What does a day in the life of a Jubilee resident volunteer look like this summer? Of course a central part of the volunteer experience is getting to know people from other cultures and countries, whether that’s through teaching English, doing childcare, participating in the women’s circle described in our most recent newsletter, or helping Karen and Karenni residents in Comer with preparation for the citizenship test. Our hope is that volunteers will also grow spiritually while they are here. In addition to noon weekday devotions and Sunday worship, we also offer a mentoring relationship with a long-term member (“partner” is our term) for each volunteer as well as a monthly half-day retreat. A book discussion time and Bible study for any interested residents are offered weekly as well.

Volunteers also join in nearly every work area of the community. On Tuesday mornings they work in the garden along with several partners, and on Thursday mornings we all clean the common living spaces and participate in another “community work” project that could be anything from weeding the blueberries to cleaning up around the shop. We also currently have volunteers helping with bookkeeping and maintenance, scheduling and driving to health appointments for immigrants we are hosting, preparing guest rooms, and many other things. If you or a friend or family member is interested in learning more about volunteering, please check out the Resident Volunteer Program page.