volunteer values

I was talking with a youth worker yesterday, and he asked me about volunteers, and recruiting, and red-flags and I sort of just involuntarily spouted out a list of over-arching values that I have for student ministry volunteers, and volunteers in general- I have said these over and over to dozens of leaders- and I thought I should record them somewhere- 

1. every volunteer needs a job. 
if they don't have a job to do, then there is no reason for them to be at your meeting other than to watch you work. it makes me crazy when I see youth workers hold a meeting and insist on doing the welcome, the game, the songs, the message, the small group questions and the counseling - all themselves. and then they complain to me that they have no one to help them. every job that you can do can be given away to a volunteer- and they may even do it better than you. 

2. the best job that a volunteer can do is to care for a student.
that is the most rewarding part of ministry- and the most attractive. if you want a volunteer to stay with you, then give them the best and most rewarding jobs. if you get paid, then you should do the jobs that no one wants: setting up, tearing down, cleaning up, emails, receipts, administration. let the volunteers pray with kids and laugh with them- let them support the student when they are struggling. let them do the fun stuff- you do the boring stuff. ephesians 4:11 says, "Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up..." we think that our job is to do all of the fun things- but God has sent us to equip everyone else to do the ministry. 

3. anyone can serve.
we think that only a certain type of person can volunteer- a young, energetic, single person maybe. I have had volunteers that were young, and ones that were older- I have had leaders who were single and leaders who were married with kids- I have had leaders who were in college, and ones who had busy career. anyone can serve- as long as they love God and care about kids (and pass the background check). my youth pastor friend told me that so many people in his church were so busy- I said, "don't say no for them! let them say their own no! just make sure you ask." 
so when you're looking for a leader- ask anyone from your church- young or old, married or single, busy or not. 

4. parents make the best leaders.
conventional wisdom says, "kids want to be around cool, young, college-aged kids- not stuffy old parents." not true. parents make the best leaders- and here is why: parents come hard-wired with instincts. when a student is sad, a parent knows what to do. when they are injured, let the parent in there- they can make it better. when a student is misbehaving, let a parent handle it. they are experts. teachers are amazing volunteers, because they are comfortable with students and they are masters at managing the behavior of a group of students. 

5. there is no good reason for you not to value, recognize and thank your volunteers regularly.
these people voluntarily showed up to help you do your job to work with teenagers and you don't have time to say thank you? shame. that needs to be one of your highest priorities- and not just once in a while- on a weekly basis.

6. give a volunteer the tools they need to be successful.
do they need curriculum? get it to them early. do they need time to read it and pray through it? then get it to them very early. do they need food for their group? provide it. do they need a clean space to meet in? then clean it. do they need your support? then give it to them- before during, and after their meeting. do they need basic information like calendar dates, times of the meeting or contact info? then make sure that stuff is available to them as early as possible. 

a good volunteer is worth their weight in gold. when you find one- take care of them. thank them, recognize them, resource them and above all, listen to them.

God is love.
-rev-rob

10 things I'm into right now- may 2018

1. my rocks
I previously wrote about how I was carrying rocks in my pocket- I figured that I could send some rocks to some people I had never met. so I made a bunch of rocks, and now I leave them wherever I go. I hope that just the right person will find them and be encouraged by them. 

2. technology that helps me find things

I just got the tile key-chain for my keys. It helps me find my keys anywhere. I also discovered that my apple watch will make my phone ping so that I can find it when its lost. so helpful! I told a student about it and she responded, "you need that because YOU'RE OLD!" true; but this kid loses her phone at least once every time she is at church.

3. battlebots

we get fired up for this show- it has everything: action, technology, strategy, fire, explosions, collisions- its epic. if you're not familiar with it, teams build robots build to destroy each other. these robots are violent machines and when they clash, its awesome. 

4. forged in fire on the history channel

I'm not sure why I love this show, but I have seen every single episode. 4 blacksmiths take hunks of metal and put them into white hot forges, then they bang them with hammers, then they sharpen them into razor sharp, super-strong knives. these knives are tested by knife-making experts. the 2 finalists then have a week to recreate an iconic sword from history- which is also tested for strength and sharpness by knife making experts. its interesting, exciting, relaxing and educational all at once.

5. cinnamon taffy town salt water taffy

I love salt water taffy. taffy town is the best brand, and cinnamon is my favorite flavor right now. delicious.

6. my dremel

I just got one of these tools. you can do everything with them! you can cut, engrave, sharpen, sand- I was getting my haircut and one of the workers was calling a locksmith because she lost her key to the lock for her locker. I said, "do you need a lock cut? hold on- I've got my dremel in the car!" this is a great tool for wood working, or any kind of home improvement project.

7. rita's 

this place has italian ice, but the frozen custard is out of this world. they just put one in about a mile from my house. so good!

8. the toys that made us

this is a show on netflix that gives the history behind all of the 80's toys like star wars, gi joe, transformers, legos, he-man etc. they do an awesome job talking to all of the creators- I love learning about how things were created and the process behind them. I have seen every episode if this show, and I hope they make many more.

