The Volunteer Life

How Volunteerism Has Shaped An Organization, Built Up A Region, And Transformed Lives Across The Country

Volunteers are central to the history and culture of Christian Appalachian Project (CAP). More than 50 years ago, Rev. Ralph Beiting began CAP’s mission as a volunteer. He built the foundation of CAP with volunteers from his family and his parishes. Even as the necessity to establish a permanent workforce of local employees emerged, volunteers remained an essential part of the organization’s operations and impact. CAP would not exist without the service of volunteers.

This spirit of volunteerism invigorates, informs, and intensifies every aspect of the organization’s work in Eastern Kentucky. CAP volunteers are bound by a discernable culture and commitment that uniquely enables them to make a lasting impression on the region and the organization. This volunteer culture also facilitates a transformative experience for the individuals who serve. The immersive nature of serving and living in intentional community affords opportunities for personal and communal exploration, introspection, and growth. For college students, recent college graduates, and even retirees, volunteer service with CAP holds the potential to be a life-changing and deeply fulfilling endeavor.

The life of a CAP volunteer can be a challenging one, however. Whether committing to short-term or long-term service, there is an inherent sacrifice in leaving the familiarity of home, friends, and family for an alien mission field. For individuals who feel a strong calling to serve CAP’s mission and are willing to embrace potential discomfort, adventure awaits. Amy Schill, assistant director of CAP’s Volunteer Program, explains, “The commitment of volunteers doesn’t stop at simply serving 40 or more hours per week in one of CAP’s human service programs; it is also a commitment to a lifestyle of intentional community and spirituality that encompasses nearly every waking moment. People don’t come to CAP and merely volunteer – they become a CAP volunteer. And that identity sticks with them when they leave.”

SERVICE, COMMUNITY, & SPIRITUALITY

The CAP Volunteer Program is built on three pillars: service, community, and spirituality. CAP volunteers are commissioned to embrace each of these pillars, realized to various degrees and in multiple capacities depending on the nature of their service. The pillar of service is likely most apparent and easily comprehendible. The majority of volunteers commit to at least 40 hours of service per week in one particular program. Their time and attention are focused in one area, allowing them to gain an intimate knowledge of that program or service. The skills and experience acquired and honed in programs like Housing and Family Advocacy are invaluable tools that all volunteers take with them when they leave. Relationships are built with both participants and full-time staff during this period of concentrated service, enabling a transformative experience for all parties involved.

The pillar of community refers to the intentional communities in which many of our volunteers live, and extends to the local communities in which they serve. Although CAP volunteers typically share a lot of similarities, the realities of living with a diverse mix of relative strangers exposes some of the minor differences. With volunteers coming from all regions of the country and representing an array of ages and backgrounds, there are often differences in cleaning habits, sleep schedules, concepts of stewardship, worldviews, and personalities. For the vast majority of volunteers, the growth that comes from intentionally sharing a communal life with a group of people united in service far outweighs the challenge of living with one another’s quirks and idiosyncrasies. When bound by the mission to help people meet basic needs like food, shelter, and clothing, the discomforts of living with different people tend to fall away as minutiae.

The pillar of spirituality in CAP volunteer life is at the heart of the experience for most. Volunteers who live in community take turns preparing a meal and a devotion for one another four nights each week, and volunteers who choose to live on their own are encouraged to join in the breaking of bread and devotion with these communities often. Contemplations of scripture or some other spiritual reading, conversations of faith and spirituality, or even personal reflections and testimonies are typical of these regularly-scheduled times of devotion. According to Schill, “Because CAP is an interdenominational organization, volunteers come from varied Christian backgrounds – and some do not have a specific faith tradition or are simply attracted to the Christian principles espoused by CAP. These differences could potentially result in conflict, but ultimately this diversity adds richness and depth to volunteer life. It is our hope that every volunteer walks away from CAP having undergone substantive spiritual growth."

SATISFYING A DEEP NEED

In whatever capacity one serves, whether by giving up a spring break to repair homes during WorkFest and YouthFest, giving up a summer to counsel children at camp, or giving a year to invest in long-term human service programs, CAP volunteers will immediately understand the weight of their work. For many, service with CAP is their first exposure to rural poverty and the unique needs of people in the Appalachian region. It is a powerful realization when one witnesses the ways a volunteer can forever transform the lives of children and their families, the elderly, and individuals with disabilities by simply hammering away at a leaky roof or assembling a box of donated food.

The hope that builds within participants when they understand that a volunteer has cared enough to devote time, energy, and skills to meet their basic needs is reciprocated in the life of the volunteer. It becomes a shared hope that blossoms and flourishes as relationships develop between the volunteers and the people they serve. Although the basic needs of participants are easily identifiable and volunteers seek to meet these needs, it is the deep need within themselves that is most satisfied in the process. This spiritual need to offer one’s life in service of another is central to the calling of a volunteer, whether consciously acknowledged by the volunteer or not. In Christian theology, this concept is referred to as kenosis – the emptying of oneself in service and sacrifice, only to be paradoxically and mysteriously filled with divine grace.

The life of a CAP volunteer is one of service, community, spirituality, and an ever-filled soul.