Henriet's Blog

Rick Hoover: Local volunteer in Times Square

My friend Maggie's dad was featured in the Redmond Reporter, Friday, June 3, 2011!

Rick Hoover, Redmond resident, regularly plays the piano at the Evergreen Medical Center Hospital in Kirkland, WA. What's so special about that? Rick has multiple sclerosis (MS) but has not let that stop him from giving back to the community. He plays the piano an hour a day, four days a week. He began this volunteer job in 2004. To date, Rick has played at Evergreen Hospital for more than 1,300 hours!

That a lot of hours…

How did he start? He told the Redmond Reporter, "I have a hard time passing by a good looking piano and not playing it...So, withouth anybody's permission, I just went up to it and started playing. I was here for the birth of one of my granddaughters." 

Evergreen liked his volunteer spirit but does not allow just anyone to play the piano. Rick had to pass a tryout at a piano store, which he did. Once he aced the tryout, he officially became a volunteer.

Though MS makes it difficult, Rick keeps going

Playing isn't always easy because of his MS, which is a disease that affects the central nervous system. Rick has lived with MS for 20 years, and the disease progressed so rapidly that it put him in a wheelchair for the past 10 years. 

Back to playing at Evergreen. Rick plays the piano by ear most of the time. One of the reasons, according to his explanation of the effects of disease on his life, is that his brain, eyes and fingers don't always cooperate with each other. He plays slow music…but luckily he likes slow music.

MS affects more than just his music. The disease impacts the messages from the brain. In Rick's case, no messages get to his right leg. During playing the piano, his right hand and back tire more easily. Sometimes he becomes sleepy — and occasionally he puts his head down on the piano to rest for a bit. But he keeps volunteering!

All this playing has not gone unnoticed.

Rick Hoover was featured on a billboard in Times Square in New York in March 2011. Marcia Hoover, Rick's wife, suggested Rick to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society for the MS Awareness Week. A team came to his house to get to know him which led to his inclusion in the MS Awareness Week campaign. Rick had no idea what being chosen would mean. He knew that he would be included the MS magazine, but he had no idea that he would be on a billboard in New York's Times Square! "Congratulations, Rick."

He is an inspirational volunteer.

In addition to the MS honors, Rick Hoover was also selected to receive the Evergreen quarterly service award, in honor for his kindness and gift of music. A well-deserved honor.

Hoover enjoys volunteering and really looks forward to his hour at Evergreen. He plans to keep playing for as long as he can. What an inspiration to the rest of us!

Photos featured as part of MS Awareness Week, www.nationalmssociety.org

Volunteer with our partners this summer

Interested in volunteering with some of our Semper Vita partners - Jubilee REACH & Warm Beach Camp?

We have listed some opportunities in the Greater Seattle area on a new volunteer opportunity page on our (interim) site, www.sempervita.org. Check out the opportunities from:

Jubilee REACH

Warm Beach Camp

and one from Semper Vita!

Are you a nonprofit and want to partner? Contact us today!

Holidays, Volunteering and Semper Vita

'Tis the season. We just celebrated Thanksgiving (in the U.S.) and now most people are frantically getting ready for Christmas. Mostly that means rushing to stores to buy gifts, decorating our homes and sending Christmas cards. Often we read messages that remind us to slow down and savor these days. Or, we may be encouraged to remember the reason for the season. All good things. Really!

During this time of the year, I am reminded more about volunteering. Somehow Thanksgiving and Christmas inspire more people to serve those less fortunate. One person who does an awesome job serving people during Thanksgiving is John Howie at Seastar. This past Thanksgiving, he and a group of volunteers served the 7th annual dinner to "guests in need on Thanksgiving Day." Served at Seastar restaurant in Bellevue, over 600 people enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving meal. These families and individuals came to John Howie's Thanksgiving meal through Hopelink, Overlake Service League, Olive Crest and Redmond YWCA.

We have 22 days until Christmas and 28 days until the end of 2010. Plenty of time to do some serious good! Semper Vita would love to help you find ways to volunteer. Fill out the form and contact us to let us know what you would like to do. Are you a non-profit or know of opportunities to help out during the Holidays? Let us know!

