A Response to “What Happened to Voluntary Service?”
As we read Aaron Miller’s article “What Happened to Voluntary Service?” in the May issue of the Beacon, my wife and I found ourselves wanting to shout out that something is happening—we are working on it! What Aaron did not know was that after Multiply 2025, someone planted a seed with Rachelle and me to explore restarting Voluntary Service (VS) or something similar. As former Voluntary Service workers in Mississippi, we were eager to investigate this; VS is a program and concept we are passionate about.
Our time with VS was one of spiritual growth, learning to live in community within our household, and serving the community around us. While we wrestled with challenges with individuals, there were also wonderful times of seeing God’s love and grace lived out. VS enabled us to experience beautiful people in a culture that was vastly different from the cultures we had grown up in. To say VS has held a special place in our lives would be an understatement.
We believe serving is an integral part of obeying Jesus’s teachings to love our neighbors.
During the fall of 2025, we met with various groups to discuss what VS in the States could look like today. We met with individuals from Rosedale Network of Churches, Rosedale International, Rosedale Bible College, and Rosedale Trades. We agreed collectively that a new program needed to include and focus on discipleship, community, and service. We also spoke with leaders at Mennonite Mission Network, Eastern Mennonite Missions, and Virginia Mennonite Missions, learning about their current programs. By January of 2026, we received a “blessing” from Rosedale Network and RI leadership to move forward.
We are excited to introduce you to Kingdom Service—a new service and discipleship opportunity within the USA, focused on service, sharing the gospel, discipleship, and spiritual growth while living in community. Our board of directors consists of: William Joe Byler (president), Andrew Beitzel (vice president), Darnell Brenneman (secretary), Mary Edgington (treasurer), Jared Chase, and Carl Dube. In this new program, we intend to offer flexible term lengths from one month to a year or more, and program participants will include young adults, retirees, families, and those on sabbatical.
Our first unit will be in Vassar, Michigan, approximately 30 miles northeast of Flint, where we are pastoring Pineview Mennonite Church. While Flint continues to receive media attention, shifts in the auto industry have affected and devastated the economies of surrounding counties as well. Rosedale Network leadership has a burden for Flint, but we have also seen firsthand the needs of Tuscola County. Many opportunities for service placements exist in both communities in home repair, childcare, healthcare, legal aid, youth services, food banks, B Light Restoration Center, the Restoration Warehouse, and more. Pineview Mennonite Church will be the local congregation for the unit and is eager to support this ministry.
We believe serving is an integral part of obeying Jesus’s teachings to love our neighbors. God’s kingdom depends on His people blessing others with the gifts He provides. In Genesis 12, God blessed Abraham and instructed him to be a blessing to others. We are moving forward by faith, depending on God’s ability to move in the hearts of His children to provide the resources needed to build a new VS-type ministry that will open doors for service and sharing the gospel.
If you are interested in blessing Kingdom Service, there are several ways you can help. We need a few additional board members to guide Kingdom Service. Prayer support is also vital. Please pray for Kingdom Service leadership as planning and preparation continue. Specifically, in regard to paperwork to become a parachurch organization of Rosedale Network and our 501(c)(3) tax exemption application; also, for future participants in the program. If you would like to support us financially, tax-deductible donations can be designated to Kingdom Service through Rosedale International as a special project.
For more information on Kingdom Service or to become involved, contact Lowell Eastman, c/o Pineview Mennonite Church, 4415 Swaffer Rd, Vassar, MI 48768, or by email.
Photo credit: Kingdom Service
