The top 10 reasons why it’s great to be an usher:

1.  You get to wear a badge.

2.  You don’t have to sit on a hard chair for the whole service.

3.  You can slip out to the restroom if you need to, and nobody notices.

4.  You get to tell people where to go.

5.  You get to take money from people.

6.  You don’t have to be as friendly as the greeters.

7.  You get to eat a lot of breath mints.

8.  If a screaming child bothers you, you can do something about it.

9.  Preachers preach to the choir, not to the ushers.

10.  You get to seat latecomers in the front row.

The above list is credited to Jerry Beres and Russell Snyder, and it appears in 1001 Quotes, Illustrations & Humorous Stories. Perhaps reading the reasons brought a smile to your lips. Similarly, you could produce a list of ten reasons for why it’s great to be in the choir, on the parking crew or on the set-up crew.

Volunteers at the Feast of Tabernacles are vital. In fact, calculations have been made about the monetary value of volunteers to a nation’s economy. There are thousands of men and women and youth who volunteer tens of thousands of hours of personal time to help society become a better place. There was a time when as a pastor I would visit people in hospitals and observe youthful “candy stripers” pushing carts up and down the corridors to see if any of the patients needed anything to make their stay in the hospital just a little more pleasant and comfortable. Some hospitals have people come in with special pets to call upon those who wish to be so visited, because a well-behaved dog has tremendous therapeutic value for an ailing patient. In fact, I was recently visiting a member in a nursing home and observed someone bringing in a dog to visit some of the residents. You should have seen how popular “Fido” was and how much the residents in that home enjoyed talking to that gifted canine and petting him.

Volunteers at the Feast of Tabernacles are equally needed and fulfill a no-less important role. What would happen if the Feast site you were planning to attend had no volunteers whatsoever? What would happen if the Feast site you were planning to attend had what we might call a “no frills” approach? Airlines do that these days. Perhaps you are planning to fly to the Feast this year and will be on a carrier (as most of them are these days) that offers the minimum amount of service. This amounts to a drink part way into the flight—and usually not a full can, but only a partial can poured into a plastic glass. Oh yes—and either a tiny bag of pretzels or an equally tiny bag of cookies. Aren’t you glad that the church doesn’t use the same approach when it comes to organizing and administering Feast sites! A lot of the extras we enjoy and have come to depend upon and to expect are due to the volunteers who step up to the plate to serve tirelessly year after year.

We can hardly ask for volunteers without conveying an enthusiastic and heart-felt “thank you” to all those who served last year and the year before and the year before that in so many varying and meaningful ways. There are those who have served for years and would love to do so this year, but can no longer do so because of age or deteriorating health.

Regrettably I have observed some people proclaim in times past, “This year I am going to have a year off. I’m going to concentrate on myself and on fulfilling my own needs. I am not going to sign up for anything—I am just going to concentrate on me.” You probably have heard some people make the same decision. It is instructive to observe how these individuals fare after the fact. When people serve not at all, the Feast typically helps them grow very little, if at all. It is one of those paradoxes where you have to expend in order to take in. If one’s aim is only to take in, the actual amount that is subsequently taken is nearly negligible. Why is that? How can that be? It is called the law of the harvest. We can only reap what we sow. If we don’t sow very much, we don’t reap very much. It is as simple as that. In 2 Corinthians 9:6 we read, “But this I say, He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.” Furthermore, Galatians 6:9-10 adds, “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.”

Be on the look out for areas in which to help out. There are some many areas that are always crying out for help year after year. Here is a typical list (although not comprehensive) that a Feast coordinator pleads for help with:
 

Audio/video

Choir

Ensemble

Family day

Family dance

Festival youth instruction

Parking

Preteens

Security

Seniors

Singles activities

Special music

Teen activities

Ushering

Young adults activities

Is it true that many hands make light work? It is absolutely true. The more people who are available to tackle a task, the better the whole project goes. It doesn’t over-burden any one person. There is a synergy that usually takes place. There is the benefit of harmony and teamwork. Enthusiasm results in the improvement of quality of workmanship and the enjoyment of the task.

What if we knew that Jesus Christ was personally going to attend the Feast site we were going to be at? What if we knew He would need help finding a place to sit? What if we knew that He would need help going to the seniors’ luncheon? What if we knew that He was going to be serving at the information table and was requiring some helpers? Wouldn’t all of us make every effort to participate somehow, some way, just to be in His company and presence for just a few minutes every single day?

Each and every Feast requires an assortment of volunteers throughout the Feast week to provide for the needs of the brethren. Take the time to carefully read about the site where you are planning to attend. Then please take the time to get in touch with your pastor or the festival coordinator to offer to help out as you are able. The result will be that the Feast you attend will function that much better, and you yourself will be blessed with commensurate spiritual benefits.