Serve

Service as an Ongoing Lifestyle

"Service in RUF" starts with daily service where God has placed you:   So, in view of how Christ serves us, we need to FIRST serve others right where we are…
  • Do the dishes for your roommates without expecting reciprocation
  • Pay for a friend's lunch
  • Be an agent of the gospel breaking down the fragmentation between male/female, black/white, rich/poor, etc.
  • Offer free babysitting to a family in a local church
  • Listen to a friend with genuine compassion
  • Speak lovingly / boldly with friends who don't know Jesus
  • Spend time with "that" person who others ignore
  • Speak kind words when others are gossiping
  • etc...
The point is that when we believe the gospel of God’s grace (his “undeserved favor” in Christ), we are transformed in our daily relationships. Our entire attitude about life (not just an RUF service program) is transformed.  We're called to be more about people than programs.
 

More Formal Service / Service Events

That said, there are other organized ways to serve together through RUF:  you could go on one of our mission trips, help lead one of our small groups, be a part of the RUF Ministry Team (see the attached document), or serve locally at places like:
  • Hope Lodge (temporary living for those recovering from cancer treatments)
  • Christians Concerned for the Community (building wheelchair ramps for people who are disabled)
  • Women's Resource Center (Doing yard work for a counseling ministry to pregnant women)
  • Christian Study Center (Doing yard work for a group that serves the academic community of UF)
  • Gainesville Community Ministries (primarily a ministry showing people the way out of the cycle of poverty)
  • Parents Night Out (offering free babysitting to local churches)
  • Missions Trips (we've been both in the states and out of the states: Belize, Honduras, Mexico, etc)
  • Others

We do about 10 small-scale service opportunities like these per semester.  To get connected with how we will UF and the community - see the calendar on the home page or contact Kerry Jensen (813-451-4724) for ways to serve.

 


Guanajuato, Mexico 2011