New Volunteer Initiatives
The topic and tenor of conversations the ministry has each day have changed over the years. Topics like pornography, self-harm, sexual identity and suicide that were once infrequent and rarely discussed are now common. These are issues that people do not talk about easily but the anonymous nature of online conversation actually encourages. This means there is actually more opportunities for us to share hope and God’s grace within the complexity of these conversations. We have to meet people in their brokenness and help them see how faith in Jesus changes everything.
This conversation dynamic is obviously challenging because we are not licensed counselors nor do we all have personal experience with these difficult life issues. Our need to train and support volunteers differently is developing as quickly as these changes in topics evolve. For the past few years that focus has been on a providing helpful articles and resources on how to engage on these and other difficult topics.
In praying about this, we realized there were two opportunities to further invest in supporting volunteers. The first is the introduction of Volunteer Roundtables. These will be small groups of volunteers gathering virtually with ministry leadership. We will discuss how to handle tough topics, share more about developing trends the ministry is experiencing, and provide an opportunity for volunteers to ask any questions they may have.
If you happen to be a volunteer, we look forward to spending time with you, and if you are still waiting for that push to participate then we pray this will be motivation to take that first step and start sharing the Gospel with the hurting and broken.
The second new initiative is adding another layer of prayer to the ministry with the introduction of the Volunteer Prayer Team. As a ministry, we are committed to taking every opportunity we can to pray including the ministry staff praying together each week and the board of directors setting aside dedicated time each month exclusively for prayer. Many volunteers share heartbreaking details about the conversations they have as well as their own prayer requests that can be quite heavy in nature. This new team will embrace the opportunity to lift up their fellow volunteers and all those seeking prayer from the ministry. The team will also meet virtually each monthly to pray together with members of the ministry team.
We have coveted and appreciated your prayers as a ministry. Now we can extend those efforts through our faithful volunteers coming along side us to sit at the feet of our Savior together and lift every need to Him. If you are a volunteer and interested in being part of the prayer team, you can send us your information at prayer@needhim.org.
