Chaplaincy program offers service opportunity to feed the hungry

Every week, students in Liberty University’s new Center for Chaplaincy serve at the Lighthouse Community Center in downtown Lynchburg, feeding the hungry, washing dishes, and ministering to those in need.

Students take turns visiting the center, which operates a soup kitchen every day from noon-2 p.m. that feeds up to 70 people. Before eating lunch, guests at the center can attend a Bible study, which Liberty’s students often lead. The center also operates a clothing closet, a children’s ministry, and offers a food bank twice a month.

Caleb Walker, a student chaplain who serves twice a week at the center, said that this opportunity is teaching him how to build relationships with people.

“This is preparing me for my future career as a chaplain, because I am learning the ministry of presence,” he said. “There is a lot of administration work involved with being a chaplain, but it is mostly about ministering and getting to know people. It is good to get into the practice of closing my laptop and learning to serve the community.”

Martha Brown, director of the center, said that having Liberty chaplains volunteer has been an “extraordinary blessing.”

“We have students who have a real desire to be the hands and feet of Christ,” she said.  “They come in, and they are not afraid to sit with a stranger, share a meal, and open up fellowship with them.”

Liberty University is the largest educator of chaplains for the United States military.

While Liberty has offered a chaplain program for years, the Center for Chaplaincy, opened last fall under the School of Divinity, is reinvigorating the program. In addition, the university launched a new 93-hour Master of Divinity (M.Div.) in Chaplaincy with concentrations in military, health care, and community chaplaincy.

During their first year, residential and online students are required to shadow a chaplain in their local community. In their final year, they are required to participate in a chaplain internship. These opportunities allow students to both interact with a personal mentor and gain crucial real-world experience. Locally, students serve in jails, rescue missions, hospitals, sports teams, and various other workplaces.

• Read more about the Center for Chaplaincy in the Liberty Journal.