Jesus said to her, "I am the Resurrection and the Life. Whoever believes in me, though he dies, yet shall he live."

John 11:25

Our prayer at Volunteers In Service is that your journey to the cross this Lenten season and your celebration at the empty tomb draw your heart into a closer relationship with the Redeemer, our Resurrection and Life.

You are invited...

Volunteer Appreciation Coffee Breaks

Thank you for witnessing Christ's love in the community as you connect with opportunities to serve through Volunteers In Service. Join us for an upcoming Volunteer Appreciation Coffee Break to celebrate all God is doing as the people of God witness His love through service!

WHEN: (two options)

• Wednesday, April 23 from 10-11:30 am
• Tuesday, April 29 from 1-2:30pm

LOCATION: Calvary CRC at 3500 Byron Center Ave SW, Wyoming

RSVP: Let us know which date you plan to attend. RSVP HERE or call the VIS office at 616-459-7500.

LET'S CELEBRATE TOGETHER!

• Meet fellow volunteers, VIS staff, and board members.
• Enjoy tasty treats.
• Hear stories of God's faithfulness.
• Pack a "blessing bag" to gift to a VIS Friend or community member.

Natalie* was fighting tears on the phone, overwhelmed by God's provision and the love she felt through VIS and volunteers.

"You all are an answer to prayer! We were all by ourselves up here with no support system after our housing voucher was chosen and we moved out of the shelter. You have made us feel so loved and valued. I know I am a child of God through the love I've felt through the church and through VIS! Thank You!"

Volunteers from local churches have been walking alongside Natalie and her sons as they acclimate to their new community. In addition to driving Natalie to the grocery store and food pantry, volunteers from a local church recently delivered a donated bedframe and mattress for her adult son with disabilities.

You see, God is already at work in our community and He invites us, the people of God, to join Him. Where will we find Him working? Look for the places where hope and redemption are needed. Look for where grace can be applied. Look for situations where a little love will make a difference. That's where Jesus is already working and we, God's people, are HOW people experience Him!

Greg Finke in Joining Jesus on His Mission reminds us that "we are Jesus with skin on...through our hands people experience the hands of Jesus. Through our voice people hear the voice of Jesus. Through our service people experience the care of Jesus. Through our face people see the face of Jesus. Jesus brings himself to people through us." (p.92)

Every request VIS receives to serve a community member is an invitation to join Jesus on His mission to redeem and restore people to Himself. Thank you for saying YES to opportunities to serve and donating your time, talents, and resources to being "Jesus with skin on" in our local community!

*Name changed

Invitation to SERVE

... and be how people experience Jesus!

VIS has a constantly changing list of opportunities to serve in our local community! If you are able to connect with any of the opportunities below or would like more information, please "reply" to this email or call VIS at 616-459-7500.

Yardwork & Outdoor Projects

• Judie's garden is overgrown and needs to be weeded. The raspberry bushes need to be pulled out and other bushes, ivy, and a cherry tree need trimming. She would also like her house power washed, if possible. (Belding near Big Pine Island Lake)
• Don (age 88) and his wife need help with spring clean up of their large yard, including raking and cleaning out the gutters. (Byron Center near 68th St SW & Kenowa Ave SW)
• Liza is 82 years old and needs her lawn raked, weeds wacked, and bushes trimmed. (Kentwood near 52nd St SE & Eastern Ave SE)
• Edie needs help cleaning out her flower beds, weeding, spreading mulch and fertilizer, raking the yard, and setting out items on the deck of her mobile home. (Kentwood near 60th St SE & Division Ave S)
• Edie needs help staining her deck in June. (Kentwood near 60th St SE & Division Ave S)

• Rachelle has a failed radical back fusion and chronic pain. She needs her leaves raked, garden beds cleaned up and exterior windows washed. (NE Grand Rapids near Fulton St E & Plymouth Ave NE)
• Hana had emergency heart surgery in April and is now on LVAD and IV antibiotics. She needs her yard and garden beds raked. (NE Grand Rapids near Leonard St NE & Fuller Ave NE)
• Paula needs help with spring yard work. Raking, spreading fertilizer and grass seed, pulling out some bushes, planting plants- if weather allows, and cleaning out behind bushes and trees. (NE Grand Rapids near Knapp St NE & Diamond Ave NE)
• Bernadette is 86 years old and would appreciate someone replacing 5 boards on her deck, power washing the deck and then staining it a few days later. (NW Grand Rapids near Lake Michigan Dr & Kinney Ave NW)

• Felicia is requesting help with leaf clean-up in her yard and picking up of small branches. (SE Grand Rapids near Burton St SE & Division Ave S)
• Pritpal needs his yard raked to the back of property while he recovers from brain surgery for a non-cancerous tumor. (SE Grand Rapids near Burton St SE & Kraft Ave SE)
• Emma has requested help with spring yard clean-up in her front and back yard. The leaves need to be raked and bagged. (SE Grand Rapids near Hall St SE & Eastern Ave SE)
• Burnette has asked for a volunteer to spread grass seed in her yard. She has the seed and spreader. The project will take 15-20 minutes. (SE Grand Rapids near Burton St SE & Eastern Ave SE)
• Krista needs help with spring yard clean-up including picking up branches and raking leaves and walnuts into the corner of the yard. (SW Grand Rapids near Wealthy St SW & Cesar Chavez Ave SW)

