Introduction
Volunteerism is one of the main aspects of community construction as it boosts communication and cooperation with other individuals with similar interests. Religious communities are one of the massive social groups that influence diverse spheres of life, starting from church work and finishing with healthcare. This paper will provide a detailed description of my community involvement as a volunteer at the local church.
Moreover, it will show the generation gap problem and technology usage in this community and how they affected my experience. In this case, academic research will allow an understanding of the gaps in the studies and give clearer information regarding the unrevealed information about the community. The work will extend a personal view of the community context and outline the solutions to the problems faced.
Description of the Community and the Problem
The chosen community is based around the local church, which includes about 200 volunteers of different genders, ages, and races trying to contribute to developing religions. It aims to increase the sense of fellowship, spiritual growth, and community union. Such interests can define a religious community as singing in the choir, Bible study, or completing church administrative tasks (Lee et al., 2021). This type of social group supports peacefulness and promotes the regulations stated in the Bible. By joining together, individuals divide responsibilities and participate in many different areas of life to increase the well-being of the world’s population.
Despite all members’ strong sense of community and active participation, some problems may appear. For example, issues with consistent engagement may arise as volunteers are constantly changing, and new members should be trained to ensure high performance. The younger demographic may need to be made aware of the traditions in the religious sphere, and the problem might increase the training time. Digitalization increases the process of shifting away from traditional religion, and youth participation in church activities may become challenging (Campbell & Evolvi, 2019). Moreover, the gap in age between volunteers makes communication weaker, and older people may feel isolated if digital transformation begins.
The church’s volunteering program aims to pay attention to this problem and make the environment more engaging for people with diverse backgrounds. It allows young people to show their potential by connecting with volunteers in other religious communities to share unique values. Furthermore, older adults can continue interacting with each other, participate in traditional activities, and receive emotional support from those who share similar interests.
The “Fellowship Volunteer” role helps to fill the gap by serving food and engaging in conversations with every participant of the religious community. This activity developed unity and understanding between generations, creating a sense of family. Voluntary bible teaching classes also help young people to get more information about traditional religion and build a platform for shared learning when old people can support dialogue and give valuable advice.
Experience in Community Involvement
As a Fellowship Volunteer, I received a valuable experience and took an enriching journey of learning and sharing knowledge. Even though my primary responsibilities were related to food serving and bible teaching, I realized that I gained skills that have moved beyond the basic tasks. Communication with surrounding people and religious community members allowed me to understand more about human diversity.
Serving food might seem easy, but the reality differs from the expectation, as starting a conversation and creating a comfortable atmosphere is the principal value. Hughes (2019) stated that volunteering in churches is about spiritual development and expanding a vast diversity of new skills. I agree with this fact from my individual experience as I had a chance to learn about the lives and struggles of people from different backgrounds and countries. It helped me understand how everyone, despite their differences, is united by similar interests, beliefs, and values.
Bible teaching became challenging for me, and I could find more disadvantages in this process rather than advantages. It became complicated for me to explain some concepts using easy language structured to ensure that young people understand every aspect. However, I developed critical thinking and empathy for other community members.
Reading the Bible helps to deal with conflicts and misunderstandings (Rick, 2018). These sessions were not about biblical knowledge but about the communication and connection between social group members. Doubts raised by the youth grew into many problems, but this challenge allowed me to strengthen my conflict resolution skills.
Different knowledge was retrieved from working with elderly people. The wisdom and stories helped me to mature and stay more responsible for my actions. I have comforted my surroundings and myself by spending extra time chatting and serving. My community involvement has been one of my most significant experiences, filled with joy, learning, and problems to overcome. The sense of unity and collaboration made me more loyal to diverse individuals, and my level of humanity increased significantly.
Research About the Community and the Problem
Religious communities are usually complex social networks that have a massive impact on individuals. In sociological terms, this social construct spreads the importance of shared beliefs and practices, a sense of belonging, and collectivism (Hayward & Pearce, 2021). This type of community provides a support system and psychological and emotional assistance. From the anthropological point of view, a religious community is an institution for preserving cultural heritage (Lee et al., 2021). Rituals also help shape members’ behavior and transmission of experience, knowledge, and skills. The community also has an economic aspect that promotes charities and services for those most need them.
