012: Avoid The Top 7 Mistakes Small Churches Make When Recruiting Volunteers | Volunteers Series Part 3

Episode 012: Avoid The Top 7 Mistakes Small Churches Make When Recruiting Volunteers | Volunteers Series Part 3

Intro 0:01
Hey, this is Laurie Graham. Welcome to The Small Church Ministry Podcast. 

Laurie Graham 0:15
Hey, If this is your first time popping in, welcome. If you’re a regular listener, welcome back. Sometimes when I record these podcasts, I imagine what you might be doing while you’re listening. I know for me, one of my favorite places to listen to podcasts is actually in my car. Either when I’m driving, or sometimes when I stopped driving, because I have to admit, I’ve definitely spent some extra time sitting in my car in a parking lot, finishing up an episode of one of my favorite podcasters, maybe when I should have already been grocery shopping, or even headed into my house to get to work. Wherever you’re listening from today, I’m really grateful. I really believe time is a precious gift, and we need to use it wisely, so thanks for spending your time with me. 

Let’s jump right into avoiding some common mistakes lots of churches make when recruiting volunteers. We are in the middle of a series all about volunteers; I recommend you start at the beginning just to keep these steps in order. One of the most common mistakes churches make when recruiting is actually to start with recruiting, instead of taking time to consider your beliefs about volunteers, the needs in your church, your culture, and even identifying a bigger pool of people to even invite. 

That’s what we covered in episodes 10 and 11. If you haven’t heard those yet, you’ll probably want to loop back at some point so you don’t miss the introduction, as well as the first I of volunteering, which is to identify volunteers. For the sake of today, I’m just going to assume that you’ve got all your beliefs and volunteers lined up with the truth. Also that you’ve taken the time to practice the first I: identify. 

Laurie Graham 1:51
Today we’re moving on to the second I, which is inviting volunteers. If you think this is going to be the easy one like well, you just have to ask, please don’t make that mistake. It definitely seems like inviting, might be a little easier than identifying volunteers involving them or investing in them, but it’s not any easier. I should say it’s simple, but it’s not a no-brainer, and most people are doing it wrong. If you do it the right way, you’ll get effective volunteers serving for the long haul, in the right positions, and for the right reasons. So again, the four I’s of volunteers is: identify, invite, involve, and invest. 

Today, we’re focusing on invite. How you ask people to serve is a crucial step in your volunteer culture. Sadly, the way many churches ask people to serve, and honestly the way most of us have experienced being asked to serve, it ends up doing more harm than good. Not asking the right way is your fastest road to no’s that could have and should have been yeses. People who would have been a blessing and been blessed by serving missed the opportunity, simply because we asked wrong. 

Not asking the right way is also the fastest road to lead to yeses that should have been no’s, whether people felt pressured or didn’t count the cost of commitment. Maybe they never even understood what they said yes to in the first place. Not asking the right way is also a really quick road to burnout, bitterness, ineffective leadership, and even people being turned off from the church, from serving, or from you. 

As we go through this episode, you’ll discover why the “ask” is so important. How it is a perfect reflection of your thoughts and beliefs about others, yourself, and God. Asking well shows what you think about other people, if you value them, how much you respect or even value their priorities, their choices, and their intelligence in making their own wise decisions. Asking well also shows what you believe about yourself as a leader. If you’re confident of what you’re asking, if you’re mature, if you’re growing, or even where your focus is. Asking well is also a witness of your faith in God. If you believe and trust that God is at work, and that He is your help, it’s going to show. 

Laurie Graham 4:22
Let’s go over the top seven mistakes that most small churches make when it comes to recruiting volunteers. Then we’ll unpack six simple steps of what to do instead. We’ll wrap up today with what no really means and how you might be looking at it—that little two-letter word—wrong. 

Here are the top seven mistakes. This is what not to do. Number one top mistake: thinking an announcement is an invitation. There’s a difference between an announcement and an invitation. If you’ve ever placed a need for volunteers in the bulletin, on your Facebook page. If you’ve ever put out a signup sheet or stood in front of church asking for volunteers, that is not an invitation. 

Have you ever received a graduation announcement in the mail or a wedding announcement? Because that’s not the invitation, right? Some people send graduation announcements, so everybody knows the good news about the event, but these people aren’t always invited to the graduation or even the after-party. It’s the same with weddings. The announcement either says it’s coming, or it happened. That’s it. That’s the purpose of an announcement. It’s just about giving out information. 

