March 2026

Empowering Christians to join Christ's work in their community for the purpose of building God's kingdom.

40 Years...Empowering the Church to Serve

"The King will reply, "I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me." Matthew 25:40

When you are a new(er) Executive Director of a ministry celebrating it's 40th anniversary, you spend time exploring photo albums and old organizational flyers to trace the fingerprints of God over time. What I've discovered: God has been faithful for 40 years as VIS has stayed true to it's mission! Volunteers In Service is still empowering the Church to serve!

For the past eight years, 21 volunteers from 14 churches have walked alongside Shelly* providing rides to the grocery store and medical appointments, and serving as friendly visitors. Last week Shelly moved permanently into an AFC (Adult Foster Care) home. Her legal guardian shared with VIS, "I truly believe that Shelly lived independently as long as she did because of the consistent, loving support of the volunteers who walked alongside her every week for so many years. Thank you for all you did to connect volunteers to serve Shelly." (*named changed)

These volunteers exemplified the church wrapping its arms around a neighbor and showering her with God's love. They allowed God to work through them so Shelly could encounter Jesus! VIS quietly connected these volunteers to Shelly, empowering the Church to serve! Thank you, Lord, for 40 years of your faithfulness as VIS lives out Your mission in Kent County!

Serving Him Together,

Cori Scholtens

Executive Director

40 years ago...The original VIS logo

Recently we received the following email from a long-time VIS supporter:

"Hi Bernita. It's interesting to hear VIS is 40 years old! Volunteers In Service is a great servant to our community. My husband Teunis was one of the deacons on the original board. He was very excited about this type of outreach, believing this was truly the task of being a deacon. Because VIS means "fish" in Dutch ...and was a symbol of the early church, I was asked to draw up the first logo of VIS in the form of a fish. Thank you and all the sponsors and volunteers who promote this ministry and continue to make it successful. May God bless your service for many years to come! Sincerely, Phyllis Witte"

Thanks, Phyllis, for sharing this story! We are beyond grateful for the men and women who followed God's call 40 years ago to launch Volunteers In Service as a support ministry for CRC deacons. We cannot say thank you enough to those who have followed in Teunis and Phyllis' footsteps and continue to champion God's mission through VIS as we empower the body of Christ across Kent County to serve for the purpose of building God's kingdom!

Will you share your VIS story? Help us collect 40 years of VIS memories and stories of God's faithfulness! CLICK HERE

Opportunities to Serve

Get connected today to an opportunity to shower a neighbor with God's love! Reply to this email or call VIS at 616-459-7500 for more information. Click on one of the brown buttons below for a full list of opportunities to serve.

We are placing a high priority on connecting church volunteers with the following two needs:

Friendly Visitor: Many of our VIS Friends (clients) live in isolation and combat loneliness. They would benefit greatly from a friendly visitor 2-3x/month. Most have a story to tell about their life, career, and family. A little listening goes a long way to reminding them they are valued and seen and heard by God and the church! For example, these neighbors need a friend...

Karen, 76 years old in Kentwood
Judy, 80 years old in NE Grand Rapids
Barbara, 94 years old in SE Grand Rapids
Jason, 50 years old in Rockford
Sheila, 66 years old in Sparta.

Household Cleaning: Several of our VIS Friends are not physically able to maintain their home as they wish. Would your congregation be willing to sponsor a cleaning day? Gather a small group to donate 2 hours to cleaning an apartment or house. Consider it a fun group building activity that brings joy at the same time. Click on the "Opportunities to Serve" button below to see a list of VIS Friends needing this support like Steve in Hudsonville, Patricia in SE GR, Beverly in Kentwood, Lisa in NE GR, Frances in NW GR, and Rosie in SW GR.

Click on a brown button below for a full list of opportunities to serve.

Opportunities to Serve

Transportation Opportunities

Kingdom Impact in 2025

Check out the Kingdom Impact churches made across Kent County, MI as they leaned into relationship and served their neighbors, ultimately witnessing Christ's love! Read VIS' Annual Report below.

Read the VIS 2025 Annual Report

Resources for Ministry

Volunteers In Service desires to equip your church with resources as you care for your congregation and reach out in the community. CLICK HERE for a list of resources on the topics of Benevolence, Diaconal Ministry, Community Engagement, Justice & Mercy, and Stewardship.

Partnering in Kingdom Work

A big thank you to Danielle Bult at Love INC, South Kent County for partnering with VIS to co-facilitate the "Reimagining Benevolence Learning Cohort" this winter. Nine churches joined us to reimagine what God might be calling us to in our benevolence ministries.

Thank you to Love Your Neighbor in Hudsonville for helping connect one of our VIS Friends in Rockford with a bed. Tears ran down her cheeks when the bed was delivered by volunteers through VIS. This mom no longer needs to sleep on a molded mattress!

Donate Today