Whitinsville Christian High School
"Helping Hands" Program
Coordinator:  Heidi Williams, wcshs@wcs.mec.edu

Whitinsville Christian High School requires a student complete 15 hours of service per year and report on that service.

For specific guidelines, please see the service program booklet.
Service hour reporting forms are available through the website.

Why a Service program?

Service is an important part of a comprehensive Christian education. Service provides the opportunity to apply what has been learned in the home, at church, and in the classroom. Some of the inherent benefits include:

Obedience to God’s command
It is the Lord’s command that we serve one another in love. “You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command: “love your neighbor as yourself.” (Galatians 5:13-14). As followers of Jesus Christ, not only do we learn the Word of God, but we have an active faith that seeks to serve others.

Expression of Love for God
Service is an expression of our love for God as we love our neighbors. “Serve the Lord wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.” (Ephesians 6:6-7)

Development of Christian Maturity
Service opportunities help develop Christian maturity and provide venues for the Lord to teach us more about Himself and the Christian life. In the process of serving, we learn more about ourselves, our interests, and our strengths and weaknesses. This knowledge is critical if we are to develop into mature Christians seeking God’s will and plan for our lives.

Sharing of Individual Gifts
In I Corinthians 12, the church is compared to a body, and each member has a different function or gift. These gifts are to be developed and used for the good of the body. “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.” (I Peter 4:10)

Encouragement of leadership skills
Scripture says ‘whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant: and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be a slave of all.” (Mark 10:43-44) Just as Christ came to serve, the effective Christian leader has the heart of a servant. Service opportunities lay a foundation for developing the servants perspective of leadership.

Preparation for the future
Students who have participated in service opportunities have a greater understanding of themselves and their roles in the church, community, and school community. They are better equipped to make realistic decisions about career goals and future plans. Students are more qualified candidates for employment, college admissions, scholarships and various types of financial aid.

To this end, our Bible curriculum includes a service work requirement to encourage students who do serve faithfully to continue. For those who do not, we encourage them to reflect on the call of service as they engage in service work.