An Invitation to Serve

Christopher Jarrett and his family had no idea that they would end up finding their church home through finding a house, but when his company transferred him from Pittsburgh to Orlando a few years ago, that’s exactly what happened. “When we were leaving Pittsburgh, we relied on a network of church friends to find a Realtor in the area,” Christopher explains. “Very quickly, we were led to Anne-Marie Wurzel. After helping us find a home, Anne-Marie and her husband Robert (partners at the Waterford campus) invited us to join them at Summit for a service. We attended our first service at Waterford in September 2010... at that time, services were still being held at Lawton Chiles Elementary School. We immediately felt a connection to the family there, and our daughters loved Base Camp.”

Christopher began looking for a way to serve in the Waterford community, and that led him to niceSERVE. “I was looking to get more involved within the community, but I didn’t know what I could do,” he recalls. “I enjoy working with my hands, so Garry Abbott (Waterford Campus Minister at the time) asked me to help with some maintenance work around the new campus. When my first niceSERVE opportunity came around, I agreed to participate with a ‘handyman’ work team.”

Since that first niceSERVE project, Christopher has continued to be involved with niceSERVE as both a volunteer and as a project leader. Christopher’s favorite part about niceSERVE is that volunteering doesn’t stop there:

“What I appreciate most about niceSERVE is the message that we’re not just serving, but we’re also ministering through service. I’m not sure I can explain why I’ve become a project leader, but I’ve certainly been called to do it. I know that because I’m working with a group that is near to my heart. During this niceSERVE, I’ve been assigned to lead a project at HOPE Helps. HOPE Helps provides for the needs of families who are experiencing adversity, and they not only assist those families through those times, but they help them to get back on their feet. In the past I’ve led maintenance projects at the Waterford campus and multiple projects at Hosanna Ministries.”

Through his niceSERVE experiences and because he has continued to say “Yes” to opportunities to lend a hand, Christopher’s passion for helping others has continued to grow and grow.

It’s not too late to sign up for niceSERVE! Pick a project at niceserve.org and join us this Saturday, November 15th at 8:30 a.m.

Guest blogger Sarah Joseph is a contributor to the Summit blog, SUMMIT MAGAZINE, and our Sermon Study Guides.