The
Philosophy
and
Practice
of Christian
Service
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Helpi.ngstwd,ents
to
experiencethe
responsibilityand.
satisfncti on of serving
otbersshowld,be n rnajor
concernfor ed.ucatorsof both
public and.private scbools.
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Picture removed
Tohearrstoforget
Toseetstoremember
Todorstounderstand
"Oh,
you're beautiful! You're just beautiful!" exclaimed the tiny grary-hairedwornan as tears ran
unchecked clorvn her face.Two students from a Michigan junior acaclemv,wearing happv clor,t,n
facesanclcolorful suits,cluickly knelt by her r,r'hce
lchair. Each taking
a hand, they asked if they could prav with he.r.
After thanking God for this specialladv and asking Him to meet
her dailv needs, they softly sang "Halle1ujah." ThrouS;h eyes still
swimming with tears but bright with appreciatior.rand j,rv she
repeated,"You're so beautiful!" As the girls moved cluietly ah'av to
bring cheer to other reside-ntsof the.nursing home, they thankecl God
Picture removed
for the beautiful experienceof serving one of His suffering children.
Helping students to experiencethe responsibility and satisiaction of sen'ing others should be a major concernfor eclucatorsof both
public and private schools.Aclventist education must provide service-learning in order to prepare our students to take their role in the
"Clobal
Mission" of the church prior to the return of JesusChrist.
Service-Learning in the Curriculum
Curriculum is much more than books anc-lscience projects. It covers
every aspectof studeni learning and experienceprovided bv the school.Serviceeducationcan help
Adventist schools achieve the ideal of a "balanced education" that combines theory and practice.
Public educators recognize the instructional advantages of service and its importance in
AD VE\TISI'F]DLICATI
citizenship training. However, Christian
educators have aclditional motivations
for including service in the curriculum.
In her boctk, Drlnnrrtic Altltroncht,s ttt
Tencling LIiglt Sclnol Rc/iqirrii,Dohertv
writes that service programs "provic-le
experiences that leacl to a sense of resporrsibilitv: for bringing the Christ
r,r'ithin. .to others, especiallv the poor
a n c l n e g l e c t e d . " rT h i s e m p h a s i s o n a
Christ-cerrtercdlife of faith and servict
rnakes Christian education urritlue. [Irrman bcings, createdbv Cocl, fincl in Him
their Fatheranclin eachother a brother or
slster.
Jt'strsChrist rvas the perfcct Revel.rtion of the C,oclu,ho ser','csand cares.
Shortlv bcforc His crucifirion, Jesustook
I Iis clisciplesasideanclcxplaineclto thr'm
t h c p r i n c i p l e so f t h c h e a v e n l vk i n g d o m .
Thev rverc jostling for prestige, p()\\rer,
anciposition in Christ's earthly Iing{s11.
Jesuslovingll. rebukctl tltern as follon's:
Y o t t k r x t w , t l t a tl h t ' r t t l c r sr i ' l l t t ' ( ) t ' r r
tilt's Ionl it ovt'r thent, ,rnr! their hip,lt
o it i c i a Is crcrci.se.tu tlx t r i t y ov t' r'thcnr. Nr;l
xt with you. lnstt'ac!,wltrx'w'r wants to
ltctorttt' gr('dt ,1tnot)gvoLt tnLrstIte yottr
scrvant,,tntlvt,lxtt'verwanlslo lte firstntust
ltc y,ourslave fusl .rsthe SonrslM,trt t!itl
n()t( onte to Itt'st'rvecl,lrul kt scrve, anclto
p,iveltislilt',tsa ransorrr
fttr ntany(,M,tttht'w
)0:) j )tJ, NIV).'
The apostlc ['aul saw servicc to oth
crs as the essenccof the Christian life. I Ie
offcrccl tlris inspirc'clinstnrction: "Yon,
nry brothers, w,crc calleclto bc frce. But
do not Llscv()Llrfrcer,-lorn
to irrdulge thc
'ervice
ed.ucationcan belp
Adventist schools
achievethe id.eal of
n "balanced
educntion" thnt
I
.
- 1
covnatnestneorll
evld practice.
sinful naturc; rather,servc onc another in
I o v e " ( C l a l a t i a n5s : . 31 , N l V ) .
I t r ' t ' r l r t tiu> J r e t t r r r i r t g t, l t t ' t t t t .i r t
C h r i s t i a n l i t e r a t r r r eO
. r i g i n a I l v ,h u m . r r s
cnjoyetl union lvith Coci arrd thc freedont
tlurt sprang natrrrallv from love. ilolv
cver, such frcr'clonralso itrvolveclresp()nsibilitv. Wolterstorff savs:
We are rt'sltonsiltlekt Otxl lltr lwvy
w(' ,r(t w,ilh rt's1.tt't't
to Otxl. Wt' art, re
slxtnsiltlt' to (l<td lor lrovt' tt,t, ,ttt yt'itlt
Picture removed
respectto ourselvesand our fellow human
lteings.We,rreresponsibleto Coclior how
t)'e act \ytth ftrspecl to nature.'
The recluirements for responsible
action are found in the lar,r'sof God. Jesus
crplained Cod's moral lau,'to a lan'ver in
these farniliar rvorcls:
You shalllove theLord your Cocl v,ith
,tll yrourheart,,tnd with ,tll your soul, ;tnd
with all vour ntinc!.This is the great itnd
Iirst <:ontntanclntent.Artrt ,t .sec'ondl-s/ike
it, y,ottsh.tlllovt'your neighL.,rtr
,tsvourself.
