Recently, I was on a panel at my church where the group of us discussed different community outreach programs we were involved in. It was really cool to have a chance to hear about the amazing work others at CapCity are doing. Between the five of us on the panel:
- one leads 4 girl scout troops and a cub scout troop in her neighborhood (let’s all say a special prayer for her:))
- one shares his photography skills with those who may not otherwise be able to afford professional portraits (check out help portrait here)
- one is passionate about ending modern day slavery and helps lead DC Stop Modern Slavery
- one volunteers regularly at homeless shelters in the area, primarily at the carpenter’s shelter
- and i volunteer with a multi-church urban youth ministry called the porch
What was so cool about the panel is that everyone is doing something that they care about and that is a passion for them. And in doing their passion, they happen to be serving others. Pastor Donna talked about how research shows that the levels of dopamine in your brain increase when you are serving others. So not only is serving the Christ-like thing to do, but it literally helps your brain.
Why do you serve? Have you found a way to incorporate your passion into service yet? If you are looking for ideas on how to get started serving and fulfilling your passion, check out Be the Love DC, our campaign to encourage folks to do random acts of kindness. Buy someone coffee, give up your seat on the metro, help someone carry their groceries…really, small, simple acts can have a ripple effect that can create waves to move oceans. 
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