The Journey of a Volunteer Coordinator
By Phil Winder
My (Phil’s) story starts in Pennsylvania where I was born. My parents loved God, loved serving people who loved God, and loved ministry and missions. We hosted missionaries in our home on a regular basis.
Vera’s story began in Quantico, Virginia. A few years after our births, our families moved to Florida. Vera and I knew about each other but had never met. One night through mutual friends, we were introduced to each other and our journey together began.
We were married in 1988, and soon helped a church planter plant a church. Our church was very missions minded. We were able to serve the Lord with our hands and hearts all over the world.
I began to work in the citrus industry. Through my time there, I worked my way up through the ranks to management. My responsibilities were scheduling, shipping, purchasing, working with budgets, learning government regulations, and scheduling contractors.
At about the same time our church was planted in Florida, my brother, Jim, and a group of people planted Cornerstone Bible Church in Nescopeck, Pennsylvania. Our churches began to visit each other and help with building projects, VBS’s, and other mission endeavors.
When Dr. Bill Shade became the General Director of Source of Light, both churches began to volunteer at SLM. After several of these trips, the Lord began to work in our hearts that this was the ministry He wanted us to join.
The Lord did amazing things in our lives to bring us to SLM. This was in the height of the housing bust of 2008. We saw our house sell in just a few weeks. Over the years, we had started two businesses. We saw the Lord sell both businesses to a fellow church member. The Lord even provided a moving truck to move us from Florida to Georgia.
It always amazes us how God uses our past for His work. The things that I did in industry and owning two companies are the very same skills I use as a missionary for the Lord.
In my role as the Director of Operations and Volunteers, I see people visit SLM and encounter and participate in all that God is doing around the world. People give their hours, days, weeks, and years to the Lord. It is a blessing to see how God uses the gifts, abilities, and talents of His chosen ones.
Many of our teammates began their missionary service as volunteers. Many of our donors, supporters, and prayer partners began as volunteers also. One of my roles is to give tours of the Headquarters building. On every tour and with every volunteer group, I warn them that many of us began where they are, as volunteers!
The best part about serving as a missionary with SLM is watching the light come on in other peoples’ eyes when they see how God is working around the world.
Maybe you are retired, widowed, lead a youth group or small group, and are looking for something to do with this season of your life. SLM has many different and diverse opportunities of service.
We have opportunities available in everything from mowing the lawn, to transporting missionaries to the airport, to stocking shelves, to answering the phones, to packing and shipping Bible lessons, doing maintenance, and working in the Print Shop. People can also help by cleaning houses, pressure washing, construction, data entry, secretarial, and the list goes on and on.
Some volunteers come one week every year, some come one or two days a month, some come a few hours a week, others are full-time volunteers. Our schedule is very flexible.
Please contact me
Email: pwinder@slmin.org
Call: 706.342.0397
I will get you started on your Source of Light journey.
