God provided Sue McComber with some valuable life experiences that she now draws on in her role volunteering at her church in Brisbane. She is learning new things and meeting new people through her volunteering role.
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 at your church?
Sue McComber: I started attending Village Church with my husband, Derek, in mid-2020, after the COVID lockdowns in Brisbane came to an end. In December that year, I retired from my paid role in finance at a not-for-profit organisation. Despite thinking that we would ease our way into life at Village Church, God had other plans! We very quickly found ourselves hosting and occasionally leading a weekly community group in our home. I was also approached to be part of a women’s ministry planning group being set up by our newly appointed Women’s Ministry Coordinator.
At the start of this year, after some staffing changes at church, I was approached and agreed to take on a new volunteer role of managing Child Safe compliance.
Why did you get involved in volunteering in this way and what have you found encouraging from volunteering here?
Volunteering has always been part of my family’s DNA. Both my parents were very active in their community and it was just something you did. On becoming a Christian some forty-odd years ago, volunteering/serving evolved from being not only good for the community but also a form of worship, a means of expressing gratitude to the Lord Jesus for his redemptive work on the cross and rising again.
While the fellowship that develops in small groups takes some beating and women’s ministry settings are a great place to provide mentoring and encouragement to women of all ages, the Child Safe role struck a chord with me. Some years ago, I worked for an organisation which, while delivering mainly homeless outreach services, also offered a few smaller programs, one of which was a support group for people abused within faith communities. It was a small organisation, so all the staff did their share of serving at the front counter, organising catering for meetings etc. Over time as I got to know group members, two of them shared their stories with me—stories once heard, never forgotten. They were both around my age. Child Safe is a critical program.
Being relatively new to Village Church, serving in these areas has helped me to get to know more people, and use my passions and skills to joyfully love and serve the Lord and others. As the Psalmist tells us, “Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence singing!” (Ps 100:2).
What is your background and what is something that’s unusual about that?
I grew up in Newcastle in a family with a strong Catholic heritage on my mum’s side. My dad regarded himself as an agnostic but was very supportive of my mum’s faith. I was educated in the Catholic school system, completed a Bachelor of Commerce at uni and went to work in Sydney. I largely continued in the Catholic faith until I met Derek who introduced me to the notion of a personal faith in the Lord Jesus rather than a “corporate” faith and so the journey began.
After much encouragement I went along to his Bible Study group and was surprised and challenged by the depth of people’s Bible knowledge, their ability to quote from it at will and to pray fluently. In the group there were two wonderful young Christian women who befriended, encouraged and mentored me. I will be forever grateful to God for Derek and for them, and for the many more women like them who God has brought into my life and used to help mature me in my faith. In 1989 we moved to the Gold Coast and then in 1993 to Brisbane where we now live.
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?
Volunteering is a great way to get to know others better while filling a need. Importantly, it frees up staff for other ministries. It is a way to serve your community and to honour and glorify God.
Can you tell us about some things that you have learnt recently in your volunteering role?
Words like ‘volunteering’, ‘serve’ and ‘service’ are often permeated with negative overtones because they describe something that can be challenging, demanding and at times just plain hard to do.
So I’ve thinking about my demeanour as a volunteer. As I go about my role, do my conversations and actions encourage others to volunteer? Do I model humble, loving, determined and joyful service? I’ve learnt attitude does matter.
Is there a Bible verse that you often come back to for encouragement?
1 Samuel 12:24 is a verse that takes me back to first principles: “But be sure to fear the LORD and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you.”
God, the creator of the universe, who loves me, has done a great thing, the ultimate thing for me, he has redeemed me through the work of his Son, the Lord Jesus, on the cross. How can I not respond by serving him with great joy and deep gratitude?
