Jesus calls us to love our neighbors as ourselves.
Though we might call it “being socially responsible” today, taking care of our community and the people who live there is one way we bring the words of Jesus to life.
Because the value of volunteering lies in more than just how it looks on a résumé. It lies in lending a hand. Restoring dignity.
It lies in reminding someone who’s been broken of the beauty that’s still within them.
At Liberty University, there are hundreds of ways for you to align your sense of social responsibility with your passions — so you will not only feel joy but spread it.
And you’ll not only get prepared for a career, but learn to give it meaning — living out the words of Jesus.
Students and faculty come together to serve the Lynchburg community.
Invest in your community as a college student
LU Serve
LU Serve provides students with local, domestic, and international volunteer opportunities.
As the serving arm of the university, LU Serve develops partnerships with churches, ministries, and other service organizations and connects them to university departments and students.
LU Serve provides experiences that:
- Promote developing a Christian worldview as it relates to lifestyles, decision making, personal integrity, and social responsibility
- Develop a sense of responsibility to mankind which includes selfless service, as well as active and clear communication of the Christian faith
- Offer opportunities to glorify God and promote the Gospel of Christ
- Display Christian commitment and virtue through serving local churches, as well as social, civic, athletic, artistic, and scholastic organizations
How can you make an impact?
Come to LU Serve Workshops
- This regular series addresses topics and needs that are pertinent to serving in Lynchburg
- It is hosted by a practitioner from a local organization
- Topics have included poverty to progress, foster care, nutrition deserts, prescription drug abuse, and starting a nonprofit
Get involved with Campus Serve
- This weekly student-led event began in 2002
- Today, over 150 students still regularly serve throughout Lynchburg
- Students volunteer in 12 different locations, including Daily Bread, Parkview Community Mission, and Heritage Green Assisted Living Home
- Service projects include manual labor, children’s ministry, Bible study, elderly care, and poverty alleviation
Pick your CSER (Christian Service)
- LU Serve’s CSER (Christian/Community Service) program focuses on mentoring students in the Christian discipline of selfless service
- Students partner with civic organizations, nonprofits, and churches to provide community service through LU’s campus, in the local Lynchburg area, or around the world
- CSER is designed to enhance a student’s education experience, to provide an avenue for career development, to foster personal transformation, and to promote community engagement
- CSER is a graduation requirement for all residential undergraduate students
“I had a friend who invited me to Campus Serve, and I completely fell in love with the kids and the community. You can’t help it. It’s hard to find a place where you can literally just share the Gospel at any moment. With Campus Serve, you can love people in ways that you can’t in most places.”
— Gabby M., ’18
#FlamesGiveBack
Throughout the year, student-athletes from Liberty’s 20 NCAA Division I programs serve the Lynchburg community and surrounding area under the #FlamesGiveBack initiative.
One special activity is the annual Hop on Pop Reading Day at Yellow Branch Elementary School in Rustburg, Va. Student-athletes, dressed in Dr. Seuss costumes, read to children, pass out popcorn, and play games. Over the past three years, student-athletes have collected more than 6,000 books to donate to the school.
