As one of the three pillars of Christian Appalachian Project volunteer life, spirituality is just as important to the life of a CAP volunteer as service and community. But what exactly do we mean by “Spirituality?” Prospective volunteers understand service pretty easily, and they usually get community after some explanation, but spirituality, though absolutely critical, is a little tougher to define.
We can say definitively what spirituality, as a component of CAP volunteer life, is not. Spirituality is not a call to evangelism, though some volunteers will have the opportunity to share their faith with their participants (if they don’t beat you to it!) Although our volunteers are constantly preaching the Gospel, like Francis of Assisi, they use words only “when necessary.” As a Christian organization, CAP does not claim to be the totality of the Kingdom anymore than we claim to be a panacea for all of Appalachia’s challenges: we are one of the “many parts” that form the Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:12). Taking our cue from Matthew 25, our gift to the region is not primarily evangelization, but service to "these, my brothers and sisters.”
Spirituality is also not a particular doctrine or set of beliefs that we ask volunteers to sign on to as a condition of volunteering with us. When you walk into a CAP volunteer house, you will find Methodists, Baptists and people who identify as Christian or non-denominational. You’ll also find Catholics, Mennonites and Messianic Jews. You’ll find Pentecostals and Evangelicals. And you will find people unsure of where God fits into their lives, but do know they want to live the example of Jesus. We don’t ask our volunteers to sacrifice their religious identities when they come to CAP and take on some nebulous “CAP spirituality.” The CAP volunteer community truly is a grand experiment in interdenominational dialogue. We are a Christian organization, but we don’t define what that means for our volunteers—they must go on that journey of discovery with one another.
Part of that journey is participating in devotions (known as “devos” among volunteers) four nights a week. This time after community dinner is an opportunity for volunteers to share how they see God in their participants and how God is working in their lives as volunteers. It’s also an opportunity for volunteers to see God in each other, especially when feeling the difficulty of living with people not of your choosing. And as volunteer Seth Willard notes, devotions are an occasion to “challenge” volunteers to see God in a new way.
So what is CAP Volunteer Program spirituality? Is it participating in devotions? Retreats? Praying at staff meetings or on the job site? No, these are important manifestations of spirituality at CAP, but they are not the thing itself. At its core, spirituality isn’t about a set of religious tenets or how often volunteers pray. It’s about the motivation for our service. Spirituality is why our Housing volunteers gladly serve in sub-freezing temperatures. It’s why Family Advocacy caseworkers are serving long hours this month in preparation for Christmas Basket distributions. And it’s why a person would leave a job and family to serve in Middle-of-Nowhere, Kentucky. Our volunteers have a longing to be Christ to the poor and to one another in a forgotten part of America. Simply put, spirituality is why we’re here.
The CAP Volunteer Program encourages volunteers to use their time at CAP to grow in their faith, but we understand that growth will come on their terms, not ours. As for how to live their faith, we think they’re off to a good start.
