In Faith and Light, leadership roles are elected, diverse, and essential to the community's health. Yet many of us—understandably—are tempted to dodge them, the way we tend to avoid any extra commitment. We've gathered reflections from friends across the association on this very question.
We offer them here as a small gift to those of you considering saying yes.
Why We Say No
- Fear of losing our freedom.
- Reluctance to be bound to other people by obligation.
- Doubt that we're equal to the task.
- Fear of criticism. Fear of making mistakes.
- Worry that we'll take on too much and do it poorly.
- Concern that our free time will vanish.
- Anxiety about maintaining good relationships with everyone.
Reasons to Say Yes
- It pushes you to risk something, to learn who you really are.
- It's a role you hold for a limited time only.
- The community chooses you because it knows you, loves you—gifts and all, limits and all. You don't need to become someone else; you simply grow into your role.
- It means facing your own strength and weakness without flinching, without shame.
- You're not alone in the work; you serve alongside trusted friends.
- It lets you draw closer to the real struggles so many parents and young people carry.
Why It's a Gift
- A role can open friendships and partnerships you never expected. It may reveal gifts you didn't know you had. In short: it becomes a path of real growth.
- Any new challenge, any new commitment, opens worlds and new possibilities. It asks us to step away from old certainties, to become pilgrims in our own lives.
- A mission to live with simplicity, humility, and true effort. Yes, it costs you something. But it draws you closer to the God you believe in—more clearly or less—than ever before.
- It is a calling. If you answer it, if you step into service with goodwill and humility—trusting even when you feel inadequate—then responsibility becomes a gift. And like all gifts, it bears fruit.