SOOP

With gratitude for the following reflections from Jim Bowman, Harrisonburg MCC Gift and Thrift Board President, that he presented at their volunteer banquet, adapted by Mary Jane:
 

1.  We volunteer because we are committed to the mission of SOOP. SOOP represents a worldwide network of creative resource transfer. (Resource is defined broadly here—with financial, social and spiritual components.) Volunteering here places us squarely in that network. When we sit beside a refugee at Abounding Service, we are in a real sense, connecting with the displaced persons in Syria, Myanmar (Burma), Kenya. When we are packing food boxes at St. Mary’s, we are giving a cup of cold water to a young girl in Congo who was raped by hostile militia. When we pound nails and wield paintbrushes, we are reaching out to the homeless and addicted on Phoenix’s streets.
 

2.  We volunteer to gain admission to a social network of like-minded persons. Retiring represents a major transition in life, one that most of us look forward to. But there can be some problematic features inherent in retiring. Potentially, the most problematic is the loss of long-standing social networks from our former work environment. A draining sense of isolation can ensue at times. Volunteering at SOOP fits us with a new social network. And often times, we find that we actually feel more in tune with the social and spiritual values that we find here than we did at our former place of employment.
 

3. We volunteer to find meaning. During the course of our sojourn on earth, we long to experience meaning in what we do with our lives. We want to feel a part of something bigger than ourselves. We want to be a part of the grand scheme of things, a scheme we can wholeheartedly subscribe to. Being a part of the worldwide SOOP network of caring represented here is a very good place to look for that often elusive sense of meaning.
 

• On my coffee table at home is a unique piece of weathered oak wood. I found it in the woods, and it caught my eye because of its very unusual grain patterns. I took it to my shop and with a steel brush, cleaned it up. What emerged was an incredible pattern of wood grain. Some of the grain is dark, and some is light colored, and are often interspersed in an alternating pattern—dark light, dark light. Some of the grain strands are straight, but most are curved and swirled into incredible form. You have a whirlpool here, and then a deep valley there. On the back side, it appears that there is, partially embedded, a near fossilized walnut. Pondering the masterpiece on my coffee table, I mentioned to my wife that this humble piece of wood represents the soul of that tree from long ago. Reflecting on this group of volunteers, it occurs to me that I am seeing the soul of SOOP. Each of you can think of yourself as a wood grain strand, much like in the piece on my coffee table. Straight, curved, light, dark, swirled, convoluted—all bound together in one organic unit, you represent the soul of SOOP. When you volunteered here, you for sure had your reasons for doing so. They may or may not be one of those mentioned earlier. But I have my doubts whether it occurred to you that as a volunteer, you represent the soul of SOOP.  On behalf of the Hospitality Services Center and SOOP Glendale, I hope you can say that you experienced an environment in which each of you felt connected to a cause of great good and were enriched by the people you served in an environment that generated meaning in your life. Again, thank you so much for all that you did during your SOOP service.