TRANSKRIP 🔗
WEBVTT
00:00:00.180 --> 00:00:01.766
Hello Hope Podcast listeners.
00:00:01.766 --> 00:00:06.604
We live in a fast-paced world where new material and ideas are thrown at you 24-7.
00:00:06.604 --> 00:00:11.144
Some of you told us this and said I want to listen to everything, but it's hard to catch up.
00:00:11.144 --> 00:00:12.650
Well, we're here to help.
00:00:12.650 --> 00:00:26.243
We desire to be a place that is grateful for and respectful of your precious time, and so to serve you best, we will every so often be resharing past episodes that we call Second Listen, because we think they are worth taking a second to replay.
00:00:26.243 --> 00:00:39.451
Even if you are an every week listener, we think having a second listen to these episodes will make an impact on your weekend life, and if you have heard this one but are behind on new episodes, now is a great time to catch up on any others you have missed.
00:00:39.451 --> 00:00:41.045
Thank you, and here we go.
00:00:43.901 --> 00:00:48.021
Welcome to the Meet Hope podcast, where we have conversations about faith and hope.
00:00:48.021 --> 00:00:54.743
Hope is one church made of people living out their faith through two expressions in person and online.
00:00:54.743 --> 00:01:01.786
We believe a hybrid faith experience can lead to a growing influence in our community and our world for the sake of others.
00:01:01.786 --> 00:01:07.962
Welcome to Hope in our world for the sake of others Welcome to Hope.
00:01:09.162 --> 00:01:10.164
Hey, welcome everyone.
00:01:10.164 --> 00:01:13.885
Thanks for listening to another episode of the Meet Hope podcast.
00:01:13.885 --> 00:01:19.968
I'm Rick, one of the pastors at Hope, and today we have an interview with Bill and Kelly Walenda.
00:01:19.968 --> 00:01:21.650
Welcome, hi.
00:01:21.650 --> 00:01:51.805
Hello, thank you so much for being here with us, and you guys know that this is part of a two-episode segment where we're going to be looking at the worship plus two and really focusing on the plus twos, and so this episode is about volunteerism, and next episode will be about small groups, and so, before we begin, though, I want to ask both of you to just share a little bit about yourselves, like you know, about how long you've been married, about your family, maybe what you do for a living, things like that.
00:01:51.805 --> 00:01:53.310
So who wants to go first?
00:01:53.329 --> 00:01:56.507
You guys going to arm wrestle or just no, no, I'm going to enjoy letting Bill go first.
00:01:56.727 --> 00:01:57.069
Oh great.
00:01:57.069 --> 00:01:59.203
Okay, so I'm Bill Walenda.
00:01:59.203 --> 00:02:05.593
I own two the Little Gym franchises, so gymnastics and fitness classes for kids.
00:02:05.593 --> 00:02:24.473
We've been coming to Hope for about 17 to 18 years and we've been married since 1991, through the math but we've been together since 1983 in high school, so almost 40 years.
00:02:24.473 --> 00:02:25.786
So it'll be 40 years in October.
00:02:26.580 --> 00:02:31.592
Now you told me earlier a little bit of information about how you guys first met.
00:02:32.032 --> 00:02:32.533
Correct.
00:02:32.533 --> 00:02:34.206
We met when we were two years old.
00:02:34.206 --> 00:02:39.162
Our parents played on, our dads played on the same softball team, and so we.
00:02:39.162 --> 00:02:44.028
They came to a barbecue at my house and then we went to high school together after that.
00:02:44.060 --> 00:02:45.429
So it was love at first sight.
00:02:45.429 --> 00:02:46.657
At two years old it was.
00:02:46.676 --> 00:02:46.979
It was.
00:02:47.521 --> 00:02:48.125
It was.
00:02:48.340 --> 00:02:49.405
She was about the same size.
00:02:51.281 --> 00:02:51.801
Oh, wow.
00:02:51.801 --> 00:02:53.044
And now it's a free for all.
00:02:53.044 --> 00:03:01.951
And we do have three kids, all grown Our youngest is finishing up college and they've all been here to Hope and involved in one way or another.
