Up on my soap box....

St. Mary's on the Highlands Episcopal Church

This is one of those random posts that has nothing to do with crafts or cooking but that I wanted to share anyway.  Because I can.  (Even though I do feel a little odd because I'm probably going to direct the priest who gave the sermon that prompted this to read my "bitch" blog.)

In church this week our sermon was about recognizing someone's spiritual gifts and using them to make the Kingdom of God a reality.  The sermon was about one of the readings for the day:  1 Corinthians 12:1-11.  From this I came away with the phrase:  "To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good."  What a powerful message to think about on the day before MLK Day which has become, for many, a Day of Service.

I started to think about how I use my gifts in this world.  I hope that when I shuffle off this mortal coil (sorry, I thought since I was talking religion I could be poetic) that people will remember me as someone who made a difference, even if it is a small one.

So here's my soap box.
DO SOMETHING FOR SOMEONE ELSE!!  We are all wrapped up in our own lives, we are all busy, we all have a lot going on.... but stop for a minute.  Take a breath.  Realize how lucky you are.  Think about what you can do that can make someone else's life or the world around you a better one.  Or, as my priest put it, "Bring the Kingdom of God closer to the Southside.".  It's possible that is not a direct quote.

Now, I will be the first to admit that I am not planning on using MLK day as A Day of Service.  I plan on spending the day with my son doing what he wants to do because I.... you know what, it doesn't matter.... I just am.  BUT I spend a lot of time volunteering so I feel like I'm allowed to get up on this soap box.  I thought I'd give a list of some volunteer opportunities around the Birmingham Area in the hopes that someone will see a potential to help.  These are all ministries/opportunities that I have either been involved in or have a friend that is involved in.  Hopefully something will speak to you.

The Sawyerville Work Project is a 100% free day camp in Alabama's Black Belt sponsored by the Episcopal Diocese of Alabama.  If you have a special skill they are looking for people to come in for the day and run a workshop.  If you have/are a teenager or young college age student they are looking for camp counselors.  If you can cook or buy food they are looking for people to provide meals to their volunteers during the camp.  If you have money... they want that too.

The Birmingham Hospitality Network hosts homeless families in churches while offering comfort, support and help.  Whenever they come to St. Mary's they are always looking for help with dinners and "hosts".

The Starlab is a portable planetarium that comes to Oak Mountain Elementary once per year and all of the children get to have a lesson for free.  This is also a self serving plug because I'm in charge of coordinating and training volunteers and would love some people who are interested.

The Community Kitchens feeds anyone who is hungry.  Period.

If all else fails and you are a human with blood in your body then here is a list of Red Cross Blood Donation Centers.

This is just a small list but there is so much you can do.  If you have made it all the way through this and have a volunteer opportunity that is near and dear to you please post a link in the comments.