Cinnamon Rolls are my favorite breakfast food group! But I want to share some thoughts with you about another kind of “ROLE,” – as in Friendship group roles (Did “cinnamon rolls” get your attention?).

Healthy Friendship groups have multiple volunteers who step up to help with roles that may be overlooked. Friendship groups become more effective when roles are taken on by many volunteers. A larger resource of energy and giftedness will enhance important aspects of the group like teaching, skits, puppets, crafts, service projects, worship, snacks, administration, leadership team, and more.  

When roles are taken on by more volunteers, the group has greater variety in its gatherings and it keeps the group’s leader(s) from becoming overwhelmed and even burned out.

Every role a volunteer fills is important. For those of us who thrive on our relationships with our friends with disabilities, our most important role is “Companion.” Being their friend in Christ is the very heart of the Friendship group!

We are in a season where registrations are flooding in for the Summer Friendship Gatherings. A sizable number of our volunteers who I would have considered “Companions,” selected “Volunteer – Other” instead of “Volunteer Companion” on the application as their role in the Friendship group.

The most important role in a Friendship group is to be in Christian community and participate in the Bible lessons, discussions, and fellowship with your friends with disabilities, their families, and caregivers. You may also take on other roles, but you are still a “Volunteer Companion”. If this describes you, boldly tell us on the application that you are a “Volunteer Companion.”

We made some changes to the online application and intentionally included only the primary roles like “Participant with Disability,” “Family Member of Participant with Disability,” “Friendship Group Leader/co-leader,” and “Volunteer Companion.” We have done away with “Volunteer Other.”

If you strictly serve in a support role, know that what you do is very important, but there is no need to complete a registration form. Support roles may include helping with meals, worship music, photography, setup, or cleanup. We will not need to run a background screen on volunteers who only serve in these roles.

You can learn more about Friendship roles in the Indispensable Video Training Series. Information on roles (not cinnamon rolls) can be found in episode 1 and episode 5 under Topic 8, Companion Training. Click on the button below to view these videos and you can always call or email us with questions at Connection Ministries.