Musings about service

Been having some thoughts about service and what it means.


Deacons are servant people -does that mean our works is sociologic, theological, ministerial? How does it all work? Should we be looking at the service industry? The social work industry? History?


Well, ignoring all the above, and focusing on simpler things...


The other day I re-newed my Mango card.  For those of you not in land covered by Trent buses, its the local equivalent of the Oyster card.


The women who "blipped" my card to update its balance needed to ask me some questions, and it turn as the card was one of their earliest and showing its age had some for her about being able to transfer the information on it to a new card.


Now... what she could have done was treated that as a day to day thing, we would have both been satisfied and moved on...


But what she did, when she updated the balance on the card, as it gives her data on the screen about me, said "Well, TERRY, we would be more than happy to...."


Its such a small thing, but it takes it from being a casual interaction, to a personal one, I in turn could refer back to her by name by just casually observing her HUGE name badge.


Customer service gimmick? Something they are trained to do? No, I have been there a number of times and her colleagues have never done it... its the difference between having a customer who is "satisfied" with your service, and one who is "happy" with it.


It gets me to thinking about how we handle people in church, and the diaconal nature of that.


Deacons are "threshold" people, meant to be there to cross both ways.. will remembering names and faces make that big a difference, well, it did with me, so will it with others?


Christ welcomes everyone with open arms, the parable of the prodigal son goes even further, the arms are not just open, he is waiting, watching, and the moment he sees us coming to him there is a massive dust cloud because he is racing to be WHERE WE ARE to bring us the rest of the way.


How as Christians can we do anything else that to respond to that in kind by doing the same?


A good friend of mine has a simple saying about people wanting to become Christians, but actually aimed at those helping them in the journey...


"Belong, believe, behave"


The first step for them is being welcomed.. they are brought into the Family.


They begin to believe.


They learn our "mannerisms" (oh where would the church be without conformity!)  bad habits, destructive things they do that are against God, sins etc..


But it does not start without being brought into the family first... Christians meeting people where they are, and bringing them home.


I pray that God will teach me the lesson in this, and help me in living it.