CHEK ABC Mission Statement

Supporting an educational environment, which fosters achievement and life skills, excellence in academics and Christian character.

What is Service Learning?

In response to faith in Christ, we believe Christian character involves serving others. We want to foster opportunities to reach out in service regionally, nationally and/or globally.

The goal for teachers and parents is to model and teach service that encourages and evokes a heart response in students. (Gal 5:6 Faith expresses itself through love).

This Service Learning Package helps equip teachers and parents to implement Service Learning with their students/ children so that children learn how to be the hands and feet of Jesus.

Heb 6:10 “For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do.”

Gal 5:13 “For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love, serve one another.”

Rom 7:6 “But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.”

Jn 12:26 “If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honour him.”

Mt 23:11 “The greatest among you shall be your servant.”

1 Peter 4:10 “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace.”

Mt 20:27-28 “The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Mt 25: 40 “‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’”

  • Baking for others
  • Prayer walk through the neighborhood
  • Singing at seniors homes
  • Making cards for lonely, elderly, sick
  • Christmas caroling
  • Operation shoe box for Christmas
  • Community clean up – beaches, parks, garbage at roadsides
  • Sponsoring a child
  • Writing letters to a sponsor child
  • Fundraising for a sponsor child – recycling, bake sales, canteens
  • Volunteering at local soup kitchen
  • Volunteering at Salvation Army or other community service group
  • Random Acts of Kindness in Community – raking, shoveling snow
  • Baking animal treats for SPCA
  • Others

Read a Scripture Verse(s) and pray for open hearts, and a service project idea to be highlighted.

Decide on a service project or projects. It may be a onetime event that requires weeks of planning (ie recyclable bottle drive to raise money for a sponsor child) or it may be a weekly/monthly reoccurring activity (volunteering at a soup kitchen). It may involve a variety of activities or services at set times each month (seniors home visits, making cards for shut ins, community clean up projects) through out several months.

Make arrangements with people or an organization (as necessary) to do the activity/project. Set aside adequate time to plan and implement the project; including follow up. It may be 2 hours/week or 5 hours per month.

Follow up after the project or event. Time to debrief is important for deeper learning. See debriefing document for more information.

Use the following sheet to help with your planning: Service Learning Planning Sheet

Debriefing is a team building activity that allows students to process and reflect on their experience. It is beneficial to use after a completed service or mission venture. It is:

  • a time to carefully examine and analyze the experience, providing succinctness and summary of a situation
  • a time for sharing stories, guided reflection and finding new perspectives from God to empower lives

Benefits of Debriefing

  • helps to make sense of changes, concerns, criticisms, conflict, crises
  • provides a neutral place to verbalize thoughts, feelings
  • brings closure to difficult circumstances and celebrates accomplishments
  • validates common thoughts, feelings and personal experiences
  • provides healing for disappointments
  • reaffirms identity and refocuses purpose for growth and development
  • provides intrapersonal benefits of confidence, increased self concept, leadership skills, reflective thinking skills and willingness to take risks
  • provides interpersonal benefits of cooperation, communication skills, trust in others

What Debriefing Does Not Involve:

  • counseling
  • a promise to solve problems
  • judgmental attitudes

For more information, see the Debriefing Activity Guide for Deeper Learning.