Heart, Soul and Hands

Serve the City volunteers are still meeting needs in Dublin and Galway

(From the April - June 2021 issue of VOX)

A team of volunteers were hard at work washing walls in a local school in preparation for painting work to be done. During the tea break, one parent became tearful, “I went to this school and it wasn’t a happy experience. But somehow washing these walls, I can feel something happening within me.” She had come along out of a sense of responsibility but she went away feeling more at peace.

These are the golden moments, according to Alan McElwee who helped to launch Serve the City Ireland (STC) 16 years ago. Finding themselves in a “fallow” season in the early 2000s, Alan and his wife Sheryl had been asking God about how they could be part of His kingdom work. “In that period of reflection, I got to hear about Serve the City, which was started in Brussels by a Christian faith community called The Well,” Alan said.

“Serve the City is a global movement of volunteers showing kindness in practical ways to people in need with the motto “Cross the Line.” We know people by their needs but what if we knew them by name? Volunteers are welcomed from all faith perspectives and worldviews, united by our core values of humility, compassion, respect, courage, love and hope.”

“Starting out, we kept it really simple. It was about mobilising volunteers to help marginalised and vulnerable people. At first I thought this would be temporary until I could get involved in church ministry but now I’m convinced it was what God was calling me to give my heart, soul and hands to!”

At various times, branches have operated in Dublin, Galway, Cork and Limerick. Working closely through community partnerships STC identifies needs at the grassroots. Whether helping elderly people with gardening or painting walls, supporting refugees and asylum seekers or caring for those who are lonely or isolated, hundreds of people volunteer with STC every year.

“Volunteers give up their time, skills and energy to serve someone and they often find the experience to be transformational. It can be a surprise to encounter deep levels of marginalisation and poverty on your doorstep and it helps us all to take a lot less for granted,” Alan explained. “Volunteers might say: ‘I’m learning to be more grateful for what I have. I’m more compassionate towards people. I never realised what it was like for someone with mobility needs.’”

“We try to serve both volunteers and clients equally.”

“In STC we try to serve both volunteers and clients equally. And one of the ways we do that is by giving time to listen and allowing people to reflect on our mission, vision, values and approach. Through this I have had conversations about faith with people,” Alan shared.

“I met Paul when we were on a volunteer project, painting an older person’s house. Paul was a soft-spoken Donegal man and I let him chat. He kept coming back and eventually he shared his story while we were having a cup of tea. He was really reflecting on his life and his brother Seamus, who is a pastor, has clearly been an influence.” Finding a space to talk helped Paul on his journey to faith in Jesus and today he has become one of the directors of STC.

Another volunteer team met a young woman on her way to a party. After spending some time together, all of a sudden she said, “I prefer hanging out with you guys.” Instead of going to her party, she stayed with them all evening and then began volunteering. Her faith journey also began with that connection.

For such a time as this

Like every other organisation, the pandemic brought new challenges but STC was uniquely placed to respond. After going through a strategic review in 2019, the leaders had been taking stock. “In February 2020, we gathered with a number of our city leaders. Then March hit and the penny dropped that the world was going to change. It was easy to pivot because we were already in that frame of mind and it felt that this was a time God had called us to. Suddenly the work we had been doing had become ‘essential’ work.

 “We are good at volunteer engagement and leadership so we rolled up our sleeves and got stuck in to providing care and support: delivering meals, shopping for those who were cocooning, dropping off library books, setting up an emergency food bank and supporting domestic violence refuges. By the end of the summer, STC went from 600 to 1,300 volunteers working across Dublin and Galway. The food bank alone helped 2,100 families over 12 weeks. It was a super busy period and we were grateful to be able to make the most of the opportunity.”

Responding to the needs of the city also created heartache as the team at STC saw how the most vulnerable and marginalised were even more impacted by the pandemic. “For several years we’ve been engaging with our refugee friends in direct provision centres,” Alan said. “During the lockdowns and outbreaks they were very restricted in their movements and unable to go out. Many people experienced anxiety. We couldn’t provide much support and they were unable to get out to volunteer and interact with others. However, we were able to provide care packages and essential items through partnerships with others.”

Towards the end of 2020, STC applied for funding to create a three-year programme called Cairdeas (friendship) building on their experience of working with their refugee friends.

“I certainly thought it was a long shot,” Alan admitted, “One thing we had going for us, is that one of our project leaders lives in direct provision and we prepared the proposal with him, based on direct insights.”

Shortly before Christmas they heard that their application had been successful.

“As direct provision centres are phased out, refugees and asylum seekers will be embedded within the community providing more opportunity to build real friendships.”

“Cairdeas will be a great way for us to love our neighbours. As direct provision centres are phased out, refugees and asylum seekers will be embedded within the community providing more opportunity to build real friendships,” Alan added.

There will be many opportunities for volunteers to get involved as Cairdeas develops in both Dublin and Galway. STC is now looking for an individual, couple or team to re-start the work of Serve the City in Cork with a view to launching the Cairdeas project there in 2022 as there are nine direct provision centres across the county. More details are available by emailing cairdeas@servethecity.ie.

To find out more about STC Ireland, visit www.servethecity.ie. To learn more about STC International including their podcast series on Covid Kindness visit www.servethecity.net.