00:03:01.951 --> 00:03:08.045
And so we've had those experiences as parents of children involved in the Hope Youth Ministry.
00:03:08.045 --> 00:03:16.551
And I am personally, by way of work I'm an attorney, I work at one of our larger health systems and I also oversee our privacy program.
00:03:17.061 --> 00:03:18.745
Great, okay, thanks for sharing that.
00:03:18.745 --> 00:03:21.831
So how did you guys first start attending Hope?
00:03:22.819 --> 00:03:41.367
So we've told this story at various meetings and the short of it is dear friends of ours had come here to the family Christmas service and they knew that we were a bit disenfranchised with where we had been going and they said you've got to go, and so we waited till the next Christmas and we went to that family service.
00:03:42.100 --> 00:03:48.631
Took it very literally and that's what prompted us and just thoroughly enjoyed it.
00:03:48.631 --> 00:03:52.829
Kids enjoyed it, we enjoyed it and we couldn't say enough things about it.
00:03:52.829 --> 00:03:56.971
And then I said well, let's see what hope is like when it's not Christmas, and here we are.
00:03:57.480 --> 00:03:59.651
So this is an aside, but this is so.
00:03:59.651 --> 00:04:01.599
So this is an example of invite.
00:04:01.599 --> 00:04:08.669
So you can invite someone and it takes a year, it might, before they will choose to take you up on that invitation.
00:04:08.669 --> 00:04:09.430
That's good to know.
00:04:09.531 --> 00:04:10.211
But I'm glad we did.
00:04:10.360 --> 00:04:11.591
I'll have you back for that interview.
00:04:11.591 --> 00:04:12.885
We'll talk about invitation.
00:04:12.885 --> 00:04:16.711
So you started attending about 17, 18 years ago.
00:04:16.711 --> 00:04:19.649
When did you first start volunteering at Hope?
00:04:21.000 --> 00:04:30.175
So I was probably the first one to volunteer the two of us, I can't remember exactly when, but it was some years in, as we were working and had kids and built out of town a lot.
00:04:30.175 --> 00:04:43.740
I do
Load full transcript
specifically remember Pastor Jeff's assistant, Joanne at the time so we were coming frequently enough recognized me and just walked up to me and asked if I'd be interested in volunteering once a month at the lobby as a lobby greeter.
00:04:43.959 --> 00:04:44.440
So you joined.
00:04:44.440 --> 00:04:48.649
That was your first volunteer role was a lobby greeter on a.
00:04:48.649 --> 00:04:49.773
Sunday morning Once a month.
00:04:49.773 --> 00:04:51.245
Once a month is how I started.
00:04:51.245 --> 00:04:51.882
Okay, all right.
00:04:51.882 --> 00:04:52.644
And Bill, how about you?
00:04:52.644 --> 00:04:53.928
When did you first volunteer?
00:04:54.880 --> 00:05:09.523
It was probably a couple of years after that and my first experience volunteering was when we used to do the craft fair here and sponsored by the men's group, and I was asked to to volunteer.
00:05:09.523 --> 00:05:11.447
We got here at six, 30 in the morning.
00:05:11.447 --> 00:05:23.884
We were unloading cars and for for the crafty people and setting up their booths and they were so, so, very just impressed and thankful for all the help.
00:05:23.884 --> 00:05:26.430
So I kept doing it.
00:05:26.761 --> 00:05:30.649
Right, okay, so that was a kind of a once a year or twice a year commitment.
00:05:30.649 --> 00:05:34.004
When did you move to a like more of a regular volunteering role?
00:05:34.365 --> 00:05:46.153
So probably around eight, eight years ago or so, I kind of felt the calling to to work food pantry and I knew we had one.
00:05:46.153 --> 00:05:49.651
So I contacted Tracy Davis who was running it at the time.
00:05:49.651 --> 00:05:53.329
We operated out of a little storage closet in the back.
00:05:53.329 --> 00:05:57.867
We were serving about 40 families a month and I said, hey, I want to get involved in this.
00:05:57.867 --> 00:06:05.553
So that's where I started shopping and ordering the food and accepting the deliveries and things like that.