Get Busy Doing Just Your Part

"Love should always make us tell the truth. Then we will grow in every way and be more like Christ, the head of the body. Christ holds it together and makes all of its parts work perfectly,  as it grows and becomes strong because of love."   Ephesians 4:15-16, CEV

In the last post I discussed that all of us who claim faith in Jesus need to get busy. "Busy," you might say, "I'm already too busy. You've got to be kidding me." Well, hold on. I don't mean busy just doing any and everything but busy doing what God intends for us to do. You see, God has "Designer tasks" planned for each of us. How do I know? It's clearly spelled out in Ephesians, one of my favorite books in the Bible. It tells us about who God is and how he has created us, chosen us and uniquely designed each one of us. It also tells us that he has prepared good things for us to do. In fact, he has hand selected good tasks for us. God is the designer. He made us and he made the good things for us to do. Here's how Ephesians 2:10 puts it:

"God has made us what we are. In Christ Jesus, God made us to do good works, which God planned in advance for us to live our lives doing" (New Century Version).

Know yourself

So, how do we know what God has for us? Well, I believe that one important first step is to know our wiring. Who did God make us to be? In fact, at Semper Vita we believe in this so strongly that we advocate for everyone to discover their God-given wiring. To do that we use the Clifton StrengthsFinder, Myers-Briggs and Spiritual gifts assessments. I know that for me, discovering how God made me really helped me to focus on what God intends for me to do.

Know your part

The good news for all of us is that God only asks us to do our part. He's already at work in us and around us. He invites each one of us to join him in the work that he is already doing. And, he only asks each one of us to do the works that he prepared in advance for us to do. So, what is our part? How can we discover that? One key step is to ask God what he wants us to do. Part of that is looking around to see where he is already at work. Another key step is to understand who he made us to be so that we can better know what it is he asks us to do. It helps us to discover our purpose and to focus on the tasks designed for us.

Do your part

The next step is simple: Get busy and do your part. Once you know what God is asking you to do, just do it! If you're not sure, try out some different things and see where you sense God's pleasure. The results of getting busy in the right direction are obvious. It results in joy, peace, a sense of fulfillment, and lasting impact.  This impact is what the Bible calls fruit.

So, how are you doing? Do you know your wiring? (If not, contact us to get started.) Do you know your part? Are you producing fruit? Please share your story of how God has designed you and how he has invited you to join him.

It Takes the Whole Church to Impact the World

The human needs around the world are staggering. Whether we focus in on local, national or international issues, there just seems to be so much that needs to be done. Even if we only looked at the issue of water, from clean water for communities in Africa to water for the local homeless in a city in the U.S., it quickly becomes obvious that the needs are great. How can I help and have any impact? Whatever I do seems to be just a drop in the bucket. So is it even worth it?

Just 1 in 4 helps someone

Researcher George Barna writes in his book Revolution, that in a "typical week, only one out of every four believers will allocate some time to serving other people" (Revolution, page 34). Most of that goes to volunteering in local churches. According to Barna, "little effort is invested in serving needy people outside the congregation." That's sad! He goes on to state that a very small percentage of people interact with the poor or disadvantaged in their communities. The typical Christian prefers to give money to an organization to facilitate good deeds in society rather than personally being involved in alleviating the needs of people.

That just won't do! We are the church. Jesus sent us to go tell the good news and be his hands and feet. It takes the whole church. It takes all of us - each doing our part, whether that's a little or a lot. That's one of the reasons we started Semper Vita - to serve more people together!

We need to change and get busy

However, if only one in four is actively helping people in need most of us are underemployed in God's Kingdom. Changes need to be made. We have to reevaluate our perspective. Being uninvolved and donating a little bit of money does not fulfill Jesus' mandate to his followers! Barna states that growth in our character and our Christian behavior only happens if we change our routines and approach to life. He continues, "God did not send Jesus to die so we might be comfortable and complacent, but so we might die to self, pick up our cross, and follow the way of the Master" (Revolution, page 41). Exactly!

We need to get busy - not just giving money or serving a few hours a year. We need to get busy doing what God designed us to do. He is always at work in people's lives and he invites us to join him. How do we do that? Well it helps to know who we are - more on that on Friday. For now, I just want to challenge you to think about the fact that only 25% does a little bit for someone else in a typical week. Are you in that 25%? If so, how are you helping out? If not, what keeps you from serving someone else?

Semper Vita, Cindy Patterson and the PNW Leadership Summit

Last Friday and Saturday (June 18-19, 2010), I attended the Leadership Summit of the Pacific Northwest Conference of the Free Methodist Church at Warm Beach Camp. I have attended this annual business meeting of the church for many years. They do a great job of incorporating worship, stories and reports of what God is doing in and through the churches located in Washington and Alaska. Why do I attend this summit? Well, I'm an ordained pastor (we call them elders) in the Free Methodist Church. I had the privilege of being ordained in 2006.

Thank you, Cindy!

