HERE'S YOUR OPPORTUNITY TO "SERVE"

The best way to show our love is in service to one another. Doing what you do best, sharing from the font of your talent, is definitely life-giving. Time and time again, we hear stories of those who shared their gifts feeling that they “got more out of the experience than the person they helped.”

We have all used the annual sign-up forms and we won’t be getting rid of them for those members who like the paper trail. The Stewardship Council is changing things up a bit, however, by asking everyone to look at our Shared Ministry opportunities on a quarterly basis, rather than an annual basis. For example, it is hard to commit to helping in the gardens in October or November when they are going to sleep for the winter. But, it may be easier to free up some time when you look at your schedule for the next three months. To assist with this new approach, we bring you SERVE.

SERVE is a very cool online program on the Pax Christi website - CLICK HERE - which allows Pax Christi members to quickly and easily sign up for ministries or activities both here and with our Justice Grant recipient partners in the greater community.  You can find SERVE on the Pax Christi home page banner or by clicking on the SERVE graphic at the bottom of any page on the website.

It’s as easy as 1-2-3: 1=SEARCH, 2=SELECT, AND 3=SERVE.

1. SEARCH:  Members can search for opportunities by program areas called Ministry Teams. Click on any of the Ministry Teams headers: Arts, Campus, and Gardens; Care and Support; Communications; Faith Formation; Finance; Justice; Lay Leadership Development; Stewardship; and Worship. If you prefer, find opportunities that fit your gifts—search by your interest, skill, or talent. You can scroll down the list of skills/interests and consider different opportunities based on your own talents. Let’s say you enjoy painting. From the main page of the SERVE program, click on “Painting,” and all the opportunities available for painting will appear on the center screen. Check through the list and see if there is something that sounds like a good fit for you and your gifts.

2. SELECT:  If something catches your eye and looks intriguing, click on the “I’m Interested” field and you will see more information about the opportunity that you selected, including the day of the week and time of day the ministry meets, as well as any requirements for participation. If this is a good fit, an easy to complete online form follows where you can enter your name, email, phone number, and any pertinent comments or questions. Submit your form by entering the code on the bottom of the screen and clicking the SEND key (or by pressing ENTER).

3. SERVE:  Your interest will be forwarded at once to the ministry lead for that opportunity, and soon someone will be in contact with you via email or phone to share more information, answer questions, provide any training, and get you settled in your new shared ministry.  NOTE: If you chose an entry from the Gift Inventory listing, you will be contacted the next time an event or project requiring your skill/talent arises.

If you are interested in helping in the greater community, please consider checking out the Grant Recipient Needs listing on the main page—it’s at the bottom of the Ministry Teams section. This section changes based upon the requests we receive from Pax Christi Justice Grant recipients. Please note that almost all of these opportunities occur off site. The needs change frequently, so check back often to learn about new opportunities for building relationships with our Grant Recipient partners.

Another Ministry Team category that is of interest is the ***IMMEDIATE NEEDS*** listing. This section changes seasonally and shows shared ministry opportunities that are needed now or in the very near future. Check out this section if you have some free time coming up and you want to share your gifts with Pax Christi.

There is even a “How To” video - CLICK HERE - available on the web page to illustrate how easy it is to use SERVE.

Try SERVE today and if you like it, tell your family as well as other members of Pax Christi.  (If you don’t like it — tell us! We will keep working to make it even better.)