Volunteering

On a Sunday morning at Caminho das Lezírias, more than forty people are at work before the celebration begins: those preparing the coffee, welcoming families at the door, tuning the sound, tidying the children’s room. Nobody is paid for it. They do it because they believe serving is one of the simplest ways to love.

Volunteering is the heart of Vida Lisboa. This reflection is an invitation to those who do not yet serve, and a word of thanks to those who already do.

Serving is not an extra

We often think serving is for the “more spiritual”, or for those with time to spare. The Bible says otherwise: each person has received a gift to put at the service of others. Nobody is too young, too old or too busy to have a place on the team. What changes is the size of the gesture, not its value.

Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. (1 Peter 4:10)

Those who serve discover something that cannot be learned any other way: the joy of being useful. We serve better in community, and in community we also learn to receive, to ask for help and to rest when we need to.

Where you can serve

There are teams for every temperament and availability. Some ask for a Sunday morning every two weeks; others only a few hours a month. Here are some examples:

• Welcome: greeting those who arrive, especially first-time visitors, with a smile and a coffee.
• Vida Kids: looking after the children during the celebration, with activities, stories and play.
• Sound and video: helping the celebration be seen and heard well, online too.
• Kitchen and community lunches: preparing meals for the long table.
• Social support: accompanying families in the neighbourhood, with food parcels, visits and company.

Safety first

When it comes to children and young people, we leave nothing to chance. Anyone serving in Vida Kids or other activities with minors goes through a prior conversation, provides a criminal record certificate and signs our safeguarding commitment. There are always at least two adults present. This is a way of caring for those entrusted to us, and for those who serve.

What changes in those who serve

Those who serve often say they received more than they gave. They learn to work in a team, discover talents they did not know they had, form friendships that go beyond Sunday and gain a truer sense of what the church is: not a service to consume but a family built together.

Serving also teaches humility. There are tasks nobody sees, like washing dishes or stacking chairs, and that is precisely where we learn to love without an audience. Jesus washed the disciples’ feet; no task is too small if we do it as for Him.

How to start

The first step is small: fill in the form on the “Serve” page of our website, or talk to us on Sunday. Then a simple conversation to hear your interests and suggest a team, with time to try it with no commitment. In January we hold Volunteer Day, a morning to meet all the teams in one place. You will be welcome.