( )n thesetv,o conrnt,tnc!ntents
clt:pencl.tll
the l.tw and theprq)h'.lts(Matthcw 2):J740, RSV).r
One's responsibilitvk) fulfill this lau,'
of lovc involves kr.",eto C,oci,respectfor
self, and service to others.
Ghrist Restores Freedom to Serve
As a result of sin, htrrnanbcings krst both
thc capacitv anclclesircto love trnd serve
otre .rnothcr. To regain these tr;rits,hr-rnranitv nceclsto bc transformeclthrotrgh
(lhrist, rvhonr Ckrcl "presentecl
(rs il
sacrificc of atonentcnt, thnrr-rghfaith in
h i s b k x r c l " ( l i o m a n s 3 : 2 5 ,N I V ) . A l l o f
Christinn restorartior-r
and accomplishnrent (-olrl€.s
as a rcsult of Christ's cleath
orr tl'tc cross, thnrugh which r,r'e have
been rtconcilerl to Gocl the Fathcr (2
C o r i n t h i a n s5 : 1 9 ) .H e r e C h r i s t i a n e v a n and Christian eclucationbecomc
::i:Hor,r.do cvangelism ancl ecluci,rtion
rvork togethr.r?Cltrebelcinexpltrins: "The
transformation of human nattrre bV the
port'er of Christ clearrsesthe.ccntral spring
of man's energies,cltanging his desiresto
trccordwith Scriptural ideals."'The good
news about salvation through Jesr-rs
Christ
is therefore vital for Christian education
il it is kr become a training ground for
sen,ice. lt brings new life and a new
capacitvto sharelife. This is the meaning
of Christian fre.edom. "To be free for
Cod," r,r'ritc.sCnrome., "is to be free for
others. To say yes to God and to obev
Coel's rvill retlrrires th,rt rt e l.rve arr,l
serve the people Cod loves and calls tcr
freedom with us.""
Service in Ghristian Education
Christian fellowship involves nurture.
The witness of the Christian cclmmunitv
i n v o l v e se v a n g e l i s ma r r ds e n i c e .O n e . i f
the most important
ways that the church
can fulfill its nurturingn'itnessing responsibilities is through
Christian education.
All too ofterr the
Christian comrnur-ritv
and its schools are occrrpit'tl u'itlt itt'm' oi
lesser lmportarrce.
When the members or
stuclentsare not tr.rinecl
to be a lvitnessing-serr'ing communitv, Iirrssell
"rniseclLlcati()n."
calls it
"Christiarr
eclucation"
"is
he says,
rnissionarv
eclucaiiotr by clt'iinition.";
Nothing in thc
eclucational prurcessis
morc' easilv overlookecl, hor.t'ever,th.rn
practice. Ciognitive c()ncernsoftcn takc
prcceclence.
Training ior service,inclucling practical experierlce,shoukl bccor"ne
a rie'signeclpi,rrtof thc ChristiarncurricuIum. It lnust ne\rerbc lcft kr chirnceor it
will be ovcrlookctl.
A trcmcnclous rcsponsibilitv rests
upon thc atlministr;rtors irnd staff of
Christian schools kr clcarlv rltfinr. their
eclucation.rIphilosophv and to corrscien
t i ( ) u s l yp l a r r , t n . \i ( r r r v( ) u l ( l [ ) r ( r S r ( uol ll
practical service.Lockerbie writts:
What wt' nt't'cl in (.'ltristians<ltools
(lr(,rlr('n,tnd wonten, ltoys;tnclg,irls,w-l'to
;Ire Iiving e.x,rn4..r/r,.s
of what tht' tlible
te.ir/res.7Jri.s
nrr'.rn.s
r'.rllinp,ustonactntirtis
trJli()t),tc.rc'heru,students,parentsto I)Ltt
our knowleclp,eof the Bil)le into pr,x tir e in
wh,tt the New lest.rnrent c.llls seryicr'.
ktving Cod w,ith our .soul.si-s no .1tt1orphous kind of piety; it shows itscli in
concrete ilction. Someonehas said, "The
way we treat others is the way we treat
God."E
To accomplish this goal, thc- Christian school must break out of its o\.€-rem"city
phasis on the
of refuge" syndrome
and reach out to a needv commr-urity and
world. The motivation for such service
comes from a growing relationship with
Jesus Christ and an identification with
His purpose for living. The love of Christ
for erring humanity becomes the
Picture removed
Clhristian'smotivation ior service.
fit themselves for service."r;
"lntheselastdays,
5.
children's voices will be
raised to give the last
rrl€rssage
of warning to a
p e r i s h i n gw o r l d . . . . O u r
church schools are ordairred by Cod to pre-pare the children for this
g r e a tw o r k . " r "
"Unclerr
6.
the guidancc of thc Holv Spirit,
tl-rtse vouth rnav bc edlrcateclanrl trainr.c'lso that
all thc powers l,r.'illbe
givcn to Clocl'sscrvicc."':
Ellen Whitc e.nvi
sioneclecluc-ittion
as prep.l1inr:yorrng peoplc to
st,rvc hrrrnanitv in a
rvorlcir.r'itle lnission plro
gr.u-u.ln vitn of thc soon rt'ttrrn of Jestrs
Clhrisi, ;rucl to prcparc sttrrlt't.rtsfor thc
cluticsof cr"crvtlaylife, thc chtrrch'scom
prt'hcnsivc eclucation\,\'asto htrve a singttlirr purpose sen'icc to htrr-nanitr'.
