At Redeeming Grace Church, we believe the church is not a building, it’s people serving together to glorify God. We regularly highlight a volunteer or staff member who serves with RGC because they make everything we do possible!
Today we want to introduce you to a mother and her son who have served the church for many years now: Pat and Sam Bonnet! Here's what two fellow members have to say about Pat and Sam:
As facility use coordinator, Sam does an excellent job overseeing the scheduling, set-up, and tear-down for every event that happens here. You'll find him doing anything from cleaning the baptism tank to scaring off raccoons in the dumpster. Whatever Sam is doing, he does it cheerfully, faithfully, and with great attention to detail. Sam is a blessing to RGC, he is a faithful servant who helps ensure that our building and grounds are a clean, welcoming, and hospitable environment for our members and community.
~ Michael Deck, Facility Manager
What volunteer roles are you involved in?
Pat: Currently I serve as an interpreter for the Deaf/Hard-of-hearing, and I teach sign language in our homeschool co-op. I also enjoy helping Kelly and Laures with Community Group Leaders lunches from time to time.
What does a "typical week" look like for you in your role?
Sam: My role involves a variety of things during the week. I do both manual labor and office work. A major part of my role is communicating with members and our ministry partners about events that they would like to host in our church. This includes providing the appropriate space for the event, planning the setup, and ensuring the proper procedures for using our building are followed. Another part of my role is providing facility coverage for events. This involves being present at the events, making sure that things are running smoothly for our members and ministry partners, and also administrating clean up so that our building will be ready for the next event.
How did God lead you to be involved in those areas?
Pat: When several Deaf women began attending our church regularly years ago, a couple of us volunteered to take classes at NOVA to be able to assist with sign language interpreting. These ladies were so encouraging and I learned so much from them. It seemed natural to then offer to teach sign language in our homeschool co-op years later, as parents take an active role in the co-op. It’s been a blessing to have students from my classes grow in a desire to serve in this ministry as well. Currently, Rachel Robinson and Sara Briggs serve with me on Sundays, and Mimi Thomas will sub for us when needed.
How do you see God and the mission/vision of the church connected to your work?
Sam: I see God being exalted in many of the events that we host. Since many of these events are run by members and our community partners, there’s usually an intention to praise God and make Him a focal point of the events. With that intention, these events also serve as a way to introduce people to God and to our church.
How did God lead you to be involved in those areas?
Pat: When several Deaf women began attending our church regularly years ago, a couple of us volunteered to take classes at NOVA to be able to assist with sign language interpreting. These ladies were so encouraging and I learned so much from them. It seemed natural to then offer to teach sign language in our homeschool co-op years later, as parents take an active role in the co-op. It’s been a blessing to have students from my classes grow in a desire to serve in this ministry as well. Currently, Rachel Robinson and Sara Briggs serve with me on Sundays, and Mimi Thomas will sub for us when needed.
How do you see God and the mission/vision of the church connected to your work?
Sam: I see God being exalted in many of the events that we host. Since many of these events are run by members and our community partners, there’s usually an intention to praise God and make Him a focal point of the events. With that intention, these events also serve as a way to introduce people to God and to our church.
How have you seen God at work in our church community?
Pat: Having been a member for 36 years, I remember meeting at Robinson and West Springfield High Schools because we didn’t have our own building. In those days sound equipment and children’s ministry trunks were transported from storage for our weekly meetings. By God’s grace, we now have our own building where everything has its place. It is a delight to see the building used for so many different gatherings – for the church members and for community outreach. I also enjoy seeing so many of our kids become a second generation of servants -- Sam Mika, Mike Ball, Katherine Alberson, Benjamin Weaver, and Nate Lorence (to name a few) and it is a special delight to see parents and children serving together.
Sam: I’ve seen a lot more people attending our church and becoming members in the past year. Growing up in the church, I saw many of the people knew leave RGC, so it’s encouraging to see God bringing more people into our church. A part of this is how God is working in our members to create a welcoming environment. I experienced this myself when I join a community group for the first time earlier this year and was welcomed right away.
Could you tell us some interesting facts about you?
Pat: I met my husband Brett here in the church. We served together as part of the Drama Team doing street evangelism. We’ve been married 34 years and have 5 children - three of whom are married with wonderful spouses, and 5 grandchildren.
Sam: I lived in Maryland for the majority of my life, and although I now live next to the church, my Maryland pride is still strong. When I’m not at the church, I like to spend my time playing videogames and sports. In particular, I love playing hockey. I play in an adult hockey league with younger brother on Sunday nights in Maryland.
Could you tell us some interesting facts about you?
Pat: I met my husband Brett here in the church. We served together as part of the Drama Team doing street evangelism. We’ve been married 34 years and have 5 children - three of whom are married with wonderful spouses, and 5 grandchildren.
Sam: I lived in Maryland for the majority of my life, and although I now live next to the church, my Maryland pride is still strong. When I’m not at the church, I like to spend my time playing videogames and sports. In particular, I love playing hockey. I play in an adult hockey league with younger brother on Sunday nights in Maryland.