At the Sept. 23 Convocation, Campus Pastor Jonathan Falwell encouraged the student body to take advantage of the many opportunities to learn and serve during Global Focus Week.
Campus Pastor Jonathan Falwell addresses students at Convocation during Global Focus Week 2021.
“Find out where God wants to use you,” he said. “Every single one of us has the opportunity to reach this world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and we not only have the opportunity but the imperative. Jesus said to go into all the world and preach the Gospel. It’s not an option; God has told us to do it.”
Global Focus Week is an annual event aimed at raising global awareness among Liberty students, faculty, and staff. Throughout the week, students connected with representatives of global organizations, experienced a variety of cultures, and participated in interactive events, such as World Relief Refugee Simulations.
A Global Marketplace was set up on the Academic Lawn, and the popular Taste of Nations event returned for another year, offering food authentic to over 20 nations.
Students could take a self-guided prayer walk every day, starting at Worley Prayer Chapel and leading to eight stations on main campus.
The week was also a chance to celebrate the cultures of over 70 countries represented by Liberty’s 700 residential international students.
Students filled a trailer of supplies and brought them to Fort Pickett, Va., to give to Afghan refugees.
While students learned to think and serve globally, the week also emphasized the importance of ministering to those closer to home. Special “City Spotlights” sessions were held for Miami, San Diego, and New York, where students learned ways to serve multiple ethnic groups in a large U.S. city. Students volunteered to pack hygiene kits for migrants and refugees to support the ministry and humanitarian outreach of the San Diego Baptist Association. Students also helped load a trailer of supplies headed to Fort Pickett, Va., to assist Afghan refugees.
“Global Focus Week is an enjoyable experience each year for the student body,” said LU Serve Director of Strategic Partnerships and Special Projects Steven Gillum. “But more than fun, it is a time to simply pause, learn, pray, and consider how God might use them in another place around the world through engineering, education, medicine, business, or vocational ministry.”
“This is an important time for students to discover how they can leverage their future career, passions, and talents in order to fulfill the Great Commission — whether in London, São Paulo, or San Diego,” he added. “Students are challenged in their perspectives and exposed to different worldviews through engaging content, cultural experiences, and the development opportunities at LU Serve within the Office of Spiritual Development.”
