Teaching the Bible Through Community Service

Teaching the Bible through Community Service

One thing that Jesus told his disciples was to follow his example. In fact, disciples are followers of a religious leader. It is their job to watch and learn and then do. Here are some lessons that kids can learn about the Bible through community service.

One of the teachings of the Bible is that we are put here to serve one another. Jesus was the religious leader of his disciples but he didn’t act like he was better than them. In fact, he often surprised them by some of the lowly deeds he performed. He wanted his disciples to learn that, even for leader, no job on this Earth was beneath them.

Community service teaches the same principles to kids. From a young age, children can learn the value of helping others. Community service can be as simple as the youth group at church visiting a nursing home and singing to the residents. Or, the kids can host a community dinner and invite people from all walks of life.

To teach selflessness, younger kids can play an important role that will change their lives. Ask them to pick out toys to donate to a children’s charity or a Christmas toy drive. Tell them that there are kids less fortunate than they are who don’t have any toys to play with. When kids find a cause and carry out deeds to make others feel special, the will have sense of accomplishment and learn very valuable life lessons. Their faces and their hearts will light up once the complete their task.

Some community service projects involve all age groups. Serving meals in a soup kitchen at a homeless shelter qualifies in this category. Kids, who are old enough to handle a plate of food, can serve meals to people in need. Teens do the same. When serving meals, the results of a good deed are immediate.

Check within your community. There are tons of service projects kids can get involved in. Link them to Bible lessons you are teaching in Sunday school or Bible study. To get kids, especially teens, involved from the beginning, ask them to investigate and come up with their own community service projects to perform.

Kids all over the world have been encouraged and supported by parents and their churches to spread the love of God through service. They could raise money to build a children’s home or for after school programs. In the Bible, God says that when we help the “least” of these, we are honoring Him. And, no good deed goes unrewarded.