Where are all the volunteers?

What I found really shocked me. I was going through the statistics from the last census for Summer Hill to find out how many dwellings there were and came across the statistics for volunteers in our area. I understand that the last census was the first time this question was asked so there is no trend information for it. This is the shock: 83% of people in our area do no voluntary work for an organisation or group. In Summer Hill alone that means there are 3893 people aged 15 years and above who might be very nice individuals but who do nothing in community groups or for community groups. This might be normal, but I had a bit of a hunt around and found that in the Shire and North Shore there is almost double the number of people who do voluntary work. Is this just how life works now in the urban world? Are we just more selfish? Is there less need (I totally doubt it)? Are our acts of kindness just done as individuals to individuals? Are there any implications for our church culture?

Self-sacrificial service

Jesus was someone who put the interests of others before his own. His passion to see others saved meant he gave his life to rescue them. Jesus describes himself in this way in Mark's gospel:

"For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." Mark 10:45 (NIV)

That same self-sacrificial service is to characterise Christian people. We are not often called upon to give our lives in the service of others, but that is exactly what Christ calls on us to do:

"Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it." Mark 8:34-35