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Dignity Serves Testimony

by | Apr 8, 2021 | Serving with Dignity

“In a matter of six weeks, my perspective on serving others was completely rewired in a way that will change not only how I serve others in the future but how I interact with individuals every day. This “rewiring” is a result of a six week program called Dignity Serves. Dignity Serves challenged my perceptions and allowed me to self-reflect on how I view serving others. This program also allowed me to grow closer to God and understand more deeply how God works within us all and how God calls us to not just serve our neighbors but to walk alongside them in both times of hardship and times of triumph.

 

From when I first stepped on campus until now, the term dignity has been emphasized as a key component to how Love INC serves others. Through Dignity Serves and interning at Love INC I have learned the importance of serving and treating others with dignity. Dignity is God-given, each and every one of us is born with it and will never lose it. What is important for us as human beings to understand is that although we can not take away another’s dignity, we can cause them to question their dignity. Often when serving others, we forget that those we are serving have just as much to offer as we do. We often see ourselves as the only ones who are giving and forget to open our hearts to receiving. We need to open our hearts not only to God’s love, but the love of others.

Dignity Serves actually gives you a picture of what your relationship with others should look like. So often especially in the Christian church world we hear “you have to build relationships with them” yet we never actually talk about how those relationships can make or break the relationship, the dignity and the value of the person we are trying to help.

 

Dignity Serves taught me to

  • see God in every person

  • acknowledge that all people have something to offer

  • to be present in conflict to reach a solution

  • understand trust takes time to build, making an impact takes commitment and hope

  • we must love each other even more than we love our mission

 

This study gave me the time to self-reflect and change how I see myself and how I see others. This study challenged me and convicted me in the best way and I know I have a wider and more open mindset about serving, about people, and about God’s world because of it.”

-Alex VanSumeren

Dignity Serves Graduate

It’s quite incredible that all of this happens almost every day, and every week, by diligent volunteers who embody our diligence core value.

Not only is there a large variety of “things to do,” but also a deep investment by those who say yes to volunteering. Most volunteers serve weekly, some even daily, spending hundreds of hours donating the gift many of us hold most tightly – the gift of time.

In 2023 alone, 420 volunteers invested 49,120 hours – a value of $1.5 million! 

Our core mission is to love, serve and connect with dignity as we follow Jesus Christ closely, watching how he transforms lives – and we often highlight the transformation happening through our Life Skills Program.

What we often forget to highlight is that God is also transforming lives through volunteerism, giving community members purpose, friendship, creativity, and belonging. Here at Love, we believe everyone has something to offer.

If you are a volunteer, at Love Your Neighbor or elsewhere, thank you for this priceless gift!

Check out this volunteer video to learn more about volunteering at Love Your Neighbor.