I stopped and spent a few minutes with Lamont. Lamont is a big guy. A man's man. He serves on our volunteer security team and helps keep the kids safe while they are here. This includes locking and unlocking doors, helping walk kids to the bathroom, blocking the people traffic flow when our preschoolers are crossing into the park for chapel, and much more.
As a talked with Lamont, God reminded me to tell him something. Here's what it was.
"Lamont, I want you to know that what you do makes a huge impact on families. New families are usually nervous when they walk in here for the very first time. One of the things they are wandering about is if their kids are going to be safe. When they see you, it helps them feel at ease. They are able to go to the service and listen to the message without being worried about the safety of their child. As a result, many of them come to Christ. And you play a significant part in that. That's WHY you're here."
"You also help kids transition to chapel time where they hear God's Word taught. You make it possible for them to transition safely and you have a part in every child who is impacted by God's Word during chapel time. That's WHY you're here."
Your smiles and "welcomes" to families makes them feel at home. Many of them come back because you helped make feel welcome. As a result, many of them begin a relationship with Jesus. That's WHY you do what you do.
Lamont's eyes lit up. He looked at me, smiled, and said, "thank you." I could tell it meant a lot to him to be reminded of why he is serving.
Don't just thank your volunteers for serving. Take it to the next level by reminding them of "why" they are serving.
Example - "Thank you for teaching the 2nd graders today." (that's the what) This is good, but take it to the next level by reminding the volunteer of why they served today.
"Wow...I so appreciate your heart for God and the kids. Because you served today, many of those kids will find Christ as their Savior. And the truths you taught them will impact their lives." (that's the why)
See the difference? Don't just stop with the what - remind them of the why. It will bring encouragement and energy to your volunteers.