This National Volunteer Week, We Give Thanks!

On April 11, PWRDF’s online community of prayer, Praying with PWRDF, honoured National Volunteer week and the fourth anniversary of Praying with PWRDF. In this reflection, Kim Umbach, PWRDF Volunteer Coordinator, offers her gratitude for our wonderful volunteers.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 – A Time for Everything

For everything there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven:

a time to be born and a time to die;

a time to plant and a time to pluck up what is planted;

a time to kill and a time to heal;

a time to break down and a time to build up;

a time to weep and a time to laugh;

a time to mourn and a time to dance;

a time to throw away stones and a time to gather stones together;

a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing;

a time to seek and a time to lose;

a time to keep and a time to throw away;

a time to tear and a time to sew;

a time to keep silent and a time to speak;

a time to love and a time to hate;

a time for war and a time for peace.

For everything there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven:

One might say this reading describes a series of moments that together make up a lifetime. It could also be said that it is a series of moments that together make up a community.

These moments are all part of God’s plan. We can’t control what happens, but we can choose how we respond to the moments we find ourselves in. If we are open, we can see God’s hand in all of the big and small moments.

This week is National Volunteer Week. And the theme is, “Every Moment Matters”. It’s a time to celebrate every volunteer and the contributions they make that are so important and necessary, in this moment more than ever.

We often give more emphasis to the big moments like weddings graduations, and anniversaries. We even attach more significance to birthdays ending with zero or five. However, it is often the smallest, seemingly most insignificant, moments that have the greatest impact on us and our lives. When we celebrate these milestones, I think we are really celebrating all the little moments that lead up to them.

 When I recall my graduation from university, I remember a lot of uncertainty about my future. I wondered what I would be qualified to do and, as a vision impaired woman, I knew I would have some additional barriers. In fact, I had a lot of people telling me what I wouldn’t be able to do. As I prepared for my graduation, I realized that my formal education was only going to be part of the puzzle. If I was going to find a job, I would need experience. For me, volunteering was that bridge. So, I went about finding ways to get involved and gain experience. In my search, I went to the local Volunteer Centre. I introduced myself to the woman who ran the Centre and said I was looking to volunteer and wanted to find places that would consider someone with a disability. “I understand,” she said, “I am also vision impaired.” It was the first time I had met a vision impaired person doing what I thought was a cool job. That was a chance meeting that sowed a seed of possibility.

Volunteering became a very important part of my life. After I graduated and moved to Toronto, I continued to try and figure out what I was going to do with the rest of my life. I wanted to find a meaningful career. I thought it would be great to find a way to turn my passions into meaningful work. That moment at the Fredericton Volunteer Centre stayed with me.

I also wanted to share the gifts that I had received through volunteering. I wanted to pay it forward. So began my career in volunteer engagement. And here I am, 30 years later, still enjoying a very rewarding career that I love. I share this story because it describes a small moment that set me on a path that, in 2017, led me to PWRDF. I’ve met people like you, the volunteers and friends of PWRDF who are gathered online for Praying with PWRDF, who inspire me and show what it means to love God and to love your neighbour.

On October 23, 1958, there was a bump in a coal mine in Springhill Nova Scotia. It was a moment in which 75 lives were lost, and the lives of countless family members and community members were changed forever. As often happens with tragic moments, it also inspired action. It was a moment that called Anglicans to find a way to respond to this and other moments of need in the future. This is of course the origin story of PWRDF.

PWRDF’s volunteers have responded to so many moments of need. They have given their time, their talent and their passion that have all contributed to the wellbeing of people in Canada and around the world.

• Our board members have developed governance structures and strategies to guide us through moments of growth, challenge and uncertainty.
• Diocesan Representatives have provided moments of learning, sharing and nurturing of parish volunteers.
• Parish Representatives have offered prayers, shared stories and raised funds to respond to countless moments of need.
• Youth Council members have educated about climate change, spoken out against injustice, and encouraged other young people to explore their faith.
• Mapping Exercise Facilitators have provided moments for education and reflection as we respond to the 94 Calls to Action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.  

And so here we are, 65 years later, facing a climate crisis, multiple wars, racial injustice, an increase in hunger and record numbers of people forced to flee their homes. It’s a moment in time when the enormity of the challenge can feel overwhelming.

And yet, PWRDF volunteers continue to pray, act and give, making a world of difference one moment at a time.

At a recent staff meeting, we were asked to think about the PWRDF moment that had the greatest impact on us. I thought of Praying with PWRDF, our monthly online prayer group.

A line in our reading says there is a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing. The COVID pandemic is a glaring example of a time when we were forced to refrain from embracing. Although it was a time of isolation, it was also a time when people came together and found new ways to connect. In April 2020, Praying with PWRDF began as a way to bring the PWRDF community together to pray, to reflect and to learn from our partners while churches were closed. We hoped it would get us through the two weeks, or possibly a month, until things would get back to normal.

And here we are, four years later. We have had so many moments online together. We’ve celebrated the births of grandchildren and remembered our friends who have died. We’ve blessed the seeds, the animals and farm equipment for Rogation and we have given thanks for the harvest. We’ve prayed for friends who were sick, and we’ve celebrated their recovery. We’ve wept and we’ve laughed. We’ve even danced in our seats when Suzanne picked particularly lively musical meditations. We’ve heard stories of destruction and the devastation of war, and we’ve also heard stories of hope and efforts to find peace. We’ve listened in silence and spoken out about injustice.

For everything there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven:

There have been so many moments that have brought us together and shape this Praying with PWRDF community.

Let me take just one more moment to say thank you.

Subscribe to receive the Zoom link for Praying with PWRDF