This is a great topic!  I have been fortunate to serve in a variety of capacities.  As a teenager, I loved babysitting so I helped run the Sunday nursery.  In college I was an RCIA sponsor (as was my husband, which is how we met).  I was also a Eucharistic minister and altar server in college.  As a new mother, I stepped back from liturgical ministry and served a term on our Parish Pastoral Council.  Now that I have three small children, I focus on home-based ministries like laundering altar linens and bread baking (our parish uses home-baked bread for the Eucharist).  My husband and I have also helped lead the pre-marriage retreat weekend.  All of these ministries have blessed me in their own ways, and I love that there are ways to serve, no matter what is going on in my own life.  The rewards are so great!

I am a lector and a religious education teacher.  I have been a lector since High School and have always felt called to serve in this way.  I can remember being very young and asking one of the CCD teachers when I could start reading at Mass.  I went to college to be a teacher and since I wasn’t teaching in a Catholic school and loved my faith I decided this was the best of both worlds.  I just wanted to share our faith and Church teaching with the little ones.  I only teach once a week but it is on Mon. evenings so sometimes it requires procuring a babysitter.  My rotation as lector means I read about once every 6 weeks.  Sometimes my husband and I attend different Masses since we have two little ones and other times we ask someone to watch them while we attend Mass.

I’ve been a lector and CCD teacher in past parishes.  In this parish I am an Extraordinary Minister of the Eucharist and one of the VBS coordinators.  MY son is an altar server.  My daughter begins training for that service tomorrow.  And my husband, who has coached CYO teams and been an Extraordinary Minister of the Eucharist as well, currently keeps the 5 year old in her seat!

I’ve been a CCD teacher for 10 years.  I am currently teching Confirmation and it is so very rewarding to help guide our youth.  When I first started I thought, how can I do this, I don’t know very much.  Well, I knew much more than I thought and I’ve learned so much from my students. 

My husband and I are also ministers for Catholic Engaged Encounter helping to prepare couples for Sacramental marriage.  It’s a tremendous feeling when I am able to re-connect with one of my CCD students as they prepare for marriage.  I am also a Eucharistic Minister and I prepare the schedules on a monthly basis.

I adore being a Eucharistic Minister.

Seeing everyone, the diversity, the families, the young, old, neighbors, friends, and strangers recieve Christ is a very blessed opportunity.

I was an EM and a faith formation teacher for 4th graders while in college, but since graduation, I’ve moved around too much to get involved again, but next year I totally will! I adore working with children in their faith.

I’m the sacrament coordinator for First Penance and First Eucharist and also teach one of the 2nd grade classes in the religious formation program (our “CCD"). My husband also teaches 8th grade in the Confirmation program. I’m also part of the Liturgy Team to help plan parish celebrations.
I was a Eucharistic Minister (when that was the name!) back in college but haven’t that since. I’ve been asked in our current parish, but I’m going to wait until our youngest is a little better settled at Mass.

Right now, I just cantor.  It does take a bit of finagaling to arrange it with my family.  I have two under two, so it’s a bit much for my husband to handle by himself.  And since I cantor most Sundays, if we skipped going as a family those weeks, we’d seldom go together. As a result, I cantor at 8:00 a.m. mass, and after mass, I wait for my husband and kids to meet me for 9:30 a.m. mass.  At first, I was concerned that I was going to be bored going to two consecutive masses.  To my surprise, I’ve found that I enjoy it.  I usually manage to get something different out of each service.  And even if it were boring to me, I would gladly endure it.  It’s important to me that we go to mass as a family. 

Um, yeah...that was probably more back story than anyone wanted, huh?

I’m also hope to join the group of women who make Baptisimal Gowns.  I’m relatively new to the parish, but I believe it’s important to be actively involved, so I’m trying to find as many ways to contribute as possible.

For those who do not serve at Mass (or even in some other capacity in the parish)- that’s OK!  You are no less a “full, conscious and active” participant in the Mass if you are just sitting in the pew and joining your prayers with those around you and those of the saints and angels.  We can’t all be up there in the sanctuary. 

Likewise, we are all called to serve others and to spread the Gospel, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it has to be in some organized ministry at your parish.  We need people to witness to Christ in the workplace, in school, in the home, and in outside ministries, too.  We are all called in different ways, and those ways can change depending on where you are in your life (e.g. a mom of many young ones vs. a retiree).  God bless all those who serve in the parish AND all those who serve outside the parish!

Our parish has TWO choirs for the 11AM mass.  One sings the first two Sundays of the month, the other sings the 3&4;Sundays (5th Sundays are split).  This means my husband can split our service and still attend the same mass with the children.

My husband and oldest daughter sing in the second choir.  I was helping with the Children’s liturgy the first Sunday of the month (two of our children are the right age for it) before my 4mth old was born. 

I’ve been told that the Parish is now requiring two people to be with the children so I (and babe) will be helpers again.

It seems our family is always doing something (or many things!) for the Church.  Currently, I’m feeling a bit over committed in that area, actually.  Perhaps the hardest thing for me is to figure out where to stop, how to have that balance with my family.

There are so many good things that need doing.  It’s hard to remember that *I* don’t have to do all of them!  Lately, I have been assessing the different volunteer jobs at the parish as far as how big a time commitment they take, whether it is a one time or ongoing commitment, how well it fits in with my job as mom.

This year, for the first time, I put time limits on my commitments.  I have to be home M-Th until 3pm with very few exceptions (we homeschool).  Friday mornings are for Mom’s groups at the church so I can fit in quick volunteer jobs while I’m there.  We do a little school on Saturday so I have to keep time commitments on that day to a minimum.  It really helps when I’m asked to take something on to go look at my calendar and pray about it before instantly saying “yes”!

So right now, I find it a good fit to volunteer for One Time Activities (that may require a pre-event meeting).  I do better either setting up or cleaning up after an event ... baking is not my thing at all nor are large prep projects at home and often during the event I’m busy shepherding my kids. 

I do have one big commitment at church ... as the Kitchen Coordinator, responsible for organizing the kitchen and storage areas and coordinating volunteers for this.  That particular commitment can be worked around my life, can be broken down into bite size pieces and no one expects it to be done quickly so a little done per month is just fine.  That kind of job is nice!

I also am careful to be sure I don’t schedule myself at volunteering so much that my kids are unable to serve.  For example, my boys old enough to babysit also serve at the altar and one works at the church food pantry.  If I’m always doing, then they can’t!  So I have to balance it all so each child gets a chance to serve in their own special way.

I’m also over committed but its my home! I teach First Recon. and First Communion. Helped start a youth choir, but had to back out when it changed nights. Sing in the adult choir when I can. My husband helps on work days with the new men’s club and runs a couple socials a year. 1 son serves altar. 2 girls in choir.
Of course then there are the little things: Vacation Bible school, christmas pageant etc.

It came from my parents. My dad started teaching high school CCD long before he had teens and still does 30 years later. My mother is one of the best lectors I’ve ever heard. My dad was also one of the first extraordinary ministers.

How do you help others learn they they can also? How do you develop leadership, volunteerism, a sense of service in others?

I’m the music director (organist/choir director).  My husband sings, sometimes at another parish, so when I have to, I hire a sitter to hold my son during Mass.  I volunteer as a CCD teacher.  Technically my husband and I are both teaching, but practically he usually has the baby and I’m teaching.  My husband thinks we’re over-committed, I think things are just about right.  We’ll have to talk seriously about it at the end of the school year.

I currently teach CCD to 3rd, 5th & 7th graders.