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VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

children & family ministries

Children's Ministry nurtures children from birth through sixth grade in their faith. From child care to Sunday school to day care, the Children & Family Ministry is all about social, emotional and spiritual development of each child in their care. Listed below are numerous ways you can share of your time and talents with the Children & Family Ministry Department. If you are interested in any of the following volunteer opportunities, please call the Children & Family Ministry Office at 913-671-2355. Thanks so much for serving our children.
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• Teach a Preschool Lighthouse class — open to flexible schedules such as teaching a semester, a certain Sunday of the month, quarterly, or rotating (lessons and materials provided)
• Gather a few of your friends and volunteer as a team to teach one grade of Lighthouse classes per year
• Teach our 6th grade Lighthouse class on Sunday mornings
• Sunday morning greeter in the Children and Family Ministry Office (8:45-8:55 a.m.) to be a hospitable presence and assist people in finding classes, run copies, find resources. Could be for a month, one Sunday a month, or meet your schedule
• Help with special mailings (i.e. stuffing envelopes for fall enrollment in August, or summer activity brochures in late February, seasonal programs) — very occasional
• Help with seasonal events such as Advent Workshop, Christmas Night Out, Lenten Workshop — set up, assisting with a project, clean up
• Be an adult assistant for Children's Christmas Play
• Be an adult assistant for Palm Sunday parade
• Help with summer Vacation Family Bible School (one-three evenings of commitment)
• Help with summer Lighthouse (9 a.m. service) — story and activities (June–July: help for a month, one Sunday a month, or one time only)
• Like to clean, straighten up, organize? We need you! We often need help organizing resources and/or classrooms, or helping in the Children & Family Ministry Office with projects
• Like to bake? How about providing occasional goodies if called? (i.e. cookies for Advent Workshop decorating, teacher appreciation gifts, receptions)
• Shoppers Anonymous — we have a great job for you. Each unit of Lighthouse classes requires shopping for rotational classroom supplies. We provide list, quantities, place to go and money – you have fun!
• Stuff worship bags for children to use on Sunday mornings (approx. 1 hour/week and once a month)
• Serve on the Children & Family Ministry Committee — help plan to support and serve our children on a Session Committee meeting on the 3rd Monday of the month (6 p.m. meeting), January–December. (*4th Monday in January due to holiday, no meetings in July or December)

environmental action

local mission

From the beginning, mission has always been at the heart of Village Presbyterian Church. The story of this faith community is filled with untold hours of service to our neighbors both near and far, of dedicated disciples practicing the works of mercy commended by Jesus Christ. ​ If you were to speak with any of these servant leaders among us, they would tell you that their participation in the mission of the Church has made all the difference — that their faith came alive when they gave their time and talent in service to others. Christ promised that when we serve others, we are in fact serving God. 

