“Love your neighbor” opportunities happen every day in the hallways and classrooms and in the Quadrangle (the high school campus). Careful attention to daily relationships (teacher to student, student to student, and teacher to teacher) is important to set the service tone, but specific focus opportunities for service include fine arts and foreign language groups ministering in local churches, the annual paper drive for a local women’s shelter, field day, and the New York City mission trip. These activities provide opportunities for student leadership, develop student responsibility and initiative, and encourage cooperation and unity among students—all to the end of helping students learn to love God and serve others.
When students embrace God’s truth, they understand that life is about loving God and serving others. While this truth finds its foundation in a balanced Christian home and local church, it is important that our high school provides ministry opportunities for our students at this critical growth period in their lives.
“Love your neighbor” opportunities happen every day in the hallways and classrooms and in the Quadrangle (the high school campus). Careful attention to daily relationships (teacher to student, student to student, and teacher to teacher) is important to set the service tone, but specific focus opportunities for service include fine arts and foreign language groups ministering in local churches, the annual paper drive for a local women’s shelter, field day, and the New York City mission trip. These activities provide opportunities for student leadership, develop student responsibility and initiative, and encourage cooperation and unity among students—all to the end of helping students learn to love God and serve others. This school year students have enthusiastically participated in a wide variety of service opportunities such as food and paper drives, nursing home services, Christmas decorating, and card writing. The Academy mission trip to NYC is yet another opportunity for many of our oldest students to concentrate an entire week on serving others and sharing Christ with those who have never heard.
As children do things that make others happy, they learn that serving others is fun. As a student matures, they not only enjoy serving, but they catch a glimpse of the eternal significance it plays in the lives of those around them. As the summer months approach, we hope students will continue to find age-appropriate ways to serve others with the talents and abilities God has given them. There are many ministries and individuals that can use extra assistance during this time when people are focused on vacations rather than donations. Whether you participate in small acts of service or mission trips this summer, it is always fun to set your sights on someone who has a special need and then work together as a family to fill it.
Community service is not just about donating time or furthering the name of Bob Jones Academy; it is about learning to give and to sacrifice time and resources to be a blessing to others.
Each week students from BJA are actively serving in the Greenville community and beyond. Secondary students are involved in serving at locations such as the Greenville Rescue Mission, Camp Spearhead, Shepherd’s Gate, and local nursing homes. This year high school students had a several-week opportunity to act as hosts for 12 students visiting from Germany. While high school students travel annually to New York to minister with and encourage local churches in outreach, middle school and elementary school students hold annual food drives for Miracle Hill Ministries as well as other local needy families. Elementary school students also forego the traditional classroom gift exchanges at Christmas, and instead focus on being a blessing to other children in need. Last year’s gift drive for students impacted by Hurricane Sandy resulted in an incredible outpouring of gifts that overwhelmed and encouraged multiple families in New Jersey at Christmas time. The Festival of Trees also provides a unique opportunity for students to work together to give back to the community while using their talents in art to provide beautiful Christmas tree decorations in two locations. Children being admitted to a local hospital are greeted by a cheery “get well” card made by a BJA first-grader. Local veterans and elderly shut-ins receive encouraging cards from elementary students, as do military personnel serving our country overseas. The impact of these and so many other community service opportunities is not just felt by those on the receiving end. These ministry opportunities are equally, if not more, impacting on our own students as they experience the joy found in serving others. While attending to the physical needs of others, many students have had the privilege of also ministering to the spiritual needs of those around them in reaching them with the Gospel. In all of these, the truth found in Acts 20:35 clearly resonates--“it is more blessed to give than to receive.” |
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