A rookie in volunteer land

Group, Jul/Aug 1998 by Parker, Alan Jekee, Christie, Les

GROUP asked a first- time volunteer to keep a monthlong diary of her thoughts and experiences; then we asked youth ministry veteran Les Christie to ponder the entries and add his Pot oughts."

Week #1

The senior pastor of the church wanted to meet with me before I started working with the kids. I was nervous about the meeting with Pastor Bill, but Danielle (the youth minister) assured me he was cool. So I put on a big smile and walked into his office. I thought we were just going to have a brief conversation, but he had a series of specific questions he wanted to ask me. It felt like a job interview. I wasn't expecting this. Still, despite my apprehension, there was an element of fun. At the end Pastor Bill thought I would fit in just fine with the youth group. It felt good to be affirmed by the senior pastor, but I still felt apprehensive about working in the youth department.

Week #2

The night of my first meeting with the high school group, four kids walked in and 1 froze. I want to work in this ministry, but I'm feeling afraid of these kids. They seem nice, but I just keep sitting here writing in my journal. This first step in getting involved has got to be the scariest. I'm feeling like a big dork.

One of the students broke the ice by saying she liked my hair (I have dread locks). There seems to be three groups: the goobers (nerds, loners), the popular kids, and the skaters. I gravitated toward the goobers because they seemed to offer the safest place for me.

There's one kid named Diego who's a little rough. During praise and worship, he just sat there looking tough, even when everyone else was standing. Imagine my surprise when he willingly shared with the group and even talked to me. I'd labeled him as a bad kid, but I was wrong.

My favorite time was after the meeting when a few of us went out to get something to eat. We bonded; it was really fun. The kids seem to enjoy having me around. I didn't get home until late, but it felt good.

Week #3

Tonight we had a youth meeting with the high schoolers, including a game, songs, a lecture, and discussion groups. It seemed a little rushed, and I struggled with low selfesteem. When they introduced the game, Honey, I Love You But I Can't Smile, it reminded me of when I played the game at camp when I was in high school. It brought back unpleasant memories. So I objected to playing the game. Danielle was trying to facilitate the game, and she was not happy that I criticized it in front of the entire group.

Danielle and I had a chance to talk afterward. She explained how it isn't cool to voice my objection in the middle of the meeting. She was right. I learned that when you're a leader, you affect the entire group. I learned I could've handled the situation better.

Week #4

Danielle asked me to find the game for tonight's meeting and introduce it. The kids had a great time with the game. It was supposed to last 20 minutes, but it only went 10 minutes because I didn't bring enough materials. The good thing is the kids can't wait to play it again, so it will be even more fun the next time we play it

Week #5

Danielle responded to an "unknown" message on her pager as we prepared for the high school meeting. The phone number was a hospital's. It's John, one of our kids. She comforts him over the phone. Then we're off to the hospital the minute she hangs up. When we get there, John is hooked up to an IV They're testing him for Hodgkin's disease. John couldn't reach his parents, so he called Danielle I'd met John, but he had a longer, closer relationship with Danielle. Danielle handled a difficult situation well. I wondered if I'd react in the same positive, caring way. We waited until John's parents arrived. Then we left the hospital and headed to the high school youth meeting.

Alana Jekee Parker is a college student in Califomia Les Christie is a veteran youth minister, speaker, author, and chairman of the youth ministry department at San lose Christian College in California.