• Blood Drive - Village Church hosts a blood drive four times a year. Anyone who is healthy, at least 16 years old and weighs at least 115 pounds may donate blood every 8 weeks. The drive also needs volunteers to help with registration before the drive and check-in during the drive as well as folks to help with refreshments. Contact Rev. Dr. Rodger Nishioka.
• Community Garden - Located at 9960 Mission Road at the Meneilly Center for Mission, the garden offers opportunities for individuals of all ages to participate in service work. The garden needs volunteers to plant, water, weed and harvest crops which are donated to Village Food Pantry. Contact Rev. Dr. Rodger Nishioka.
• Cross-Lines Community Outreach - On the second Friday of every other month, Village Church serves a meal to 150 people at the Cross-Lines Kitchen. We need three to four volunteers to cook from 9:30-11:30 a.m. and three to four additional volunteers to help service, 11 a.m. -1:30 p.m. In addition, we need folks to provide three to four dozen cookies, which can be dropped off at the Mission Campus reception desk the day before by 4:30 p.m. Contact Rev. Dr. Rodger Nishioka.
• Food Pantry and Clothes Closet ​- A variety of volunteer needs, such as scheduling, receiving and shopping with clients to data entry and filing, are need to successfully support the Food Pantry and Clothes Closet. Donations of food, clothing and cash gifts are also needed. More than 300 volunteers staff this mission. Our volunteers include retirees, working adults, students (ages 14+) and more. Contact director Dennis Cobb, email or 913-671-2314.
• Front Porch Alliance - You can work hand in hand with Kansas City’s east-side residents and community partners to build youth leadership and opportunities for families to make positive, lasting changes. Volunteer programs exist in minor home repair, tutoring, life skills classes and computer classes. Contact Front Porch executive director at 816-921-8812. 
• Habitat for Humanity - Volunteers are needed to help construct houses for families in Jackson, Johnson, Wyandotte and Leavenworth counties. Construction experience is not required. Working together with Habitat supervision, the job is done to code. Village Church crews work on Tuesday and Thursdays. Volunteer opportunities for students and working adults are also available on Saturdays. Contact Jim Bolton at 913-262-7618 or Ralph Graham at 913-602-4329.
• Hillcrest Transitional Housing - The Village Church sponsors an apartment in conjunction with Hillcrest Transitional Housing offering homeless families and individuals 90-day rent-free, utility-free housing combined with a disciplined, educational program to help clients move to self-sufficiency. The Village Church welcomes volunteers who can help prepare the apartment and build ongoing fellowship with residents. Contact Rev. Dr. Rodger Nishioka.
• Kansas City CARE Clinic - Village Church provides ongoing mission work one Saturday a month to the Kansas City CARE Clinic. Physicians are needed for a three-hour shift. Comprehensive malpractice insurance is provided and complete physician confidentiality is ensured. Contact Dr. John Hall, email (spikehall@gmail.com) or 816-289-6092 or Debbie Skaggs, email (debbies@kccareclinic.org) or 816-777-2761.
• Meals on Wheels - Village Church has 3 teams who deliver meals every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Each volunteer signs up for one day in the month and if a conflict arises with their regular delivery date it is usually easy to trade dates with another team member. Volunteers deliver meals between 10:45 a.m. and noon. If you would be interested in joining the Village Church Meals on Wheels team, contact Leslie Conrad at 913-341-2734 or email.

international mission

From the beginning, mission has always been at the heart of Village Presbyterian Church. The story of this faith community is filled with untold hours of service to our neighbors both near and far, of dedicated disciples practicing the works of mercy commended by Jesus Christ. ​ If you were to speak with any of these servant leaders among us, they would tell you that their participation in the mission of the Church has made all the difference — that their faith came alive when they gave their time and talent in service to others. Christ promised that when we serve others, we are in fact serving God.

• Border Ministry - Village Church is fostering a new relationship with Frontera de Cristo in Agua Prieta, Mexico. Agua Prieta is a town of approximately 70,000 people located in the northeast corner of the state of Sonora, Mexico across the border from Douglas, Ariz. Frontera de Cristo engages in six areas of ministry: church development, health ministry, family ministry, mission education, the Just Trade Center and community development with the New Hope Community Center. Contact Lora Garrison, director of International Mission, through email or 913-671-2390.
• Christmas International House - Host families are needed to provide a warm, welcoming environment to international students who are studying in the United States and not able to go home during the holidays. Each day structured activities are planned by Village Church. Contact Judy Miller at juleanna.miller@gmail.com or 816-260-2497.
• Dominican Republic Medical Partnership of Village Church (DRMP) has provided nearly 25 years of health care and health education to children and adults living in the impoverished bateys (communities of Haitian sugarcane workers and their families) in the Dominican Republic. We promote sustainable healthcare efforts with our Dominican partner organizations. DRMP provides medical care, ongoing hypertension management, and life-changing surgeries. Our health education programs focus on topics such as disease prevention and good nutrition. Join us on VPC’s annual all-ages service trip, Givingthanks in the DR or volunteer from home. Contact Lora Garrison, director of International Mission through email or 913-671-2390.
• Haiti - The Higgins Brothers Surgicenter for Hope, which recently opened in December 2016, is located on the campus of Haitian Christian Mission in Fonds-Parisien, Haiti, an isolated village in eastern Haiti approximately eight miles from the Haiti/Dominican Republic border. Each quarter, Dr. Higgins brings mission teams (both medical and non-medical participants) to the facility and performs approximately 75 procedures each trip. Dr. Higgins is also training Haitian resident doctors and staff to run the facility independently, as a critical component of his mission is promoting a sustainable culture in Haiti and reducing foreigner dependency. Contact Lora Garrison, director of International Mission, through email or 913-671-2390.
• Thwake Village Partnership - The Heartland Presbytery has joined with the Kikuyu Presbytery in East Africa to provide support to a health clinic, children’s home and school in the Thwake Village in Kenya. Mission trips to Thwake occur in the spring as well a local Kansas City fundraiser. Contact Lora Garrison, director of International Mission, through email or 913-671-2390.

music ministry

The Village Presbyterian Church Music Department offers a variety of ways to serve God and the Church both in music ensembles and also with service opportunities for a non musician. These various groups add to the inspiration of the worship services, and the events artistically enrich our community.If you are interested in any of the following volunteer opportunities, please call the Music Ministry Office, 913-671-2344 or email. 

