How to Teach About Serving (Plus: 12 Service Projects to Try)
If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my work with children, it’s that we need to train kids to serve. I want to teach kids how to serve and not simply tell them they should help others. I want them to be willing to reach out to others for the rest of their lives! As children stay involved in areas of Christian service, they’ll bear fruit 30, 60, and 100 times over! Here are some tips to get kids involved in service.
- Help prepare bulk mailings to benefit an agency.
- Paint furniture, walls, or items that don’t need to be “perfect.”
- Organize the canned and boxed goods in a food pantry.
- Gather and deliver items for people in need.
- Sort through and organize donations given to agencies.
- Help prepare and serve food at a soup kitchen or hospice.
- Help move small furniture for shelters.
- Perform puppet shows, musicals, concerts, or choir performances at shelters, soup kitchens, or hospices.
- Do yard work or general cleanup of any facility—from weed pulling to vacuuming.
- Visit and serve people in an elderly community.
- Work at the Special Olympics.
- Plant trees and shrubs at a location in dire need of environmental care.
Service With a Smile
Children generally like to serve others. And contrary to what many people think, they can be a great service to many organizations and people. In fact, the children from my church—ages 4 to 12—recently did a service project at a local transitional apartment complex for people who are homeless. The director has employed literally hundreds of service groups. And yet, he told me in private that the kids we brought to work for him were “the most productive group” he’s ever had in his six years as director! The kids may have been too small to move furniture or paint the ceiling, but the simple work they cleaned, pulled weeds, and sorted through boxes was a benefit to the apartment complex and its tenants. And best of all, it was a benefit to the kids!
Service projects have immediate and future benefits that are almost impossible to estimate in advance. Here are the benefits our children got from their one day of service:
- became aware of a housing project and people who live differently than they do
- met families and learned that unhoused people aren’t to be feared
- practiced the art of service in the name of Christ
- served together and had fun
- saw with their own eyes the needs of other people
- met needs with their own hands
- as a result of their ministry, some of their parents are getting involved in ministry
Doing It Right
If you’d like to help your kids make a difference in the world around them, start with these five steps.
1. First, do your research.
Find out about service agencies in your area. Generally speaking, once you get in touch with one or two agencies, they’ll have a network of affiliated agencies they can tell you about. Depending on the size of your community, you may be surprised at how many service agencies you dig up once you start looking. Check to see if your community has any form of a soup kitchen, food pantry, Salvation Army, or downtown mission, and start with these. If you live in a large enough community, you may find service agencies in any of these areas: soup kitchens, environmental programs, clothing closets, employment education, shelters, nursing homes, or prison ministries.
2. Then, dig a little deeper.
Check out the agencies that interest you and find out what they’re all about. Who sponsors the agency, and what exactly do they do? Then visit their facilities on a regular working day and look over possible service arrangements. As you talk with different service agencies, tell them about your interest and ask if they have any area where children might be able to help. My experience has been that children can always help if led in the right direction.
3. Next, choose an agency.
Get involved with the ministry that’s a good fit for your church. And keep in mind that we’re called to serve others in the name of Christ. You can work for a non-Christian service organization and still serve in the name of Christ.
4. Then, schedule kids’ service.
Set up the dates and times for children to serve. Then arrange for proper supervision and assistance from adults or youth group members. Next, prepare the kids for the experience in advance, especially if the environment will be foreign to them. Start with a devotional and end with a debriefing time to talk about what they did and why they did it. Use Matthew 25:31-46 for a devotion.
5. Lastly, stay involved.
Have kids minister on a regular basis. If we simply take our kids to do service once a year, they’ll learn that service once a year is acceptable. But if we take them more frequently and regularly, they’ll learn that Christian service is something done on a regular basis—with consistency. And, with regular contacts, kids will be able to see the continuing benefits of their ministry. For example, I take the children of my church every other week to a clothing house operated by a local homeless agency. After several months, the house has become so clean and organized we’ve almost worked ourselves out of our jobs!
Let me forewarn you about one thing: Don’t be surprised if you and your children begin to view the world in a whole new perspective. Coming face to face with human need can be a truly transformational experience!
Marty Alan Michelson is a mental health counselor, professor, and retired pastor.
Get families involved in service! Check out Team Family: Your Year-Round Guide for Intentional Family Ministry which includes service project ideas for the whole family.
Looking for more teaching tips? Check out these ideas!
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