An invitation, on the other hand, is personal. It means that I’m invited. I’m not just one of the masses. I’m valued, and I’m wanted. An announcement is about the thing. It’s about the event. Look what happened or what’s coming up. Whether I’m part of it or not, it happened. Another way to put it is this, an invitation is about me. An announcement is about them. Do you see it? 

Church announcements are great. Even if it’s about needing volunteers. It lets people know of your need for volunteers. So do it, place it in the bulletin, put it on a flier, start a signup sheet, shout it from the rooftops. People knowing about the need is fabulous, and sometimes as a byproduct, you actually do have somebody called the number or volunteer to put their name on a list. Woohoo. Please keep in mind, that’s a byproduct because an announcement is not an invitation. That’s the first common mistake: thinking that an announcement is an invitation because it’s not. 

Laurie Graham 6:43
The second most common mistake is not going through the first vital step we talked about in the last episode, which is identifying volunteers first. Identifying volunteers enlarges your pool of people to invite, it helps you uncover future volunteers that have been hiding. Maybe people you never would have thought about. If you haven’t done this step, you’ll most likely end up asking the 20% of the people who are already serving and already busy. Most of them honestly should say no. Identify a bigger pool before you invite people, and you’ll skip that second mistake. 

The third mistake is being desperate. Please stop being desperate. You might feel desperate, but if you do, take it back to God, because that’s not from him. Honestly, there’s no reason to be desperate. There are so many creative options and solutions that no one has ever tried yet in your church, you can cancel a program, you can do it differently. You can do without some things, you can change things up, you can rethink how you’re meeting needs. 

The problem, when you let yourself go to a place of desperation is this. When you are feeling desperate, your creative brain shuts down. Instead of seeing the possibilities, it’s almost like a fight or flight thing. This intense: if this doesn’t happen, it’s all over, feeling. That limits the amazing possibilities and new solutions that your very brain would come up with. If you had hope that God was actually at work, even in this time. 

When you operate out of desperation, you’re shutting down your frontal cortex, this amazing part of your brain that’s actually designed to find solutions. The part of your brain where fear starts is called your amygdala. This is what it looks like if you let yourself get into a space of “if this person says no to volunteering, or if we don’t have volunteers, we’re not going to have a nursery. Because really, I can’t keep doing it myself. I’m exhausted. But if we don’t have a nursery, the new families won’t come. And if new families don’t come, then our church is going to shut down,” and all of a sudden you’re spiraling.

Laurie Graham 8:59
Have you ever been there? All over a nursery really? Like how big is your God? Please hear me. I’m not saying your children’s ministry or nursery isn’t important. What I’m saying is, there’s another option, there’s a creative way, but once your amygdala goes to fear, it gets your body all ready and reactive, you’re on alert. It truly is fight, flight, or freeze. Your creative thinking gets all screwed up, and it seems like there are no other options. 

God of course gave us our amygdala. He made this amazing brain as a gift, and your amygdala is really great. If you think about it. Let’s say this hungry, rabid coyote is coming after me and I’m scared. I don’t start thinking of creative solutions, like how could we heal the coyote or invent a coyote repellent, no! If a rabid coyote is running after me I run, I freeze, or I fight. Those are the three options. When our perspective gets skewed, what comes up is something that’s super fearful. There’s really no reason to fear, and that’s just not a good thing. 

I have to tell you, there’s nothing to fear if somebody says no to serving. If you can’t find any volunteers, or even if you’re the only volunteer, there’s no reason to be desperate or fearful. Here’s why. If the Bible is true, and God is real, then God’s got a bigger plan than you do. God is your help, not everyone else. If you have messed up, or your volunteers have messed up, God will redeem it. He’s always growing us. He’s got us in His hands. He’s got your ministry area in his hands, your church, The Church, He’s got it all covered. Our job is to join Him. All that to say, quit being desperate and don’t fear, that’s a big mistake. 

Mistake number four. You’re asking people to serve at the wrong time and place. This is an easy one to fix, but it might not feel really natural. Where do people usually get asked to serve in a church? Where do we hunt for volunteers? Where have you been asked, “Hey, I need your help.” In 99% of the church’s recruiting happens a lot on Sunday mornings, before church, after church, sometimes even during church, or even at a church event. This is a mistake. We’ll talk more in-depth about how to do this better in a minute, but this mistake happens all the time. 

