Serve Day Survey & Stories

We had such an amazing Serve Day last Saturday. We lived the Gospel here on the Central Coast by. . .

• visiting 27 locations...
• with 310 volunteers...
• in Grover Beach, Arroyo Grande, SLO & Atascadero...
• serving 5 different schools, handicapped infants, seniors in retirement homes, several homeless shelters, an animal shelter, active duty military, AIDS patients, cops, firefighters, and more!!!

Now we're working hard to gather the stories of your experiences and God's work among us. Can you share your story by taking our quick online survey? Our goal is to see at least 100 people take the survey. The more feedback the better for planning the next Serve Day.

To take the survey and share your story, CLICK HERE

To read other's stories as they're added, CLICK HERE

Here's some of the great feedback lifted from the survey results so far, to encourage you to share your own . . .

What did you enjoy most about your Serve Day project?and What was a fun story from your Serve Day experience?

“Folks were just in the right place at the right time to serve. We had a few people less than a week at grace who jumped in and were such a huge help. Another guy was less than a month or two at church and could not wait to get started. He was the first one there and the last one to leave. I really needed his help setting up and that was awesome timing. People really get to know each other when they work together, and that was an unintended consequence of serving that I really enjoyed. I will always have something to joke about with those guys in the courtyard. :)”

I have been looking into volunteering with Choices, and had been coordinating with a friend from JFA to get involved- but it turned out that Maria, our community leader, was the volunteer organizer. I was able to connect with her and set up future dates to work together.

“We had fun working in the kitchen while we were half asleep, with no coffee! It was fun getting to know new friends, but the "fun" kind of stopped when faced with the reality of mental illness and homelessness...”

“I enjoyed being able to serve someone that normally would never have an opportunity to get "waited on"! Seeing their faces when taking coffee refills to them in the far reaches of the yard, or in the dining room was such a blessing. Giving them a few minutes of what most of us take for granted was wonderful!!”

“I felt I got more out of the serve day than the recipients. My friend and I made cookies for one of the firehouses in town and in return we were given a tour of the station and had the opportunity to meet some really neat people who risk there lives daily to protect and serve the community. It was really great!”

“Meeting new people who attend our church and sharing laughs and friendship with them”

Would you encourage your friends to sign up for Serve Day next year?

It's a great way to take the focus off yourself and even though I had things to do at home, this seemed to be more important - my stuff will still be there.

It's a great way to get to know the people in the community you are serving and the people you are serving with.

Huge blessing to serve. Very humbling.

It was a huge blessing for me and my kids

UN, SATISFYING, GOOD RETURN (JANITOR WILL VISIT gRACE THIS WEEK)

Serve Day is not only a church activity, but also an activity that can ultimately get the community as a whole involved. For each additional person who signs up, THAT much more community outreach can be attained. It is my hope that the next Serve Day will draw a hundred more people than this one.

What did you enjoy most about leading your Serve Day project?

I truly enjoyed the fact that I was involved in serving God's will. How much more exciting can that be?! Just having such positive interactions with my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ and the volunteers at my specific organization was outstanding.

From a community leader's perspective . . .

What did you enjoy most about your Serve Day project?

The ebullient attitudes of each member of our serve team were just moving. It was truly an honor to be 'graced' with their presence.

What was a fun story from your Serve Day experience?

There isn't one particular stand out moment. Seeing the spark in our residents' eyes watching these eager volunteers organize something that is so sacred to them (their library) meant a great deal to me.