00:06:05.920 --> 00:06:06.541
Right, that's right.
00:06:06.541 --> 00:06:09.228
And so then that was about eight years ago.
00:06:09.228 --> 00:06:10.031
You said Correct.
00:06:10.031 --> 00:06:16.673
And then, around 2017, our church here at Hope, we decided to launch a second campus.
00:06:16.673 --> 00:06:26.622
I know you guys remember that, but we launched that around the end of 2017 into 20, I think it was the end of 2017, 2018, 20.
00:06:26.622 --> 00:06:28.346
At any rate, you guys were a part of that.
00:06:28.346 --> 00:06:29.312
How did that happen?
00:06:29.331 --> 00:06:38.733
Well, Well, as you certainly know, Rick, you are the king of volunteerism.
00:06:40.944 --> 00:06:44.612
So you asked me but Kelly go ahead.
00:06:44.612 --> 00:06:46.651
Vicki came up to me.
00:06:46.670 --> 00:06:46.891
Vicki.
00:06:46.911 --> 00:06:56.420
Cruz, vicki Cruz, and she was then also on staff and said you've heard that we're moving, or starting, rather, a satellite campus in Mount Laurel.
00:06:56.420 --> 00:06:58.485
Would you be willing to serve there as well?
00:06:58.485 --> 00:07:01.492
And I said how often?
00:07:01.492 --> 00:07:02.233
What do you need?
00:07:02.233 --> 00:07:10.850
And that's when she said as often as you can, and would you be willing to be regular attenders, which is different than right volunteering, as you're pointing out.
00:07:10.850 --> 00:07:13.180
So I said that sounds interesting.
00:07:13.180 --> 00:07:18.512
Well, let me go home and talk to Bill, which I then did do, because Bill cannot explain how we decided.
00:07:18.920 --> 00:07:33.055
So we live about two minutes from here and I thought, sure we're going to get up at six in the morning and go all the way to Mount Laurel, set up and go to service and then clean up and be back at noon.
00:07:33.055 --> 00:07:36.706
Sure honey, that'd be great.
00:07:38.142 --> 00:07:40.766
But we were at a place, so for a lot of people listening, they have young kids.
00:07:40.766 --> 00:07:47.245
Our kids were older now and not coming every Sunday and we had the luxury and flexibility to do that and off we went.
00:07:47.245 --> 00:07:48.925
We started meeting you there Sunday morning.
00:07:49.105 --> 00:07:50.644
Yeah, yeah, and it was a fun time, wasn't it?
00:07:50.644 --> 00:07:52.331
It was amazing Actually love it, miss it sometimes Fun time, wasn't it?
00:07:52.351 --> 00:07:53.798
It was amazing Actually love it, miss it sometimes.
00:07:53.939 --> 00:07:56.083
Yeah, so how did it so?
00:07:56.083 --> 00:08:02.514
That experience really, I think, elevated your volunteer experience, wouldn't you say Absolutely.
00:08:02.514 --> 00:08:24.146
And so you moved from not only serving on a monthly basis in the lobby, kelly, you were serving then weekly setting up on a regular basis as well, on a setup team, and Bill, you took on the role of being a monthly team leader, right, and then you also because we give out multiple roles back then you were doing, what other things were you doing?
00:08:24.279 --> 00:08:31.901
So I started as just a volunteer, you know, setting up and cleaning up and then moved to a team leader.
00:08:31.901 --> 00:08:45.667
So I was in charge of all the setup and cleanup, where everything went, how to set it up, and then after that I was kind of dragged into the tech booth, which was super new for me and a little scary, but I was happy to do it.
00:08:45.667 --> 00:08:49.542
We needed the help and so I ran the sound system.
00:08:49.542 --> 00:08:59.912
I learned how to run the lights Never actually did that in a service, but I could and then I was asked to host, which for me was a big stretch.
00:09:00.000 --> 00:09:02.187
And by hosting you mean up in front of everybody.
00:09:02.740 --> 00:09:07.611
On the stage leading, welcoming everybody that's the easy part.
00:09:07.611 --> 00:09:12.970
Saying the prayer for everybody For me, that's a big hard part for me.