The digitalization issue related to religion has both positive and negative aspects. While older members cannot access technological advances, the younger generation can visit church meetings virtually (Campbell & Evolvi, 2019). Religious groups allow people to receive Bible information from the Internet and participate in volunteering activities online. Ozalp and Cufurovic (2021) showed that the gap between generations is massive as young people shape their unique relationship to religion, which differs from the elderly members’ perceptions. Additionally, the preferences in the teaching and service structure usually differ, causing problems in communication and cooperation.
Reading the Bible in the religious community is one of the key activities. Individuals become more connected to God, start understanding their feelings, and find a sense of life (Rick, 2018). Bible reading can be practiced in different forms, such as in Sunday schools or everyday rituals. Young people who want to volunteer and make a significant difference in the community can be invited to read the Bible to achieve their goals (Hughes, 2019). Churches support people of all ages and motivate them to remember traditions to make improvements in the modern world. Nevertheless, it is essential to remember that everyone is different, and some young people may need more time to be ready to consider the old traditions. Therefore, the heads of churches should not make new volunteers responsible for Bible reading.
Future Areas for Research
More comprehensive research should support current trends and challenges in religious communities. For example, even though the impact of digitalization has been revealed in one of the studies, it is still important to understand the long-term perspective of the transformation of the religious community. Possible risks and opportunities should be proposed before the integration of digital technologies.
Considering the significance of the generation gap in the community where I worked, further research is needed to know more about other successful methods of promoting dialogues between older and younger groups. Additionally, while studying the community and evaluating the problems, I realized there needs to be more research on degrading diversity in religious groups. Consequently, extensive research might be required to understand how people of color, different ages, and sexual orientations are welcomed in church communities.
Mental health and spiritual care are also crucial aspects in this area of study, and more examination procedures could be conducted to know more about the churches providing support to those who suffer from psychological conditions. Furthermore, this study is closely related to the problem of community development and optimization of social participants like charities. Understanding how religious communities influence other social groups and individuals is important. It might also be needed to explain the environmental impact of churches and how leaders address the most common issues. More research is needed on this topic, as the trend in ecological care is increasing significantly.
In the era of digital progress, the promotion of volunteering should be addressed. Therefore, more studies can be conducted to understand the advertisement methods and the use of technologies in this process. For example, it might be useful to learn more about the influence of Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality on the religious experience. VR and AR technologies can build perceptions of church volunteering and the implications and benefits of participation. Further research in this area can provide more insights related to the dynamics of the religious community and maintain the involvement of young people.
Conclusion
In conclusion, volunteering in a religious community provides valuable knowledge and experience for personal, physical, and spiritual growth. The skills I gained helped me address complex issues like the generational gap and the introduction of technology. Even though these factors play a massive role in creating a religious community, it might be difficult to maintain positive communication and adaptability to new inventions.
Volunteering in a church supports practical and spiritual purposes like serving food, helping older people, and reading the Bible. It might be difficult for individuals lacking volunteering experience to mix diverse responsibilities. However, constant practice makes it easier to become an integral part of the church community.
Understanding the community’s needs and wants is crucial as further investigations of problems and solutions can be introduced to fill the gaps and make religious communities more attractive to others. The experience of serving has become an integral part of the development of leadership and empathy. Therefore, participating in similar religious activities can support individuals’ growth and boost skills in new areas.
References
Campbell, H. A., & Evolvi, G. (2019). Contextualizing current digital religion research on emerging technologies. Human Behavior and Emerging Technologies, 2(1), 5-17. Web.
Hayward, G. M., & Pearce, L. D. (2021). The sociology of adolescent religious and spiritual development. Adolescent Research Review, 6, 265-276. Web.
Hughes, P. (2019). The churches’ role in volunteering in urban and rural contexts in Australia. Rural Theology, 17(1), 18-29. Web.
Lee, M., Lim, H., & Xavier, M. S. (2021). “A divine infection”: A systematic review on the role of religious communities during the early stage of COVID-19. Journal of Religion and Health, 61, 866-919. Web.
Ozalp, M., & Cufurovic, M. (2021). Religion, belonging, and active citizenship: A systematic review of literature on Muslim youth in Australia. Religions, 12(4), 237. Web.
Rick, K. (2018). How shall we then read the Bible? – An extended review. Christian Scholar’s Review, 48(1), 77-83. Web.