Influential speakers, authentic cuisine, and mission sessions all part of Liberty’s 2024 Global Focus Week

Liberty University’s LU Serve office will host its annual Global Focus Week next week, emphasizing the university’s continued focus on Training Champions for Christ to impact the world. Students will have the opportunity to hear from globally influential Convocation guests, connect with global workers, experience a variety of cultures, and participate in interactive events. Liberty is hosting representatives from more than 50 organizations.

Throughout the week, Samaritan’s Purse will be hosting its Emergency Field Hospital on the Academic Lawn, offering a glimpse into the medical work done by missionaries around the world. Stretching nearly an acre when it is deployed, the hospital is completely mobile and designed to respond at a moment’s notice to disasters and humanitarian crises. It is equipped with ultrasound imaging and digital X-ray capabilities, an emergency room, critical care unit, laboratory, operating rooms, surgical sterilization tent, more than 50 inpatient beds, and staff sleeping quarters. It arrives on the scene with all of the necessary equipment to be self-sufficient, including generators and water purification systems. The Samaritan’s Purse field hospital has provided aid in recent years in warzones in the Middle East, near the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and in New York City during the COVID-19 pandemic.

From noon-2 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 23, students can visit the first floor of Montview Student Union and the Jerry Falwell Library (JFL) for Global Flavors: Culture and Cuisine, where students can sample food and learn about different cultures from around the world. Later that evening, Liberty will hold a Global Night of Worship at 8 p.m. on the Academic Lawn, featuring the Liberty Worship Collective.

On Tuesday, Samaritan’s Purse will sponsor the main event, Taking the Gospel to the Nations, held in the Towns Auditorium in the School of Business at 7 p.m. The event will feature inspirational stories from Samaritan’s Purse disaster response staff who overcame difficult challenges to bring the hope and love of Christ to those in need around the world.

In conjunction with both Global Focus Week and the 2024 CEO Summit (taking place Monday through Wednesday), David Malpass, 13th president of World Bank, will speak at Wednesday morning’s Convocation in the Vines Center. Following Convocation, students can attend a special summit panel discussion, Business as Mission: Integrating Faith, Purpose, and Profit to Reach the Unreached, at 1 p.m. in the Towns Auditorium featuring Hogan Bassey, founder of LivFul, and Garry McDowall, COO of SuperGreen Solutions.

On Wednesday night, John W. Rawlings School of Divinity Dean Troy Temple will continue this semester’s Campus Community study “Witness” on the book of Acts, unpacking the work of the Holy Spirit in the early church. The service will also incorporate aspects from Global Focus Week.

On Thursday, students are encouraged to participate in another Global Flavors event, this time focusing on culture and coffee, from noon-2 p.m. on the first floor of Montview Student Union and the JFL. Male students interested in serving overseas can attend a Men on Mission event, which is sponsored by the International Mission Board (IMB), in the Montview Alumni Ballroom at 7 p.m.

SuperGreen Solutions COO Gary McDowall will provide the Convocation message on Sept. 27 at 10:30 a.m.

Following Convocation, students are invited to a Loan Repayment Information Session presented by LU Serve at noon in the Montview Student Union Starbucks Lounge, 2610. The session will provide information about opportunities for students to receive loan repayment assistance from LU Serve in return for long-term international mission service.

The week will culminate with fan-favorite Taste of Nations from 5-8 p.m. on Friday in the Vines Center, featuring international students from over 20 nations across the globe who will prepare dishes from their home country to share with the university community (while supplies last). The event is hosted by LU One and the International Student Center and is one of their largest events of the year, drawing thousands of participants. The center imported specific ingredients from other countries to ensure dishes are as authentic as possible. The first 200 in line at the gates will receive a free T-shirt.

A full list of Global Focus Week activities is available online.

LU Serve exists to train Champions for Christ by providing engaging educational and ministry experiences for students. LU Serve provides meaningful service opportunities such as CSER and CSER trips, LU Serve Now domestic and international humanitarian aid and disaster relief trips, and Serve Lynchburg. LU Serve provides campus-wide exposure events such as Global Focus Week and the Serve Expo, inspiring and engaging workshops, and curated training sessions. Through these opportunities, students can learn from key practitioners, and partner with approved organizations, faculty, and staff to develop knowledge and skills which will help them prepare for a career and impact the world.