Full-time coordinator ‘keeps an eye’ out for individuals who could handle specific roles

Retail Services Director Rose Seeley relies heavily on the 120-member volunteer team at Cottonwood Bookstore. Serving at the 1,400-square-foot church store in Los Alamitos, Calif., offers church members the opportunity to enjoy each other’s fellowship while investing in a ministry and serving customers.

“We are helping congregation members to feel more planted in the church, and it helps in their spiritual growth when they are making a commitment to serve,” Seeley said. “I can’t imagine our bookstore without them.”

Along with Seeley and full-time
Volunteer Coordinator Adela Crisologo, Operations Assistant Rhonda Coleman and Gift Buyer Cassy Assink are employed part-time.

The main thrust of Crisologo’s job is to recruit, schedule and train the volunteers. 

“Adela keeps an eye on who she thinks is suited for certain roles,” Seeley said. “Then we work together to try to get the volunteers in roles that they will enjoy and are good at.” 

The store offers continuous training for volunteers in individual and group settings. Volunteers often start out as frontliners, working on the floor with customers or at resource tables. Later, they may move into a cashier position. The store also has weekday positions, where volunteers do shipping, receiving, labeling and product placement.  

“Volunteers are involved in everything we do at the store, from tagging merchandise and putting it on the shelves, serving as a cashier and working resource tables at special events, to duplicating service messages and Bible imprinting,” Seeley said. 

Volunteers can serve on a bookstore team, a bookstore audio team or a special events team. There’s also a mix of those who serve in long-term positions and others who make a several-month commitment, working two to three times per month.

Open six days a week, Cottonwood Bookstore stocks a wide selection of Bibles, books, music, DVDs, apparel and gifts.

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