Task Objectives
Task Objectives are the physical activities of the Center, which are many. We serve our community, both on and off campus, providing service projects ranging from one time ½ day events to weekley service that can last the entire year. All of the projects are student lead and organized, creating a wealth of opportunity for the development of servant leadership skills, as well as servant skills.
Examples of our task objectives include service projects, leadership seminars, and our role as an educational and congregational resource center.
Service Projects
Service to others is key in our discernment of us, our chosen career and our overall life purpose. As members of an academic community, we reach out in service to apply what we learn on campus to our environment. Be it in the classroom, with our friends, or any part of our student life, what we learning must be applied to our community. The Center works with individual students, student groups, faculty and staff in making the service events meet educational and institutional goals. We offer a place for students to come and explore what gifts they have received and how to return the gifts to their community.
The Center currently works with numerous projects that include:
- Southern Animal Rescue Association
- Texas Ramp Project
- Habitat for Humanity
- MICAH Project
- Seguin Youth Services
Leadership Seminars
The Leadership Seminars offered through the Center teach core leadership skills that can be applied in the classroom, with friends or in a job. These core skills include servant leadership, personal mission, integrity and honesty, ethics, communications, group dynamics and goal setting. When it comes to leadership, the responsibilities are different for every individual to learn the skills that they need to develop. We can grow to understand each others differences as servant leaders while discerning what God is calling us to lead.
These same leadership skills are then greatly impacted by our own personal style of leadership. We hold strong to the ideal that all we are all leaders and that we have responsibilities to serve and make those around us successful through our leadership. This is a far different calling from the traditional leader, but rather an opportunity to engage your community as a servant with leadership skills.
Resource Center
The Center maintains a network of community and educational resources to support faculty, students and congregations in implementing service learning strategies.
Faculty can coordinate with the Center to develop course work that includes elements of community service, community exploration and global perspectives on issues being studied in their courses. Furthermore, faculty can utilize the Center to support their learning objectives and curricular initiatives.
Students can utilize the network of community opportunities to apply, explore and expand on their classroom learning. These community resources provide invaluable context and contrast and experience to their coursework.
There are two student groups that work directly with the Center.
- Students Making A Difference (S.M.A.D.)
This group of students who serve the TLU community by organizing, planning and implementing service projects on behalf of the Center for both on and off campus events. These opportunities help them to better understand and apply their classroom learning, as well as to develop networking opportunities in the community.
- Presidential Award for Leadership and Service (P.A.L.S.)
The students that receive the PALS award have shown excellent achievements in the areas of Leadership and Service in their high school career and are committed to continuing that while at TLU. These students provide the infrastructure to the Center’s daily operations, as well as plan the events around TLU SERVES week in April.
Congregations utilize the Center and the staff as resources for implementing service learning into their congregational mission and goals. Identifying the gifts of the servants within a congregation can greatly empower the congregation both individually, as well as a servant force in their community of faith. Through staff, family and congregational retreats, workshops and meetings, the Center can support and develop stronger programming to meet the needs of the congregations in servant leadership.
