Project Serve Sweeps the Mobile Community

College students armed with hatchets, pickaxes and crowbars pounded the parking lot at the Mobile Baptist Associational Office on Monday 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 during the University of Mobile’s Project Serve on Aug. 14.

As part of Ram Rush, the university’s freshman orientation, Project Serve allows incoming freshmen and new transfer students to take a day before classes start to volunteer in the Mobile community.

“They’re super,” said Thomas Wright, executive director of missions and associational missionary for the Mobile Baptist 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 Mat Alexander of Boaz, Ala., a junior religion major and Ram Rush leader who took his group to New Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church.

In addition to the Mobile Baptist Associational Office, groups traveled to Bay Area Food Bank, Shiloh Baptist Church, Korean Baptist Church, the International Seamen’s Center, Home of Grace for Women, New Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church and Shalom Baptist Church.

Project Serve is sponsored by UM’s Campus Outreach program. According to Matt Davis of Collierville, Tenn., co-leader of Campus Outreach and a junior marine science major who organized Project Serve both this year and last, the student-led organization exists “to minister to students on campus, find places for students to minister off campus, and do community service.”

“That was one thing I was really excited about with this school: there were service opportunities, and I thought Project Serve would be a good place to start,” said Rebeca Doswell of Niceville, Fla., a junior transfer majoring in music.

Students this year volunteered primarily at churches and locations that had suffered hurricane damage. They repaired damage, did yard work, sanded, painted sheetrock, organized a clothes closet and more.

“There are still people in need,” said Davis, referring to victims of Hurricane Katrina, “and we need to keep on caring.”

Several students said that caring through community service also allowed them to share their faith, even if not with words.

“Being a servant shows…God is in my life,” said Bethany Case of Orlando, Fla., a freshman transfer majoring in church music. “It’s totally not for my glory, that’s for sure.”

Freshman nursing major Katelynd Branum of Greenville, Ala., 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.”

“Sometimes our greatest witness to the outside community is what they see,” said Jeremy Brown of Sylacauga, Ala., a sophomore transfer majoring in church music. “Christians are supposed to be servants.”

Neal Ledbetter, UM’s director of campus ministries, said it is important for students to engage the world around them through service.

“This is the third year for Project Serve. It started as a way to encourage our incoming students to make a difference in the university’s community, which is now their community,” said Ledbetter. “It exposes students to the needs in our community. It also connects them to ministries they can partner with for ongoing ministry and impact.”

Students in the past have continued to stay involved in ministries they connected with during Project Serve. Senior religion major Ken Lovett of Auburn, Ala., visited East European Harvest, a facility that binds and sends Bibles in various languages to nations like Russia, Romania and China, during Project Serve his freshman year. That was two years ago.

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 not ourselves, but “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, as the youth minister of Sonrise Baptist Church in Mobile, Ala., Lovett has taken his youth group there to volunteer so those students could realize the same thing he did.

“Project Serve helped start a ministry and get people connected,” said Lovett.

Ledbetter said the primary thing for Christians is to emulate Christ.

“Whatever town, village or place Jesus entered, lives changed. He brought peace hope, life, meaning, purpose, healing, love and the offer of eternal life: the quality of life got better, people benefited,” he said. “So if we call ourselves followers of Christ and Christ is in us, then wherever we are or go, things ought to be better.”

In emulating Christ, believers should live out what they profess to believe said Jared Freeman of Prattville, Ala., 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. The Bible says to love one another, and what better way to show love than helping someone in need?” Freeman said.

Freshman athletic training major Leah Shaffer of Hoover, Ala., left, gets an encouraging high five from senior worship leadership major and Ram Rush leader David Atkins of Demopolis, Ala., before boarding the bus to serve the Mobile community.	Bethany Case, second from left, enjoys a moment of laughter during a break with Ashleigh Hall, right, and Thomas Wright, Executive Director of Missions for the Mobile Baptist Association.
Freshman Gene Burrus of Columbus, Ga., a religion and music double major, takes his pickaxe to the pavement at the Mobile Baptist Associational Office.	Freshman Ashleigh Hall of Enterprise, Ala., front, a religion major, and transfer freshman Bethany Case of Winter Garden, Fla., a church music major, paint shutters at the Mobile Baptist Associational Office.
Freshman church music major Callie Chandler of Wichita Falls, Texas, clears the leafy debris from the gutters lining the roof of the Mobile Baptist Associational Office.	Campus Outreach co-leader and Project Serve site director Matt Davis, back, joins, left to right, Gene Burrus, Jonathan Davis, T.J. Joy and Jeremy Brown in breaking apart and prying up asphalt at the Mobile Baptist Associational Office.
Ram Rush leader Mat Alexander, left, and Will Joy prep walls for painting in the annex building of New Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church.	Ram Fam 4 breaks from sanding and painting rooms in a hurricane-damaged home for a group shot.