Seventh-day Adventist Schools to Be
Model Schools
'l'he
Scvcnth-clavAclventistChrrrch ancl
sttbsctltt entlv its ecluc.rtiorral svstem r,,'erc
cstablishe'rlbecauseof .r conviction thirt The Great Gontroversy Theme
'l'o
thr.retr"rrnof Jcsus(-hrist n'.rsir-nmint'nt.
Ellen White, spirittral issuescould bc
Tit-trt' ancl again Ellen Wl-ritt' rcl-rcatctl r-rnrlerstoorionly irr thc contcxt of the great
"timc
"C-hrist's
sttchphrases.rs
is short,"
con troversv betlr,eengootl and er,'iI ra gi ng
'fhc
"thc
conring is near," irnrl
pr.rils of tht
irr the urriversc.
ccntral point oi thi,rt
l;rsttlavs arc upon ns."" ln anticip.rtionof
contention has ncver bccn (locl's power.
"the
this great evcnt,
l.rst rvarning nres
Ilather, it is His char.rcter.
s.rge to rr siufttl ,uvorlcl"r"neecleclto be
In hcavcr-rone oi the highcst crcatcrl
spreaclquicklv. Thus chilclrenanclvor.rth beings rcbellerl agair-rstGocl arnclsought
had to be eclucatcd,trainccl,anclst r-rtout
to misreprescnt His qovernment and
to serve.
t-haractcr.rf
B o t h t h e n . r n c l n o r , r ' ,A c l v e n t i s t
Unselfishr.ress,
the principle of God's
schools.rre to prepare students t() carrv
kingclom,is the-principle thatSatanhates;
"tl're
outCiod's grantl ciesign
great r'r'ork its very eristence l're denies. From thc
of sa'r,irrgst)uls."" The follor,^"'ing
scries beginning of the great controvcrsy he has
of statementsclearlv inclicatethc objec- r.ncleavoredto prove Cod's principles of
tives of ihe-seschools:
trction to be selfish.r"
"A11
1.
should feel that our schools
An unclerstandingof these basic isare the Lord's instrumentalities,through
sues is essential to comprehend Elien
which He would make Himself known
White.'s philosophv of redemption ancl
to man."Ll
eclucation.
"Our
2.
schoolsare to be educating
schoolsand trairring schools."r:'
Christian Education-A Preparation for
"The
3.
education that is needed Service
nor',u'isone that r,r,illqualify the students
Christian education must concern itself
fclr practical missionary work." rl
with the student's conversion and charac4. "He lCodl calls upon our voung
ter development. Since education and repeople to enter our schools, and cluickly
demption are one, restoring the loving
At)VENI'ISI'
EDL]CATI()N 7
nature and unselfish character of God in
tl-restudent must precede action.
TIrcstutletrt's
cornersiort.
Ellen White
is definite about the basic foundation
principles of Christian education. "The
converted student has broken the chain
which bound him to the service of sin,
and has placed himself in the right relation to God.":" In order for the love of
Cod to be their motivation for living,
young people must have an experiential
relationship u,ith Christ.
This divine love entering the soul
inspires it with gratitr-rde,
freesit from its
spiritual feebleness,from pride, r'anitv,
and selfishness,and irom all that woulcl
deform the Christian character.:r
The Christian teacl.rerhas a responsibilitv that goes far bevond a grasp of
academic subjects,as important as such
knowledge.mav be. "E','ervinstructor of
youth is to n'ork in harmonv u'ith this
prayer (Johrr17:1-3),leading students to
Christ."rrli.estorationof the image of God
in humanitv is "to be the rt'ork oi reclemption.This is the objectof education,
the great object of life.":'
Tltt' studt'rtt'strnitrirtcfirr scri,icc.\o
method of eclucation better develops
characterand unselfishnessthan service
b othr.rs.EllenWhite's most-oftenquoted
statement on service to others presents
four basic principles of Christian eclucation:
()ttr ideas of educ',ttion t,tke tcto n,trrow itnd too low a range.Thereis neeclof
a bro.rdersc'o1;e,
.r higher.rinr.frue education nteans ntore than the pursual ot ,t
<'ertaincourse ot stLtdy.lt nte.tnsntore th,tn
a prepitr.ltiontor the life thatnow is.lt has
lo do witlt the whole bein74,,tncl with the
whole periocloi existenc'epossible to nt,tn.
It is the h;trntonious clevelopntent oi the
physi<:al, tlte ntental, and the spiritu.tl
powers. It preparesthe student ior the jcty
of service in this world ancl for the higher
joy of wider service in the world to c-onte.:'
Another cluotation from the last page
of the same book emphasizesthe importanceEllen White placed on serviceas the
goal of education:
In our life here, earthly, sin-restrictecl
though it is,the greatest
joy and the highest
education arein service. And in the future
state,untrammeled by the lintitationsof
sinful huntanity, it is in service th,tt our
greiltestjoy and our hig,hesteducationwill
be found-witnessing, itnd ever as we
witness learning,anew "the riches of the
"whi<h
is Christ in
54loryof this mystery;"
8
O C T ( ) B E R / N O V E M B E RI 9 9 I
i ;t;itjlu* ivnY
i"** Sf FVlilf-:-iAii rui fi *
Anevaluative
criteria
forChristian
service,
based
onaChristian
educational
taxonomy,
canhelpdefine
themotives
ofthestaffandstudents,
aswellasthenatu
reoftheservice
projects
themselves.