Musical Opportunities:

• Choral Ensembles Approximately 200 adults participate in one of our four adult singing choirs at Village Church. Many of them find this experience to be the place where they feel most connected to others, to their faith, and to God. Choir is a place where you can be known and loved and included. Choir is a place where beauty and worship and music happen - but also a place for friendship and welcome. 
• Village Choir sings for 9 and 11 a.m. Sunday worship services (choir members may choose which service they sing). Rehearsals are Thursdays, mid-August through May from 7-8:30 p.m. The choir is open to all without audition. In addition to Sunday services, the choir presents several concerts each season and a highly anticipated annual Christmas Concert, Tidings of Joy. Contact Will Breytspraak for more information. 
• Chamber Choir - Chamber Choir is an option for Village Choir members who want to sing more challenging music. The choir rehearses from 8:30-9:30 p.m. on Thursdays, following Village Choir rehearsal. In collaboration with other community ensembles, the Chamber Choir presents two or three sacred concerts each year. Recent projects have included Bach's Mass in B Minor, a collaboration with Te Deum Chamber Choir and the Kansas City Baroque Consortium, performed at the Kauffman Center's Helzberg Hall. Click here for details of upcoming performances. Contact Will Breytspraak for more information.
• Alegria Choir - This choir rehearses from 7-7:30 p.m. on Thursday nights, and then most members join the rest of the Village Choir for the remainder of the rehearsal. Alegria partipates in both Sanctuary and Gathering worship services, as well as in the Village Church Concert Series. Contact Will Breytspraak for more information.
• More Love Chorale - Originally call The Once-a-Month Choir, this group is a great entry or re-entry ensemble. The choir sings at the 9:30 or 11 a.m. worship services one Sunday per month. The ensemble of 25 to 30 singers rehearses from 6:30-7:30 p.m. on Wednesdays, September through May in Room 15. Contact Will Breytspraak for more information. 
• Summer Choir - Summer Choir sings for the 11 a.m. worship service July 10-31. Rehearsals are at 10:10 a.m. in the Mission Campus Chapel. The choir does not wear robes and sits among the congregation. Anyone who likes to sing - children through adults - is welcome. Contact Will Breytspraak for more information.
• Handbell Ensembles — There are two handbell ensembles. The Morning Ringers meet on Wednesdays at 10 a.m., and this is an excellent group for new ringers (contact Dr. Josh Maize). The Village Ringers meet on Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m., and this is an advanced group (contact Dr. Elisa Bickers). These ensembles also perform in Sunday worship several times each semester.
• Village Brass Ensemble — This ensemble of 19 instrumental musicians meet on Wednesday evenings in the Sanctuary at 7 p.m. This group also performs in worship services. Contact director Dr. Langston Hemenway.
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Non Musical Opportunities:

• Concert Greeters — The Music Department offers several concerts throughout the year usually on Sunday afternoons or evenings. These concerts are free to the public. Being a concert greeter offers a way to serve the church and show our Christian hospitality to people attending.
• Reception Volunteers following concerts — At times a reception will be planned to follow a concert in order to allow the audience to meet a special soloist(s) or to make the concert a way to showcase an agency that is the designated recipient of. 
• Music Library Volunteer — The various music ensembles use music folders. Getting the music that’s required for these various groups ready for distribution means processing new music or filing music that has been used. A music library volunteer can serve the church by helping with this process either weekly or when there’s a larger sorting job following Christmas or Easter. 
• Christmas Candle Preparation Volunteer — The Christmas Eve Candles for the congregation are needed to be assembled with the paper drip protectors. There are 3,000 candles prepared each year the week before December 24. This task is accomplished by volunteers who give two hours of their time, and treats and fellowship are always a fun part of this task.
• Concert Program Stuffers — Unusual as this may seem, the Music Department has special donation envelopes that need to be stuffed into the prepared concert programs. Most concerts require 400 programs with the exception of the annual Tidings of Joy Advent program, which easily doubles the program count. The special donation envelopes allow audiences to contribute to a designated mission to receive the post-concert offering.

pastoral care

The Pastoral Care and Counseling Department of Village Church provides support, counsel, and prayer for this community of faith. Life brings with it burdens of grief and change, hurt and challenge. As people of faith, we are called to share one another’s burdens and celebrate each other’s joys. Dedicated volunteers play a significant role in Pastoral Care & Counseling ministries. To volunteer in any of the areas listed below, contact Linda Alley.

