Volunteer work: the challenges faced by Spiritist Centres and their members

Andres Gustavo Arruda (photo) is a lawyer in his home city of Caxias do Sul, in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. He became a Spiritist at the age of 16 after being advised to look for a Spiritist Centre to help him deal with family problems. He is now a volunteer worker at two Spiritist Centres (Centro Espírita Alunos do Bem and Centro Espírita Roteiro de Luz) in Caxias do Sul and talks to us about the main challenges faced by current directors and workers in the Spiritist Movement:

What’s the ideal profile for a volunteer worker in the Spiritist Movement? 

That person needs to understand and try to put into practice what John the Baptist said: “He (Christ) must become greater, I must become less.” (John, 3:30) In other words, if we allow the traps set up by our ego to take over, it’s very unlikely that we will be able to continue with our duties within Spiritism. 

Volunteer work in the Spiritist Movement is affected both by our own imperfections and by those of our colleagues, which include envy and power struggles. Based on your experience, what can you say about that? 

I would say that Allan Kardec was right when he said that Spiritism would find its worst enemies among its peers. I think we need to develop what Chico Xavier described as a “sense of eternity.” In other words, we shouldn’t take things so personally. Also, I believe relations must be based on honest and sincere dialogue, but this approach must be carried out without the intent of harming others. Remember this lesson: “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone.” (Matthew, 18:15) In sum, try to solve the argument directly with your fellow volunteer worker. And I could add something else: before you begin discussing the problem, I believe it’s advisable to praise the qualities of your colleague and highlight his importance for the success of the project. That’s a good way of paving the way for a good conversation in what is often an awkward situation. 

Many volunteers give up the work as they face a hostile environment in Spiritist Centres. What would you say to those volunteers? 

It’s regrettable that we still have to deal with situations like that. I would like to say that no one has a duty to continue working in a Spiritist Centre if they’re not treated with respect there. The burden must be commensurate with our capacity. If it comes to it, people should ask to be transferred to another department of the same organisation or even leave that Spiritist Centre and begin working at a different group.   

What’s the best way of dealing, within Spiritist Centres, with people’s desire for intrigue and the problems caused by internal clashes? 

A Spiritist group may also be a gathering of Spirits who need to be together, as a result of the Law of Cause and Effect, in order to be able to forgive each other and create a new harmony among them. That’s why they end up involved in a Spiritist Centre, which is, I believe, our “Spiritual petrol station.” That’s where we go often to refuel our Spirit for our daily struggles. Having said that, I believe it’s important that we don’t adopt a vindictive attitude. We must also be critical of ourselves. We should ask ourselves the following question: to what extent am I contributing to this quarrel or disagreement? And we must look at those we’ve had disagreements with from a comprehensive perspective, trying to take into account their personal qualities. 

Based on your personal experience in the Spiritist Movement, what advice would you give to those currently working as volunteers? 

It must be very clear to them (very, very clear, in fact,) the distinction between the Spiritist Teachings, the Spiritist Movement and the Spiritists. The first one, Spiritism, is wonderful. It moves forward along with material and scientific progress, holding very high the flag of Charity and having the Laws of Nature as its foundations (etc. etc. I’ll stop here). The second, which is the Spiritist Movement, is formed by us, the Spiritists, imperfect human beings in search of rehabilitation before the Law we broke in the past, or continue to break now. We’re also trying to achieve moral transformation in accordance with the Teachings of Jesus Christ. That’s why the Spiritist Movement is also going through a process of learning, mutation and maturation. Having established that, I must say that volunteer workers should focus on the Spiritist Teachings (the first element). Why am I saying that? Because I’ve seen Spiritist workers who deserted from their duties because they were disappointed with their companions within the Spiritist Movement. 

Is there anything else you would like to add? 

I believe that all Spiritual activity is, in a wider sense, impersonal. I’ll give you an example: when a Spiritist worker prepares a talk or a lecture, there’s a huge effort made on the Spiritual World before and during the presentation. The actual talk or lecture is simply part of a wider collective effort. In those circumstances, I think volunteer workers who are aware of the role they play (—and realise they are mere parts of a much bigger structure —) must make a concerted effort to avoid conflict. And if they come across disagreements, they must put the interests of the group and/or the Spiritist Centre above their own interests. The ones who do that are the ones who will be able to say: “May we work together and unite our efforts so that as the Lord arrives, he may find the work completed.” (The Gospel According to Spiritism, chapter 20, item V, page 356).