Service

Skills for life

Coming to serve

Whether it be in your volunteer house, your serving team or your participation in communal worship and prayer, you have the opportunity to share your unique gifts and talents with those around you.

CatalystGO

In addition to serving on site, our Catalyst Go trips provide you with the opportunity to put into practise everything you’ve been been learning on the Catalyst Programme in a different setting.

The majority of our trips take place in the UK, which reflects a desire to forge local and ongoing partnerships with organisations that might benefit from having a few extra pairs of hands to help.

every conversation shared, every toilet cleaned or meal cooked, gives you the opportunity not only to serve Christ but to become Christ to those around you.

The service teams

If you join the Catalyst Programme, you agree to spend 32 hours volunteering in one of our serving teams. Though we do try and take into account your preferred team choice, ultimately you will be placed where there is the greatest need. If after three months or so, you would like to change your team, you may have the opportunity to do so.

Servery

This team is responsible for serving the food to the guests, making sure that guests have all they need during meal times and coffee breaks and also for clearing away, cleaning the dining rooms after meals have finished and preparing the dining room for the next group of guests / the community.

House

This team is responsible for making sure that the conference rooms are kept clean, tidy and to a high standard. You will learn the basics of housekeeping, laundry, preparing conference rooms and enabling guests to feel cared for and rested.

Grounds

The Grounds and Gardens team spend most of their time outdoors, taking care of the 220 acres of land that belong to Ashburnham Place. They make sure our grounds remain beautiful and also deal with all of the rubbish and recycling.

Orangery

The Orangery is Ashburnham Place’s own cafe, where guests come and go in large numbers to enjoy high quality tea, coffee and cakes. It is named for what it used to be; a greenhouse where oranges were able to grow. Now it has been transformed into a beautiful place for all to relax with a drink and some friends.

Maintenance

The Maintenance Team ensures that Ashburnham Place is kept in one piece. They fix things that are broken or improve them. If anything breaks, they are there to make sure it is fixed as quickly as possible. They are also responsible for painting and decorating the buildings. (UK volunteers only)

Kitchen

This team is responsible for assisting fully trained chefs in the kitchen to prepare and cook the meals for guests and the whole community. You will have the opportunity to learn the basics of food hygiene, cooking, baking and food preparation.

Welcome

The welcome team work in reception and bookings. They are the front line and usually are the first people to encounter our guests when they arrive. Volunteers speak with guests over the phone, via email and are responsible for sales in the bookshop. (UK volunteers only.)