Ashley Watts

Serve to Grow: A Student Spiritual Development Program

Spiritual development by most definitions is an ongoing, lifelong process. In order to create an

effective program for residential life, we must ask to what end we are hoping to achieve this

growth. To answer this question, I first looked to our University’s mission statement: To educate

students for Christian service and leadership throughout the world (Abilene Christian University,

2011). With that in mind, I feel that a program centered on servant leadership would be most

appropriate to implement in the Residence Life setting.

Jesus’ teaching was clear. Those who desire to be leaders must first humble themselves

and serve. Mark 9: 33-37 is a great example. He had heard the disciples arguing and asked them

why. In verse 34 it says “But they kept silent, for on the road they had disputed among

themselves who would be the greatest. And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, ‘If

anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.’ Then He took a little child and

set him in the midst of them. And when He had taken him in His arms, He said to them,

‘Whoever receives one of these little children in My name receives Me; and whoever receives

Me, receives not Me but Him who sent Me’” (New King James Version). Again in Mark 10: 43-

44 he says, “Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you

shall be your servant. And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all” (New King

James Version).

Coordinated by the Hall Directors and Resident Assistants, this program, called Serve to

Grow, will challenge students to face the world outside of the four walls of the dormitory room

and encounter God through service to those less fortunate than themselves. Our hope in doing

this is to challenge their assumptions about the world in which they live, ask the hard questions,

and seek truth. Serving in groups will foster community; through discussion within that

community, introspection; and through introspection, growth. This echoes the premise of

solitude, community and ministry which is prevalent in several pieces literature on spiritual

growth and disciplines (Barton, 2006; Bonhoeffer, 1954; Nouwen, 1981).

All development theories point to young adulthood as a critical stage in the lives of all

persons. For traditionally aged students, this is college. Fowler titles the young adult stage of

faith the “individuative-reflective” stage, which is telling of the fact that during it “the individual

assumes responsibility for his or her own commitments, lifestyle, beliefs, and attitudes”

(Chickering, Dalton and Stamm, 2006, pp. 55-56). Fundamental in this stage is the fact that

“[w]hat were previously tacit and unexamined convictions and beliefs must now become matters

of more explicit commitment and accountability” (Fowler, 2000, p. 49). Our hope for this

program is that it leads students to reflect and examine his or her beliefs.

Along with the Director of Residential Life, residential life staff, and campus ministries

we have identify four areas of spiritual growth that we feel can be impacted through service and

build around them four community service projects. Matthew 25: 34-40 tells us that if we feed

the hungry, clothe the needy, welcome the stranger or visit the sick and imprisoned that we serve

God. Bearing that in mind, each service projects will center on one of those areas. Two projects

will be completed per semester. Hall Directors, along with their Resident Assistants (RAs) are

responsible for choosing the project date within a certain period and coordinating with the

participating outside organization.

The Hall Director will be present on-site to supervise, as well as participate with the RAs

and residents. Along with the service projects will be follow up programming to be completed

immediately at the site and over the course of the week following to be completed at the dorms.

Follow up will include an on-site group discussion led by the Resident Assistants (RAs). Probing

questions will be asked in order to get the residents to think about specific aspects of spirituality

related to the service. The group will then come up with a group action plan to implement what

was learned in their everyday life and in addition, an individual reflection for each student to be

completed within a week of the service project. Students will then be given the opportunity to set

up peer counseling sessions with their RAs or with campus ministries staff for further growth

and reflection.

The first Server to Grow project will be serving meals at a group shelter for youth. We

felt it was important for students to be exposed to children and teens who were close to their own

age. The spiritual lesson for this project will surround how we feed ourselves physically and

spiritually and the relationship that we have with food as it relates to God. The reflection activity

will deal with how many of us use food to suppress our emotions and how food can serve as a

barrier. The idea of fasting will be introduced and students will be challenged to fast and pray for

a period of seven days. Resources at the Health and Wellness Center will be made available to

students seeking further information about proper diet, nutrition and how to have a healthy

relationship with food. Counseling will also be made available. After the seven day period, the

residents will meet with their RA and fellow students to discuss the results. This activity will

serve as the foundation for the rest of the program.

