“Serv-X-Treme” Experience

Thecla Shubert, of Holy Theophany in Colorado Springs, recently served as a “diocesan representative” for this national youth training event of IOCC. The following is her reflection on the experience:

Christ has called us all to service. As Christ says, “For I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took me in.” (Mat. 25:35) In this modern time it is easier than ever to serve. Not only do cities have soup kitchens and food pantries, school organize donations drive and fundraisers, but with a simple click of a button you can send money to help people on the other side of the world. It’s wonderful that as a society we have united in this dedication to serve, but as Christians, we are called to take this a step further. We are called to be Christlike in our service. I recently had the opportunity to attend the International Orthodox Christian Charities’ (IOCC) “Serv-x-treme” youth leadership and service conference. There, twenty six youth attended from across the nation, and spent the week serving at local organizations in the twin cities, and discussing what it means to serve in a Christlike manner. We talked about the three tiers of Christlike service; building personal faith, knowing those you serve, and putting God at the head of all your service.

To effectively serve in a Christlike manner, one must first look inward. Often this starts with the question, “Why am I serving?” Is it to improve my college applications or resume? Is it to make myself look or feel better? Is it to gain recognition from my community? It is easy to unknowingly fall into this way of thinking, but vital that we build our faith as a defense against this “self service.” Not only must we remember our purpose is to serve Christ “inasmuch as you did it unto one least of these My brethren you did it to Me,” (Mat. 25:40) but this means we must also push ourselves to serve not in the way we want, but the way that is needed. Sometimes this means taking the less glorifying job, the one that is dirty or hard. At the IOCC conference we spent the day at the local Boy’s and Girl’s Club, where we found our group split into two. Half spent the day helping children with homework and projects, and half spent the day cleaning the kitchen and cafeteria. Both groups had vastly different experiences. One got to see the direct impact of their work on the children they served. While it is not bad to serve in a way that allows us to see this impact, It’s often tempting to seek the gratification of seeing this. It is important that we remember that when we serve we are there to do what is need, not what we decide we want to do. It is important to remember that any service we do with a humble and kind heart is unto the glory of God, regardless of how glamorous it may be.

Just as important as it is to be introspective in service, it is also necessary to connect to those we serve; to see the image of Christ in all those who we serve regardless of where they are at in their lives. When we serve, we should never put ourselves above those who we serve. We should instead treat them as equals with equal dignity, and deserving of equal respect. This means looking them in the eye, asking about their day, and listening to their needs. While in Minneapolis, we had the opportunity to prepare and serve a meal at a local homeless shelter. After they were served, we went to mingle with everyone at the shelter. In this way we got to get to know those we served. We heard stories of cross country road trips, adventures volunteering at hospitals, and growing up in Chicago. In exchange, we shared our own stories. Building this type of relationship with the people we serve has many advantages. It levels the field, making it impossible for us to hold ourselves in a higher position of benefactor, rather revealing the commonalities we share with the people we serve. It allows us to find out what the people we serve really need, beyond the basics an organization may provide. It allows us to truly fulfill the commandment to “love your neighbor as yourself.” (Mark 12:31)

Finally, God must be at the helm of all our service. I have eluded to this already, in that we must serve unto the glory of God rather than our own glory, and that we must strive to see Christ in all those who we serve, but it bears repeating. When we serve we should remember Christ who washed the feet of his disciples; who served selflessly and with humility. Christ says, “If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.” (John 12:14) We strive to emulate this. We strive to bring the light of Christ into the world. In such, our service must be as much unto God as it is unto the people around us. To achieve this we need to go beyond the easy and instant service mentality, and free ourselves from the ideals of “self service.” We need to strive to bring Christlike service into our lives, our communities, and our parishes. When we serve in a Christlike manner, we better serve God and those around us.

Thank you to IOCC, the Diocese of the West, and the staff and volunteers of the Serv-X-Treme conference for helping teach myself and the 25 others who attended the importance of serving in a Christlike manner, and for encouraging us to bring this type of service back to our own parishes.