Connecting through worship

Gospel Community Church Praise Band and Gavin Davis visit Waldon Pond Apartments clubhouse

An off-campus apartment can be a lonely place sometimes, but Liberty University’s Commuter Services, which is committed to the inclusion and bonding of commuter students with one another through planned events, works to find ways to bring students together with connect groups and Bible studies.

According to Commuter Programmer Steven Mosley, Commuter Services holds many events throughout the year for off-campus students. They recently hosted a night of worship March 21 at Walden Pond Apartments that included special music, free pizza and drinks, and a raffle for prizes.

The event began at 7 p.m. with music from the Gospel Community Church Praise Band as well as Gavin Davis, a singer from Thomas Road Baptist Church. The band performed approximately 10 songs throughout the course of the night.

The Gospel Community Church Praise Band said that they were very grateful for the opportunity to perform for other Christians.

“We enjoyed performing because an event like this allows students to refocus on their purpose, to be lights for Christ,” Davis said. “Being a part of that is a privilege.”

According to Davis, the band mostly performs sporadically in the community wherever they are needed.

“Hosting this event is important for off-campus students because it allows them to connect to one another, God and the community,” Mosley said.

Because off-campus students normally do not come in contact with as many students as those who live on campus would, they can sometimes feel spiritually detached. According to Mosley, events like this are designed to help keep students plugged into the university, one another and the community in which they live.

Students dined on free food as they connected with one another, listened to music and enjoyed a short message.
Mosley briefly spoke to students, raising the question, “How do you know you’re distracted from building up the kingdom of God?”

Mosley gave students a small list of things in their lives that can be examined in order to answer that question, urging them to evaluate how they live.

“God holds each person accountable for the condition of their heart,” Mosley said at the end of his speech.

“How is the health of your heart?”

Liberty junior Meredith Shuler said that she appreciated the opportunity to be around other off-campus students in a Christian atmosphere.

“This was a nice event because we don’t have the same accountability to worship as other students at Liberty, but I would like to see Commuter Services add more events that focus on just fellowship with one another,” Shuler said.

“It was nice having a chill night off campus, not connected to the chaos of school,” Liberty junior Elizabeth Stegall said. “I really enjoyed it.”

Mosley said that commuter students should keep an eye out for future events that Commuter Services may host.

According to the Liberty University Commuter Services Facebook page, students are currently involved in a Bible study called iTransform, which gives students the chance to connect with the Liberty community while being transformed into God’s image.

In a few weeks, an iTransform party will be held in order to discuss what was learned and for students to reconnect with one another. A commuter orientation is also annually hosted for students planning to leave campus for the upcoming semester and is generally held on Reading Day.

Commuter Services is an office on campus offering support for off-campus students in academics, social and spiritual matters, according to Mosley.

Any student who is contemplating moving off campus or is currently off campus can contact Commuter Services about upcoming events and the programs provided for commuters.

For more information about Commuter Services, email commuter@liberty.edu or call (434) 592-3067.