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By Mary Richards, Church News
Volunteers are the lifeblood of so many organizations, including The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Members of the Church strive to follow the two great commandments: to love God and to love their neighbor.
Service, whether in an organization or in a family or in a neighborhood, connects people with others and makes a difference. The Caring for Those in Need 2023 Summary reported that 6.2 million hours of volunteer work was done by Church members around the world.
JustServe
- 119,461 new JustServe users registered
- 17,502 new JustServe projects created
- 2,037 new organizations added
- Available in 17 countries
JustServe is a movement to build peace, love and unity in communities. The platform is available through the JustServe app and online at www.justserve.org. It links individuals and groups to local projects, promoting positive impact and unity while inspiring hope through shared acts of goodness.
“JustServe facilitates collaboration among various organizations, schools and faith-based communities to make a meaningful difference and cultivate a spirit of service. JustServe ... is a movement and a way that we can live our covenants ... [and] bless and strengthen [the] community.” — Presiding Bishop Gérald Caussé, Church video, “The Blessings Will Follow: Benefits of Implementing JustServe”
Service
- 6.2 million hours volunteered
- 7,959,670 Relief Society members worldwide
- 11,368 welfare and self-reliance missionaries
Service hours include volunteerism at Church welfare and self-reliance facilities, such as bishops’ storehouses, canneries, farms, orchards and employment centers; missions to care for those in need in many countries; and Church-sponsored community service projects, including cleanup after disasters.
“[These] figures are, of course, an incomplete report of our giving and helping. They do not include the personal services our members give individually as they minister to one another in called positions and voluntary member-to-member service. And our [summary] makes no mention of what our members do individually through innumerable charitable organizations not formally connected with our Church.” — President Dallin H. Oaks, First Counselor in the First Presidency, “Helping the Poor and Distressed,” October 2022 general conference
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