The Benefits of Service Learning

In the class I teach at the local community college, the students are required to complete 4 hours of service learning. At the end of our course, these students are required to do a presentation of their service learning experience. This past week was our final week of class (it’s a short-term, 10-week class), and they conducted their presentations and presented their Vision Boards. It was by far my favorite week of class! Talk about feel-good, uplifting class sessions…this was a perfect way to end our course on a high note.

It didn’t start like that

At the beginning of the semester a large number of the students aren’t terribly excited about this “required volunteer” component (sounds like an oxymoron right?). In fact some of them are just downright mad!

I hear comments like…

“Why do I HAVE to volunteer?”

“You mean we can’t get paid for this work?!”

“I don’t have time to do service learning.”

“This seems like such a waste of time.”

By the end of our class I love seeing the turnaround in many of their attitudes and perspectives. They start to see why service learning is so beneficial, not only to those they serve, but to them as well.

What is Service Learning?

Service Learning incorporates learning with meaningful community service and promotes volunteerism toward meaningful social causes that interest people/students as an individuals. This type of activity allows individuals to develop real-world skills while contributing to their community at the same time.

At the local college where I teach we’ve adopted a definition of service learning as an experiential education that includes:

1. Student participation in an organized service activity that reinforces specific course learning outcomes
2. Student identification and response to community need(s)
3. Structured time for student reflection and connection of the service experience to learning

At my church we might identify these activities as our Love Your Neighbor Outreaches (both locally and globally). At our church we believe that saved people, serve people. We do this by finding opportunities to use the gifts, talents, and resources that God has given us to serve others.

What are some of the benefits of Service Learning?

There are many benefits to participating in serving learning activities, many of which are mutually beneficial both the person serving and to the person/efforts being served. Some of the key benefits participants can look forward to obtaining include (but are not limited to):

• Helping others in your community
• Making a difference in someone’s life
• Linking learning to real-world situations and gaining life-long learning experiences
• Meeting new people, having new experiences, and experiencing diversity
• Getting a societal perspective on real world problems
• Learning new skills and developing and improving existing ones
• Exploring new fields of interests or reinforcing career choices
• Building your resume or portfolio, getting valuable, work-related experience, and gaining valuable references while networking and making connections

In one study, findings showed that service learning had significant positive effects on students including their academic performance, values, self-efficacy, leadership, choice of a service career, and plans to participate in service after college.^[1]

This semester a few of my students experienced some pretty great benefits…

Overcoming bias and seeing Christ’s love in action

One of the most impactful stories from this semester came from a student that was actually pretty belligerent at first. Later, he started making comments like, “I can’t wait to do my presentation and tell about my service learning!” I truly heard excitement in his voice and saw joy in his eyes. During his presentation he shared some paradigm shifts that he had about diversity and spirituality.

First, he discussed that he had a female supervisor. This took him by surprise at first because he automatically expected an authority figure to be a male having been brought up to believe that women couldn’t handle upper-level jobs. He was also surprised that she was Hispanic and mentioned working alongside several different races. He said his experience taught him that he had biases, and he learned to overcome them.

Secondly, he mentioned that throughout his service (at a food distribution center at a local church) he experienced an unusual kind of peace. Recipients of the food distribution were able to attend a church service, at which he was also present (although he was not a member of this church, nor had he ever attended). He said he had never seen so much peace and love and kindness, and he went on and on about a song that they sang that brought him to tears and got stuck in his head. This student said he now knows what life is about and wants to continue working with this church.

I firmly believe this gentleman had a divine appointment to see and experience the love of Christ in action. Though he himself may not have been a believer, I believe this experience touched his life forever.

“Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The LORD our God is the one and only LORD. And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.” Mark 12:29-31 (NLT)

Finding a calling

Another student had quite an impactful experience as well. Her service learning involved teaching art classes at a Hospice organization. She mentioned how rewarding and even educational it was to hear patients’ stories, to keep them active, and to enable them to leave behind a memento for their loved ones. She experienced so much joy seeing the patients take pride in their artwork, seeing how therapeutic it was for them, and seeing how happy it made them. During part of her presentation she was in tears (as was I and a few other students in class!).

