Won't you Volunteer?

[firefightingal]

I should have said "Well, then it is not really volunteering anymore is it?" 

At work, we call it VOLUNTOLD!

[unicornbee]

I should have said "Well, then it is not really volunteering anymore is it?" 

At work, we call it VOLUNTOLD!

Thats what we call it in my family.
My mom is in charge of a program that helps poor families around the holidays. A Giving Tree Program.
The priest would always ask for volunteers. Growing up we always said to each other, "We don't get to volunteer, we get voluntold."

[Warbaby]

Am I the only idiot on here who has a mental vision of a Protestant parent being made to teach a Catholic children's class and then teaching the little darlings everything contrary to Catholicism that their Protestant denomination teaches?  Especially if that Protestant denomination is one of the ones that is virulently anti-Catholicism.

Bad Warbaby!  Bad!  Bad!

[skbenny]

Am I the only idiot on here who has a mental vision of a Protestant parent being made to teach a Catholic children's class and then teaching the little darlings everything contrary to Catholicism that their Protestant denomination teaches?  Especially if that Protestant denomination is one of the ones that is virulently anti-Catholicism.

Bad Warbaby!  Bad!  Bad!

Nope, I was picturing the OP giving very Methodist teachings to the Catholic children.

[bopper]

Am I the only idiot on here who has a mental vision of a Protestant parent being made to teach a Catholic children's class and then teaching the little darlings everything contrary to Catholicism that their Protestant denomination teaches?  Especially if that Protestant denomination is one of the ones that is virulently anti-Catholicism.

Bad Warbaby!  Bad!  Bad!

Nope, I was picturing the OP giving very Methodist teachings to the Catholic children.

Hehehe...Methodist isn't all THAT different than Catholic really, just the style of worship...BUT I can just imagine me saying....

"What's with all those saints, anyway?"
"How come Jesus never stopped in the middle of the Lord's prayer and said all that extra stuff?"
"Would Jesus really refuse communion to other Christians?"
"Why aren't their any Bibles in the pews?"
"Why haven't the songs in the Misselette been updated since 1977?"

[ginlyn32]

Rest assured (or maybe not  ) that other denominations have the same problem "recruiting" volunteers.

I used to be a member of an Assembly of God church and it was the same way there.

In fact, the rule was that if you wanted to use the nursery every week, then you had to volunteer. This was so the same person/couple did not get stuck doing it every week.

Children's ministries are notorious for not having enough volunteers. I think it's the fact that people don't want to deal with other people's kids or they just want one day where they can sit and fellowship and not have to worry about anything.

Ginger

[Oxymoroness]

When I ran a children's ministry program I had very, very similar problems.

HOWEVER, there was no way I was going to "force" people to volunteer, (not that I wasn't tempted ... I just didn't know how I go about it) so at first I just volunteered myself ... and started to burn out. So, I started cancelling programs.

Wow! You'd've thought I'd gone and shot someone's puppy ...

... still didn't get volunteers though, and trust me, I tried everything!

[Twik]

Yep, it's amazing.

"But you CAN'T cancel (whatever program). The kids LOVE it!"

"Well, we need some people to run it. WIll you help?"

"Me? No, of course not, I'm busy. But you HAVE to keep it going!"

The ironic thing is that I don't even have kids of my own.

[BrendaL]

In the "paid to-do-it" part of my life, I work with 200+ volunteers a year.  In the "my-choice" part of my life, I volunteer for eight different organizations.  My best recruitment tip for finding volunteers is to clearly state what the benefit to others is. The best way to get me to volunteer is to tell me how much time it will take.  I have downsized events due to lack of volunteers (after asking and begging for volunteers) and then Had people walk up the day of the event and say "You didn't call me!".  Go figure.

[Mayor Maynot]

Children's ministries are notorious for not having enough volunteers. I think it's the fact that people don't want to deal with other people's kids or they just want one day where they can sit and fellowship and not have to worry about anything.

I once volunteered to teach a 6th grade Methodist class in the weeks leading up to their confirmation.  ::shakes head to rid self of bad memories:: Those children were heinous!! Told me all sorts of things that the "other" teacher let them do, basically walked all over me and I consider myself to be a pretty strong woman!! It was horrid.  Needless to say, I escaped unscathed, they all got confirmed and I was asked back for the following year... what was my answer you ask?  "I'm afraid that won't be possible!"   

[bopper]

When I ran a children's ministry program I had very, very similar problems.

HOWEVER, there was no way I was going to "force" people to volunteer, (not that I wasn't tempted ... I just didn't know how I go about it) so at first I just volunteered myself ... and started to burn out. So, I started cancelling programs.

Wow! You'd've thought I'd gone and shot someone's puppy ...

... still didn't get volunteers though, and trust me, I tried everything!

That is why our church hired somebody for the nursery.

[bopper]

Yep, it's amazing.

"But you CAN'T cancel (whatever program). The kids LOVE it!"

"Well, we need some people to run it. WIll you help?"

"Me? No, of course not, I'm busy. But you HAVE to keep it going!"

The ironic thing is that I don't even have kids of my own.

I do run the crafts at the Methodist church youth group...I just wish the person in charge would please tell me what the lesson is so I can match the craft to the lesson.  It is too hard when you have nothing to base it on.

[lady_disdain]

What is the difference between a volunteer and a conscript?

The volunteer had to smile while being forced to do something.

[T'Mar of Vulcan]

I tried to vounteer to teach Sunday School at my aunt's church (when I thought I might want to go there, before realising they were, well, not-very-Biblical). The pastor said, "You have to be trained!" I asked in what. He said, "In teaching." So, five years of university and two degrees were not enough? I said, "Um, I'm a teacher." Him, "But you have to know about the Bible!" I said, "I majored in Biblical Studies at university." (And got the highest mark that year for the bible knowledge test - a 90%, 20% higher than the next-highest mark!) He said, "We'll see."

I got the message.