00:09:12.970 --> 00:09:14.446
That really took me out of my comfort zone.
00:09:14.446 --> 00:09:16.144
And making the announcements.
00:09:17.008 --> 00:09:20.846
That's great and so that.
00:09:20.846 --> 00:09:23.893
So I'm going to go back to Kelly for a second.
00:09:23.893 --> 00:09:24.761
So, kelly, tell us.
00:09:24.761 --> 00:09:29.613
So how did your experience at Mount Laurel lead to the next step?
00:09:29.613 --> 00:09:30.820
How did you start volunteering?
00:09:30.820 --> 00:09:32.847
What's the newest area you're volunteering?
00:09:33.701 --> 00:09:44.374
So the newest place I'm volunteering is on our lead team and you know that's obviously a big part of that is Pastor Jeff and looking at the dynamic and what he knows.
00:09:44.374 --> 00:10:07.966
But for me it went from doing some things that come naturally I'm an extrovert greeting people, welcoming people to what wasn't in my comfort zone and didn't know how I would play a role there and took a leap of faith and appreciated that the lead team, the management team and the pastors here felt it would be a good fit, and I'm in year four of that.
00:10:08.167 --> 00:10:11.248
Okay, all right and Bill your roles now.
00:10:11.248 --> 00:10:19.527
Since COVID, we've taken the Mount Laurel campus and we absorbed it into one campus again, here at Voorhees, and your roles have changed as well.
00:10:19.527 --> 00:10:21.386
How are you serving here at Hope?
00:10:21.519 --> 00:10:23.488
So I'm still serving at the food pantry.
00:10:23.488 --> 00:10:35.470
I order all the food and accept all the deliveries, which have gone from about 2,000 pounds a month to it's about 10,000 pounds or 12,000 pounds a month, that's a lot of grocery carts.
00:10:35.490 --> 00:10:36.200
That's a lot of grocery carts.
00:10:36.379 --> 00:10:49.734
That's a lot of grocery carts, a lot of grocery bags, so I still do that, and then I am the producer in the main services on Sundays, yeah.
00:10:50.380 --> 00:10:51.163
So let me ask you.
00:10:51.163 --> 00:10:57.429
So we're talking about Worship, Plus 2, and we're doing this, you know so here, the first of the plus two is volunteerism.
00:10:57.429 --> 00:11:00.529
The other plus is small groups, which will be next week.
00:11:00.529 --> 00:11:06.153
But let me ask you both did you volunteer first or be in a small group first?
00:11:07.480 --> 00:11:17.352
I happen to have been in one small group before I became a regular volunteer, and again that was based on work life, home life and when Bill could be around.
00:11:17.352 --> 00:11:21.591
So the first one I did was a small group in the chapel called Chasing Daylight.
00:11:21.591 --> 00:11:23.528
I loved it but couldn't make it work.
00:11:23.528 --> 00:11:25.645
And then volunteerism is really where I connected.
00:11:25.846 --> 00:11:26.126
Okay.
00:11:26.368 --> 00:11:27.230
All right, and how about you?
00:11:27.250 --> 00:11:27.410
Bill.
00:11:27.410 --> 00:11:30.629
So I volunteered at the food pantry.
00:11:30.629 --> 00:11:39.846
But when Jeff started, he talks often about the Bible study
for men who don't do Bible study and I thought, hey, that's me.
00:11:39.846 --> 00:11:47.065
I didn't know if you know, the acts were at the beginning of the book or at the end of the book, so I wasn't sure I wanted to.
00:11:47.065 --> 00:11:52.753
I was afraid to get in a small group because I didn't think I knew enough to even participate.
00:11:52.753 --> 00:11:55.149
So this had my name right, all over it, right?
00:11:55.149 --> 00:11:57.331
So I joined that one.
00:11:57.592 --> 00:11:58.440
Okay, all right.
00:11:58.440 --> 00:12:06.153
So let me ask you this how did your volunteerism at Hope impact your spiritual growth, or did it impact your spiritual growth?
00:12:13.919 --> 00:12:15.083
It did, and thinking about this and getting ready for today.