For the next project, halls can choose between collecting and distributing winter coats for

a homeless shelter or helping to build a Habitat for Humanity home. With either project, the

spiritual development activity will be about trusting God as our covering, our protector and our

provider. To further challenge students, we will talk about the ability to be naked and unashamed

before God because He gives all of those things to us; we are safe to be ourselves and completely

vulnerable with Him because he already know everything about us. As a group, the students will

discuss areas that they need to trust God with more. Again, students will be asked to fast and

pray for seven days and come back together to talk about what changes have occurred in their

lives through the fasting.

Our first semester spring project will be to reach out to sick by visiting children in

hospitals around the metro area. Students will read, sing, perform skits and just spend time with

the children. This activity’s focus will be God our healer. Instead of having the students focus on

themselves in the reflection, they will be discussing areas of the world that need healing. In their

time of fasting and prayer, they will be asked to first seek God about for what or whom they

should pray and then to fast and pray for them for seven days. God may lay the same cause on

their hearts for the entire period or it may change from day to day. Regardless, we will all be

praying for a hurt and dying world. As a group, the students will discuss the different causes lain

on their hearts during that week.

Finally, the last project of the year will be an outreach at a nearby juvenile detention

facility. Here residents will learn about Jesus, our savior and deliverer. Students will be paired

one on one with a juvenile and spend a few hours with him or her getting to know them and their

story and showing Christ’s love to them. Jesus came to set the captives free. His last dying act

was to pardon a thief. In their quiet time residents will be challenged to fast and pray about

unrepented sin in their lives for seven days. When they come together after that week, it is our

hope that some of them have experienced a new freedom and are unburdened about some things

in their life.

Woven throughout the Serve to Grow program is the idea of solitude, community and

ministry, always starting with ministry, which trickles down and touches the other areas. Though

our ministry activities focus on group acts of community service it does not only include

organized activities. Our hope is that these outings will inspire random acts of kindness and a

build a sense of community among residents that will extend into times of corporate worship,

church attendance, praying with others and group Bible study. Silence and solitude are part of

the reflections done with every event, but it is also everything we do alone to develop our

spirituality, including silence, prayer, reading scripture, and worship.

In order to prepare our Resident Assistants to lead such a program, the Hall Directors will

be doing a shorter intensive version of this program with the RAs during the summer months.

RAs will be exposed to the curriculum and participate in similar projects. Having answered the

questions themselves, they will be able to better guide residents through the process. Throughout

the year, RAs will have the continued support of their Hall Directors in executing these projects.

Furthermore, with each lesson, the Health and Wellness Center, as well as University Ministries

will be made available to students seeking further support or guidance. RAs are also equipped

with the tools to be able to know when it is appropriate to refer a resident to one of those offices.

Serve to Grow will replace our current resident community outreach program; however,

group meetings will not take the place of hall socials and other fun, relaxing activities. It is our

hope that these programs strengthen students spiritually and show them how rewarding service

can be. To this affect, students will be taking the Faith Maturity Scale test at the beginning and

end of the year. In addition, students will be given a general survey on their experience with

Serve to Grow.

References

Abilene Christian University. Mission Statement. Retrieved March 1, 2011 from

http://www.acu.edu/aboutacu/mission.html.

Barton, R. H. (2006). Sacred Rhythms: Arranging Our Lives for Spiritual Transformation.

Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press.

Bonhoeffer, D. (1954). Life Together: The Classic Exploration of Faith in Community. San

Francisco: Harper.

Chickering, A.W., Dalton, J.C., and Stamm, L. (2006). Encouraging Authenticity & Spirituality

in Higher Education. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Fowler, J. W. (2000). Becoming Adult, Becoming Christian: Adult Development and Christian

Faith. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Nouwen, H. J. (1981). The Way of the Heart: Connecting With God Through Prayer, Wisdom,

and Silence. New York: Ballantine.