Part of a series ‘Voices of Volunteers from Around Australia’.
Sarah Kuswadi: Can you tell us a bit about yourself and the volunteering that you are involved in?
Leanne Steinbeck: I took early retirement three years ago, primarily to care for my husband who has MS. I have three incredible sons, three amazing daughters-in-law and two cute-as-pie grandchildren. I’m very intentional about gathering my family. I even get up at 5:30am most days to go to the gym with my son.
At church I am a ‘community leader’ and in that role, I support women leading growth groups by meeting with them to encourage and develop them; attend their growth groups; help them identify and grow new leaders; assist with any pastoral issues; and so on. I’m also part of a ‘Servechat’ team that aims to give every person an opportunity to serve in ministry.
But I’m not what you would call a busy person: I have a two-hour social battery and I make sure I have gaps in the day to recharge.
Why did you get involved in volunteering in this way and what have you found encouraging from volunteering here?
I guess it was a natural progression. I’m passionate about keeping, gathering, growing, and developing people for the gospel. I really appreciated the mentoring I received from my community leader (who has now become one of my closest friends and confidantes, I’m thrilled to say). She supported me through a particularly rough patch to keep serving when the easy thing would have been to fall in a heap. She gave me confidence and identified my strengths.
Though I was reluctant to step up when asked to do this role, I really do love it! It’s encouraging to see women stretch themselves in faith and move into leadership roles. It’s great to see growth groups needing to ‘bud’ into multiple groups as they grow in numbers. I’m so impressed with women who are busy but still so keen to take on this role that has such a huge impact for eternity.
The roles of community leader and Servechat team member blend a little bit. Most of our Servechats are with new people to our church but there are also many in growth groups who are identified by their leaders as those who might benefit from serving. The job I retired from was working as a volunteer coordinator, so I was able to transfer the skill of matching people to roles. This role is a bit trickier and can take some time and prayer before people land, but it is very satisfying when I turn up to church to see that person welcoming or this person on the after-church barbecue. I am thankful to God for their commitment. When people get into teams that’s a sign that they are fully invested in church.
What is your background and what is something that’s unusual about that?
I was brought up in the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. My Mum was adamant that we weren’t Mormons, but I have clear memories of the Book of Mormon sitting in our house—I don’t remember seeing a Bible.
Another thing: I started dating my husband when I was fourteen; my sons also all married their first girlfriends. It was not something we pushed or advocated for, but we think it is pretty special.
My hope is to show a variety of ways Christians volunteer around Australia. What would you want to share with others about how volunteering has changed your life?
Serving has caused me to continually look outside of myself and focus on the bigger picture of saving souls and keeping them. It is easy to get caught up in leisure and pleasure, and just settle into giving the least possible time and effort to the things that matter most.
I don’t find anything about relationships easy, so I am continually being leaning into God’s strength and continually amazed that he can use someone like me.
Can you tell us about some things that you have learnt recently in your volunteering role?
Most people are living with varying degrees of adversity and pain in their life, or have experienced it in the past. It’s moving to see other people’s circumstances and how they are being shaped through it.
Is there a Bible verse that you often come back to for encouragement?
I can’t stop at one:
To live is Christ and to die is gain (Philippians 1:21) and
Do not grieve for the joy of the Lord is your strength. (Nehemiah 8:10)
These Bible verses help to keep my eyes on the prize and not to seek or expect joy in the momentary stuff.