Because of her experience volunteering as an Art teacher, she has now changed her major to Art (possibly even Art Education). Prior to this, art was just a love and a hobby for her, but in service learning she discovered her calling. In addition to her major change, she actually got a paying job using her gifts in the process! She also mentioned how this process helped her overcome her fear of speaking in front of groups (both teaching the art class and presenting about her experience).

Sometimes it’s through our assignments and responsibilities that God shows us and confirms our callings. If we are looking for our calling but neglecting our responsibilities, we might miss or delay our calling. If this student had opted to just skip the service learning assignment because it was inconvenient, she might have missed her calling. She might have missed finding something that brought her, and others, tremendous joy and purpose.

As a side and unrelated note…this same student also randomly mentioned that she attended church even though she was not a “church” person. She added a personal prayer and scriptures to her Vision Board which was apparently out of character.

“God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.” 1 Peter 4:10 (NLT)

Sometimes it’s through our responsibilities that God shows us and confirms our callings.

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An answered prayer

One student shared his experience of calling on Catholic Charities to complete his service learning with them. He said he’s worked with them throughout much of his life, so he knew they did good work in the community and would have plenty of opportunities for him to serve.

When he called, the woman on the phone asked him if he had a preference for an outreach or an area in which to work. He told her he was open to work anywhere. She then asked him if he would be willing to work on a patio construction project. He wholeheartedly agreed, and when he did, he said the woman on the phone started crying.

Apparently, she had been struggling to find somebody to work on this specific project. She told this student that she had prayed about it. Then soon after she finished praying, he called her. His initiative and willing spirit was an answered prayer for this woman.

“Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.” Psalm 51:12 (NIV)

A bad experience

One of my students didn’t actually have a very pleasant experience. Unfortunately her volunteer site took advantage of her as free labor and didn’t treat her very well. However, she worked hard anyway. She said she still learned a valuable lesson about what NOT to do next time mentioning that she’ll find something in her interests or major.

Sometimes we don’t get it right the first time. For example at my church, they often encourage people to start serving SOMEWHERE. Then if it’s not a good fit, try something else. I believe there are still lessons and preparation going on even in those places—like this student working hard anyway and practicing work ethic. This gives her good practice for when she DOES have a job that she likes. Even in the hard times at that job she may encounter difficult bosses, difficult coworkers, and tasks or duties that aren’t quite as desirable as others. This experience teaches her to work hard even in those areas. God will honor and reward those efforts.

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” Colossians 3:23-24 (NIV)

God at work even though He wasn’t “allowed”

There were several other stories of students confirming their career decisions, overcoming the fear of public speaking, overcoming biases, and learning how serving others can produce a happiness that spills over into other everyday affairs. I could see God’s hand in EVERY SINGLE ONE of these stories…yet I teach at a secular college, where He’s not allowed. I love seeing how He shows up anyway and changes lives in spite of His exclusion. 

Take Some Practical Steps to Participate in Your Own Service Learning:

• First realize the importance of serving others—We need to follow Jesus’ example.

“So Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Mark 10:42-25 (NLT)

“For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love. For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Galatians 5:13-14 (NLT)

• Second, recognize that serving is often mutually beneficial.

“And I have been a constant example of how you can help those in need by working hard. You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.'” Acts 20:35 (NLT)

“Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full–pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.” Luke 6:38 (NLT)

“The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.” Proverbs 11:25 (NLT)

“God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.” Hebrews 6:10 (NIV)

• Next, consider rereading these posts about serving others:

We Can Use What We Have To Serve Others

Do You Love Your Neighbor? Your ACTUAL neighbor?

• Then, step out and start serving!

Are you currently volunteering or serving anywhere? Do you provide uncompensated service above and beyond or outside of your normal job/career? If not, what’s stopping you? Remember…If you don’t know where to start, just start somewhere. If you don’t find a good fit the first time, try something else (but remember your worth ethic—as unto the Lord!).

• Finally, know that God will be at work in your areas of service—both for you and for those whom you are serving.

What benefits have you received or what lessons have you learned from serving others? Tell us about it by leaving a comment below.

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If you know anyone that could benefit from this, please pay it forward!  Share this post via the sharing links below.  “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (NIV) 

1. Astin, Alexander W.; Vogelgesang, Lori J.; Ikeda, Elaine K.; and Yee, Jennifer A., “How Service Learning Affects Students” (2000). Higher Education. Paper 144. http://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/slcehighered/144 ↑