Thiscanhelpto raisethemto theconscious
levelthrougn
identification
andevaluation.
There
arethreelevels
of motivati0n
withascendinq
sublevels:
Individual-Selfish,
Corporate-Ethical,
andIndividual-selfless.
l n di v i du a l - S e lifs h
(Based
onindividual
self-centered
ch0ices-"What's
init forme?,')
1. Usepeople:Manipulate
andobligate
them,
seek
to getsomething
inreturn
2. SelFapproval:
Geta goodfeeling,
receive
attenti0n
fromothers
3. Security:
Helpothers
inorder
to receive
helpin return
4. Remuneration:
goods,
Invest
money,
time,services
to receive
in kind
5. Fear:Motivated
byfearofthegroup,
political
system,
religion,
God
guill:Attempt
6. Cover
to drown
feelings
0fguilt0r inadequacy
7. Dissatisfaction:
Desire
forpractical
acti0n
rather
thantheoretical-abstract
exoelENCES
8. Compelition:
tooutdo
Seek
others,
earnpoints
9. PR:Geta goodwrite-up,
pubticity.
Corporate-EthicaI
(Based
on phileo-numan
affection-love,
humane
treatment,
andgr0up
ethics.
hupolitical,
manistic,
andreligi0us)
1. Requirement:
Force,
coercion-physrcal
orpsychological
2. Mulual
survival:
Helpeachother
t0 maintain
existence
3. Habil:Environmental,
cultural
motivations-it's
popular,
others
aredoing
it
4. Polilical:
Topromote
thegoodofthestate
0rchurch
5. Respect:
Ranges
fromtolerance
to a recognition
oftheworthof others
principle:
6. Democratic
indiversity,
Unity
justice
cooperation,
responsibility,
caring,
asmotivations
7. Satisfaclion
of human
needs:
C0ncern
forlessfortunate,
philanthropy
l n di v i du a l - S e llfe s s
(Basedon agape-divine
principle-love,possibleonly as the individualresp0ndsto
grace
God's
andpower,
resulting
in conversion
andtransformation
of moralnarure.
reflecting
thenature,
motives,
andself-sacrificing
lifeof Christ.)
1. Freedom:
Release
fromdominion
ofselfish,
sinful
(notf reeasyetf romsinful
nature
habits,
inherited
andcultivated
tendencies),
freeto loveandserve
others
"good
2. Joy:Share
news,"
innerpeace,
andhappiness
3. Gratilude:
gracious
Share
gifts
God's
4. Responsibility:
useGod-given
talents,
time,andskills
forbenefit
of others
5. Human
worth:Regard
selfandothers
aschildren
ofGod,redeemed
ataninfinite
price
through
theblood
of Christ
6. lmpartial:
Serve
others
regardless
of race,
creed,
col0r,
status.
etc.
7. self-sacrilicing:
Loseselfin needs
of others-friend
or enemy-regardless
0f
persecution
approval,
ridicule,
abuse,
8. Glory
toGod:Desire
thewhole
world
toknow
whatGodislike:Heloves,
Hecares,
andgives
even
tothesacrifice
of Himself.
suchaninstrument,
oncefullydeveloped,
mightprovide
anappropriate
means
for
evaluating
thepeople
andthepr0grams
involved
projects
intheservice
bythefaculty,
curriculum
committee,
andservice-projects
commitee.
A Taxonomy
forchristian
(Edward
service
M.Norton,
doctoral
dissertation,
Anorews
pp26-24s).
,n'1r",11e85,
you, the hope of glory.")'
Such an education is also the source
of happiness and fulfillment for the stu"Unselfishness
dent.
underlies all true
development. Through unselfish service
r".e receive the highest culture of everv
faculty.":" Such unselfishcharacteristics
are best developed by doing. In applving
the principle to Christianeducation,Ellen
White presented twc'rinterrelated principles: (1) skill is gained in the work it"acquainselfr: and (2)
tance . . . ar,r'akenssvmpathv, anci svrnpathv is
the spring of effective
"rs
ministry. She believecJ
that bv personally,helping someonein nced stuclents woultl deve.lop
skills and .r caring attitude.
The "Eventful Period"
F,llen White felt that
youth vvas the time of
greatest social consciousncss and concern
about thc ne-e.cls
of othe'rs.Eclucatorsshonld not
neglect this "t'vcntfr-rl
pe'riod."]' Thcy shoulcl
utilizc the encrgv and
social conscionsness of
vouth.