This year, the leadership summit was very exciting for me because my friend, Cindy Patterson, was ordained. She's worked very hard and studied for quite a few years. Last Saturday was her big day. She was ordained. And, she chose me to be her supporting elder. What an honor! "Thank you, Cindy!" Cindy is not only my friend and fellow pastor, she's also a volunteer who is making Semper Vita happen. Her skills are in operations. Her passion is to be the hands and feet of Jesus to people in the community. Being ordained only confirms that she's been serving God in many ways—demonstrating Jesus' love through service.

Thank you, Matt & Jim!

Though the ordination service was the highlight of the two days, there was another exciting moment for me and Semper Vita. I had the opportunity to share about Semper Vita with my fellow Free Methodist pastors. I currently do not serve at a local church. The denomination has released me to lead Semper Vita. And, now I had the opportunity to share what I've been working on for 3+ years. Thankfully, it was well received. It's exciting to be part of a denomination that believes in the mission and vision of Semper Vita. The superintendent, Matt Whitehead, and the assistant superintendent, Jim Harbour, have been very encouraging over the years. "Thank you, Matt & Jim!"

Thank you, Teresa!

Another Free Methodist volunteer is Teresa Lerew. She attended all my workshops at the Northwest Ministry Conference last March. Since then, she has volunteered to help get Semper Vita off the ground in Auburn, where she attends the Auburn Free Methodist Church. Teresa currently is helping us to reach out to non-profits in and around Auburn so that we can make Semper Vita active there. "Thank you, Teresa!"

So Close to Realizing the Semper Vita Dream!

3.75 years and counting!

It's been three years and nine months since God laid this vision and concept on my heart. Much has happened - both with Semper Vita and in my personal life. Answering a call from God is an adventure with significant highs and lows. Obstacles litter the path that follows God's call. Suffering is part of the journey.

Often this truth is not told to prospective Christians or even good church-going folks: Faith requires courage and stamina. Following Jesus is hard. Researcher and author George Barna states that the kind of people who radically follow Jesus (he calls them Revolutionaries) recognize that there is a huge price to pay in this lifetime—but they are mindful of the eternal pay-off as well" (Revolution, page 15). I guess I'm a revolutionary...but I'm not alone!

It takes a volunteer team!

To make Semper Vita become a reality has required a volunteer team that lives out their call and faith with the same commitment and stamina. One such volunteer is Tamara Dull. Do you know that she has quit her well-paying job to guide the completion of our software application? That's crazy, right? Well, maybe. She's sure that is what God has called her to do.

We are in the final stages of completing the software application. Tamara's been shepherding the process and working long hours with our developer. She can't wait for this project to be over because she needs to get back to work and receive a paycheck!  She's also created our new marketing site and set up our blogs...this is one of them. The other is On The Front Porch with Semper Vita. She's recruited Bree Baich to co-author the On The Front Porch blog.

When you visit them on the front porch, you'll be able to hear and tell stories: "Stories about people helping people. Stories about churches doing great things in the community. Stories about non-profits and churches banding together to serve the community." Check it out for yourself and join the conversation on the porch!

Besides Tamara, there are many others who have donated hours, time and energy to make Semper Vita happen. More volunteer stories later!

Why?

That begs the question: "Why are people giving so much time and energy to Semper Vita?" Well, it's a call. It's a passion. It's the work of God in our lives! Semper Vita exists not for itself or for us. It exists to:

• help people give back and live their passion
• help organizations accomplish their mission
• help the church be the church
• practically demonstrate the love of Jesus to all people

Join us on the journey!

How about you? Do you have a story? Do you have a question? Are you ready to jump in and make a difference with us? Please leave a comment, tell us your (volunteer) stories or share your adventures. Thanks for journeying with us!

Faith in Action

"...continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling."    Paul in Philippians 2:12

One of the groups I try to attend regularly is KIROS, a group of business people who meet for breakfast once a month in various locations in the Greater Seattle area. I attend the Bellevue meeting. KIROS consists of mostly Christians who seek to do business in such a way that it demonstrates their faith in Jesus and brings honor and glory to God. Don't worry, they don't go around preaching and being "weird," but they work in such a way that demonstrates their faith in action.

One of my friends, Darrell, owns his own business and is passionate about living out his faith at work - both in the way he treats his employees and in the way he runs his business. He's known for saying, "do what you say you will do." Darrell has trusted his business to God. At times, he's referred potential customers to another business rather than compromising his principles. Good for you, Darrell!

The Apostle Paul tells us in Philippians 2 that we need to "work out our salvation in fear and trembling." This applies to all people who believe in Jesus. It's nice to do this on a Sunday morning as part of a Christian clique, but it is far more important to do this visibly, every day as we live and work in our business, volunteer in the community, attend school and live in the neighborhood.

