Small acts, big difference

THIS Coronation weekend concludes on Monday 8 May with the Big Help Out, which encourages people across the country to sign up to volunteer in their communities. A recent Community Life Survey showed that, since 2014, there has been an 11 percentage point drop in the number of people volunteering on a regular (once per week) basis. With such a significant decrease in the number of people giving their time to regular volunteering roles, the Big Help Out is a timely opportunity to raise the profile of volunteering.

In 1 Peter 4:10 and 11, we are reminded: ‘God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ’ (New Living Translation).

By serving others and giving freely of our time and talents, we are doing our missional service to God, and we will reach out to help, often without the necessity of a formally described volunteering role.

The act of volunteering is not only important, but also key to the growth of The Salvation Army. By engaging people with our community programmes, we are in a position to welcome them into other aspects of corps life. For example, young people today are socially active, but often sceptical of religion. By reaching people who are willing to engage with the Army’s charitable work, we can build and enhance our communities, adding richness to corps life. The Army has limited opportunities and resources to promote itself to others, which is why public focus on volunteering through high-profile events such as the Big Help Out is so welcome.

That said, we can’t ignore the notinsignificant challenges that volunteerinvolving organisations now face –competition from more than 180,000 other voluntary organisations, people demanding more from their time, the cost-of-living crisis forcing more people to spend more of their time working, to name but a few.

One of the many ideas coming from the Big Help Out is running taster sessions, so that people who are thinking about volunteering can find out more. Taster sessions provide a person with a valuable insight into volunteering without having to go through what can sometimes seem like a daunting process of checks before they even set foot in a role. It can also help them understand what a difference they can make.

Philippians 2:4 says: ‘Don’t be concerned only about your own