Four "Party People" Making a Difference
Party People are easy to spot—they’re the ones who bring the fun wherever they go. The ones who work tirelessly to serve others and do so with dedication, energy, and joy. Party people do good and make a difference, right where they are. Get to know some of the Party People in our midst:
Jay Volk: Building Opportunities
When civil engineer Jay Volk first joined Chase Oaks, he got connected to the Chase Oaks Family Center through other volunteers. As a husband and father, serving in the center felt like a natural fit, but he never imagined how influential his gifts could be in providing practical assistance to others.
When the winter storm of February 2021 damaged a student’s kitchen, Jay rallied a few other volunteers from the Family Center to assist. What started as a simple repair turned into a full renovation, free of charge.
“I like doing woodwork, so we decided to get her a new kitchen and it was really fun,” Jay said.
In addition to serving at the Family Center, Jay and his wife led a Life Group together for nearly three years. Recently, though, they’ve shifted their focus to a new passion project: The Bridge, a nonprofit organization serving immigrant families through ESL classes, scholarships, driving courses, paperwork support and more.
“Prior to launching The Bridge, I had a very poor understanding of the immigration issues and challenges in our country,” said Jay. “It’s certainly made me far more compassionate.”
For Jay, being a Party Person is about maintaining an outward look.
“I feel like I experience more growth, personally, when I’m less focused on myself,” he said. “I’m pretty good at being a selfish person, so the less I’m focused on me the better it seems to be for both myself and others.”
Rey Diaz: It’s a Participation Sport
Rey Diaz says, “If I’m serving God, I’m happy.”
Rey has dedicated most of his life to service. Having felt called to work with children in need, he has spent time as a missionary in Honduras and as a church pastor. Rey even focused his doctoral studies on how to meet the spiritual and practical needs in impoverished communities.
Now, Rey leads the Plano-based nonprofit and Chase Oaks partner Orphan Outreach, a Christian organization helping orphaned children around the world.
This partnership supports two main projects: NiCo, which provides mentoring, meals, Bible study and more, and the Foster Care Initiative with the Honduran government.
Rey’s positive, happy-go-lucky disposition makes it easy for him to connect with young children. But it’s his focus and generous heart that drive his meaningful efforts forward. To Rey, this tangible, hands-on approach to caring for youth around the world is how Jesus calls His followers to live.
“Jesus didn’t call us to be on the sidelines or to be spectators,” says Rey. “Christianity is a participation sport.”
Andy Post: No Better Time Than Now
Seven years ago, Andy Post received a life-saving heart transplant after years of battling a heart condition. This second chance at life offered Andy and his family a new perspective on what’s important in life.
“We take advantage of the little things that we may not have thought about before,” he says. “We’ve reprioritized what really matters in our life: people, time and relationships rather than material things.”
One of those priorities is maintaining relationships with others. Andy and Chase Oaks San Antonio lead pastor Matt Snellings participated in band together in high school and stayed in touch off and on through the years. As Andy and his wife explored new churches virtually during the pandemic, they learned more about how they could get involved with the launch of Chase Oaks San Antonio.
Andy quickly jumped in, joining a group and signing up for service initiatives that help him impact the community while introducing others to Chase Oaks.
For the last few months, he has served alongside Chase Oaks through the campus’s Thrive Outreach partnership. The team provides prayer, community and free food and water for those experiencing homelessness in San Antonio.
While it’s often easy to overlook those in need, Andy says his involvement with Thrive Outreach has opened his eyes beyond someone’s current situation to see a more complete picture of their life and heart.
“It’s one of those things where you think you’re going to go minister and bless somebody and it always ends up being the opposite, where you’re touched,” he says. “These are just people. They are in need.”
Jimmie Burgess: Caring Behind the Scenes
Throughout her life, Jimmie Burgess has learned that God always meets people where they are, exactly when they need Him.
Jimmie and her family have been active members of the Chase Oaks community since the 90s. Although she prefers serving behind the scenes, Jimmie’s warm personality and generous spirit are felt by many. For her, serving is about making heart-to-heart connections with others.
The pandemic didn’t change that calling. In fact, it confirmed one of Jimmie’s greatest gifts: comforting those in need. Throughout the year, most of her days were centered around taking her husband to multiple appointments each month. As she cared for him, she couldn’t help but think that there was a way to reach others during what was a desperate time.
Prayer with close friends inspired her to join the Chase Oaks Care Team. She connected with the Chase Oaks community to package and deliver Feel Better Boxes, full of comforting items like tea and a handwritten card, to people who needed a reminder of love and care.
“It was such an easy faith step to be willing to step out and help someone else,” said Jimmie.
For Jimmie, being a Party Person means finding ways to personally connect with your community outside of church walls.
Join the party! Now is a great time to start, as we all get out together to love our community in a big way during DO GOOD month. Find more info and sign up to participate, here.