, and Computer
• Photographers/Video tech
couragement can be a confirmation for you and their hesitancies Operators
should provide you with a healthy warning! • Camera Operators
LIFEGroups (David Rudd)
• Set-Up and Tear-Down Team
• Drivers (leaders)
Members
• Hosts
• Videographers and Editors
• Care Coordinators
• Photographers/Artists
• Videographers and Editors
(Contact Jonathan DeCou
• Curriculum Writers
• Musicians
• Graphic Designers
Remember, everything you have (gifts, • Actors
• Hosts for The Cove
(Contact Mike Wilkerson)
abilities, money, possessions, position, • Greeters
Care Ministries (Terry Fulk)
history) has been loaned to you from God. He • Ushers
• Homebound Visitors
• Welcome Center Hosts
• Home and Auto Maintenance
expects you to be a trustworthy servant! (David Rudd)
• Drivers
• Prayer Partners
• Meal Coordinators and Cooks
• Visitor Follow-Up Team Mem-
• Childcare
bers
Facilities Upkeep (Jack Wilson)
General Office Roles
• Carpenters (skilled and unskilled)
(Carole Arnouts)
• General Construction Workers
• Phone Operators
• Landscaping Team
For more information on any of the listed opportunities, please call the