Every year, a volunteer team of Liberty University students are deployed when disasters strike across the globe.
LU Serve Senior Director Chad Nelson describes the LU Serve Now program as the disaster relief and humanitarian aid arm of Liberty University. According to Nelson, 250 students are trained and deployed, alongside faculty and staff leaders, to provide physical and spiritual aid to those in need.
After they have completed onboarding and training, students in the Serve Now program are ready to be sent when disasters such as floods or wildfires occur. Depending on the trip, each deployment team may consist of 10 students and two leaders, lasting about a week. LU Send coordinates travel logistics, like flights and ground transportation, and each team is deployed under the supervision of an approved nonprofit.
The team often works with Samaritan’s Purse. Partnerships with nonprofit organizations allow students a chance to learn how to offer physical relief to those in disastrous situations.
Christian nonprofits may teach students how to offer spiritual guidance as well. Nelson said students have learned from Billy Graham Evangelistic Association chaplains while on trips.
“There’s been numerous times where our students have gotten the chance to come alongside those chaplains as they’re on a work site and then visit with the homeowner alongside that chaplain and talk about where they are at spiritually and talk about Jesus and the hope that comes through our Lord,” Nelson said.
LU Serve Now mostly provides aid through physical labor, but there are also moments where Nelson believes the best thing they can do is put down the shovel and listen.
“It is serving others through not only our hands and feet, but [also] with our ears,” Nelson said.
One of the values Samaritan’s Purse has taught the team over the years is that having a conversation with a homeowner can be the most impactful part of the week.
“They are very adamant that yes, we are there to do the physical labor, to really just serve that homeowner who’s been affected,” Nelson said. “But they always tell us, ‘If you have an opportunity to put down the shovel or to put down the tool and have a conversation with that homeowner, that is priority.’”
He recalled a specific example of this during a mission following Hurricane Helene in 2024. The team had been helping a homeowner move damaged items from her home out onto the lawn to begin repairs. Nelson described the homeowner as being “overcome with emotion,” as she began sorting through her belongings. Then a student on the team stopped her task and went to listen to the woman.
“She put down the tools and the shovel, and she literally spent the next two hours just sitting with her, listening to her story … to me that was a powerful act of service,” Nelson said.
In addition to these learning opportunities in the field, LU Serve Now offers on-campus Connect Events for the team throughout the year.
“One of the things that we’ve heard from students on surveys over the years is they really want to have opportunities to connect with other students in the program that they don’t travel with,” Nelson said.
Events such as trivia nights, prayer and worship nights, and other events were created so students can get to know each other better. Nelson specifically highlighted the prayer and worship nights, where students share testimonies and experiences from previous trips.
LU Serve Now is primarily funded through donations. Anyone can donate via the link at the LU Serve Now website, where 100% of proceeds go towards deploying members or providing supplies and relief aid.
Smith is a feature reporter for The Liberty Champion.