Mission
Empowering Christians to join Christ's work in their community.
Volunteers In Service empowers Christians to join Christ’s work in their community. As people of faith, we know that service is a powerful way for individuals to express and experience Christ’s love. Volunteers In Service helps the Christian community answer the call to serve with an open mind and a ready heart.
Just as Jesus washed the feet of His disciples, Volunteers In Service helps people of faith and their churches prepare their minds, hearts, and hands for service shaped by humility.
History
Volunteers In Service (VIS) was founded in 1986 to be a support ministry for Grand Rapids area Christian Reformed deacons. As churches desired to connect with neighbors by loving and serving them, deacons did not have a system in place that could identify people in the community who would benefit from a church volunteer connection. VIS began its work by developing partnerships with social service agencies in Kent County, who were able to identify people who were falling through the cracks because of limited services available to them. Today, VIS partners with over 100 agencies and churches which include many Christian denominations. VIS also receives nearly 700 referrals in a year and is able to meet 70% of those needs.