00:12:15.083 --> 00:12:15.907
To be honest, I didn't think it would.
00:12:15.927 --> 00:12:54.908
I was volunteering because it's nice to give back, because somebody specifically asked Not sure, right, if I would have stepped up because that wasn't my journey, right asked not sure right if I would have stepped up because that wasn't my journey Right and didn't see or appreciate how it would make me grow as a person and what I saw the more I was here, the more I spent time physically here, but meeting people and what is the cloth of hope just gave me this great comfort and a desire to go on my relationship with Jesus, and I wasn't raised to think of it in terms of that and so that for me it's everything is relational Relationship here with the others in our community and then to Jesus, and it just naturally sparked it.
00:12:54.908 --> 00:13:00.316
And then that led to more volunteering, more reading of books and then more small groups.
00:13:00.515 --> 00:13:19.389
Yeah, you both know that I say this often, that I ask someone to volunteer for the church because I know when that person gets connected to the body of Christ by serving that, whatever it is they're going to do, that their life is going to have added meaning, they're going to grow in their faith, and it's all because of that connection to the church.
00:13:19.389 --> 00:13:21.341
Bill, you would agree with that, wouldn't you?
00:13:21.341 --> 00:13:21.380
A?
00:13:21.400 --> 00:13:22.822
hundred percent yeah to the church Bill.
00:13:22.822 --> 00:13:24.202
You would agree with that, wouldn't you?
00:13:24.202 --> 00:13:24.842
A hundred percent yeah.
00:13:24.842 --> 00:13:30.706
For me, when I volunteered, or started volunteering, I found that you know, it changed my whole life, quite frankly.
00:13:30.866 --> 00:13:41.533
And I went from a life of, you know, doing life for my benefit to really a life of service, and I run my businesses that way.
00:13:41.533 --> 00:13:55.828
I do everything in my life to to serve others and, um, you know, for for me, that's that's what it's all about is we're we're put here for a reason, and my reason is to serve others.
00:13:55.849 --> 00:13:56.291
Wow, that's great.
00:13:56.291 --> 00:13:56.831
That's great.
00:13:56.831 --> 00:14:02.131
So and I know you've shared this a little bit but did you have fears, worries, concerns, when you first started volunteering?
00:14:08.120 --> 00:14:10.365
Yeah, I think it would be unnatural to not unless you've done it somewhere else, in another church, maybe For me.
00:14:10.365 --> 00:14:20.182
You know, bill was talking about how he's maybe physically behind the scenes food pantry where I was being asked was to be up front, and you're like wow, I'm welcoming people into God's house, right?
00:14:20.182 --> 00:14:21.605
So what does that mean?
00:14:21.605 --> 00:14:25.592
But everybody who has come before us always helps you.
00:14:25.592 --> 00:14:31.328
They put you at ease, they tell you what to expect, and so you can't be afraid of that.
00:14:31.328 --> 00:14:38.909
You have to be willing to realize that you might make mistakes, it might feel awkward, but the world isn't actually looking at you the way you think.
00:14:38.909 --> 00:14:41.668
They are and they're happy to be welcomed.
00:14:41.668 --> 00:14:47.868
And so the other thing that I would say is a fear is do I really have to commit forever?
00:14:48.369 --> 00:14:51.543
Yeah, you're committed for life, so they ask you to come right.
00:14:51.724 --> 00:15:03.792
One Sunday a month, and if you're really busy and have a lot going on, that can seem overwhelming, but don't please let that ever deter somebody, because you can try something, you can shadow people, you can see what's a good fit.
00:15:03.792 --> 00:15:05.986
None of this has to be a forever.
00:15:05.986 --> 00:15:08.860
It's really finding the best place your gifts can be used.
00:15:09.361 --> 00:15:13.799
Yeah, and what would you say to someone about serving or volunteering at Hope for the first time?
00:15:14.902 --> 00:15:26.101
I would say just do it, enjoy it and the you shouldn't have a fear, because we're, they're just people, right?
00:15:26.101 --> 00:15:35.322
And that's that's something that stopped me for a long time, as I was thought everybody's going to be thumping Bibles at me and and hitting me over the head with Jesus, and and it doesn't.
