Serving Our City

Serving Our City: Why Community Is at the Heart of Big House Christian Academy

By Mrs. Natasha Brady, Head of School

If you’ve been around BHCA for more than five minutes, you’ve probably noticed something:

We… like… DO things.

We serve. We show up. We cook for people. We grill hot dogs in parks. We pack meals. We worship with strangers. We ring bells. We feed families who have nowhere else to go. We bring an army of kids to help with pretty much anything happening in Casa Grande.

We’re that school.

But here’s the thing:

We don’t do community service because it looks good on a flyer.
We do it because it’s part of who we are.

Let me tell you why.

1. Jesus didn’t sit still — and neither do we.

When you read the Gospels, Jesus is constantly going places:

• serving

• feeding

• healing

• teaching

• meeting needs
  
  

We want our students to live their faith the same way — not tucked away in a bubble, but out in the real world, loving real people with real needs.

BHCA kids don’t just hear sermons about being the hands and feet of Jesus.

They are the hands and feet of Jesus.

And yes — sometimes that means passing out burgers at O’Neill Park with mustard stains on their shirts. Amen.

2. Our students LEARN when they serve.

There are lessons you just can’t teach in a classroom:

• empathy

• compassion

• humility

• gratitude

• teamwork

• responsibility

• seeing people the way God sees them
  
  

These lessons hit harder when you’re handing a meal to someone who hasn’t eaten since yesterday…
…or packing a Christmas box for a child you’ll never meet…
…or praying for someone in the community who breaks down in tears in front of you.

You can’t put that on a worksheet.
But it changes lives — theirs and ours.

3. Community service keeps our kids grounded.

Let’s be honest. Kids today live in a world of:

• social media

• comparison

• convenience

• “my life is so hard because my phone charger doesn’t reach my bed” (truth: I HATE WHEN THAT HAPPENS)
  
  

Serving snaps them (and ME) right out of that mindset.

When they see real needs…
real people…
real struggles…

…it shifts their perspective.

Suddenly:

• complaining goes down

• gratitude goes up

• humility grows

• compassion deepens

• responsibility strengthens
  
  

And you’d be amazed what a 13-year-old can do when they feel needed.

4. It’s part of our mission to serve Casa Grande.

BHCA is not just in Casa Grande.
BHCA is for Casa Grande.

That means:

• stepping in when families are hungry

• helping local organizations

• supporting our churches

• loving our neighbors

• being a light wherever we go
  
  

When A Table for All needed someone to serve dinner for over 200 people with almost no time to prepare?

We didn’t hesitate.
We showed up.
We cooked.
We served.
We prayed.
We loved.
We fed.

And our students were right there, serving joyfully.

That’s what makes BHCA… BHCA.

5. We want service to become part of who students ARE — not just something they DO.

Our goal isn’t to graduate kids who rack up community service hours like achievement points.

Our goal is to raise young men and women who:

• notice needs

• step in

• take initiative

• give without being asked

• live generously

• love boldly

• serve naturally
  
  

We want them to leave BHCA thinking:

“If someone needs help, I help.”

Not because it’s required.
But because it’s who they’ve become.

6. Serving together builds family.

There’s something special about sweating side-by-side while flipping burgers, packing meals, carrying boxes, or setting up chairs.

Students bond.
Families connect.
Staff and kids laugh together.
People feel part of something bigger.

It’s one of my favorite things about our school.

BHCA doesn’t feel like a school.
It feels like a family on mission.

A slightly crazy, very busy, mustard-stained, Jesus-loving family.

In Conclusion: Serving Isn’t a Program. It’s a Lifestyle.

At BHCA, community service isn’t “extra.”
It’s not a bonus.
It’s not an obligation.

It’s our heartbeat.

We serve because Jesus served.
We give because He gave.
We love because He loved first.

And our students?
They’re living it.
Boldly.
Joyfully.
Beautifully.

BHCA isn’t just teaching academics.
We’re raising disciples.

🐝💛