Volunteer Spotlight: Rachel
Rachel’s Story: Sincere Service
Every volunteer spotlight carries its own rhythm.
Each conversation hums in a different key—some bright with laughter, others heavy with grace.
But when I asked Rachel Wilhelm if there had been a moment in her time at Anchor that would stay with her forever, I didn’t expect her answer to become a moment that would stay with me too.
She told me about earlier this year, when she attended a guest’s funeral—a small, tender service held in the same sanctuary where that guest had so often been served breakfast.
As Rachel spoke, I could almost see it: staff and volunteers gathered in stillness, some still in aprons, others in work clothes, drawn by a devotion that doesn’t clock out when the morning ends. They sat shoulder to shoulder, honoring a woman the world too often overlooked—loving her as their own.
“It was powerful,” Rachel said.
And in those three words, the whole truth seemed to settle between us—something enduring lives here, a love that lingers long after breakfast is done.
That moment revealed what no mission statement could contain. What happens at Anchor Lancaster isn’t charity—it’s communion. It’s faith made visible, grace with skin and bone, hope held in human hands that keep showing up.
Rachel’s story didn’t begin in that sanctuary, though—it began the previous summer, when a conversation with her best friend turned contemplative. Both felt stirred by Christ’s call in Matthew 22:37–39: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself.
As college students, they didn’t have much to give, but they had something rarer: time. “What if we gave our time back to God?” they wondered.
Her pastor’s wife didn’t hesitate. “You should volunteer at Anchor Lancaster,” she said—and something inside Rachel settled into yes.
Different mornings, same devotion. Two friends choosing constancy over convenience, showing up not to fix but to fellowship—to stand beside, to listen, to love without condition.
When asked what she loves most, Rachel doesn’t pause. “The people—staff, guests, everyone. You’re washing dishes, serving food, and you see the impact right in front of you.”
There’s a living grace in how she says it. In the breath of steam rising from the sink, the hum of voices braided through the clatter of plates, the mercy of a name remembered.
“The barrier between what you do and where it goes is almost nonexistent,” she says. “You can see it matter in the moment.”
Through serving, Rachel has discovered how far compassion in Lancaster stretches—churches, shelters, and unseen saints quietly holding the city upright.
“I’ve learned so much,” she says, describing that there’s beauty and goodness happening in places most people never notice.
When I ask what she wishes more people knew, her voice carries that same steady warmth. She speaks of authenticity, of a team whose love doesn’t waver, whose service isn’t performative but deeply personal.
She describes Anchor’s ministry as being carried with sincerity as she says, “It’s not glamorous”, but it’s faithful.
That, she believes, is what sets Anchor apart: the steadfast wonder of people who keep showing up with faith that bends low, bears witness, and stays.
Because here, in the clatter and quiet of ordinary mornings, strangers become family—and love refuses to fade after the last dish is dried.
There’s room at the table for more hands, more hearts, more stories like Rachel’s. To explore ways you can volunteer at Anchor Lancaster, contact Kelly@anchorlancaster.org.