9. comedians in cars getting coffee

I'm a little late to the game on this- but this is a little 15 minute show with jerry seinfeld where he interviews comedians while they get coffee and drive exotic cars. its interesting to listen to these guys talk about hecklers, and getting a crowd's attention, and coming up with new material- sounds a lot like youth ministry! its super short, pretty funny, and fun to watch. some of the guests are funnier than others-

10. the marvel cinematic universe-

when I was a kid, me and my friends used to go to the comic book store once a week and buy the new comic books. then we would go and get a soda, read through one or two, and chat about how fascinating that superheroes are. I remember sitting next to my friends and pulling comic books out of our backpacks at school and having other students look at us like we were crazy. they were like, "what is THAT?" and we would sort of shyly explain comic books, and the stories and the plot lines. 

now- everyone knows those stories and characters- its like we finally won!

I love to talk with friends and students about the marvel movies- it feels like I'm in middle school all over again!

I love all of these things- they aren't for everyone- and they reveal how quirky I can be. they also reveal how little things in life can bring us joy. 

God is love.
-rev-rob

sacred space

I was meeting with a co-worker recently- he recommended that we meet at a coffee shop- I had never been to this one- and it was kind of out of the way. 

when I got there, he said, "thanks for meeting me here- I know its a little out of the way, but its such a special place for me and I wanted to share it with you. its sort of my sacred space."

he went on to tell me some of the memories that he has had there; he told me how he likes to read and think there; and to look out the windows out onto the amazing view that you can see from there. 

and I felt really honored that he would share this place with me- and I did my best to help create a new memory there and to be in the moment that had been created.

and it made me think- "do I have spaces like this?"
what about you? 
have you ever shared a space with someone? 
I know that I have- it almost feels liek you're letting them see some art that you created, or read your journal- you're putting yourself out there a bit-

here are some spaces that are sacred to me that I have shared with others:

1. malibu grill
if you know me then you know that this is a no brainer. I have often said, "if we haven't been to malibu grill together, then we probably aren't friends." harsh, but mostly true. 
this is one of my favorite places to go to really take a friendship to the next level. its a place where I feel comfortable. when I go, I introduce my friend to the workers, and recommend a meal. I share the many memories I have made there. I talk about my friend Ed who first introduced me to the grill. I always talk about the time that the place burned down and they BBQ-ed at my church so they could fulfill a catering job. I never regret the decision to share that space with a friend.

2. the great bear
this is one of my favorite places to meet and old friend or a new one. I love to share the famous CCC coffee and chocolate milkshake with them. I love to look out on downtown los gatos and talk about deep things with them. when you share a space with a friend, you hope they will like it, and everyone always does.

3. the los gatos creek trail
my tail is the 2 or 3 mile stretch between downtown los gatos and vasona lake. this is my cathedral. this is my outdoor temple. If you added up the miles I have walked on this trail it would be in the thousands. if you added up the time I have spent praying there, it would be measured in days, not hours. this is where I go to learn and quote bible verses, to have a serious phone call, and to get perspective on the things that I'm anxious about.

I share this place with others- but only sometimes. its a long walk, and it takes the right person to appreciate how special that place is.  

I have a lot of other places that are special to me: my church in modesto, cannery row, pinecrest lake, hume lake, santa cruz, disneyland- but these are my sacred spaces that I love to share with a friend.

what space is special to you? share them with a friend and let them into your mind and heart.

God is love.
-rev-rob

the church fairy

I have worked at 3 churches- 2 big ones and now I work at a smaller one. 

I have discovered that the church fairy doesn't work at the small church.

when I worked at the big church, I would find myself in situations like this:

• a bunch of boxes came in- now that they are empty, what should I do with them? I'll just leave them in the hallway- the church fairy will clean them for me. 

• one of the chairs is broken- what should I do? I'll put it in the hallway with a sign on it that says "BROKEN." the church fairy will find it, and fix it, and return it- its like magic!

• after the baptism service, there are a bunch of wet towels and robes- who will wash, them, dry them, fold them, and store them? the church fairy. every time. like clock work.

• the trash can in my office is all full. but don't worry- the church fairy will empty it.

• the 4th grade class spilled glitter EVERYWHERE. sorry church fairy!

• I had a big meeting that required chairs and tables to be set up. when its all over I think to myself, "should I put these away? nah. church fairy's got it."

then I started working at the small church. at first I thought that their church fairy was a little slow. it took me awhile to figure it out, but now I realize- 

the church fairy is me. 

when I make a mess, I'm the one who cleans it up.
I was spoiled by the church fairy!

of course there isn't a real church fairy- it was always a dedicated team of custodians, maintenance workers and admin staff. I should have thanked them more!

if you work at a place that has workers like that, appreciate them! their work is invisible in the moment, but when its not there, you realize how much you took it for granted.

and while you're at it, go ahead and appreciate everyone else who helps you too.

God is love.
rev-rob