Give the children as many opportunities as possible to be in the center of the experience. They need to meet the people they are serving, be able to look them in the face, and offer them whatever help they have along with a smile. Although raising money for an organization and then sending those funds in the mail provides help to a great cause, it does not provide the kind of learning experience the kids need. There’s no interaction with the recipient, and they need the face-to-face contact.
In addition, the kids need to get their hands dirty and sometimes feel tired because of the work they have done. Remind them that we are to “work hard and cheerfully at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.” (Col. 3:23 NLT)
Keep the projects simple. When learning something new, kids need immediate gratification. Projects at first should be something that can be accomplished in one meeting time. Delivery should be included in the timeframe. It’s very tempting when time is running out to step in and tell the children that you’ll take care of getting their project to the person that week. Don’t deny them this very important part of learning about serving others.
Always engage in reflection immediately following the completion of any service project. This should take place on three levels. First of all, lead the kids in self-reflection with questions like: How did that make you feel? Why did it upset you? How do you think the person who you served felt? Did you feel like this is what God wanted you to do? Then, reflect on the experience itself. Was there something we could have planned better? Did we need more time to complete the task? Is this something we should do regularly? And the third level of reflection concerns the root of the problem. If the children have visited the local rescue mission where men are housed who have drug and alcohol problems, then discuss questions like: Why weren’t those men in their own homes? What would have to change in their lives in order for them to not need the rescue mission anymore? How can our community and our country keep this from happening to more men? How could knowing Jesus as their personal Savior change the lives of these men?
As you lead children through discovering a servant’s heart, don’t forget to celebrate. Throughout the Bible, we see people accomplishing the task God set out for them to do, and when it’s done, they celebrated. Celebration doesn’t need to be in the form of an all out Chuck E. Cheese party, but think about simple ways of acknowledging and celebrating each serving experience. It can be as effortless as taking a picture or keeping a poster of a collection goal. My husband and his ministerial intern used to donate blood together, and they celebrated by proudly wearing their sticker that said, “I saved lives today!” God made us to celebrate, so make sure you include it in this learning process.
We so often leave serving to the adults, but in so doing, we do a great disservice to the generations to come. Intentionally teach children to discover the servant’s heart that God wants them to use, and we really can change our world.
