Liberty University volunteers work at close to 100 sites during annual service blitz

On Saturday, close to 1,300 Liberty University students, faculty, and staff covered the Lynchburg community and surrounding areas to serve at almost 100 different locations as part of Liberty’s annual Serve Lynchburg event.

Students congregated on the Academic Lawn in the morning to meet with their site leaders and to pray before being transported on buses to their service sites.

Work ranged from landscaping, cleaning, painting, and serving food among other service related activities. All participants were served box lunches at their sites.

“People have physical needs that need to be met before we bring them the Gospel, and this is just an example of giving students the opportunity to go out and do that,” sophomore public health student Claudia Kennedy said before leaving to serve at the No Hill Too High community center. “Liberty makes service fun, and they make it to where people want to do it.”

Sophomore biomedical sciences student Britney Deputy joined Campus Pastor Jonathan Falwell, LU Serve Executive Director Lew Weider, Provost and Chief Academic Officer Scott Hicks, and other students at the Jamerson Family YMCA to clean windows and indoor facilities.

“We are Champions for Christ, and Christ helped people any day that He had the opportunity and that’s what this is,” she said. “We are being champions like Him as we go out and help others.”

Students were also joined by Virginia Lieutenant Gov. Winsome Sears at the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Lynchburg, who assisted in landscaping around the club’s campus.

Senior international relations student Austin Gonzalez helped plant produce at Lynchburg Grows, a 7-acre, nonprofit, urban farm in the heart of Lynchburg.

“(Serve Lynchburg) shows that we want to give back to this city,” he said. “We want to do this in various forms and I think that this event is just one of them. The student body really enjoys serving this city and we want to see the growth of this area. I’ve seen how the Lord has worked in my heart through the atmosphere here and the people that are surrounding me. In the past I never would have served but here I am serving and I actually look forward to it.”

“Liberty University is blessed to be a part of the Lynchburg community, and Serve Lynchburg is an annual event to bless our neighbors,” said Weider. “I love the heart and passion of our students to serve. They care deeply about the needs of people and engaging with different organizations in our community. Liberty students’ work and service ethic are amazing. I am so proud of the thousands of hours they donate during Serve Lynchburg to make a positive impact in the Lynchburg area.”

From 5-10 p.m. Saturday, participants gathered outside the LaHaye Student Union to celebrate the day of service at the Student Activities After Party.