We are delighted to announce that we are launching our new Catholic Volunteer Service in partnership with the Jewish Volunteer Network (JVN). We introduced the service at our Volunteer Evening on 7 June to an audience of 100 potential and current volunteers, staff from local charities, and members of Christian, Jewish and Muslim communities. The highlight of the evening was our speakers, all of whom spoke about the importance of volunteering for individuals, communities, and society.
After an introduction from our chair, Bishop Paul McAleenan, we
heard from Kristen Stephenson from the National Council of Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) about Volunteers’ Week 2016 and the significance of our interfaith event. John Coleby, Director of Caritas Westminster, then introduced our new volunteer service, which will make it easier for the Catholic community to find and share volunteering opportunities. Click here for more information about the Catholic Volunteer Service.
Although our speakers came from different faith traditions, they all showed that volunteering plays a vital role in sharing love and compassion with our communities. Leonie Lewis and Lia Bogod from the JVN spoke about the tradition of volunteering in the Jewish faith, which grew out of centuries of exile and dispersion. This tradition
continues to this day, with the Jewish community running what Leonie called ‘a voluntary welfare state’.
Rev Cham Kaur-Mann, a Baptist minister working with the Cinnamon Network, called on us all to be leaders in our communities. As Cham said, ‘we are all leaders, we are all leading in some capacity’, and by volunteering in our churches, synagogues and mosques we are taking our place as leaders in the heart of our communities. Cham runs leadership training for volunteers with the Cinnamon Network, which you can find out more about here.
The most moving moment of the evening came during the talk by Cristina Gangemi of the Kairos Forum. Drawing on the Biblical story of Jeremiah, who became a prophet despite his initial reluctance,
Cristina showed how we are all prophets, and volunteering is part of our calling as people of faith. Cristina then asked the audience for words to describe the meaning of volunteering, and after a short reflection, the responses came back: love, friendship, and compassion.
Many thanks to Shell and Sarah from the Caritas Deaf Service, who interpreted the evening for the Deaf community.
We would particularly like to thank our inspiring and thought-provoking speakers:
- Kristen Stephenson, NCVO
- Leonie Lewis and Lia Bogod, JVN
- Rev Cham Kaur-Mann, Cinnamon Network
- Cristina Gangemi, Kairos Forum
We would also like to thank our stalls from:
- PACT, the charity for prisoners and their families
