Serve » Serving within St Helen's
Serving within St Helen's
Opportunities to get involved
‘For the Son of Man of man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many’ (Mark 10:45)
Jesus was the ultimate servant. Not once in his entire life did he serve himself. Instead he put the interests of others before his own. His was a service that knew no limits - he sought the eternal well-being of those around him throughout his life, and especially in his death. And then he told his followers to copy him.
Christian service, first and foremost, is the service of other people. We rejoice with those who rejoice, and we mourn with those who mourn. We pray for those in need, and we visit those who are sick. We speak the truth in love to one another so that the whole church might be built up and become mature. We strive to use the gifts and resources that God has graciously given us in his service and for his glory. At St Helens, we encourage every Christian in that sort of active service of those around them. We often ask each other, 'What more could we be doing to serve the eternal well-being of those around us?'
At the same time, St Helens is a large church which runs several different congregations and areas of ministry - all of which require lots of organisation and practical support. As such, there are bags of serving opportunities, and different ways to get involved.
Click on any of the links below for more information.
Immediate Serving Opportunities
Preparing and serving coffee before or after the service
Operating the PA/Camera
Tuesday or Thursday lunches
Babysitting
Serving on Sundays
Unless otherwise stated, most areas of service on Sundays require a commitment of about one Sunday a month, on a rota basis, usually as part of a team
Stewarding/Welcoming
Preparing and serving coffee before or after the service
Operating the PA/Camera
Music
After 5s or After 8s
Sunday Lunches
Student Suppers
Serving beyond Sundays
Catering
Flowers
International Guest Events
St Helen's Media
Tuesday or Thursday lunches
Local Outreach
Brixton Prison Ministry
Helping with children/young people
Crèche*
Sunday School Helper*
Babysitting
Crèche for Women on Wednesday*
Homework helpers*
Occasional children's helper*
If you would like to volunteer to serve in any of the above areas, please contact Shirley Isle at the church office specifying the area of service, your name and contact details. We will pass on your name to the organiser of the relevant activity, who will contact you in due course.
*serving in this area is subject to receiving an Enhanced CRB Disclosure
Stewarding/Welcoming: Welcoming newcomers, helping people find their seats and answering questions at the information board.
Preparing and serving coffee before or after the service: Help newcomers and regulars feel welcome over a cup of tea/coffee.
Operating the PA/Camera: Training is provided in how to operate the PA and/or camera for our Sunday meetings. Your help may also be needed at guest events e.g. Week of Talks.
Music: Singing or playing an instrument during the meeting or for Sunday school.
After 5s or After 8s: Preparing and serving hot food in St Andrew's after the afternoon or evening meeting.
Sunday Lunches: About six times a year we serve a roast Sunday lunch for the Sunday morning church family. Help is needed, once or twice a term, to set up tables, serve food or wash up.
Student Suppers: Preparing and serving hot food for students in St Helen's following the 6pm meeting on a rota basis over 6 or 7 Sundays a term.
Catering: We often need people to help at our events, for example at an evangelistic evening, or a small group leaders training evening. Our full-time catering team prepares the food, but we need a team to set up tables, serve the food and wash up. Joining our list of "Occasional catering helpers" doesn't commit you to helping, but gives us a pool of people we can ask to help.
Flowers: Join a rota for arranging flowers for the Sunday meetings and other occasional events
International Guest Events: Help with hosting and serving food at one or two events each term, usually on a Friday evening in St Andrew's.
St Helen's Media: St Helen's Media sends Bible teaching all over the world. Volunteers who are computer literate and could regularly give a couple of hours are always needed.
Tuesday or Thursday lunches: If you are available any time from mid-morning to early afternoon on a Tuesday or a Thursday, once a month or so, we would welcome your help on one of the teams which sets out and serves lunches in St Helen's for our midweek lunchtime talks.
Local Outreach: Training provided.
Brixton Prison Ministry: Training provided.
Crèche*: Looking after under 2s during the Sunday morning (10:30am) or afternoon (4pm) meetings.
Sunday School Helper*: Helping with Sunday School alongside the teaching team at either the 10.30am or 4pm meeting.
Babysitting: Babysitting regularly enables parents who live near you to attend a midweek Bible study.
Crèche for Women on Wednesday*: This involves helping run the crèche for Women on Wednesday, either regularly or on an ad hoc basis. WOW meets monthly in St Helen's, 10am - 12 noon.
Homework helpers*: If you get involved with this scheme, you will be aiming to develop a friendship with a Bangladeshi family in the East End through helping their children with their homework, chiefly assisting them with basic reading skills and arithmetic. Orientation and support are provided and the time commitment is one meeting per week for a school term plus one training and prayer evening.
Occasional children's helper*: We often need people to help with childcare at events, for example, with a Parenting morning, or Learning for Life, and sometimes at a weekend away. A more experienced children's helper/worker will often be on hand to oversee and guide you as you serve. Joining our list of occasional children's helpers doesn't commit you to helping but gives us a pool of people we can ask.
*serving in this area is subject to receiving an Enhanced CRB Disclosure
More information on the areas of service
Immediate Serving Needs
