Serving even when it is not "Required"

It’s a January Sunday morning, Keenan Booher’s month off from his every-other month volunteer “Greeter” position at the church.
You’ve probably met him. He’s the tall gentleman, with wisps of a beard and dark brown eyes, who opens doors for folks at church. For both services.
And though this is his month off, there he is, at the front of the church entry near the high school ministry, warmly ushering folks into 11 a.m. church.
You really feel like he cares that you are here.
“Good morning ladies, how are you?” he says to a mother and daughter.
“Hey, dude, how’s it going?” he asks of a high school student coming for 11 O’clock Amplify.
On another church member he notices, “Those warm boots.”
“Good morning! Are you cold?” he asks playfully as a young gentleman, sans jacket, shivers by him.
Why, you might wonder, is Keenan greeting folks on this, his month off?
“There’s a need and I enjoy helping when I can,” he says cheerfully.
That is why he joined the youth ministry’s mission trip to Mississippi last summer and leads a Bridge Bible study on Monday nights for 11 th grade boys this school year.
And, precisely why he spent a weekend in December serving at 5 Rock Ranch, a retreat center that ministers to youth and families. He and his community group offered to be available for whatever work needed to be accomplished at the ranch.
During the day, the men installed new shower heads in the ranch’s 24-room hotel, and they mounted soap dispensers, replaced flooring, laid new plywood and put in an automatic towel rack in the bathroom.
The women helped clean the kitchen and assisted with other tasks.
In the evenings, they gathered around the fireplace, singing songs and sharing stories.
“They told us stories about how state organizations are locking up offenders and how their ministry is helping reach families and introducing people to Christ,” Keenan shared. “5 Rock Ranch wants to teach men how to mentor others to be a father to a young kid, to teach a boy to become a man, and to help young women.
Keenan came home from the working weekend at 5 Rock Ranch by 9 a.m. on that Sunday in December, just in time to be a Greeter at church.
It was his month on.
But, I have a feeling; he would have been there either way.


- Published in the service folder of today's 1-20-08 Rolling Hills Community Church