Volunteer Opportunities:

• Cancer Support Network: Provide support to cancer patients and/or their friends and family.
• Friends with Flowers: Deliver flowers to hospitalized and homebound members after Sunday worship.
• Helping Hands: Assist with basic meals or household tasks for some of our more fragile members in need of assistance. All tasks are short-term; simply sign up for any that fit your schedule.
• Memorial Guild: Assist with greeting and ushering during memorial services.
• Memorial Receptions: Facilitate receptions following memorial services.
• Stephen Ministry: Provide one-on-one, confidential care to those in the midst of challenging life circumstances. Training provided.
• Village Visitors: Call upon our homebound members, helping them remember that they are still a vibrant and essential part of our church community.

presbyterian women

All women of the congregation are included in Presbyterian Women. Our purpose is to nurture our faith through prayer and Bible study, to support the mission of the church worldwide, to work for justice and peace, and to build an inclusive, caring community of women that strengthens the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and witnesses to the promise of God’s kingdom. 

Mission Sewing —This productive group is open to women of all ages who enjoy machine sewing, hand sewing, knitting, crocheting and good fellowship. Non-sewers are welcome too for cutting, counting, pressing and other tasks. At-home projects are available as well. Mission Sewing makes and distributes items for schools, hospitals, nursing homes, local and international agencies. If you would like to participate, simply drop by the Sewing Room (Room 115 at Village Church on Mission) any Tuesday or Thursday morning. We meet 11 months of the year (we do not meet in December).

For questions, contact:
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9 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuesdays:
Sallie Veenstra: 913-649-9144
Mary Jo Meara: 913-788-0712 or mjmeara@gmail.com
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​10 a.m.-noon Thursdays:
Nancy Cantril at nancy.cantril@gmail.com or 913-638-8049
Dee Gound at dkgound@kc.rr.com or 913-961-7473

team kitchen

Chef Andrea truly loves providing meals for people and working in the kitchen setting. While she takes the responsibilities of providing safe, wholesome meals very seriously, she have fun doing it. She strives for a laid-back atmosphere in the kitchen, while not losing focus on food quality and food service and work place safety.

Team Kitchen is looking for fresh faces. We cook, serve and clean up after every food service event at Village. Eat for free when you work. Jobs for all skill levels—no experience needed. Work as often or as seldom as you like. Any age-16 through 96. This is a standing job—must be able to stand for up to 2-3 hours at a time.

If you're interested in volunteering, please contact Chef Andrea by emailing andrea.bradley@villagepres.org or by calling 913-671-2348.

the village cup coffee shop

receptionist

Visitors coming to Village Church are welcomed with a friendly greeting from our front desk receptionist, who also helps direct them to where they need to go. Volunteering as a receptionist helps Village to be a warm and welcoming church to visit. For more information please call our front desk at 913-262-4200.

sunday worship

Village Presbyterian Church offers inspirational, rich and faithful worship to God each Sunday. Listed below are ways you can share your time and talents by assisting with Sunday Worship. Contact information is included after each volunteer opportunity.

Scripture Readers — Lay readers assist in worship by reading the Scripture lessons of the day. If interested in volunteering in this unique way, please contact Marsha Hansen at marsha.hansen@villagepres.org. 
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Ushers offer the gift of hospitality to our members and visitors. Ushering is a unique opportunity which includes three main responsibilities: greeting worshippers, passing out bulletins and help collect the offering. Research shows that when guests are greeted and recognized that they are more likely to return, join and get connected. The work of ushers actually supports the ministers and church staff by the service of hospitality they offer. Contact Nancy Gatewood at 913-671-2331.

VERT (Village Emergency Response Team) - ​Receive training and serve as a responder to any medical emergencies that may arise during Sunday worship or other large Village Church gatherings, until professional medical attention arrives.

Mission Campus
6641 Mission Road
​Prairie Village, KS 66208
913-262-4200

Antioch Campus
14895 Antioch Rd.
Overland Park, KS 66221
913-681-8180

Meneilly Center for Mission
9900 Mission Road
Overland Park, KS 66207

Food Pantry
913-671-2315

Child & Family Development Center
913-671-2310​