Laurie Graham 11:42
It happens so much, it feels normal and natural. You might even be thinking, “Well, if I don’t ask him at church, when to ask him, that’s the only time I see them?” This kind of asking at worship or at fellowship events, it not only skews the purpose of God’s people gathering, but it’s also very rushed. 

There’s no busier, more distracting place to ask a person to volunteer, than at church on Sunday mornings. It becomes an add-on to your already busy day, you’re already stressed, and things that could have and should have been yeses or no’s. Let’s just quit looking for volunteers on Sunday morning, and instead worship and be in community. This tells people, “We are so glad you’re here,” instead of “we need something from you.” 

Mistake number five, super quick. We ask without framing the commitment with a time limit. Has this happened to you? If there are no bookends to serving, like a start date and an end date, then that communicates kind of an eternal commitment. I know you’ve probably been there, when you want to be done serving, and there’s no easy way out of this commitment. This leads to lots of misunderstandings, volunteers feeling trapped, or burnout and bitterness. I’m going to show you a better way. 

Mistake number six is asking for too much. It’s either too big of a leap like something scary, or it might be sometimes elevating volunteers before they’re ready. It’s okay to invite people to the edge of their comfort zone; that’s where we grow the most, to try something new and to take a risk, but don’t throw them into the deep end without a life jacket. Don’t give them too much responsibility before they’re ready for it. 

Mistake number seven is getting distracted by the shiny object syndrome. You may have heard of the shiny object syndrome. What we’re really talking about here is shiny people and not objects, but you’ll get the point. Let’s say there’s this person at church who looks amazing. This sometimes actually happens with a new person at your church, because they’re not serving anywhere significant yet. They come in strong, and let’s say they used to lead at their old church. They’re super capable. They speak well, you can tell they’re naturals in ministry and natural leaders and you just want them. You might even be willing to change your vision or create a position just for them. 

Laurie Graham 14:18
This is a red flag. This is: danger zone. I’m not saying that they are the red flag, but they might be and I’ve definitely experienced that before in churches too. The bigger red flag that I’m talking about today is you. If you are looking at them as the solution, instead of believing God, that He is the one with you and leading you. A new shiny person is not the answer. He or she might be part of the solution, but maybe not. Keep in mind, it’s often easier to teach a servant to lead than to teach a leader to serve. 

We’ll talk about the danger of involving new people too soon in future episodes. But for now Just remember not to get distracted, and remember Psalm 1:21. “Where does my help come from?” If you’re leaning toward that person, instead of God, just take a step back and reframe. 

Wow, that was a lot of mistakes to cover in a short period of time. I know I gave you a few tips on how to do it better, but here’s the key: There are two asks, in the process of getting volunteers. The first one is the invitation to come and see the ministry. Next, there’s an official ask to serve in a specific capacity to actually involve them in ministry. 

The first one is what we’re talking about today, I’m going to give you steps to invite them to come and see. This is followed by a conversation. This invitation is what we’re covering in this episode, this invitation is to come and see. It should always proceed recruiting a volunteer to serve. We’re not asking them to serve yet, we’re going to invite them to come and see. 

I differentiate this really clearly in the four I’s of volunteering. Invite comes before involve. We identify people who might be future volunteers, then we invite people just to come and see. After that, if all goes well, we involve them in active participation. Let me show you how it works. An experienced educator has just joined your church. What happens in a lot of churches, if you’re a teacher, you know what I mean, is there’s an educator. We are so excited, we’ve got a teacher, and they love Jesus, so let’s get them teaching. 

Laurie Graham 16:48
They’ve never seen what you do. They haven’t met your kids. They haven’t seen your written values, they don’t really know how you do things. I’m suggesting that you don’t ask them to teach. Instead, invite them first to come and see. Come see what we do, visit a class. Afterwards it’s not “So are you in, do you want to teach?” No. After this, there’s a guided conversation. “What did you think? What did you see? What did you like? What questions do you have? What made you uncomfortable? What would you improve? Or change? What would you make better? Do you see where you might fit? Or contribute? What would you like to do? How could you be part of a team? Do you think you could fill in the blank? Would you be willing to learn? Do you want to hear more?” You see all this comes before involving them. 

