Volunteer Guidelines

As volunteers for the Worship Wagon program, we start from a Christian foundation. We remember that we are serving and worshiping God with those on the street, not preaching to them.  We treat each individual and their situation with respect, and we desire to initiate and foster long-lasting personal relationships with those in the homeless community. Humility on our part is vital in order to promote trust and friendship. We strive to preserve the dignity of those we serve. We greet our homeless friends with smiles, handshakes, and compassion.

• Homeless individuals were not always homeless
• Some event or decision made them homeless
• But for the Grace of God, we/you could be homeless too
• Homeless folks appreciate friendship, understanding and love
• Homeless individuals are people, just like you
• The “Church” isn’t a building, it’s the people
• We serve with, not to, the homeless – “be” the church
• If you would like to bring things to pass out during service, please arrange with the Vittle Van ahead of time. The Vittle Van volunteers can then bring your items on the van to be passed out when the van arrives, but we don’t want those attending service to think or expect that the Worship Wagon is going to be providing food, handouts, or items of value to them.

We strive to be consistent and reliable, generally always trying to find a way to hold services each and every scheduled night. We have endured blistering heat, thunderstorms, snow, gusty winds, and bitter cold. We have found that the number of times we needed to cancel services has been 1 or 2 days each year at most.

That being said, we also believe that certain weather conditions might create an unnecessary risk for either our volunteers, our homeless friends, or both. We will use the following rules of thumb to determine if, when, and how we will hold services when the weather isn’t looking great:

• If the temperature is forecast to be less than 30 degrees, we will hold a shortened service and will not include a live music portion.
• If the temperature is forecast to be less than 10 degrees, we will cancel all services.
• If there is a winter storm warning in effect for the time of our service, we will cancel all services.
• If there is a severe thunderstorm warning in effect for the time of our service, we will cancel all services.
• If there is a tornado warning in effect for the time of our service, we will cancel all services.

In addition, for locations that aren’t protected from rain and snow, such as the Washington Park location, services will be canceled for moderate or heavy rain, snow or ice covering the ground, or single digit wind chill temps.

• Come prepared to make some new friends
• Shake hands and introduce yourself
• Be intentional – talk to people before and after the service
• Make an effort to remember the names of those you meet
• Dress casually, but also modestly as you would for church
• Dress appropriately for the weather
• Leave your valuables at home
• Use the buddy system when arriving and leaving the service
• Be aware of personal space – don’t infringe
• Ask a person first if its OK before giving them a hug
• Help with setting up and taking down
• If you are asked for anything, other than prayer, please refer the person to the Vittle Van

• Don’t offer any items or financial assistance
• Don’t be pushy or overwhelming
• If an attendee wants to worship by themselves, let them be
• Be sensitive of those who prefer not to be physically touched
• Don’t go off alone with anybody, always stay with a buddy

Please visit our Site Locations page for directions and maps for our two Worship Wagon locations.

Partner Churches sign up to be fully responsible for one weekly session each month. We count on these faith communities to rally behind and support the Worship Wagon ministry by bringing a range of volunteers to be the “crew” for their respective service each month.

A Partner Church doesn’t have to be a church, per se, but it does need to be a Christian group of adults who desire to reach out with the Gospel in our city and be a long-standing partner with the Worship Wagon.

Partner Churches can rotate different teams and volunteers from within their own community/network, but they are committed to ensuring the Worship Wagon service is fully staffed and that the service is delivered each and every month on their chosen night.

Each Partner Church will identify an Ambassador to represent their church as the key point of contact for the Worship Wagon ministry.

The Ambassador will be the person responsible for ensuring that his/her designated night each month has a Worship Music Leader, Gospel Message Presenter, one or more Prayer Warriors, and possibly one or more Personal Testimonies.

The Ambassador will work within his/her own church community to train and mentor volunteers to be prepared to carry out the responsibilities of each of the main Worship Wagon roles.

The Worship Music Leader is responsible for the music portion of the Worship Wagon service. This typically involves 2-3 songs to begin the service, maybe a song or two in the middle, and 2-3 songs to finish the service each night. Amazing Grace is a wonderful choice as the last song, since it’s so well known and easy to sing along with.

The Worship Leader should plan all the music selections, arrange to have other worship team members present (if desired), and print out copies of the lyrics for their evening selections (20 copies is sufficient at this time).

The Worship Wagon has a sound/mixing system for the worship team’s use.  We will have mic stands and music stands as well, so Worship Leaders and their teams only need to bring their personal instruments, ready to plug in and play!

The Gospel Message Presenter will prepare and deliver a short gospel message, typically 5-10 minutes in length. Another approach is to provide the Gospel message in small bits, intermixed throughout the service and in between music selections.

There will be a different theme for each month, so the Presenter should consider the monthly theme as they plan the content of their message.

The Gospel Message Presenter may also consider leading the other volunteers in prayer before services, and open and close the Worship Wagon service in prayer for all those in attendance.

It’s important to keep in mind that we are worshiping “with” the homeless community. We aren’t preaching “to them“, so tailor your message as you would for any community of believers and non-believers.

Prayer Warriors make themselves available to pray with anybody in attendance before, during, or after each service. We’ll have lanyards and badges for Prayer Warriors to wear so its obvious who they are, making it easy for attendees to find them and introduce themselves.

Prayer Warriors can step away with an attendee and lead them in personal prayer before, during, or after services. Keep safety in mind and be mindful to remain within eyesight of the rest of the crowd, or have a buddy with you, at all times.

Here are some general guidelines for praying with our attendees:

Do ...

• pray for God to lead you
• get to know a little about the person you are praying with
• ask the person if they have any specific prayer requests
• ask permission before putting your hand on the person’s shoulder
• pray in small groups of at least 2 or 3 (for your own safety)
• pray with your eyes open (again, for your safety)
• allow for moments of silence
• incorporate scripture in you prayer whenever possible
• when praying about something you perceive – ask about it, don’t proclaim it
• end with a prayer of thanks, and have them pray if appropriate)
• encourage them to come back for more prayer if needed
• be aware of ministry still going on around you 

Don't ...

• project your own issues and problems on the person you are praying with
• preach or be judgmental
• let feelings or emotions distract you from the essence of the prayer
• distract others or draw attention to yourself
• pray with an attendee of the opposite gender by yourself