For every hour in Lent, an hour of service

Pinnacle Presbyterian Church in Scottsdale, Arizona, took on a special challenge this year: an hour of volunteer service for every hour in the Lenten season.

With 40 days in Lent and 24 hours in a day, that meant 960 volunteer hours.

The 1,300-member congregation served more than 1,000 hours, said the Rev. Erik Khoobyarian, Pinnacle’s senior pastor.

Creating a tangible goal to put faith into action was the aim of the Lenten Service Challenge. Khoobyarian’s original idea was a financial goal, such as raising a certain amount of money for one of the church’s mission partners.

“What I realized is, we wouldn’t have any problem satisfying that. People would very quickly write a check,” he said. “Our weak spot, or rather opportunity spot, was in this engagement with mission — more hands-on. That’s why the proposal kind of shifted, with our mission committee saying they’d like to get more people involved.”

A downloadable booklet listed when and where members could show up: to prepare and serve a meal for the unhoused and low-income population at Andre House, or sort and pack food at St. Mary’s Food Bank, for example. These are two of Pinnacle’s community mission partners, but members could volunteer anywhere. Service hours could be recorded on the church’s website using Google Docs.

Tracking volunteer service had the added benefit of letting the church know where its members are investing their time and effort, Khoobyarian said.

Pinnacle member Suzanne Wertz said her service with Andre House enhanced her understanding of the challenges of homelessness. What’s unique, she reflected, is the respect she observed among staff, volunteers and guests and “a kindliness that seems even more gentle than caring for others as we usually experience caring for others.”

Then there’s the sharing of abundance, even in modest circumstances. “Volunteering here helped me more fully comprehend the effect of God’s grace on all God’s children,” Wertz said.

Roselyn O’Connell, the church’s elder for mission, and husband George volunteered with a Habitat for Humanity ReStore. “We were not familiar with ReStore but learned a lot about the many building materials, furniture, appliances, etc., that get donated and resold to benefit Habitat. It was a gratifying experience,” she said.

She also wrote cards to those receiving mobile meals from Foothills Caring Corp., another mission partner.

“It feels monumental to be this close to our (960-hour) goal,” O’Connell said. “I know we made a difference to the many organizations where we helped serve meals, build houses, distribute food and write notes of encouragement to those who are unable to leave their houses.”

“Serving others during Lent really helps keep the focus on Jesus because we are serving as Christ’s hands and feet. In so doing, we are enriching ourselves by meeting new people and helping others,” she said.

Pinnacle people of every age volunteered, she added.

The Pinnacle Kids in grades K-5, under the direction of Joyce Claus, joined the challenge, inspired by 1 Timothy 4:12: “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young. Set an example for the believers in what you say and in how you live.”

Claus said a lesson on Lydia, a seller of purple cloth who welcomed Paul into her home and wound up starting a church, cinched the idea that kids can make a difference, too.

They experimented with dyeing cloth strips purple using beet, pomegranate and grape juices. As the strips dried, they were tied to a garland that carried the children’s prayers for a cure for diabetes, ill family members, a pet cat, friends going through hard times and more.

“Their prayers were powerful,” Claus said.

The kids received their own Lenten Service Cards each Sunday and were challenged to complete acts of service in the community or at home, no matter how big or small the task. They made cards for elderly mobile meal recipients, brought canned goods to church for the local food bank and helped friends and neighbors.

“Our Pinnacle Kids learned they are a vital part of the church and even though they are young, they can make a difference by serving and praying for others,” Claus said.

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Khoobyarian said the Lenten Service Challenge has sparked more conversations about mission, and he hopes this continues to translate into action.

He suggested other churches considering such a challenge can make the goal about the number of people participating, hours served with a particular mission partner or a combination of dollars raised and hours served — and talk about why it’s important.

“It makes it clear, if it wasn’t already, that this ought to be a priority in our lives,” he said. “Why not just say that part of being a faithful Christian is serving and caring for others? Jesus talked about this more than just about anything else.”