"Even
in se.ekingir
prcparation for Clocl's
scrvice,manv are.turnecl
aside bv wr()ng methocis
of cducation," Ellen
White wrote. "l-ife is kro
gencrallv regardecl as
rnacleup of distinct periods, the perioclof learning and the perlod
of cloing-of pre.paration ancl of .rchievemL.nt."'0Education is not just preparation for life. It should inclucleboth learning and doing, str-rclvancl practice. The
same thought is brought out in "True
Education a Missionary Training."'l
OverflowinS4 with energy, e,t3,er t()
test their untriecl c;rpabilities,they ntust
iind sonteoutlet for their superabctuncling
Iife. Active they will be for good or ior evil.
tion. To spend a long tinte in study, with no
eifortto impartwhat isgained, often proves
a hindrance r;tther than a help to real
development.r)
Ellen White believed that young
people with varied talents from all cultures and walks of life were called to
prepare themselves, through Christian
education, to serve God and society.She
wrote: "Thev all need an education that
the'r'm.ri'hc fitted for usefulnessin this
Picture removed
accountants, skillful artisans, successful
tradesnten. It is his ambition to inspire
them with principles of truth, obedience,
h on or, i nteg,rity,and pu rity-pri nc ip Ies th at
w,ill make thent a positive force for the
stability and ttplifting of society. He clesirr.s
them, above all else,to lcarn life's ,qrt',tt
lessctnol'unselfisltserritt'.
F l l e n\ V h i t L ' . . t \ \. t - i t r * U l , l rI r r r F ( ) \ r '
forChristian ctlucatirrnantl .r n'orid vieu'
for its nrinistrr'. Throlrgh a consecrated
.rrrclt ducated people the
Clocl who has been maligne.d and misunderstood was once more tcr
be rer.'eale.c'l
as He really
Ellc.n White believed the youth of the
chr.rrchhacla right to this
kincl of eclucation.h-rfact,
shc rverntso far as to teach
"Thosc
that
r,r4ro re.ject
the privilege of felicrwship with Cl.rristin serv i c e , r c j c c t t l - r eo n l v
tr:rirring tl-rat ir-nparts ar
fitncss for participation
ra;ithHim in His glorv."'"
Uncler the clirection of
consecrated tcachcrs,
woulcl rcspond.
strrclents
Their lir.esarrclscrviceto
others woulcl reveal
Coci's loving character,
thereby helping completeChrist's mir.ristryoi
rcconciliation to tr krst
n'orlc1.
Summary
life, clualifietlfor placesof responsibility
in both privatc ancl pr.rbliclife." "
The Teacher's Role
Teacl.rers
shoulc] model the life of Christ
ancl choose subjectsancl e.xperir.nce.s
that
direct their stuclentstorvard the.goal of
service-structured edr.rcation.Tl-rev
"should
har.e tl'retrue missionarv spirit,
for the children are to be. trainecl to become missionaries."'t
The true teacheris ncx s,ttisfiec!
with
l o 5 u r r o u t ) dt h e n t v i t h s u t h i n r l u
.second-ratework. He is not satisfiedwith
ences.rs sh.tlllead thent to choose a life of
directing, his students kt ,t standarctlower
service, and to give them the tritining, than the hig,hestn,lticlt it is pctssiblefnr
needed. is our tirstdutl . . . .
thentto attitin.He c,tnnotbe content witl)
It is the use they make of knowledge
imparting to thent only tec:hnical knowlthat determines the value of their ecluca- edS|e, with ntaking, thent nterely,clever
S e . r v i c et o o t h e r s , a c corcling to clivir-rereveltrtion,is an integral part of Christian e.clucation.
Aclve.ntist ed uca tion shoultl be Clhrist-ccntere.cl,
Biblc-based,and service-structured.
Through the gift of His Son, Jesus
Christ, Cbtl made it possiblc for humanitv to be reconciled and set free. In that
freeclomwe can once again krve and serve.
others.
Christian eciucation has been designed kr aicl in this restoration; it is a,r
divine support system for the home and
the church. Adventist schoolsare to lead
children and youth to Christ arrd to train
them for sen'ice to others-the privilege
of freedom. This means broadening the
curriculum b include experiential eduContrtttrcLl
ottpott11
AD VENTIST EDt- CATIO\
9
al h4JPio4J
h'r,,'
survive.Theyarealsomorelikelyto use t h r e ey e a r s . I n | | t h a n d I 2 t h g r a d e ,s t u - make it a orioritv.
One a.spectneeds special attentionbirth control.-Reported by Amcricnn dents r'vould spend part of each r,r'eek
learning academic, technical, ancl occupational lessonsrelevant to their chosen
field. Thev would also spend part of
each week in on-the-job training. After
gracluation,thev would attend a community college for onc.vear, but spe.nd"the
In olden days, a voungster learrrecl bulk of their time at the work site develt r r m , r k e , r l i v i n g b y * e r v i n g . t n d P p r ( ' n - oping their skills in preparation for their
ticeship with a skilled craftsrnan. Apfinal certification examination."
prenticeshipsremain a common practice
The rcport flatlv rejcctsthc iclcathat
in Europc iodav, cvcn.for voullg people. an apprcnticcship prcgram n'oulcl limit
who attencl college'.
students' futures. "Sorne 50 percent of
"Iror
U.S. students aren't so luckv.
our y()Lng people. .are trackecl right
thc 50 percent of our voung peoprlen'ho
throtrgh
.school and tht'rr simplv
Ieave school vr'itha high school diploma
shtrntec'lout into thc r,r'orld of rvork
or le.ss,there are.fer,r'viable paths kr the
u,ithout the skills to sun'i'u'etl-rere."future," statesa new report on voc;rtional Itcportccl bv T/rc Atnr:rit'utrSt'ltttttlBttnrtl
"l'oorly
cducation.
cducate.d,unskilled, l o u r r n l , M a v 1 9 9 '.l
and unpreparerd for the iuture, these.
young people drift from onc low-rvagc
iob to the next."
