College students armed with hatchets, pickaxes and crowbars pounded the parking lot at the Mobile Baptist Association office during the early morning, prying up and tossing aside huge chunks of asphalt.
But their purpose wasn’t destruction: these students were clearing the way for a disaster-relief storage unit to help Mobile churches serve the community in emergencies. Meanwhile fellow students painted shutters and cleared the gutters lining the office roof, all during the University of Mobile’s (UM) Project Serve Aug. 14.
As part of Ram Rush — the university’s freshman orientation — Project Serve allows incoming freshmen and transfer students an opportunity to take a day before classes start to volunteer in the Mobile community.
“They’re super,” said Thomas Wright, director of missions for Mobile Association, of the volunteers. “The students are working in high temperatures and high humidity and are doing some hard, dirty work; but they’re singing, enjoying the work and making great progress.”
“Spiritual life is a cornerstone at the University of Mobile. Even at Ram Rush when we’re having fun, it’s important to serve,” said Mathew Alexander of Boaz, a junior religion major and Ram Rush leader who took his group to New Pilgrim Baptist Church, Saraland, in Mobile Association.
In addition to New Pilgrim Baptist and the Mobile Association office, groups traveled to the Bay Area Food Bank in Theodore, the International Seamen’s Center in Mobile, Home of Grace for Women in Eight Mile and other Mobile Association churches, including Shiloh Baptist, Saraland; Shalom Baptist, Mobile; and Korean Baptist, Mobile.
Project Serve is sponsored by UM’s campus outreach program. Matt Davis of Collierville, Tenn., is the co-leader of campus outreach and a junior marine science major who organized Project Serve this year and last. He said the student-led organization exists “to minister to students on campus, find places for students to minister off campus, and do community service.”
That ministry aspect is what drew Rebeca Doswell of Niceville, Fla., to transfer to UM to major in music. “[T]here were service opportunities, and I thought Project Serve would be a good place to start,” she said.
Students this year volunteered at churches and locations that had suffered hurricane damage. They did repairs and yard work, sanded, painted Sheetrock, organized a clothes closet and more.
“There are still people in need, and we need to keep on caring,” Davis said, referring to victims of Hurricane Katrina.
Several students said caring through community service allowed them to share their faith without words.
“Sometimes our greatest witness to the outside community is what they see,” said Jeremy Brown of Sylacauga, a sophomore transfer majoring in church music. “Christians are supposed to be servants.”
Freshman nursing major Katelynd Branum of Greenville, added, “When you have so many students who are Christians, serving and learning what the Bible teaches — what a great way to put that into practice.”
Neal Ledbetter, UM’s director of spiritual life, said it is important for students to engage the world around them through service.
“This is the third year for Project Serve,” he said. “It started as a way to encourage our incoming students to make a difference in the university’s community, which is now their community.
“It exposes students to the needs in our community. It also connects them to ministries they can partner with for ongoing ministry and impact,” Ledbetter said.
Students have continued to stay involved in ministries they connected with during past Project Serve events.
Two years ago, senior religion major Ken Lovett of Auburn visited East European Harvest, a facility that binds and sends Bibles in various languages to nations like Russia, Romania and China.
Lovett, who said serving “has always been a big part” of his Christian walk, felt such a call to return that he has gone numerous times with friends to help with the binding process and facility upkeep.
What’s important, he said, is “other people, or the ministry you’re serving — whatever the Lord has you doing.”
Lovett said that thanks to his connection with East European Harvest, his own eyes were opened to the thirst people have for the Word of God and how blessed believers in America are to have such ready access to Bibles in English.
Now minister of students for Sonrise Baptist Church, Mobile, in Mobile Association, Lovett has taken his youth group to volunteer at East European Harvest so those students could experience the same thing he did.
Ledbetter said the primary focus for Christians is to emulate Christ.
“Whatever town, village or place Jesus entered, lives changed,” Ledbetter said. “He brought peace, hope, life, meaning, purpose, healing, love and the offer of eternal life: the quality of life got better, people benefited. So if we call ourselves followers of Christ and Christ is in us, then wherever we are or go, things ought to be better.”
Project Serve is a great opportunity for Christians to live what they believe, said Jared Freeman of Prattville, a freshman finance major.
“If we’re going to be out preaching to people, we need to be an example, to live the life we say should be lived,” he said. “The Bible says to love one another, and what better way to show love than helping someone in need?” (UM)
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