Service begins with understanding.
We are called not only to care about people, but to seek wisdom about the challenges they face. Being researched means taking time to learn about the root causes of issues such as poverty, hunger, education, health, and injustice before acting. We seek to understand communities with humility, recognizing that effective service is grounded in listening and learning rather than assumptions. Through research, we become better stewards of our gifts and more thoughtful neighbors, seeing people fully and responding to their true needs.
Guiding question: What can we learn so that we can serve with wisdom and compassion?
Service is about people, not projects.
Concordia’s mission is deeply relational. We meet people where they are, know their stories, and demonstrate love through authentic relationships. Being relational means moving beyond simply completing service hours to building meaningful connections with those we serve and with one another. We recognize the dignity and worth of every person as someone created in the image of God. Through relationships, we discover that service is not something we do for others, but something we do with others as members of one human family.
Guiding question: How can we build relationships that reflect love and affirm that everyone belongs?
Service transforms both the world and the servant.
Being reflective means considering what we have learned, how we have grown, and where we have encountered love through our service. Reflection helps us deepen our understanding of justice and compassion and discern how we are being called to continue serving. It reminds us that service is not only about changing circumstances but also about allowing our hearts to be shaped.
Guiding question: How is this experience transforming me and my understanding of others?
In partnership with the Community Center Shanghai the 8th grade MS team worked to organize, pack and deliver Christmas gift bags for a local Shanghai migrant school. 275 bags were delivered that included school supplies, sports supplies, a backpack, and a winter coat.
Students Engaged: 90
Dr. Peter Tong lead a team of students to Guangzhou to lead a weekend drone workshop for left behind children. Over 200 Guangzhou students applied to be part of this workshop.
Students Engaged: 6
As part of their ongoing economics unit 1st grade students and teachers organized the sale of lemonade to the campus community. Proceeds from the event were donated directly to Stepping Stones.
Students Engaged: 80
The annual Cabaret musical event sold tickets for the benefit of Shining Star during the spring semester of the ’25 school year.
Students Engaged: 50
Paws Heal partnered with Concordia GIN to bring a variety of comfort dogs on campus for an event prior to finals week.
Students Engaged: 100
Student entrepreneurs work with a local Shanghai company to help support the sale and distribution of tea grown in Yunnan.
Students Engaged: 15
For the first time in several years students in the HS Third Culture Coffee organization were able to visit Guiben Farm who produces the coffee processed and sold by the club.
Students Engaged: 25
This project is a combination of service learning/teaching, donations, and advocacy. A team of 6 students and 2 chaperones worked tirelessly throughout the year to prepare for a trip to Nepal that donated and provided training for new computer labs to an association of schools in Nepal. This marks the sixth school Envision Education has supported in the last 3 years.
Students Engaged: 6
Over the past years, Envision Education—a student-led initiative at Concordia—has truly made its mark. In recognition of their impact, the team was recently awarded the 2025 ACAMIS Service Learning Grant, receiving $1,200 to support their continued efforts.
As part of our service learning initiative, the Service of the Month program is already bursting with inspirational and impactful stories! Let’s focus the spotlight on the Giving Tree project, led by our very own Grade 8 students, who have stepped up to make a real difference.
Ever wondered what social entrepreneurship truly means? At Concordia, it’s more than a concept—it’s a real-world journey. From planting and picking coffee beans to roasting, marketing, packaging, and even creating cultural products, our students are diving into every step of the coffee story.
Partnering with Shining Star, a non-profit organization committed to supporting left-behind children in rural China, our student volunteers engaged with 20 elementary and middle school students at a local community center in Guangzhou.
With Concordia’s emphasis on community service, we’ve discovered that we can make a difference, even as a small group of high schoolers.