Helping young pcoplc avoid this futurc and obtain thc training ne.ccssary
for
good-paying jobs is thc goal c'tfYoutlt
Apprc tt t i ceship, Atnt'r i cntt SLt1Ic: A SLra t t gt1
-ferry
In a reprlrt by
Anclerson on
fttr F,x 7tand i n t Sclunl nrttl Cnr cer O y por t u n i
tics, publishe.clby the Consortium on
SarnMarcos, California, communitv-serYouth Apprenticeship, Jobs for the Fu- vice pnrgrams th;rt stresseclvalues,eduturc, 4u ClroveSt.,Some.rville,MA 02-l44 cators reported that within three years
(Send $4 to receivea copy).
test scoreswere up 26 percent for eighth
To in-rprove-vocation.rl education,
graders and 29 percL-ntfor high-school
the study recclmmends a mix of aca- seniors.The dropout rate lvas 1.9percent
demic and occupation-relatedinstruction compared with the state average of 27.2
"at
a level of quality sufiicient b certify percent.-lleported bV Donalcl Itatcliff
the ability of individuals to perform en- and James A. Davis, ed., in Ilarttlbookof
try-level tasks in skilled occupations." Y L t u t hM i r t i s t r - r 7( I l e l i g i o u s E c l u c t r t i o n
Specifically, the study recommends a
P r e s s , 1 9 9 1p) ,. i 9 5 .
three-year apprenticeship program that
encompasses the final two years of high
schooland-to ensuretheeducationlevel
needed in today's technicalworkplaceC o n t u t u e df r o n r p o * c4
one year of community college.
to the Christian principle of selfless serThe proposed apprenticeship model
vice to and affirmation of others.
could begin as early as seventh grade,
"explore
when students would begin to
a A Different Schedule
wide range of occupations and careers, A different educationai philosophv re'shadowing,'
through site visits, work
quires a different daily ancl r,r'eeklv
job sampling, and employer visits to
schedule. Class time has to be adjusted to
schools. In tenth grade, students Iwouldl
inciude service-learnine activities.
begin to receive career counseling, interThough this is one of the most difficult
view employers, and seek apprenticetasks facine the administrator and cur"
chin nnoninoc
riculum committee, it can be accomplished if teachers and administrators
An actual apprenticeship would lasi
P 1 , 7 1 1 1 1 1 r n ; y 'M
r i casy, 1 9 9 I
Apprenticeships
forSuccess
Community
Seruice
and
Grades
GuestEditorial
44 OC T O B E R /N O V EM B ER I 99I
that of bringing togethe.rthe school, the
church, ancl ihe home to serve the needs
of the commur.rity. In ;rcldition to the
servicc.-1earningcxperience at school, theSabbath needs to be rediscoverc-d and
utilized in thc rnanne.r patternecl bv
C h r i s t , t r rt l o g r r o d t t r o t h e i s .
A Different fraining of Student Leaders
I'e.erpressure is a clvnamic influe.nceon
c.rn1pus.Young people krok up to stlrclent leaders ancl listen to their advice.
Tiris presents a cl.ralltnge. to the staff.
-l'hey
n.rustprovide training and guicl:tnce to hclp the'stucle-nt"stars" be.comc
modc.ls of conrpassionate conce.nr ancl
unse'lfishkrve to others, rathe.rthan sirnplv being celebrateclfor their captivating
personalities,athlctic skills, or acaclemic
achievemcnt.
A Different Student Recruitment Program
l'erhaps thr. reasorr why many schools
are struggling financially is that parrcnts
ancl church mernbe.rsfail to see a sienificant clifferencc bctn,een the Aclventist
scl-tooland public school. This woulcl
change ii the schrxrlchallengeclstudents
to live out their Christian commitment
through sen'ice to othcrs. Thc spiritual
atmosphereof the schoolarnclthe changes
in sttrdent attitudes wor"rlclinspirc pare.nts
;rncl young people to support ancl join
this dynan.ricChristian commr-rnity.Using this philosophy as the basisfor student
recruitment just night ensure the survival of Christian eclucation! .,'
Btstd ttrtEdiuortlM. Nttrtort,Implications
for Service-l-earningin the Curriculum,
Lloct orLtI d i ssr:r tot i Lttr, Ar rtl r ettts LIrt itter si t tl,
1985,1t7t240-254.
Ghristian
Seruice
Contirtuedfronr pagc9
cation. Practice adcls focus and purpose
to theory.
The critical "ingredient," of course,
is the teacher. Our teachers need the
training and the freedom to include service-learninp;in ihe educational program.
They need the encouragement and support of church members and administrators to accomplish this sacred task. As
one sophomore student wrote after sev-
eral years of service-learning:
It's so exciting to be involvecl in ,t
great work -sucha-s this and I hope ancl
pray that every school in the world can
takeon a prog,ranrsuchas Bible Labs.t-lt's
a b/esslngthat lingerswith you foret,er.lt
also helps you to be more prepared,happy,
and enthusiastic-yt'tungpeople to <'arryon
the nrost-sacreda nd -specLr/ lr,orkon e,trth.
