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An LU Serve Now team of Liberty students is heading to the mountains of North Carolina this weekend to “be the hands and feet of Jesus” to those residents still displaced and hurting as a result of Hurricane Helene.
Soon after Hurricane Helene hit the southeastern region of the U.S. last September, Liberty University’s LU Serve Now program had already begun preparing to send disaster relief teams to flood-ravaged areas from Florida to North Carolina.
He explained that not only was the school pledging to match up to $1 million in individual donations, but students, embodying the school’s mission of “Training Champions for Christ,” would travel to the region to help restore hurting communities and bear the burdens of those residing there.
“We want students to understand that the best way to live is to be the hands and feet of Jesus to those who need help,” Costin explained. “If people don’t know who you are or where you are, they won’t come to you, but what we get to do is come directly to them.”
That work has not abated in the months since. Now, as LU heads into spring break, two LU Serve Now leaders will be guiding a team of 10 students serving in Boone, North Carolina, during a two-day trip from March 9-10.
According to Chad Nelson, the senior director of LU Serve Now, students will be “assisting Samaritan’s Purse with various rebuild efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, as well as helping affected homeowners to rebuild and rehabilitate their homes. Work that the outreach group will be performing will include tasks such as framing, roofing, siding, installing flooring, putting up sheetrock, and building wheelchair ramps, along with other tasks to help the local community rebuild.”
This outreach trip follows two others that LU Serve Now performed over winter break, during which one team partnered with the non-profit Operation Blessing to assist with hurricane cleanup in the Arts District in Asheville, North Carolina, while a second team served in Tampa, Florida, removing debris and mud.
All of this is in addition to LU Serve’s ongoing efforts to help other communities during the spring semester. In late February, the program hosted a “Meal Packing for Haiti” on February 28, with 1400 students volunteering to pack 272,000 meals for children and families in need on the impoverished Caribbean island.
And from April 30-May 7, “Pass it On: Practice Generosity” will be holding a collection drive to give residential and commuter LU students an opportunity to donate clothing, shoes, and small household items to One Community, One Voice, and Agape Center Lynchburg, which will then distribute those items to individuals and families throughout the local community.
These charitable actions are examples of the Church caring for the needs of those around us. In our current age, American Christians have, unfortunately, allowed the government to fill the role of the Church, as citizens have become reliant on the idea of a “nanny state” in which the government acts as their parent and provides for their every need.
This is in direct contrast to the Biblical framework of government outlined in Romans 13. As the Apostle Paul wrote, God pre-ordains government to praise good and restrain evil by maintaining a governing framework in which the God-given rights of individuals are secured. While the government protects and supports a healthy society, it is against God’s design to expect the government to do the personal work of ministering to and maintaining the human needs of that community. Instead, we, the citizens, must fulfill our role of caring for our communities, just as a gardener waters his or her own plants and grows them.
This is where the Church comes in. Rather than relying on the government to address societal challenges such as poverty, churches ought to work together and collaborate with other faith-based organizations to improve the well-being of communities around them through social and economic development programs.
One prominent example of this comes in the form of Christian “Health Share” ministries, which are not forms of health insurance but organizations that empower Christians to share each other’s healthcare costs.
One sharing program, offered as part of a monthly cost plan through Samaritan Ministries, allows cost sharing for any medical expenses over $750, including health concerns related to maternity, injuries, acute illnesses, or accidents. Programs like this allow Christians to build their own infrastructure to support the overall health and well-being of the community around them, including themselves, without becoming reliant on the government.
Liberty also has its own way of empowering the Church to fulfill its Biblical role of working hand in glove to address the community’s greatest needs, raising the quality of life for hundreds of thousands in the process.
During its annual “Serve Lynchburg,” scheduled to be held this year on April 26, the University invites students, faculty, and staff to join with dozens of community partners at nearly 100 service sites across the Lynchburg area and put their Christian faith into action in a meaningful way. Service projects performed during this event include highway cleanup, brush removal, gardening and landscaping, construction, and other acts of kindness.
Through this effort, the Church exemplifies the Gospel both in terms of evangelism and discipleship and in broader community help and support. As 1 John 3:18, ESV, commands us, “let us love not in word or talk, but in deed and in truth.”
Liberty’s unique set of Christian service and missional outreach offerings brings to mind the Church’s unique role: being Christ to the world. Unlike other schools, which too often engage in progressive indoctrination and activism, Liberty empowers its students to go out and make a difference in the world by helping the Church to fulfill its Biblical role in relation to the community, rather than abdicating that responsibility to the government.
Relying on government to take care of others reduces us to being the “wicked and lazy servant” described in Matthew 25:26, who was disobedient because he did not apply the gifts God gave for him to use. In the same way, we as Christians must not shrink back or let other institutions do the work for us. Instead, we must courageously advance the Gospel wherever we go, including acting as an empowered Church that aims to minister to needs of the society around us, both physical and spiritual.
For more information on LU Service events and opportunities, click here.
Liberty students traveled to Boone, North Carolina, to assist in cleanup following the devastating flooding from Hurricane Helene on October 16, 2024. (Photos by Chase Reed)
Liberty University has been training students to serve as “Champions for Christ” in their respective professions across the industry spectrum for over 50 years. With over 350 residential academic concentrations, 20 NCAA Division 1 athletic programs, opportunities to serve domestically and abroad, and an unapologetic Christian worldview, your experience at Liberty University will provide an education that roots you in truth and allows you to learn, grow, and impact the culture for Christ. Apply now!
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