Fear and trembling is not about being so scared of God that we are terrified to do something wrong lest he'd slap us. It also does not mean we are trying to earn our way into heaven or into God's favor. 

Working out our salvation means to finish it through spiritual growth and development. It's a process that needs to be worked out daily, especially in our every day life. It's easy to look good for an hour a week on Sunday morning. Working out your salvation or faith refers to living our faith and growing in our relationship with God. It's a process of humility, service, perseverance, and spiritual growth.  

Only through faith in Jesus can any of us have right standing before God. As a result of that right relationship, we continue to work out how to live our faith in a way that brings honor and glory to God. Salvation and faith in this context is all about our relationship with God. And, just like any relationship, it requires work! We have to work out our faith because a life of faith is very different from our regular, everyday-without-God life.  To most of us who have jumped into this life with Jesus, it all feels, well, upside down. It's not about power, money, beauty or fame - but about respect, servanthood, gentleness, love, peace and hope. It's the life Jesus lived while he was on earth.

In order for people to rediscover the real Jesus, his people need to live in such a way that those who do not yet know him can see him in our lives, as we live out our faith in action. 

That's our goal - living our faith through acts of volunteering in a way that shows Jesus. Are you living your faith in action? Looking for a way to connect with others living this way? Please join the movement of volunteers and partners...so we can do more good together.

Semper Vita needs your help!

The dream is becoming a reality. Semper Vita is happening. It is exciting! At the Northwest Ministry Conference it was clear that the idea is timely. Churches are ready to  do good in their communities and would love to connect with others. Semper Vita’s software will help them do just that.


What we need from you
It takes a lot of people, prayers, partners and money to make this happen. Would you join us as we seek to help churches be the church in their communities? Would you commit to one or more of the following:


Pray for Semper Vita:
Pray for the software development. Pray that the right partners will sign up. Pray that God will bring us volunteers. Pray that we would continue to work toward making this dream a reality. Pray for financial provision. Pray that God will bless Semper Vita for His glory.

Finances:
We need money to reach the thousands of people in our communities with the love of Jesus. Whether $5, $500 or $50,00 your donation will help us to finish the software, to reach out to potential partners and to move Semper Vita forward as an organization. Would you support us? To donate please go to our donate page.

People:
We need people to help us make this happen. Are you a videographer? We could use your help. Do you like marketing, administrative support, finance, sales? We could use your help. There’s stuff to do for everyone.  Please join us and help us make this happen. Contact us to volunteer as part of Semper Vita.

Partners:
We need churches and non-profits to partner with us to impact the community for good. Please consider partnering with us to reach our communities with the Good News. 

An Easter Egg Hunt and Feeding the Homeless on Easter Weekend

How was your Easter? Several of us from Semper Vita joined with partner churches this Easter. It was great! We had fun and we did some good together.

A pre-Easter egg hunt

On Saturday, we joined Life at the Ridge fort their annual Redmond Ridge community Easter egg hunt at Rosa Parks Elementary. We arrived at 8 am on a very cold and somewhat windy morning. We joined Pastor Josh and his wife Tanya and about 20 others from Life at the Ridge. Together we put out 7000 eggs, placed signs, set up the gift tent and prepared the gym in the school for the festivities. Hundreds of Redmond Ridge kids and parents started arriving at about 9:45 am. The Easter egg  hunt activities started out in the gym followed by a kid frenzy in the egg-filled fields at 10:20 am. Those eggs disappeared in a matter of minutes. One little boy in the area I watched, filled his bucket in under a minute. This was race for some kids. The eggs were filled with good stuff too - candy, little stuffed animals (for the little ones), See’s gift certificates, cash and more. Wow! After the hunt and games, the crew cleaned up. Helping out at the community Easter egg hunt was fun!

Easter at Occidental Square

On Sunday, after attending services, a few Semper Vita folks joined Missio Lux at Occidental Square in Seattle for a special luncheon prepared for the homeless population. A great meal of ham, potatoes, salad and rolls followed by cake was served to the men and women who came by. The line looped around the square when lunch was ready. Tables and chairs were set up for the people at Occidental Square. The Missio Lux people and friends joined the locals for lunch and had great conversations with the people at Occidental Square. Great stories are being told of changed lives...Several accepted Jesus as their Savior. One man was healed from his anger and received peace. Others just enjoyed a good meal and conversation. 

It was a different Easter for me but it was great. Instead of the Easter brunch tradition at my mom’s we spent time with people in the community. At the end of the day we shared stories of our Easter adventures as we gathered for our Easter dinner.