Center for Multicultural Enrichment champions the least of these

• Center 4 ME and LU Serve host a panel discussing effective methods of outreach and Christian views on orphan care.
• According to UNICEF, there are 140 million orphans around the world.

LU Serve, a department that exists to develop champions for Christ through local, domestic and international engagement opportunities, hosted an International Service Engagement workshop on the topic of orphan care Thursday, Oct. 12 at the Center for Multicultural Enrichment in the Montview Student Union.

The workshop focused on educating students on the topic of orphan care from a global perspective while providing holistic and strategic approaches for serving those that are oppressed both internationally and domestically.

The workshop hosted more than 30 students who were given the opportunity to listen to three speakers, each of whom held different perspectives on the topic of orphan care.

The speakers included President and founder of Big World Project Steve Pettit, Liberty University Associate Professor of Commercial Music Dr. David Schmal and his wife, Shushawn Schmal, owner of a tour-based business called Encounters Dive Travel, as well as Liberty University student and Vice-President of Mondesir Hope Abraham Parry.

The workshop started with Director of LU Serve- International Engagement Steven Gillum inviting those in attendance to give their understanding of what they believed orphan care is and educating students on the best ways to approach the topic by providing a biblical understanding of orphan care and how God sees orphan care.

“The proverb says to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves, and, in a sense, you’re speaking for those who don’t have a voice, and that’s what God calls us to do — to speak for the least of these, the orphans and the widows,” Gillum said.

Big World Project encouraged students to be involved with orphan care through effective and efficient outreach. Parry urged students to reach those who are oppressed cross-culturally by partnering with local churches and communities both near and far. Encounters Dive Travel focused on the importance of social impact in the lives of orphans internationally — specifically in Haiti through adventure sports.

“Although we had various perspectives on the topic of orphan care, I hope that students understand that there is no right or wrong answer,” Schmal said. “There is no one direction. Every country is different, laws are different, orphanages are not horrible, and they’re not the final fix. Foster care is not horrible, and it’s not the final fix. There is a broad spectrum and continuum of care in which students can be involved in and to be educated and aware of.”

The organizations in attendance encouraged students at the workshop to be involved in domestic and international charities.

“It is important to get away from an understanding of orphan care where it’s, ‘I’m going to go on a short-term trip. I’m going to love on a bunch of kids and support this orphanage for the time I’m there, give out food and do whatever they ask me to.’ But, then, come back, and that’s basically all you did,” Daniel Smith, Global Training Coordinator for LU Serve – International Engagement and event host said. “We wanted to give students an understanding of what orphan care looks like around the world today, by giving them exposure to some organizations who are not only doing the work but also to help them understand what the current strategies are for doing orphan care.”

According to the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund website, UNICEF and global partners define an orphan as a child under 18 years of age who has lost one or both parents to any cause of death.

By this definition, there were nearly 140 million orphans globally in 2015, including 61 million in Asia, 52 million in Africa, 10 million in Latin America and the Caribbean and 7.3 million in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. These large figures represent not only children who have lost both parents, but also those who have lost one parent but have a surviving parent.

For more information on International Service Engagement workshops and to register for the upcoming workshop entitled “Lynchburg 101: Foster Care” Tuesday, Oct. 31 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. located at the Center4ME, register on the LU Serve website.