It's like a fire, a fire that starls l,ery'-snr.l//,
but beconre.sbig,;:,erand big,g,eruntil everyone can seei t and rvitne-s
s it, and feel it.
Bible Labs ntay be the st,trtof th,tt fire. lt
ignitesour spiritsand nLtrturesit until it
bec.onrc-s;t roarinpylirc and it tannot lte
c'ontainecl.lt spre;tclsevery*,here leaving,
its path anclinfluence behincl for allto str.t,.
It's Lod's f ire.tndvtitlt Hishelp w,r',rrcHi-s
flantes." Tantntit' Krot,hle,r,
Wilson lun
ior Ac;tdenty,Wilson, Nlicltigan. .''
Dr. ELliL,nrLi
M. Nortotr,coorLlitntorittr tlris
issrrc,is,4.ssociriir:
i tt tt'ttLl
S tt:Ltt'r
ctrt of F"ducntiotr for Llr MichigntrCortfcrcttcc
of SDA,
l,nrrsirrr',
Mit:ltigntt.IIc hns luttl trutjorrt'
slrrrrsl&l/lflr'-s.[tr
BiltleLnbsitt tlrcWnsltitt,q
t ottntd M iclignrt cotrlt'rcrtt't's
, ttttLlIutsst'r''t'Ll
ort tltc Ct:rrcrnlCorticrcttt'cBllrlt' Tr'.r.-tlrook
A forrtrcrt,:oclrcr
-Sh'r'rirrs
Cttrtrtrrittt't.
nt nll
lct,L:ls
tlrrouqlttcrtinrq ln,
frortrclcttrctttnnl
c l s i t t t l r t ' L I t r i t t 'S
L tl n t t ' ns t r t lA r q t ' r r t i t t nD, r .
Nrrrlort'sLlttt'torulLlisscrtntiott
rlLnlt it,itlt
st'ri,ict'lnr.nrrtitrg.
His t'trtlttrsinstrr,
ycrsistt'ttct',Lrrttllnrtl u,ork lu'l|ttt'tl17x1ftg
f/ris lssrrr'
ott st'rpict'lt'nntittcrt rt'rtlitt1.
Pa.iti(
SharingPictures
of
fesus
C o tt t t t t tt tLl ff(ll
NOTESANDREFERENCES
L N 1 .N 1 i (h . r t , lI ) o l r t ' r t r . [ ) t ' n , t r n i <, \ 1 t 1 n o , thr r ' : l o
I t , a t h i n 1 lI l i g h 5 t h r x t l l i r , / r g r r r rt 5 t r t t ' n I r l r r r r l . N . \ ' . :
A l l r , rI l o u s r , ,l ( ) ( ) 1 ) l1) .. ( ) ( )
2 . I e r t s i n l h i sa r l i tl | c r t r l i l t ' ( l ( ) \ l \ / r r t ' t l r t '/ i o l r
l i i l r l t ' : N c r | I n t u n . t t i ( \ t ) l l / r , r s r r r .( o p V r g h t ( l ' ) ; t j
l r y l l r t , f ' l t ' r vY o r k l n l i ' r n , r l i o r r l f J i l r l t ' S r xi t ' l r ' .l l s c t l l r i
1 x ' r n r i s s r ronf Z o r r r k , r r ' , rI Jn i l r l eI ' L r l r l i s h e r s
L N i c h o l a s \ r y o l l ( , r 5 1 ( ) rFf fr,l t r , t l i n . t ,t ( ) t [ < t ' \ l ) t ) t ]
s i l t l t r' \ t t i o n { ( , r t n r l l l r l r i r l s ,N l i t l r . : L t , r t l n r , r nPsu l r .
( o . , I ( ) l J O l) ), . ( ) .
. 1 . l h e L l i l r l et t , r l r n . r r k t , rl l S V i s f r o n rt h t ' R t ' r ' r s e r i
S l r n c l r r uV
l o r s i o n [ J i l r l t ' t, o p y r i g l r t l ( ) . 1 ( ; I, ( ) 5 ] . I ( ) 7 I
by thr,[)ivision
r i i ( - h r i s t r r nf r l r i rr t r o n o l l h e N . r t i o n . r l
( o u n ci l o i ( l t u x h e so t ( l r r i s il n t h r ' l S r \ ,. r r r rlls r ' t < l
lry pt'rnrission.
5 . F r r n k L . ( , , r t , l x ' l e i n ,( l t t r s t i a nf c l u t a t i o n i n t
I)enrx r.ri v (Nt:w Y()rk:( )\lor(l Ll ni\ersitv l)fr'\\, 1c)i 11,
p. )7 \.
( r . T h < r n r . rIsL C , r o o n r t ' (, ' l t r i s t i a n R t ' l i g i o L tIsL l t t
( i r t i o , { S J n F a n < i s <o : H . r r p t ' r& R o n I ) u b . , I ( ) t J O rl,) .
87.
r r l u t , t l i o nl n A l i s - s r r n
7 . L e t t y M . R u s s e l l ,( - h r i s t l , r i E
(Philadelphia
W: e s t n r i n s rt el l r e s s l, c l ( ) ; t .l ) J ; .
