This year’s Service Day was Friday, October 5. If you were in the Fort Wayne area that day, an umbrella would have come in handy, as well as extra layers of clothes.
About two-thirds of our school’s Koinonia* groups had indoor work sites this year. In other words more than 200 students and staff were hoping to work outside. While I will not hear the official report from each group until the end of this week, many informal conversations with returning groups on Friday afternoon gave me the impression that the weather did not deter our students and staff from making the most of this day.
For several years now we have had the following goals for Service Day:
- Serve others in love.
- Deepen relationships with each member of the Koinonia group.
- Be ready to share the faith.
While rain and cold certainly made it more difficult to serve others as planned, God often uses adversity in our lives to strengthen relationships with fellow members of the body of Christ. Stories from both students and staff confirmed this on Friday. For example several groups needed to flip-flop their plans so that their outdoor service portion could take place after (most of) the rain passed. That meant time for team-building in the morning. During one group’s time of bonding, a discussion began on greeting each other in the hallway, and how something so simple can go such a long way.
Plenty of challenges took place leading up to this year’s Service Day, as well. A number of groups needed to change their work site in the days just prior to October 5. While needs exist all around us, it can be challenging to identify a need large enough to occupy 12 students for three hours! During stretches of uncertainty — where will our group go? — we can become anxious. God provided in every circumstance, and often in ways that were clearly a blessing to both the group and the new work site.
Speaking of new work sites, maybe you know just the project that would greatly benefit from next year’s Service Day (early October, 2019). Feel free to nominate worthy causes via email to [email protected] with the subject: Potential Service Day Project. Want to get involved? Parents, alumni, and friends of CLHS have proven to be a great addition to the Service Day experience. Since each Koinonia group determines its own plans for the day, the best way to get involved is directly through a current student.
To all who did participate in Service Day 2018, thank you for being the hands and feet of Jesus to northeast Indiana. May God use our combined efforts to share his love to many.
In His service,
Mark Dolde,
Koinonia Coordinator
*Koinonia, the Greek word for fellowship, is our school’s student-led small group ministry. Each group consists of approximately three students from each grade level, along with an adult.
P.S. You can see photos from our Service Day this year, by clicking here.