Community service

Christian service[edit]
Christianity, the foundation of thousands of service organizations, holds many strong beliefs about community service. Christians view serving in one’s church and community as a way of showing God’s unconditional love. According to the Christian Bible, 1 Peter 4:10–11 (NIV) says:
"Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen."
These verses are the basis for Christian belief in outreach using one's abilities, which they believe are given by God. According to Freddy Cardoza,^{[citation needed]} a teacher at biblical Biola University, Christians are called to serve people because all people are made in God’s image. Christianity teaches that Jesus was a perfect example of serving during his time on earth and that Jesus Christ healed the sick, fed thousands of people, and died for all mankind. Many Christians see the importance of community service to show God’s love and to further spread the Gospel.
In addition, Christian beliefs state that they hold dual-citizenship, both in the kingdom of Heaven and the kingdom of earth.^{[citation needed]} They believe that they have a responsibility to live life to the full while on earth, reaching out to others and meeting their needs, but also live in such a way as to prepare for eternity spent in Heaven. This means that they should be invested in both kingdoms, and everything they do should incorporate this line of thinking. 2 Corinthians 9:12-13 (NIV translation of the Bible) says:
"This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, others will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else."
These verses illustrate the act of meeting the needs of the community, while also acting with the Kingdom of Heaven in mind by encouraging spiritual growth in those individuals. Because Christians believe that all people are created in God's image, they believe that this means that they are a mortal representative of God to everyone they come in contact with. This adds meaning to everything that they do and say in the service of others. If they do not do their best to minister to both the physical and spiritual needs of others, they are not being good representatives of God's love.^{[citation needed]}