An Emphasis on Service
“So we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually
members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the
grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to
our faith; if service, in our serving; he who teaches, in his
teaching; he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who contributes,
in liberality; he who gives aid, with zeal; he who does acts of
mercy, with cheerfulness”
~Romans 12: 5-8
With an excited group of leaders to light the way to fulfilling all community service hours and more, the process can certainly be an enjoyable one. As a whole, the service program encourages students to enjoy Christian service and not do it only because it is a graduation requirement. St. Francis relies on giving of ourselves, through Christian service, as an essential component of the educational development it offers.
We have new programs for more opportunities for service and different strategies to get involved:
- Get involved early. Try not to wait until the week before the deadline to get the hours done. If you do them over a period of time, you will start to make a personal connection with those whom you are serving. This makes the service process more fun and you will even start to look forward to that time every week. If one has to do hours, why not have a great time while doing it? So, try to immerse yourself in service and get the best experience out of it, by doing it early and frequently.
- Choose wisely. Not every agency is right for every person. The last thing we want is for you to have a bad experience serving somewhere and be scared to serve again. Thus, we offer many opportunities with different agencies so everyone finds something they like. Try not to pick an agency just because it seems easy to get your hours done. Choose a program that allows you to step out of your comfort zone and immerse yourself in the surroundings; that way, you wil know how it feels to truly serve. Also, we recommend that a students’ service be direct service (face to face) with those in need.
- Serve with a group. Whether this group is friends or family, serving with familiar faces may make you more relaxed and therefore give of yourself more. Doing service is important and it does not specifically matter how it is done. So if you do one big service project with your family every year or go twice a week to tutor a child, you are giving and that is what counts. Serving isn’t just our way to graduate; it’s also our way of life.