We’ll get into how to involve them in the next episode, but the invitation to come and see is really important. Here are the brilliant steps to invite them. The best way to get a thoughtful response to “Would you be willing to come and see?” First up, set up a time to talk, whether it’s in person or on the phone. This is not on a Sunday morning without an appointment. It’s not on the fly, it is not in a crowd. This doesn’t happen by text, email, or DM, not if you want to do it right. 

This might actually happen on the phone. It could also happen in person, at a coffee shop. Maybe it does happen in your church building an hour before church, or after most of the people have left, but it is pre-planned. Not “Hey, can I talk to you for a second?” It’s intentional. It’s set aside, a time and place when there’s no distraction, and there’s no rush. 

How do you ask them? “Hey, Mary, would you have a minute to chat about something awesome? I had a thought and I wanted to run it by you.” Don’t scare them away by leaving it ambiguous. Don’t freak them out by telling them that you’re going to ask them to join your ministry team, because you’re really not yet. It’s more like this: “If you have a minute, can we chat on the phone?” You’re gonna have a conversation there. That’s your time that you’re setting up. 

Laurie Graham 19:05
Secondly, in this conversation, you’re going to do three super simple things. You’re going to describe what you see in him or her as an individual. Why do you specifically want to work with this person? If you went through the steps to identify that first I, then you’re going to already have this in mind, but you want to share those things with them as an individual. 

The second thing that happens at this conversation is you’re going to let them know that they could make a difference if they were part of this team. What problem would they be solving if it did work out or how they could impact kids, the community, or beyond? This is the “why” of your ministry, and it’s super important. It’s not just I think you’d be good at this come help. It’s linking them to the actual mission. This is a big part of elevating volunteers to ministry partners. We’ll be talking about this More. 

The third thing that happens during this short conversation is you’re just going to offer them a sample, you’re going to ask them to come and see. I don’t know if you shop at Costco, but Costco is brilliant in so many ways. When the kids were little, we could get almost a full meal out of samples on a Saturday. Samples are great, samples are genius, you get to try before you buy, you get to make an intelligent decision because you tasted it. You will know before this purchase if it’s a good decision or not, it minimizes the risk, it decreases the fear. 

In church ministry, it’s no different. This is the “come and see,” this is the sample. You’re asking them to come and see what you do. It’s not a commitment, it’s not a job. It’s not signing on the dotted line, it’s just come and see. Like this, I really want you to come and see what we do. Watch me, watch me do the setup. Watch me lead the youth group. Watch me make the coffee. If you don’t have a sample to offer, you’re gonna want to create one: “Would you come with me to visit Angela?” Maybe you’re part of a care team. “Just come with me and see what it’s like.” You set up a time to have this conversation. You’ve asked them to come and see. Pretty simple, right? Why don’t we do this normally, I hope you will start. 

Laurie Graham 21:20
The third step. Let’s go over these six steps real quick. The first step was just setting up a time or setting aside a time to have a conversation. The second step is actually having the conversation. During this conversation, you’re going to say what you see in her, how they could make a difference, and just ask them to come and see. 

The third step is this. After they come and see, you’re just going to have another conversation. This is not “Okay, now that you saw it, do you want to teach?” No, not yet. The conversation after they come and see should have questions like these. “What did you think? What did you enjoy? Is it different than you thought? Could you see yourself being part of this team? Why or why not? What would be difficult for you is anything scary or intimidating?” If you’re following the system so far, you set aside a time to ask them if they’d like to come and see, and then they came and saw. 

The fourth step is to think about it, just to set up a time to loop back. Please hear this. They’re still not an ask to serve or a commitment, because you don’t even have the involvement step yet. There’s a pause. If the “come and see” and the conversation after it leads you to “Hey, this might be a good fit.” Here’s the next step. “Would you think about it? Would you consider being involved? I’d love to think and pray about it, too. Let’s take a look at possibilities and see where you might fit.”

If the “come and see” and the conversation turned up a bunch of no’s like, “Wow, this is not good. This is not a fit, this person is scared.” Or maybe I’m seeing things that it just doesn’t feel like a good fit, then just release them. Know that you’re releasing them for now, but affirm to them their decision, their worth, their significance in your church body, your availability to them in the future. Maybe there’s even a possibility of “Where might you want to serve later.” Leave them good and happy and hopeful. 