B . D . f ] r u c c l o c k e r ] r i e ," l h e N l a r k o f . r C h r i s l i . r n
S c h o o l , "l o g a s ( M n r (h A p r i l 1 9 7 0 r ,p . 5 l .
c).Ellen (,. \,Vhite, Coun-sr'/-s
to P,trents.Tetr ht'rs,
J n . / - S l u . / e / r l(sM o u n t J i f r V i e r r ' , C a l i f . : P . t ( i t i ( P r e s s
P u b . A s s o c . , 1 ! ) 1 1 ) ,l ) . 5 2 2 . t S u b s e r l u e n t l v. r b b r e v r a t e da s C - P l S ) ; , F u r u l a n t e n t acl tsi C h r i s t i , tEnc l u r , t
l i o n (N a s h v il l e , T e nn . : S o ut h e r n P ul ) .A s s o (. , I 9 2 J t , p .
. 1 8 8 .( S u b s e q u e r r t layb b r e v i a t e d. r s F C E . )
I 0.
, C r : u n s e los n k l u < J f i o n( M o u n t ai n V i e w ,
C a I i f . :P a c i f i cP r e s sP u b l i s h i n gA, s s o c . ,I 9 6 t i l , p p . 2 2 1 ,
1 1 , 1 . l S u b s e q u e n t l va b b r e v i a t e cal s C E . t
afternoon's events. The children talk
freely about their day. Though most of
the activities have gone well, some have
experienced difficulties. The teachers
ackno\,'ledge and empathize with the
students. Thev ask the class for suggest i o n sa n d w a v s t o s o l v et h e p r o b l e m .
lbicl.,
l Dt c J . ,
F CI ,
tbid,
Ibicl.,
C PT5
l bi c l . .
l)rr{(' .l ;
vcars ()l m.rrriage. He asks to haVe his
namc rcm()\'eclfrom the chrrrch books.
The studentscarefullvchooseBible'r'erses
to r'r'nte on cartls tl"tcv hirve ntetcle.Trn'o
olciersturlentsclelivcrthc carcls.Hc takes
the c.rrdsarrclquicklv n'alks off, le;rvin*
the sturlentsn'onclerir-rg
if hc is offe.ntletl.
Later a fricntl tells us that he n'as fightirlg
back tears, ancl tluicklv n'ent into the
house rvhere he reacl;rnd rcrcad thc pilc
of carcis.
Thre-e eighth grade.rs trar,e.l to the.
Mavo Clinic in l{oche-ster,Minnesota,
lr'ith Sue, our substitute teacher. Her
brotl-rer,n'ho n'orks in Rtrssi.r,has askcd
that the'vvisit a I{r-rssian
tecnagerh'ith a
rare blood disease. Thev bring him a
small gift irnd a card and retlrrn $'ith a
gift box of candv from Russiaancla large
book on Russian art.
The clriverssav that the ride back to
school after Bible Labs sounds like a
b e e h i v e .T l r e c h i l t l r e ns l r a r ee r p c r i e n c e s
with the people they have visited.
We meet immediatelv upon returnins frorn Bihle Iahs ttr share the
Effects on Students' Lives
Do the stuclents think Bible Labs have
made a differencein their lives? We talk
about that once a quarter. Students sav
that Bible Labs have helped thc.m to be
less selfish. The program has helped
them to think of \^'aysto be of serviceon
their or,r'noutside of school. The students
also sav that Bible I-abs hclp them tcr
orgarrizeand plan thcir dailv lives. Thev
are less fearful in ner,r.siruanons.
I havc also observccl a growth in
socialskillsanclpersonalitvdevelopment.
"people"
Their
skills irnpu,e the longcr
thr'v are iuvol'u'eclr^,'ithBible Labs.
Our Bible Labs coorclirratormodels
tl-rclovc ancl jov oi servicc. She spends
m;rnv hotrrs of voluntt.e.r tirne on the
phone, tlriving the sturlentskr thcir clcstin.rtion, ancl participating in thc activities. She seesthc rcsults oi her planning
ancl the irnpact of a structnrecl sen'icc
program olr e\/crv()nLr
irrvolvecl. Shc too
sharesthe relvarclsof sen'ing.
Scheduling Activities
Not nverv school is able to obt;rin a coordin;rtor for the Bible l-ab prosram. Even
u,ithout a coorrlinator, manv activities
arc iairlv easv t() scheclulc. There are
allvavs cards to be macle. Mv students
have IiteraIIvmracle
hu nclrcclsof carcls for
thc sick, ciiscorrrageri,or mourning ancl
for praver pals.
Sct u1-ra sch('clule to visit a loc.rl
nnrsing home'using regular clrivers. Or
sporlsor an orphan, i-rsr,r'cdo. Once a
month ihe stuclentsbring a clollar they
have earned. This pro."'ides enough
money to pav tor \ra\f a sponsorship for
Milca, a little girl in an orphanage in
Central America.
Whatever serr.icc activities vou
choose, do thern r,rrithcommitment and
love. Help the students understand that
thev are spreading pictr.rres
of Jesusto the
communitv by their actions. Start small;
the Lord r,r'illbless your efforts and open
doors for vour students to serve. @
Littds Rosert
isPriuci1tolatttlTcnchcrttf grotles
5 8 nt Srrrrrrtlsida
SDA Schoolin Clcnr Lttkc,
Wisconsin.
ADVENTISl'
F ] D LC / \ T I O \
45