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The Irish have a saying: "Molann an obair an fear" - "The work praises the man." It means that your deeds tell people what kind of person you are, and if you do good things, that speaks well of you. Community service enjoys a long and honorable history in many cultures. In ancient times, people took care of each other or they died. Thus, most Pagan religions also have a strong tradition of community service; although it has diminished in some, it remains a powerful force in Celtic, Native American, and Afro-Caribbean traditions in particular as well as several others. A little research reveals numerous examples of the value historic societies placed on community service, so whatever your chosen path, you should find this hallowed custom applicable in your own life.
I see three basic kinds of community service operating in today's world. First, there is service to the wider community or humanity as a whole; this kind links members of the Pagan culture to the world at large. Second, there is service to one's community of affiliation; this kind builds a strong Pagan culture with appropriate support networks. Third, there is service to one's community of residence; this kind involves the necessary tasks to maintain a household, neighborhood, intentional community, or other local establishment. Together, these different contributions make it possible for us to enjoy a variety of benefits that improve our lives. Without sufficient fellow-feel to maintain the community spirit through service, a society rapidly begins to come apart at the seams, so you can grasp the importance of this issue.
Service to the wider community can take almost any form you can imagine. It includes everything from sorting donations at a food drive to picking up garbage along the highway to washing clothes for Goodwill to planting trees in the city park for Arbor Day. Most towns have at least one recognized volunteer organization, and a city may have dozens or even hundreds. When Pagans participate in such activities, we demonstrate our beliefs through our actions, showing people that we care for the Earth and all Her children. This helps counteract the negative propaganda while simultaneously weaving Pagans into the social food web. For maximum effect, perform this kind of community service in groups, such as covens; and if you consider it reasonably safe to do so, wear something (such as a pentacle or a PagaNet News T-shirt) to identify volunteers as Pagans.
Service within the Pagan community helps meet a desperate need. Right now we do not enjoy all the social safety nets that other groups do, and the "mainstream" society doesn't always care to extend itself on our behalf. Pagan organizations usually find themselves running short on both funds and workers, and many eventually fold due to the pressure. Support large Pagan organizations by volunteering to give a presentation at a festival, donating materials, holding office, or coming to help them with a major project. Support Pagan periodicals by contributing your artwork or writing, by buying ad space, by helping proofread material, or simply by answering phones and stuffing envelopes in their office. Support your local Pagan organizations by staying to clean up after an open ritual, offering rides if you own a car, hosting an event at your place if you have the space, answering questions from novices or curious onlookers, posting announcements on bulletin boards around town, or giving the High Priest(ess) an evening off. Look for little, casual ways to build community through service, too. If you see someone at a festival struggling to carry a heavy load, offer to help; send thank-you notes for help received; offer to fetch lunch for harried organizers; and generally make yourself useful.
Service to one's community of residence creates a sense of safety, belonging, and support that nothing else can equal. By bonding together in living groups we ensure that someone will always be there to baby-sit a child, pick up the mail, look after the sick and injured, keep us company, guard against crime, assist our elders, feed the animals, and celebrate the triumphs of our lives. All you have to do is be a good neighbor; invest a little of yourself in other people's lives. In the modern "mainstream" society, the bonds once woven through extended families and religious congregations have frayed dangerously; now we need to repair them and make strong a support network that satisfies our various needs and tastes. This kind of community service also fosters local color, making our intimate communities more pleasant and attractive as well as more functional.
Why should you volunteer for community service? There are many reasons. Volunteering offers a variety of benefits: you can make new friends, showcase Pagan values, learn new skills or exercise old ones, and enjoy the simple satisfaction of making a difference. Beyond this, though, lies a more important reason: we are the representatives of our Divine Patrons in this world. We are the eyes of the God and the ears of the Goddess and the hands of our Ancestors. We are the two-legged relations of All That Is. If we do not serve Them and look after Their interests in this world, who will? If we do not speak Their words, protect Their wards, and otherwise do Their work, who will? And if we do not take care of each other in this age of religious intolerance, who will? With great knowledge and great power comes great responsibility. Your heart will tell you what to do with it.
When deciding how to volunteer, first consider what skills you have to offer and how much time you can spare. Given the always-high demand for volunteers, you should have no trouble finding work you enjoy. Helping other people feels good. And the next time a person challenges you with, "Who do you think you are, anyway?" you can reply as I often do, "You know how people always go around saying, 'Somebody ought to do something...?' Well, I'm Somebody."
Recommended Resources
Builders of the Dawn: Community Lifestyles in a Changing World by Corinne McLaughlin and Gordon Davidson. Book Publishing Company (P.O. Box 99, Summertown, TN 38483), 1985. Presents an overview of life in the intentional community movement, with examples from many diverse communities; touches on issues of money, spirituality, community service, cooperation, and much more.
The Volunteer Recruitment (and Membership Development) Book Energize, Inc. (5450 Wissahickon Ave. Philadelphia, PA 19144), 1996. Discusses the theory, practice, and benefits of volunteering; a must for leaders of covens and other groups.
Communities: Journal of Cooperative Living - available from the Fellowship for Intentional Community at Route 1, Box 155, Rutledge, MO 63563. Subscription $18.00 U.S. for four quarterly issues, sample issue $5.50. Covers a wide range of issues while examining both the history of intentional communities and the practical details of making them work in today's world; often showcases how a particular community deals with service and organization.
- Elizabeth Barrette
reprinted with permission
Originally appeared in the Lughnasadh 1998
issue of PagaNet News
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