• Pam has an American flag bracket she would like mounted on the outside of her home. (Walker near 3 Mile Rd NW & Wilson Ave NW)
• Paulette is healing from a recent surgery and needs help cleaning up her yard after the winter: mostly raking and picking up sticks. (Wyoming near 44th St SW & Byron Center Ave SW)

Painting Projects

• Deb needs a small bathroom and a wall in her bedroom painted. She will provide the paint. (Kentwood near 44th St SE & Madison Ave SE)
• Sonia would like two rooms on the first floor painted (sitting room and den) and one small bathroom on the second floor. There is not a lot of moving furniture around or removing items from walls. She has the paint. (SE Grand Rapids near Hall St SE & Division Ave S)
• LaChelle is living with MS. She needs her front porch painted, including the spindles and hand railings. She has a little money to put towards supplies but can't cover them all. (SE Grand Rapids near MLK Jr St SE & Eastern Ave SE)
• Paulette lives in a one-story home and would like the back of her house scraped and painted. (Wyoming near 44th St SW & Byron Center Ave SW)

Organizing/Unpacking

• Rhonda needs help sorting through, organizing, and putting away items from boxes in her garage from a move in November 2023. (Kentwood near 44th St SE & Shaffer Ave SE)
• Jill needs help organizing the kitchen cupboards in her apartment that are too high for her to reach, as well as the cupboard under the sink. (NE Grand Rapids near Meijer on Plainfield)
• Michelle would like help organizing her paperwork and completing tasks in the paperwork such as paying bills. (SE Grand Rapids near Alger St SE & Madison Ave SE)
• Ruth needs help moving boxes out of the way on both floors of her home to prevent falls. If able, she needs help moving an upright freezer out of the basement to the main level so Consumers Energy can take it away. She was also sent a new modem by ATT but cannot get on the floor to hook it up correctly. (SE Grand Rapids near Alger St SE & Eastern Ave SE)
• Raney would like a volunteer to assist with lining her kitchen cupboards with linoleum. She has all the materials except for a utility knife. She would also like a rack hung and her baseboards and window sills washed. (Walker near Leonard St NW & Remembrance Rd NW) and
• Melva recently moved out of a nursing home into an apartment and needs help unpacking and organizing the apartment. Melva is in a power wheelchair. (Wyoming near 36th St & Byron Center Ave SW)

Spring Cleaning

Gather a friend or two and help a neighbor with spring house cleaning! Many of these VIS friends have been waiting months for a chore worker to be assigned for regular housekeeping through their insurance or other area programs. Any 1x only spring cleaning support would be much appreciated!

• Cathryn lives in Kentwood near 60th St SE & Eastern Ave SE.
• Sonja lives in Kentwood near 44th St SE & Breton Rd SE.
• Francisca lives in SE Grand Rapids near Burton St SE & Breton St SE.
• Jessie and her husband live in Wyoming near 36th St & Burlingame Ave SW.

Social Support - Friendly Visitor

• Bill (age 72) would appreciate a Friendly Visitor volunteer. He likes to play games like euchre and scrabble, drink black coffee, and would be interested in Bible study. (Kentwood near 52nd Ave SE & Eastern Ave SE)
• Tim's (age 65) quality of life would be greatly improved if a Friendly Visitor volunteer would take him on outings in the community. Tim lives in an adult foster care home and would love to go to Meijer, music stores, the park, or The Dollar Store. Tim is a nice guy who misses social interaction. Tim enjoys the rides he receives weekly to church! Tim struggles with memory and swallowing (so no food-related outings.) Tim's case worker from Care Resources would love to help make the introductions. (SE Grand Rapids near 44th St SE & Kalamazoo Ave SE)
• Susan (age 66) would benefit greatly from a friendly visitor volunteer taking her out on occasional outings in the community. Susan can't walk very far but a trip to Culver's 1-2x/month would be appreciated. Susan lives in an adult foster care home. Volunteers through VIS have been transporting her to medical appointments since November. Susan's case worker from Network 180 is available to meet with the volunteer and Susan at Culver's or at the AFC to make introductions. (Wyoming near 44th St & Byron Center Ave SW)

Biblical Foundations of Benevolence

Ten churches from seven denominations joined VIS at the Benevolence Workshop on March 27. Thank you to St. Luke's Lutheran for hosting!

"I absolutely loved that there were 10 different churches represented! So cool to come together with the same goal in mind and be able to connect with one another."

"I enjoyed the discussions with folks from other churches regarding how they approach benevolence and found it very helpful." Learn more HERE.