Laurie Graham 23:24
Why is this the fourth step? Not a step just to involve them? Why am I suggesting that you pause? Why can’t we just ask them? They just tried it, they like it, I like them, let’s just jump. So here’s the reason I suggest you need a pause because you do need a pause. You need to pray and consider. It’s too easy to get desperate to jump too quickly. It’s a valuable thing that you’re doing. Taking a day or two to consider it shows that it’s worth your time. 

They also need a pause. It’s easy to get wrapped up in the excitement or even in the fear. They might need time to put together a thoughtful way to respond. You might need time to put together a thoughtful ask for involvement, to think about what you’d really ask them to do, to write a sweet job description or tweak one if you already have one, to decide on the start and end time. Basically, adding this pause just slows down the process to thoughtful and not desperate and we love thoughtful. Jesus was never rushed, and neither should we. 

If you’re noticing that my system of the four I’s of getting volunteers involved and keeping them serving long-term, if you’re noticing it’s going to take more time you’re totally right. Instead of pouncing on random people Sunday morning getting last-minute volunteers for VBS or your outreach event. It’s going to look really different. It is going to take more time. Taking the time to be intentional, to leading well will also yield a culture where people feel honored, valued, and loved. where volunteers are serving in the right places for the right reasons where your team develops, and you build good relationships, you’re changing a whole culture. Can you imagine that? 

I want to talk about what to do with the no’s you might get along the way. No’s can happen anywhere in this process. You could invite someone to come and see and they say no. Or they may have even said no to your five-minute conversation, even just to talk about it. You may be all excited about somebody who seems perfect, then they say no when you ask them. I just want to talk about what no means, because it’s not always what we think or how we interpret it. What we think about this “no” really affects us a lot. 

Laurie Graham 25:51
Here’s what “no” might mean, there’s just four main things. “No,” actually might mean, they live a life of priority, and they are wise, that this really isn’t a good fit for them, their time, or even for their season. They might know better than you. Do you believe that’s possible? “No” might also mean that there was a problem with your ask, your ask was wrong. You asked them when they couldn’t think straight when they were too busy. You didn’t give them time to consider. Now there’s no shame here. If you asked wrong, most of us do a lot. Just get better next time. 

“No” might also mean that they’re answering out of their past experience. They don’t trust what you’re saying. They don’t trust that they’ll be good at it. They feel like maybe they’ll be stuck forever, or that you won’t support them, or that they’ll fail, or that they won’t fit in. The last thing that “no” might mean is it really is about you. Maybe they don’t like you. Or maybe they do like you but they don’t trust your leadership. It’s totally possible. Most likely, it’s more about them than you. 

Here’s the reason I wanted to talk about it. One of the problems that we create for ourselves when we hear “no,” is that most of us think it is about us, like we feel bad, like what’s wrong with me? Or we think it’s about them, and they don’t like us or they’re not committed, or they don’t value us or they don’t support me. Do you ever do this? I do this sometimes. “No” can feel very personal, but oftentimes it’s not. 

If they’re saying no, it might mean they’re living a life of priority and the right to say no. Or it might mean there was a problem with your ask, or it might mean that they’re answering out of past hurt or past negative experience. Or it might mean they don’t like you. 

Laurie Graham 27:51
What happens to the fact that it might mean that they’re not committed to God or the church? I didn’t include that reason on purpose, because I don’t believe that’s the sole reason people say “No.” It might be part of it, but even if it is, it’s really wrapped up in the first reason I gave you, that this person is living a life of priority. It may be true that they don’t prioritize the church, or they don’t prioritize serving. 

The core is that people get to choose their own priorities, and it’s okay. People aren’t uncommitted, or let’s say we shouldn’t label them as uncommitted, because they don’t share the same priorities as you. When we label people as uncommitted: “they said no because they’re just not committed.” That’s making it about their identity, and not just about their choices. The difference might be subtle, but I think it’s really important. 

Instead of labeling people as uncommitted to God, to the church or to serving, let’s just recognize that that’s their current choice. They may well be living a life of priority. They are choosing what they want and what they don’t want. It’s okay that their priorities currently are not the same as your priorities. We need to allow people to make their own choices for their own life, and honor their choices. If church is not their priority over their kids’ sports or overwork, or over their own relaxation, or enjoyment. 

