Global Focus Week 2021: ‘Find out where God wants to use you’

At the beginning of Wednesday’s Convocation, Campus Pastor Jonathan Falwell encouraged students to take advantage of the many opportunities to learn and serve during Liberty University’s annual Global Focus Week.

“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, which began Sunday and will conclude Saturday, is an annual event aimed at raising global awareness among Liberty students, faculty, and staff. Throughout the week, students have multiple opportunities to connect with representatives of global organizations, experience a variety of cultures, and participate in interactive events.

This year, Liberty has 85 countries represented residentially by more than 700 international students.

Students have participated in World Relief Refugee Simulations, which revealed the difficulties that families experience after leaving their country. A Global Marketplace is set up on the Academic Lawn for Thursday night, and the popular Taste of Nations event will return on Friday from 9-11 p.m. on the Academic Lawn, when authentic food from over 20 nations will be provided.

A self-guided, prayer walk experience has been open every day, starting at Worley Prayer Chapel and inviting students to pray at eight stations on main campus.

While students are learning to think and serve globally, the week also emphasizes the importance of ministering to those closer to home. Special “City Spotlights” sessions were held for Miami, San Diego, and New York, where students have learned about ways to serve multiple ethnic groups in a large U.S. city. Students could volunteer 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.”