UM students’ Urban Plunge weekend serves 14 cities

UM students’ Urban Plunge weekend serves 14 cities

In terms of missions trips, 48 hours might not seem like a significant amount of time to impact lives. However, for the University of Mobile’s (UM) Urban Plunge crew, it’s just enough.

Urban Plunge is a student-led weekend missions trip during which UM students travel to different cities around the Southeast. They partner with local churches to perform community service.

“The hope is that Urban Plunge will serve as a bridge for students. They start out serving for a weekend, then next time maybe serve for a week, and then move up to even bigger missions trips,” said Neal Ledbetter, director of spiritual life at UM.

Proof of the program’s growing success lies in the numbers. This year marked the largest sign-up of students with 160, as well as the most cities visited at 14 during the event Oct. 31–Nov. 2.

“I think the interest is growing because students want to serve and do not just talk about it. In addition, when they go, it’s a great trip, they meet a lot of people and work with meaningful ministries,” Ledbetter said.

Cities on the 2008 roster included Tuscaloosa, Auburn, Birmingham, Montgomery, Huntsville, Atlanta, New Orleans and Baton Rouge, La.

This year’s teams worked with ministries involved in rescuing men from drug addiction, rescuing women from sex trafficking and a ministry trying to reach an apartment complex that is 90 percent Muslim with 28 nations represented.

Other teams also assisted local churches with their fall festivals.

Not only do they impact the communities in which they serve, but the weekend trips have had lasting impacts on the students as well.

Last year, UM students ministered to a hurricane-torn New Orleans still trying to rebuild from the devastating Hurricane Katrina.

Students Alan Ostrzycki and Will McPherson were so affected by the experience that, upon their return, they formed The New Orleans Project, a monthly trip for UM students that revisits New Orleans to minister and perform services.

Urban Plunge offers students the chance to impact lives and communities, but it also allows them the opportunity to fellowship with each other and form new relationships with people they may never otherwise have known.

“I think that it’s important that younger students get that experience of ministry opportunity and through that, build relationships with other students by serving together,” said Blakely Prine, a senior theology major at UM and one of Urban Plunge’s team leaders. (UM)