COMMUNITY VOLUNTEERS

An electronic noise—might have been a summons from a cell phone some inattentive member of the congregation forgot to turn off—interrupted a parishioner’s reading of Matthew 2: 1-12 at the Union Church Christmas Eve Program.  The reader had just shared the passage about a summons of another sort, a summons from the past, about the wise men being called by the Lord to come to Bethlehem, to the manger.

But the electronic noise wasn’t a call from Face Book or a text message alert. Rather, it was another reminder of how little regard emergencies have for procedure and for the protocols that are our individual lives, for it was a summons to respond immediately to a community in distress and, at the same time, it was a reminder of how fortunate we are to have so many among us who have been called to respond similarly and continually but, in particular, in the last few days, to the difficult circumstances which, had it not been for their efforts, would certainly have made life very difficult for us all.

During the last few busy days leading up to Christmas, the volunteers who comprise our officially designated Emergency Response Team—EMTs and the Fire Department have responded typically and again and again to calls for help. But others who are also certainly among those of us who respond regularly to island emergencies have also sprung into action as soon as it’s been called for. They include other medical personnel, the Fox Island staff and linemen, ferry crewmembers, and the Town’s Public Works personnel and, I’m sure, others who, because they are who they are, will forgive my having omitted them.

Had it not been for all these selfless people we, as a community, would not have found ourselves as warm and comfortable as we were on Christmas Day.  And a few of us would have found ourselves burdened to a far greater extent.