Discovery Volunteer Spotlight: Hospitality
Fresh brewed coffee! For some among us it is a necessary start to the day. For others, it is a pleasant smell as we enter a room. So as people come into Discovery on Sunday mornings, many are pleased to find coffee and pastries to greet them. But that table at the back of the room offers so much more than just a pick-me-up and a snack.
It is a place where you will find someone to greet you with a friendly smile, a place where you can pause and visit, a place that makes you feel welcome. It is an important part of making Discovery a warm and friendly church, and it is the people who serve at that table each Sunday who make it all work.
One of those people is Roxanne Roy, someone who is fairly new at Discovery. Roxanne is shy and she hesitated when Barb first asked her to help at the table. However, she tried it and found that she loves it. Setting up the table and preparing the coffee and goodies keeps her so busy forgets to be shy! Instead, she is simply enjoying meeting and talking to people and seeing the smiles on their faces.
She especially enjoyed New Year’s Day when she was alone at the table serving Christina Lewis’ home baked cinnamon rolls. It was really fun to see the happy faces as people ate them.
Roxanne lived most of her life in Wisconsin and worked there as a hair dresser until about four years ago. All three of her children were living in the Puget Sound area, so at their urging she sold her business and moved without a job waiting.
Her time here has been an adventure. She worked for a while at Macy’s, but it took a full year for her to find a full-time regular job as a postal carrier. She has delivered the mail all through the cold this winter, but when I asked her how she was doing, she laughed and reminded me she is from Wisconsin. “This is balmy!” she said.
About a year ago, she bought a house in Tacoma and is looking forward to landscaping the yard which doesn’t have much in it right now. Currently she shares her home with her son, daughter-in-law, and two lively grandsons. She has a daughter who lives in Renton where there are two more lively grandsons. Her youngest daughter is in the Navy, stationed on Whidby Island.
Roxanne grew up in the Catholic faith, and always felt she was missing something. When she started attending a community church she knew at once that she belonged. She didn’t know scripture, and very little about what it meant to be a Christian. A woman named Mary offered to mentor her and she began to grow in her faith.
Sometime later, Mary sponsored her when she was baptized in Long Lake in Wisconsin. Roxanne remembers that the water was cold but, when she came up out of the water, she felt wrapped in warmth.
When she was a little girl, Roxanne wanted to be a cowboy. She loved being outdoors, camping out, and horses. Now she enjoys cooking and baking, and her family. She has a heart for those who are hurting and likes to see others feel good about themselves. Her desire is that God will use her.
Right now, God is using her one Sunday a month to share coffee, pastries, and warm smiles with those who stop by the table.
Take a few minutes yourself to stop by on Sunday morning and let the people serving there know that you appreciate them. Or, better yet, volunteer to serve.
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To find out more about Discovery’s Hospitality Team and how you can be a part of it contact [email protected].
For more about Discovery’s amazing volunteers see:
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