By Elizabeth Clarke, LCU News
PINEVILLE, La. (LCU News) – Hundreds of Louisiana Christian University students, faculty and staff spent the afternoon of March 25 serving the CENLA community.
SENDLA, which is a phonetic play on the familiar CENLA for Central Louisiana, is rooted in the call of Matthew 28, where Jesus commands His followers to “go and make disciples of all nations.”
LCU President Mark Johnson began the university’s first-ever SENDLA event with a campus-wide abbreviated chapel service, encouraging participants before everyone split into community groups.
“We are going out sharing the Gospel in many ways, shapes and forms,” he said.
Participating organizations included First Baptist Church, Pineville; Philadelphia Baptist Church Horseshoe Drive, Alexandria; Family of Grace Church, Alexandria; the Hope House, Alexandria; Fostering Community, Alexandria; Food Bank of Central Louisiana, Alexandria; Main Street Mission, Pineville; Rapides Parish Library System; CENLA Pregnancy Center, Alexandria; and Faith Baptist Church, Tioga.
Johnson led a group of about 30 students who visited with residents in the neighborhood surrounding the campus.
“It was good to see young people leading the way,” he said. “We prayed with people, and they opened their hearts to us with their needs, and they shared the needs of the community.”
Danny Cobb, a junior convergence media major, volunteered with FBC Pineville.
“This was my first time serving,” he said. “I became a Christian my freshman year in college. I think it’s important for a Christian school, for students to go out into the community.”
Cobb said he helped with a group clean up a yard of a disabled woman to ready it for a ramp to be installed for her to be able to use a wheelchair.
Al Quartemont, LCU assistant professor of journalism, served with a group led by Faith Baptist Church Pastor Clark Palmer. The group handed out cookies to customers outside Mac’s Fresh Market, Pineville, and invited those without a home church to visit Faith Baptist or Alpine Baptist Church, also in the Tioga community.
“The students enjoyed engaging with the people and giving back to the community,” he said.
Junior Christian studies major Kaelyn Richard served with a group representing the Family of Grace Church outreach team. They went to small businesses in downtown Alexandria.
“Our goal was to love and listen to the community, share the love of God, and share the gospel when we could,” Richard said. “I had a wonderful time. It was also well received by the people we got to pray over and the employees of the businesses we went to. It’s always so fulfilling for me to be able to have the opportunity to go out and serve and be able to do it with the student body and with students that really wanted to be there and wanted to pray for people was beautiful and refreshing.”
SENDLA will take place every fall and spring semester. Other organizations that would like to be involved are encouraged to contact the university.
SENDLA was sponsored by the SEND Network and the Louisiana Baptists.
