Heeding the call and whatnot


Over the past eight years or so, I've successfully dodged a couple of invitations to serve on the board of trustees at my church. I was so involved in rescue at the time that I couldn't fathom having time for much else. Plus, and I say this with full awareness that it sounds pretty douche-y: I am not a huge fan of meetings. I have a short attention span and really struggle to make it to the end, no matter how brief the meeting. I mean, you could invite me to a meeting to talk about giving me my own tropical island and I would still be like, "Ugh. How long do you think the meeting will take?"

About a month ago, I attended the annual meeting at church. Elections were held. It quickly became clear that no one was dying to take the Vice President spot. The former VP had the audacity to move away. Not having any nominees or volunteers, they decided to table the discussion until later.

The church's fiscal year began on July 1st. The monthly newsletter hit my in-box on June 30th. The newsletter contained a plea for someone to fill the VP spot.  I was at the beach at the time. Sitting with a margarita in one hand (and probably some Utz barbecue chips in the other), I began to wonder if maybe I should volunteer for the role. I mean, not being a fan of meetings isn't much of an excuse when it comes right down to it. The VP position is a bit daunting, however, because it automatically leads to being President the following year. That's how the by-laws are set up. It's a three-year commitment: one year as VP, one year as President, and one year as Past President. That's a lot of meetings, ya'll.  I also thought about how some of my friends on last year's board had only been members of the fellowship for a year or so. I've been hanging out there for a decade.

I took another sip and then emailed one of the board members to tell her that I was willing to take on the job - provided that the other board members were down with it.  I am not always the best team player, so I wanted to give them an "out" if they felt I wasn't a good fit. Sometimes people interpret my bossiness as "leadership" when in reality . . . it really is just regular old bossiness. Everyone assures me that I can handle the job, though.

I attended my first board meeting last night, at which time I was formally voted onto the board.  I truly believe that volunteers make the world go 'round. Find something you care about and take a chance. That's my super-lame (but also heartfelt) advice.

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