Introduction

For more than 100 years the Seventh-day Adventist Church has sponsored social work, disaster relief and public health services in North America and around the world. It views the church as a servant body. Created for service, Christ’s followers serve the Lord in praise, serve one another in love, and serve the world in humility.

Christ modeled for us the life of service. He “went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed” (Acts 10:38).

Christ identified with the poor and oppressed. “He fed the hungry and healed the sick. By the good He accomplished, by His loving words and kindly deeds, He interpreted the Gospel to men,” comments Ellen White. “Christ’s work in behalf of man is not finished. It continues today. In like manner His ambassadors are to preach the gospel and to reveal His pitying love for lost and perishing souls. By an unselfish interest in those who need help they are to give a practical demonstration of the truth of the gospel” (Welfare Ministry, pages 56-57).

God calls every man and woman to service. Every believer is called to ministry, gifted by the Holy Spirit, and in baptism ordained for ministry. (Eph. 4:11-12) The church is a kingdom of priests set free to minister for Christ. Our priesthood is to each other within the church and to the world. A community services volunteer is a ministering servant of God.

Duties of a Community Services Volunteer

The program varies from place to place, based on local need. In about 500 cities and towns across the United States, Canada and Bermuda, Adventist Community Services (ACS) centers operate. In thousands of other locations ACS projects work out of church basements and borrowed facilities. The work of a community services volunteer might include any of the following activities:

• Adopt a grandparent     
• Adoption services     
• Advocacy program     
• Alcohol program     
• Baby care class
• Bible study group
• Big brother/sister
• Blind camp
• Blind services
• Board member
• Branch Sabbath School
• Camping for children
• Child care
• Children’s story hou
• Clothing/bedding program
• Community cupboard
• Community surveys
• Cooking school
• Counseling services
• Craft class
• Deaf services
• Disaster Response
• Divorce recovery seminar
• Domestic violence program
• Door-to-door contacts
• Drug abuse detox
• Drug abuse preventio
• Drug abuse rehabilitation
• Families of prisoner
• Family camping
• Family counseling
• Family finance seminar
• Family life workshop
• Field trips
• Financial counseling
• First aid class
• Follow-up contacts
• Food bank/pantry
• Food distribution
• Foster child care
• Foster grandparenting
• Free clinics
• Fund raising
• Furniture program
• Grantsmanship
• Grief recovery seminar
• Handicapped services
• Health appraisals
• Health education
• Health screening
• Home nursing
• Home nursing class
• Homeless shelter
• Homemaker services
• Immigration program
• Information and referral service
• Inner city program
• Intake desk
• Inter-agency liaison
• Interviewing client
• Job-finding service
• Job training program
• Layettes
• Legal aid
• Literacy tutoring
• Literature rack
• Marriage seminar
• Meals on Wheels
• Migrant ministry
• Newcomer ministry
• Operation Overcoa
• Operation Paintbrus
• Parenting seminar
• Pathfinder Clu
• Preparing for baby clas
• Prison ministry
• Public relations Receptionist
• Refugee ministry
• Runaway shelter
• Self-help groups
• Senior citizen group
• Senior citizen lunches
• Sewing class
• Shoes for Little Shavers
• Smoking cessation program
• Soup kitchen
• Stress seminar
• Suicide prevention
• Support group
• Tax assistance
• Telephone friend progra
• Transients aid
• Transportation assistanc
• Tutoring
• Vacation Bible School
• Van ministry
• Videos, educational
• Visiting the aged
• Visiting the sick
• Weight control program

Responsibilities in the Local Church. North American Division Corporation of Seventh-day Adventists. Copyright © 1997, Revised 2017. Permission to copy for local church use.