Behind the Scenes of St. Luke's Worship - Tommy Denesen

Have you ever wondered what it takes to run a successful Sunday worship at St. Luke’s, or any church for that matter? Well, there are many moving parts to that answer, and I don’t think it’s hyperbole to say that we could honestly be here all day if we discussed them all. So, for the sake of this blog, I’m only going to talk about one. Luckily for all of you, I think it just so happens to be one of the most important elements. The volunteers.

First, we must realize that a church, while many things, is a community. A place of worship that is, by and large, run and organized by the people who attend it and call it their “home church”. Whether it’s an official staff job or a volunteer position, St. Luke’s and many other churches rely on people stepping forward to fill the positions and do the jobs that need to be done. On any given Sunday, all it would take is a quick glance around for you to see these people at work. Whether it’s the ushers, camera, sound, or video tech, communion assistants, or any of the other dozens of people volunteering their time to the church, they are all around you. These people are the backbone of the church, unified in one coherent goal: Make this Sunday morning run as smooth as possible.

I’ve had the privilege of volunteering as video tech at St. Luke’s for the past seven years, and I can say from experience that we could always use “an extra set of hands”, or many, for that matter. Now, I am admittedly a little biased. We definitely need more video techs, but we also need more sound techs, more camera techs, more ushers, and more volunteers in general.

Stewardship is a core value of Christianity, and it’s a lot more than just tithing, which is still important, don’t get me wrong. Stewardship, however, is also the giving of time and talent. God calls us all to be good stewards, each in our own way. For me, and hopefully a few of you out there reading this, it is volunteering as a video tech. For others it could be communion, it could be as an usher, maybe the choir, or something else entirely.

I’m almost positive I’m not the first person to say something like this, and I know the emotions that can come with being asked to devote time to volunteering. It’s easy to say, “I just don’t have the time”, or “I wouldn’t even know where to start”, or “too much responsibility”. Which are all perfectly understandable responses to such an upfront proposal. But I urge all of you to consider what “being a good steward” looks like for you. Ask yourself, what has God called me to do here? What role has he set aside for me here? Maybe it’s in a volunteer position, maybe it’s not. But It’s important to note that it’s never a lifetime commitment, and no matter how much time you spend here, the value is immeasurable.

So, whether you join as volunteer at St. Luke’s or not, (which I really hope you do), praying and asking yourself questions like these, in situations like these, can be helpful anywhere. Not just exclusively at St. Luke’s, but in any avenue in life. 

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