Tess Hoffmann

Mr. Campbell

Religion

April 27, 2018

Community Service Project Essay

Jesus once said, “Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of

mine, you did for me.” (Matthew 25:40). These words of Christ can be no more explicit

concerning the use of our talents and time for the benefit of others in need, and they describe

why we need to perform community service. During this past year, I had two different

opportunities to give of myself and my time to others.

The first volunteer project I participated in was my parish Vacation Bible School. This

occurred at Sts. John and Paul Parish and I was responsible for working with the first and second

grade students. The theme of Vacation Bible School was “Maker Fun Factory: Created By God,

Built for Surprises”. The theme of the program was inventions and the focus of the experience

was to allow children to realize that they are lovingly crafted by God. My role was to work with

the first and second grade children to complete the various craft projects, play games, teach short

lessons and oversee the experience piece of the program. I was also responsible for keeping track

of my group of students as well as making sure they had the opportunity to enjoy the snacks

provided. My second volunteer opportunity was at Magee-Womens Hospital on the oncology

unit. The patients on this unit were cancer patients, some of whom had recently had surgery, so

they were very ill. I volunteered each Friday during the summer from 8am until 12:30 pm and

performed various tasks on the nursing unit. I stocked carts with supplies, provided water and

cups for the patients, and transported mail and other items through the hospital. I also interacted
with the patients often when I entered their rooms and had the opportunity to speak with them on

a regular basis.

I wanted to perform these specific types of volunteer activities because I desired to carry

out Jesus’s command to help others, especially those in need, such as the sick patients at Magee.

1 Peter 4:10 states, “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of

God’s varied grace”. It is very important for me to be a disciple of Christ and use my abilities to

help others and each of these volunteer activities gave me the opportunity to do just that. Also,

both of my parents are healthcare workers and I have seen how their work has made a difference.

I also wanted to provide that type of service to the sick. Finally, I love working with children

and understand how important it is to ground them in their faith early in their lives. I hope that

my efforts at Vacation Bible School accomplished that for the students with whom I interacted.

My volunteer activity at Sts. John and Paul supported the religious education ministry of

the parish. Without volunteers, the parish would not be able to conduct this program for nearly

150 students. It also provided young students with a good foundation in their faith. Vacation

Bible School stressed that God is the creator of the world and that man is created in His image

and likeness. Through the various activities, crafts and games that I engaged in with the

students, they learned this important lesson and hopefully this impacted their understanding of

God and the growth of their faith. My volunteer activities at Magee gave me the opportunity to

serve those who are sick and in need. My activities on the oncology nursing unit provided the

nurses with more time to take care of sick patients and thus this benefitted the patients. They

also benefitted by my activity of providing them with fresh water pitchers and cups each day and

stopping by to say hello. Many of these patients do not have regular visitors and they were

happy to have someone to talk with, even if it was only for a few minutes. I always smiled when
I entered the room, asked them how they were feeling and did my best to be pleasant and

encouraging.

I received many benefits from these service projects. They have taught me how to work

with the members of my parish as a team to support the outreach ministry of the church. When I

was Confirmed, one of my promises to God was that I would be a disciple of Christ and spread

His good works and love. I feel that my service projects enabled me to honor that promise. It

was very rewarding to be a part of educating the young children of the parish. I felt very

fortunate to be a part of such a wonderful project and also felt a sense of satisfaction that I might

make a difference in the lives of these children. It also was very rewarding to be able to be

involved in a service project that involved the sick. One of the corporal works of mercy is to

visit the sick and I feel that my volunteer activities allowed me to fulfill this. Each Friday when I

left the hospital, I had a sense of satisfaction that I had been of service to those who were ill and

hopefully my actions played some part in their recovery.

It is essential that we perform community service because in the Bible, Jesus tells us that

by supporting and helping those who are less fortunate than ourselves, we are pleasing God.

Thus, as Christians, we must continue the work of Jesus by helping others and setting a good

example, demonstrating how important it is to help others. The Church has always promoted

helping our neighbors and those in need. By volunteering for community service, we carry out

the teachings of Jesus and serve as a role model to other Christians. One quote from the Acts of

the Apostles summarizes what I have learned from my service project experience. “In every way

I have shown you that by hard work of that sort we must help the weak, and keep in mind the

words of the Lord Jesus who Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive’”. (Acts

20:35). The peace and fulfillment that I felt after each service opportunity was far better than
any gift I could have been given. I was grateful to have had the chance to make a difference in

someone’s life and grateful to have been able to carry out the work of God in my community.