It’s not our job to change their priorities. God’s never given us a responsibility over other people. Is it possible that they might know themselves enough to choose, to choose well for where they are right now in their season? Even if you don’t understand it? You see, I really don’t believe that people are too busy. We just all choose our priorities because we all have 24 hours in a day and we get to choose what fills that time. We are much more the same than we are different. We need to allow people to be on their own journey, trust them to grow or not because it’s their choice. 

Laurie Graham 30:05
Yes, we can and should give opportunities and build relationships, and offer sound teaching, and call people. For more training, development opportunities, we need to have conversations that lead to goodness and growth. In the end, we’re all responsible for our own lives and our own journey, and people are allowed to make their choices. You know what? God is the one who set it up that way, we need to quit trying to change the system that He set up. We all have consequences for our choices, good and bad. 

Allowing people to be autonomous, to make their own choices, actually leads to building better relationships. It’s pretty beautiful to trust that people are learning on their own journey, and that they’re doing their best and be okay, that their priorities might not be yours. Release that from your to-do list. You can only do you, and that’s from God, not me. Do you well, the best you can, grow in skill, grow in being a good friend, grow in being a Godly leader, grow in grace, grow in influence, but not manipulation. Respect the choices of others and honor them in their journey. 

I think one good caution is just to quit taking so many things as personal affront or as personal failures because you could do everything right and not grow a church, a ministry, or a following. In the end, everyone makes their own choices. They not only have the power to do that, but they have the responsibility to do that. Celebrate it. If you honor people and honor their choices, even if it’s a “no,” watch what happens with your relationships at church; these people might even be shocked. 

Can you imagine if someone said “No” to your request to serve, and what they’re expecting is they’re expecting to be made to feel guilty, or some awkwardness, or even you’re being pushy, or you’re judging them? Instead, you say, “Wow, thank you. It is so refreshing to hear somebody choosing, and even knowing what they want and what they don’t want.” Or how about this? “Wow, thank you for sharing that and being honest. What’s going on in your life that you’re so stressed out? What’s limiting your free time so much?” Can you imagine if you asked them and listened and honored them and had a beautiful conversation? How about asking, “Can I pray for you? How could I be praying for you? If you decide you might want to check it out in the future, would you let me know? Like if your season ever changes, because I’m always up for God doing new things?” How about this? “Is it alright if I ask you again in the future?” 

Laurie Graham 32:56
I want you to think about what people typically hear when they say no. Even a lot of times they’re like, “Maybe, but I really can’t,” there’s an awkwardness. People feel bad, you’re hurt, they feel guilty. Maybe you’re angry, trying not to show it but they can totally tell, and they get defensive, whether it’s outward or inward. Let’s stop that terrible spiral. Let’s just realize we’re all doing our best and we’re on the path to the Father no matter where we’re at. 

How can you apply this podcast this week? Who is on your list to invite? Who could you ask just to come and check out your ministry area without asking them to serve? Just invite them to come and see. Come watch me lead. Come watch a practice. Come sit with me while I make graphics for social media. Come on a visit with me to somebody’s home, if you’re on the care team. What do you do in ministry that you could invite someone to come and see? After you’ve identified possible future volunteers in your church, this is the next step. Asking somebody who’s part of that 80%, who’s still on the fringes just to come and see. 

Invite somebody to come and see this week, and I would love to know how it goes. A great way to stay connected with me and in our community is just our free Facebook community. It’s called Creative Solutions for Small Churches. Every day people in that group are posting questions and sharing creative solutions for small church ministry because you are not alone in anything you’re facing. 

Laurie Graham 34:38
I often give shout outs to people who’ve left reviews on the podcast but today, I want to share what Nikki said about our Facebook community. Nikki said “I just want to say what a blessing this group has been. There is a wealth of knowledge here and the ideas have proven invaluable. Thank you to those asking questions and those providing so many great solutions.” That’s what Nikki had to say. 

If you’re listening and you haven’t found us there yet, just go to Facebook and search for the group Creative Solutions for Small Churches. The link is also in the podcast description as well as in the show notes so it’s easy to find. If you could leave a review or rating just about this podcast today, that would be awesome. Your encouragement means so much to me, and it helps others find this podcast too. So until next week, go be a light because the world needs you.