The Volunteer Revolution by Bill Hybels

Author:Bill Hybels
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780310566038
Publisher: Zondervan

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

“I love sharing those verses with the women,” says Teresa. “We encourage them to turn to God for guidance when life gets difficult or when they feel alone. Because they know we truly care for them, they listen to what we say.”

Roberta, who struggled to find value and a sense of confidence as she grew up, loves to watch the spirits of her invited clients lift as the day goes on. “I can’t describe what it means to me to be able to share with these girls and women through touch, words, and service that they have value.

“It took over twenty years for my dream to come true. When it finally happened, it blew me away—and it still does. At the end of every Day of Beauty, all the hairdressers are in tears, grateful to be able to use the skills God has given us to make a real difference in women’s lives.”

The experiences of those in CARS and the Hairdressers’ Ministry have inspired others in our church. A group of recreational and professional pilots, along with others who work in the aviation industry, decided to figure out a way to use their planes, their skills, and their contacts for Kingdom purposes.

At a recent Aviation Ministry meeting, Chuck, an aircraft broker, announced that he knew of an empty cargo plane flying to Johannesburg, South Africa. A Willow staff member who heard that announcement “just happened to know” about a garage full of computers waiting to be shipped to an African mission agency. Within two weeks, the computers were on the cargo plane, along with nine boxes of clothes and baby toys, headed for a Christian vocational training school in Johannesburg. And a group of grateful pilots and aviation professionals felt they had made a difference. “The last time computers were shipped to this mission,” says Chuck, “fifteen South Africans were trained on how to use them and nine ended up getting jobs.”

I never tire of seeing God orchestrate creative ministry plans through people who humbly make their skills available. Mike, another volunteer, is a gifted linguist. Every Sunday after one of our services, he teaches an idioms class for international attendees, most of whom are students from local universities. By highlighting idioms used in that morning’s sermon, he helps increase the language skills of his students while clarifying the Word of God.

Here’s one more skill-based story that I love. In 1980, Scott, a volunteer at Willow since the youth ministry days, decided to take his ski boat up to our church camp in Michigan and teach junior high students how to ski. “There was something about that age group,” he says.

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