A weekend missions trip to New Orleans opened the eyes of college students to a world of overwhelming spiritual and physical needs. When the weekend was over, University of Mobile (UM) students couldn’t leave the hurting behind. They organized The New Orleans Project (TNOP), a student-led ministry to bring hope and the light of Christ to the inner city.
Three years later, the needs are still there. So are UM students.
“People go to New Orleans to run away from their problems, to cover their problems, and they end up desperate, often living on the street for various reasons,” said TNOP co-founder Sarah Kebrdle, a junior majoring in theology from Grove City, Ohio. “The people of New Orleans are hungry for the gospel, ready for hope, and waiting for someone to bring it to them. Jesus Christ is that hope, and we are going to bring it to them.”
Once a month, a group of UM students make the three-hour drive from the school campus near Mobile to downtown New Orleans to spend the weekend serving the city. The trip is announced through posters and word of mouth weeks in advance and is open to any student. Every person who attends pays $20 to cover the cost of the trip.
The students participate in a variety of ministries such as homeless outreach, children’s ministry, evangelism, painting, construction and prayer walking.
“When you go to New Orleans for an entire weekend, you are never going to have the same experience. You meet new people, and God directs you to work in their lives in a different way. That’s what’s so great about New Orleans; the ability to listen to the direction that God is leading you and get involved in someone’s life,” Kebrdle said.
Of particular interest to TNOP students is outreach to the homeless population. Some studies say that the homeless population in New Orleans has almost doubled since Hurricane Katrina. In a recent article, USA Today estimated that 12,000 residents of New Orleans are homeless, or 4 percent of the population.
“So many people were misplaced by the hurricane and have nowhere to go, so they are left to the streets,” Kebrdle said. “Others have addictions, while others are mentally ill. There are just so many problems we have to deal with every time we go.”
One elderly woman, “Anne,” had her house completely ruined from the inside after Hurricane Katrina, leaving her essentially stranded in the remains of her home. Members of TNOP found out about her from walking around the neighborhoods and asking if anyone needed help. TNOP students spent the weekend repairing her house and making it livable.
The stories the students hear are both heartbreaking and inspiring. Through their service and witness, students actually see these stories played out in real life, giving them a chance to add to that story, perhaps even be the turning point.
The Carver Baptist Center in New Orleans, a small, inner-city outreach organization near the edge of the levees on the south side of town, has often offered their building to TNOP members so they can have a safe place to stay without having to pay extra for a hotel. Meals are simple, consisting of cereal and donuts for breakfast, sandwiches and chips for lunch, and hamburgers and hot dogs for dinner.
“We’re pretty content,” said Will McPherson, co-founder of TNOP. “We try not to focus on ourselves anyway. When you focus on yourself, seemingly little things like complaining and discontentment start to creep in. Then fear of approaching someone on the street can come up or fear that your time is going to be wasted. Instead we focus on what we know we are in New Orleans for. Our top priority is to transform people’s lives for Christ.”
McPherson, a senior majoring in theology and humanities from Athens, said this was the very vision that started TNOP. Their motto is “Transformation occurs when the needs of people are met by the supernatural offering of people who have gained a Christ-centered perspective.”
Noting the words transformation, needs, offering and people, also form the acronym TNOP, he said, “That’s really what we are all about.”
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