Many people support their churches through volunteer work. This can be rewarding for the volunteer, and it can help a church reach out to its local community to provide succor and aid. Outreach from churches, synagogues, temples, and mosques is needed in many communities across the world.
Yet sometimes people’s committed efforts to support their church and reach their community can seem fruitless or unappreciated. Resentment might creep into the thought of the volunteer, causing him or her to believe that some other person isn’t doing enough to support the work the church is doing. The temptation could then be to believe that doing more work for the church will solve this supposed problem, and that therefore more people and members could be needed to do the work.
Or, we could be tempted to simply give up, believing that church is outdated and that it isn’t relevant in today’s culture. This can lead to limited thinking—limiting our opportunities to serve God. But in her book Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy describes Church as “the structure of Truth and Love” (p. 583). How can “the structure of Truth and Love” be confined to a building, become outdated, or be irrelevant in today’s society? Surely it is becoming ever more relevant as the world tackles bigger and more challenging issues.
