GROVE CITY — At the Fellowship Community Church, there is always work to be done, and seemingly always someone to volunteer to do it.

The lack of slack can be attributed to about 100 volunteers and church headhunter Carol Frey.

"We jokingly call her the matchmaker," said Pastor David Harstine.

Having served the church in a number of volunteer positions, Frey became the volunteer coordinator, matching volunteers with a place to volunteer, Harstine said.

"The beauty of this job is that she seeks to find the perfect fit for a person who desires to serve," he said. "She takes into account a person's talents and abilities as well as personality and station in life. She looks at the whole person when trying to find the right fit for them."

For about three hours each week, Frey listens to and networks with church members about their interests, working to connect them with a particular task or ministry that would suit them, she said.

She also works closely with church leaders when they have needs they would like her to fill.

"I guess I recognized a long time ago the church wouldn't run if we had no volunteers," Frey said. "If we didn't have somebody shovel snow, we'd all be falling on our faces."

Looking back, Frey said her parents were always volunteering for something. Her mother cared for children with special needs and her father was involved with the church.

Frey's four children also are becoming involved with volunteer work through the church, she said.

"I think it's really positive that they get past themselves … that they start to realize there are other people around them that need to be served," she said.

Working as a campus minister with Campus Crusade for Christ International, Frey, 40, of Grove City said she often volunteers for things she is passionate about, including recruiting new volunteers.

"It comes pretty naturally to me to help people get involved," she said.

"If I hear someone say something they enjoy, I'm inclined to match them up with something in church."

Volunteers fill many roles in the church, from caring for babies in the nursery or running the sound equipment during a service to ministering to a youth group to old-fashioned yard work, Frey said.

"There's always something to do that would fit with your skills or what you like to do," she said.

Last summer, a family joined the church after moving from Chicago. As a musician, the husband wanted to volunteer with the church but felt as a new member he had little to offer, she said.

Frey introduced the man to her husband, Michael, a guitarist, and other musicians. The man is now a vital part of the church music ministry, she said. He now also teaches Sunday school.

"(The family) was looking for a place to get connected and immediately I saw that connection," she said.

On another occasion, Frey met an older man at church whom she didn't expect to enjoy manual labor. Surprisingly, the man shoveled snow from the church sidewalks after every storm, so Frey made him the snow removal team leader.

"He's there bright and early every Sunday making sure the sidewalks are done," she said. "When it happens and you make a match ... it's really fun."

The best part of Frey's job is watching people connect with one another and grow in the church, she said.

"I believe church is a place where people's lives are changed. There's no greater thing anyone needs, so there's no better place to volunteer my time."

Harstine said Frey is the perfect person for the job because she does it naturally.

"She naturally desires to help people to find their place and respects people both great and small," he said.

The church would welcome as many volunteers as Frey could muster and holds an annual ministry fair a week or two after Labor Day to make new connections, he said.

"The idea is, why don't you walk around and visit each ministry and see what it's about," Harstine said.

"Our belief is that when a person finds a great fit then volunteering will be enjoyable and rewarding. A person that has found a good fit is an encouragement to everyone around them."

<B>FELLOWSHIP COMMUNITY CHURCHADDRESS:</B> 309 N. Broad Street, Grove City<B>PHONE:</B> 724-458-0303<B>WEB SITE: </B>www.fccgrovecity.org<B>SERVICES:</B> Adult and student ministries, provide support to community organizations, prayer support line, benevolence ministry providing assistance to people in need, hot meals delivered to people in times of transition<B>WHOISSERVED:</B>Anyone in need<B>MEMBERSHIP:</B>About 325<B>AREASERVED:</B> Grove City area<B>STARTED:</B> Founded in 1994; moved to current location in 2007<B>NUMBEROFVOLUNTEERS:</B>About 100<B>TOVOLUNTEER:</B>Contact Carol Frey, volunteer coordinator, at 724-458-0303