Earlier today the Mansfield Mission Center held its first annual volunteer appreciation luncheon. This event provided an opportunity to say thank you to many of the people who power this dynamic ministry.
I had the honor of providing the closing remarks. After talking a bit about love and family, I concluded with the following prayer:
Volunteer Appreciation Prayer
Loving God, we have gathered here today in your Many Names to pause the natural rhythm of life and ministry of the Mansfield Mission Center in order to celebrate those who have answered the call to serve their community through acts of love for their neighbors.
We recognize and honor the diversity in tenure among our volunteers giving thanks for those who have served for weeks or months, those who have served for years, and those who have served for decades.
We recognize and honor the diversity in gifts and types of service giving thanks for those who have built or expanded our physical facilities, and for those who have rebuilt or enhanced the lives of our clients, patients and shoppers.
On this day – our first ever annual celebration of volunteers – we also give thanks for Danielle’s ministry among us as our first full-time staff member focused on nurturing our volunteers. We ask God’s blessing on Danielle and her husband as they prepare for the next chapter of serving in California.
On this day – our largest ever gathering to appreciate our volunteers – grant each and every one of us a sense of belonging, an awareness of God’s love, and an enlarged vision for loving our neighbors.
Help us to live this and every day with an unwavering commitment to making MISD a place of possibility where all may flourish, a place marked by more and more strong families, and place known near and far as a strong community. Amen.
So What?
The Mansfield Mission Center is a rapidly growing non-profit that truly cares about making their community a better place for all people. After conducting ministry in one site and relying on church partners for space for classes and other offerings for many years, the organization grew to two locations in March 2018. And, in March 2019 the MMC added a third site.
The recent scaling of MMC’s many client services, patient services, and business operations is possible because of our hundreds of ongoing volunteers alongside many groups that volunteer more occasionally.