Christian Ministry Service

“If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another’s feet. I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do.”

John 13: 14-15

All BCHS students are required to serve and report 20 hours of service each academic school year. These hours are to be reported using Naviance, and within the family connection page the x2vol reporting link.

Philosophy

The Christian Ministry Program at BCHS exists because we are called to service by the explicit words and actions of Jesus. This call is lived out in an awareness of, sensitivity to, and a motivational response toward the needs of the less fortunate, the community, and the church.

A caring response toward those who are hurting, exploited and suffering as well as responding to the needs of the community, is essential to a deepening relationship with Jesus. Therefore, developing social conscience, and a motivation to serve others is a primary consideration of adolescent religious formation.

BCHS is a faith filled community, a place where each student is encouraged, for the present and the future, to develop an understanding of the needs of the community and to recognize his or her role in building the Body of Christ. The Christian Ministry Program will help nurture a student’s discernment of this role, and enhance respect for all life.

Service must be on a volunteer basis (no payment for services).
Service must be in addition to, above, and beyond, normal curricular requirements or responsibilities.

Christian Service Requirement

0.25 Academic credits is awarded each academic school year for completing and reporting 20 hours of service. Christian Service hours completed during the summer are reported upon returning to school, and will count towards the upcoming year’s requirement. Students will earn 1.0 credit after completing their Christian Service Ministry hours which are performed throughout their High School career. These hours are a requirement of graduation at Bourgade Catholic School.

At the completion of each academic year, a grade will be earned. The grade will be pass/fail based on meeting and reporting the 20 hours of verifiable service throughout the year using the campus reporting system in place. Students who do not meet the service hour requirement earn a failing grade and will be placed on an Academic Christian Service Contract thus becoming ineligible for sports and extra-curricular activities until the hours are completed, verified and reported to the Assistant Principal of Academics.

Support

Students who serve on campus in addition to, above and beyond, normal curricular requirements or responsibilities can earn one hour of credit for each hour of service to the Bourgade Catholic school community. This would include student aides, tech support and other students who are serving the community outside of class time. These hours are reported 1:1 and will require the BCHS supervisor’s email to be entered as the supervisor.
Students will have opportunities in their Theology classes to consider the role of service in living out their faith, as well as time to record their hours of service using the school’s reporting system. These hours are reported 1:1 and will require the BCHS supervisor’s email to be entered as the supervisor.
Campus Ministry offers opportunities for service, including mission trips which count towards each year’s 20 hour service requirement. They will also communicate additional opportunities to serve as they arise each year with the school community. These hours are reported 1:1 and will require the BCHS supervisor’s email to be entered as the supervisor.
Service hours beyond the campus are reported 1:1 hours served and require the email to be entered of the supervisor for the site where service was provided.

During the 2017/2018 school year students who have not met their Christian Service Ministry hours upon their return to school, will be given one opportunity to reconcile their Christian Service hours to the required hours stated below:

Required hours: 20 hours for current sophomores, 40 hours for current juniors, and 60 hours for current seniors
Theology teachers have a copy of the official record, if a student needs to know their recorded hours for reconciliation hours reporting.
Following this one time opportunity to report and reconcile hours:

Students who remain below the required hours will receive a Christian service letter of understanding which outlines the hours needed to avoid becoming ineligible for sports and extracurricular activities.
Students who remain out of compliance on October 11, 2017 will become ineligible for sports and extra-curricular activities until these hours are completed, verified and reported to the Assistant Principal of Academics.

Beginning with the 2018/2019 school year: All returning students must have reported 20 hours of Christian service the previous academic year to begin the school year eligible for sports and extra-curricular activities. Students who ended the previous school year in a failing status, will be placed on an Academic Christian Service Contract becoming ineligible for sports and extra-curricular activities until the hours are completed, verified and reported to the Assistant Principal of Academics.