Pre-med student recommits life to Christ while volunteering at a Lynchburg non-profit

When Samuel Robillard’s friend encouraged him to volunteer at the Lighthouse Community Center, a non-profit serving underprivileged individuals in Downtown Lynchburg, he expected to help change lives there. But he didn’t expect the experience to change his own life.

Robillard grew up in a godly home, faithfully attending church, and even volunteered with several ministries during high school. But when he first set foot in the Lighthouse, he was on edge.

The sex offender sitting across from him, unable to find work or housing because of his status, didn’t deserve support, much less redemption, he thought. Trying not to think of the man’s crimes, or the animosity building in his own heart, Robillard donned a phony grin and resumed his volunteer duties.

“As I was sitting across from these people, all I had in my heart was hatred,” he said, referring to the few who had histories of abusing minors. “Trying to minister to these people was nearly impossible.”

He admits his heart wasn’t in the right place.

“My heart was pretty far from the Lord when I came to Liberty,” Robillard said. “I was half-in, half-out with Christianity. I really felt like the perfect Christian from the outside even though it wasn’t there on the inside.”

The Lighthouse shares the Gospel through church services and Bible studies, but it also satisfies the physical needs of those who enter its doors. It provides a clothing closet with items for men and women of all ages and for all seasons, a re-entry resource center and workforce development initiative for guests searching career options, as well as a daily lunch buffet. Many guests battle mental illness, alcohol and substance abuse problems, and some have extensive criminal records.

But during that first visit to the Lighthouse, Robillard observed other student volunteers and staffers.

“I was amazed by the joy of the people I saw there and the love that the volunteers had for these people who walked in,” Robillard said. “Lighthouse was doing everything it could to help these people. When I finally saw that unconditional love on display, I realized that that was the love Christ offered us when He died on the cross. … It was going to the Lighthouse that brought me back to the Lord as a Christian.”

Robillard recommitted his life to Christ and prayed for more avenues to serve Lynchburg’s homeless population through the center. As a Liberty student, he needed to satisfy 20 credit hours of Christian service (CSER) each semester, but that checklist was far from his mind. He focused on service, not credit.

Robillard and four other volunteers found ways to utilize the Lighthouse’s facilities on Saturdays, when it was normally closed. After a month of prayer, the five spearheaded the guest center each Saturday, bringing in volunteers, coordinating services, and leading Bible studies.

“Sam is a fine young man,” said Lighthouse Director of Operations and Liberty alumnus Terrick Moyer. “I’ve told him several times that I wish I had the knowledge at 22 that he has, because I think I would have helped turn the world upside down.”

The Lighthouse Community Center is completely funded by private donors who support the center financially and through food donations. None of the workers receive compensation for their efforts.

“If someone is doing a great job, we’ll jokingly say, ‘We’ll double your pay,’” Moyer said. “That just means we’re recognizing that they’re doing a good job, and that God is keeping track of it.”

For the first year and a half, Robillard served from the goodness of his heart. He didn’t start registering his hours as CSER until his junior year.

“Sam was just doing it because he wanted to do it,” Moyer said. “He was serving from the kindness of his heart and not because he was getting some kind of credit from school.”

Robillard said as a freshman, he had a narrow life goal: to make money. Now, after volunteering at the Lighthouse, his vision has shifted to the needs of others. His dream is to become a doctor and to build hospitals in Third World countries.

“Since going to the Lighthouse, the Lord really gave me a passion to go into the medical field. … I just want to help people,” said Sam, a biochemistry (pre-med) graduate. “When I went to the Lighthouse, it transformed my life, because I experienced the love of Jesus. And I realized the worth of people, no matter who they are or what they’ve done. … It gave me not just a passion to help the Lighthouse while I’m here at Liberty, but really to serve the Lord and others my entire life.”