• When you registered online, your group was asked to select one Interest Area to focus on during the Gathering.
• Learn more about the daily program schedule
• Service experience FAQs

Health & Wellness projects will include physical work such as painting, cleaning and organizing health care centers, playground and park restoration, supporting sports camps, learning about trauma recovery, talking with doctors and health care providers, listening to Katrina stories, and much more. Finally, you will be sent back to your own community to promote and support its health and wellness.

Literacy: Reading and writing are power for life!
It’s no accident that in the Bible we read about God’s Word being carefully read and listened to (Luke 4:16-21), and that some of what we read in the New Testament are, in fact, letters written by apostles of Jesus and sent to and read by people throughout the church. If you love to read and wish that every person -- young and old -- had access to the wisdom and imagination of books, or if you enjoy writing and want everyone to be able to express themselves, this is for you. You will learn about the literacy realities in your own community, discover what is going on in New Orleans right now, and join others in making literacy a priority for children, youth, and adults.

Literacy projects in New Orleans will range from being trained and leading one-day reading fairs, cleaning up libraries, reading at preschools, advocating for libraries and books in communities of poverty, to supporting ESL (English as a Second Language) programs, and much more. You will be sent back into your own community to improve literacy at home and across the world.

Housing: Having shelter is a basic need!
Our prayers and worship and faith are a little empty unless they are accompanied by acts of justice, mercy, and compassionate service… at least that’s what Isaiah is shouting about in Isaiah 58. And he doesn’t forget those who are homeless (v. 7). Few people understand the blessing of having a home and shelter better than the people of New Orleans, many of whom are still rebuilding homes three or more years after Hurricane Katrina. This is more complicated than you might think. If you want to support people in your own community, in New Orleans, or anywhere in the world in the struggle for affordable housing for everyone, this is where you’ll want to put your time and energy.

Housing projects include learning about the housing crisis in our country, understanding New Orleans housing needs before and after Hurricane Katrina, some limited Habitat for Humanity projects, painting homes and churches, supporting neighborhood associations, and learning about homelessness. (Note: Not everyone will be involved in physical building projects.) You will be sent back home to take on the needs of housing for families and individuals in your own community.

The Environment: Living green!
Choose this Interest Area if you are passionate about creation, clean water, reducing waste and plastic, or want to preserve wetlands, wildlife, and the earth! Come to New Orleans and learn about the Gulf Coast, why Katrina’s floods were so devastating, and ways we can change our daily life to impact the future of our world. It’s not just about being an environmentalist, joining the green movement, or doing good things for the planet, it’s about being thankful for and caring of the creation that God has woven us into to sustain and bless us.

Environmental projects include learning about the water levies and flooding, visiting the marina or wetlands, learning about the impact of waste, planting trees, gardening, grass-mowing, or other related work. You will go home with a new awareness of your environment and encouragement to advocate for caring for the earth -- a gift and blessing from God for all living things.

The Arts & Culture: All that jazz!
Are you curious about Creole and Cajun cultures, Mardi Gras, sidewalk art, architecture, local music, cemeteries, or other creations? Then come to New Orleans ready to embrace its lively spirit of arts and culture. Come to New Orleans trusting that we are all created in the image of God, and that image includes the singing, dancing, music, psalms, art, poetry, cultural expression, and creative handiwork throughout history that is so beautifully described in scripture, and jumps out in New Orleans!

The Arts & Culture projects include meeting local artists, touring museums or historical sites, painting or cleaning historical sites, hearing the stories of local musicians, refurbishing musical instruments, cleaning cemeteries, and more. Learn how the heart of a community and the passions of people are expressed through the arts and culture so that you can return home to embrace and encourage a changing, diverse world in your own community.

Wealth & Poverty: Money and power!
What is more at the heart of the gospel message and Jesus’ spirit and actions than concern for people and communities that live in poverty alongside an abundance of wealth and resources? The vast spectrum between wealth and poverty is a concern for many people. If it is for you, this is where you may want to focus. There is a growing gap between the rich and the poor in our world -- something every Christian is called to care about. Discover how this gap has contributed to the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf Coast, learn about the economic and power gaps in your own community, and imagine what we can do together to make a difference in our lifetime -- now!

The Wealth & Poverty projects include learning about racism, politics, and systems of oppression that give some people privilege and keep others poor. These projects will mostly involve learning, advocacy, and deeper opportunities to get at the roots of problems in our world in an effort to make gospel-driven, long-term, positive differences. For people who are ready to deepen their commitment to compassionate justice, these projects stretch beyond acts of service or charity and move to a new way of life together.