The Intervarsity ministry in Los Angeles represents over 1500 students on more than 20 campuses across Los Angeles. Intervarsity has a rich history of ministry on Los Angeles campuses and at the center of that history is the Los Angeles Urban Program (LAUP).
At its core, LAUP has been a central program for the discipleship of students since its beginning in 1981. The LAUP programs host teams of students from all across LA in the poorest communities of Los Angeles to teach students about God’s love for the poor and marginalized. Students live in these communities and serve local community based non-profit organizations that serve the city while also living on a fixed income that reflects the income of their neighborhood. In addition to these experiences of urban poverty, students also receive biblical discipleship training in the areas of money, race, community, compassion, spiritual warfare and justice. It is the strong biblical teaching paired with the experiences of urban poverty that has shaped student discipleship for more than 3 decades in Los Angeles through LAUP.