00:15:35.322 --> 00:15:40.744
They'll meet you wherever you are, wherever you are, and whatever you can give people are happy to to get that.
00:15:40.764 --> 00:15:47.071
Yeah that's great, yeah, and there's so many ways to be connected and we really want to encourage everyone to find one of those ways.
00:15:47.071 --> 00:15:48.201
Find your passion.
00:15:48.201 --> 00:15:51.991
Find a thing that works for you, built for you the food pantry.
00:15:51.991 --> 00:15:55.971
I remember you coming and saying I want to get involved because that was a passion for you.
00:15:55.971 --> 00:15:58.803
And so, find your passion, use your gifts.
00:15:58.803 --> 00:16:04.695
If you are listening, you want to know more information about how to figure out your passions and your gifts.
00:16:04.695 --> 00:16:18.607
There's going to be a small group that's going to be offered beginning March 6th, called Hardwired, and you'll be able to find out more information about that, and I'm sure it'll be in the show notes at the bottom of the episode, Because we all agree it'll change your life Absolutely.
00:16:18.628 --> 00:16:19.370
I agree 100%.
00:16:19.399 --> 00:16:19.605
So we want to encourage each of you to step out.
00:16:19.605 --> 00:16:19.803
Absolutely, I agree, 100%, yeah.
00:16:19.803 --> 00:16:22.347
So we want to encourage each of you to step out.
00:16:22.347 --> 00:16:25.394
Try, because who knows where God might take you.
00:16:25.394 --> 00:16:35.326
I'm sure if we were to ask Bill and Kelly from 17 years ago, would you ever find yourselves in front of a podcast microphone talking about volunteerism.
00:16:35.788 --> 00:16:36.389
I would have laughed.
00:16:36.509 --> 00:16:37.231
Absolutely not.
00:16:37.292 --> 00:16:37.913
I would have laughed.
00:16:38.780 --> 00:16:43.111
Hey, so we end each of these episodes by asking the question what is bringing you hope today?
00:16:43.111 --> 00:16:45.346
So you both got to answer that.
00:16:46.221 --> 00:16:48.028
Yeah, that's a big loaded question.
00:16:48.028 --> 00:16:51.850
What I will share is you do make relationships through volunteering.
00:16:51.850 --> 00:16:57.211
You will make them through small groups and in those relationships I've come to be able to rely and lean on people.
00:16:57.211 --> 00:17:24.883
And I was going through some tough decision making at work and people here at Hope really carried me through which of course, includes my husband here and through prayer, and in the last three to four weeks I have been able to redefine my role, have very healthy conversations with leadership, which I am sure I wouldn't have been able to do without my faith, and it gives me hope that I can grow and I can give back, whether it be at work or at church.
00:17:24.883 --> 00:17:26.448
Awesome, thank you.
00:17:26.808 --> 00:17:31.109
For me through volunteering and through living a life of service.
00:17:31.109 --> 00:17:38.413
I've I found that my team at work all kind of are turning that same way.
00:17:38.413 --> 00:17:42.991
They're getting involved in their churches, they're getting involved in social activities.
00:17:42.991 --> 00:17:46.708
They're they're really living their lives of service.
00:17:46.708 --> 00:17:49.882
So it's great to see from me and that just gives me hope for the future.
00:17:50.202 --> 00:17:53.592
What a great influence you are on people, on the people you work with.
00:17:53.592 --> 00:17:55.984
Yeah, thanks, wow.
00:17:55.984 --> 00:17:59.291
So hey, thank you both, bill Kelly, thank you.
00:17:59.392 --> 00:18:00.501
Thank you listeners.
00:18:00.541 --> 00:18:05.106
We're so glad that you joined us for today and everyone, have a great day.
00:18:09.563 --> 00:18:14.150
Thanks for being a part of the Hope Community as we continue our conversations about faith and hope.
00:18:14.150 --> 00:18:18.569
If you don't already, please join us for worship on Sundays or on demand.
00:18:18.569 --> 00:18:24.569
You can learn more at meethopeorg or find us on socials at meethopechurch.