Project Description:
Spend a week or more in the heart of New Orleans. Travel by day to areas devastated by Katrina, minister to people with deep needs because of deep loss and help restore and rebuild the homes and lives of residents who are open to the gospel of Jesus Christ. By night, enjoy the company of fellow volunteers and the historic downtown area of New Orleans. Come ready to work hard and have a good time in one of North America's most historic, unique and lost cities as Operation NOAH Rebuild (ONR) builds bridges with the hurting people of the Gulf Coast.

"We need a lot of volunteers," says Tobey Pitman, NAMB missionary and project coordinator of Project NOAH Rebuild. "While we still need volunteers with electrical and plumbing skills, we also need volunteers with any skill level. We can use people who have no experience in construction. We can use people who've never been on a mission trip before. We're looking for folks with a lot of energy who are willing to do what they're asked to do."

Tobey and his wife, Cathy, have been church and community missionaries with the North American Mission Board for 27 years. Assigned to New Orleans as executive director of the Brantley Baptist Center, Tobey has spent much of his ministry working with the homeless community. The Brantley Center is temporarily closed due to the effects of hurricane Katrina, but Tobey's new assignment includes a similar ministry. Now, through Operation NOAH Rebuild, he works with the displaced who are trying to get their homes back. "I worked with the chronic homeless," he says. "Now I work with what we might call the migratory homeless-those who were left homeless by the tragedy of Katrina."

Volunteers will work alongside Tobey and his staff as they strive to physically and spiritually rebuild New Orleans. Through the generosity of local believers, ONR has prepared lodging facilities in a downtown office building called the World Trade Center.

Project Type:
Volunteers will help build bridges between Southern Baptist churches and their communities in the many New Orleans parishes. All gutting, restoration and rebuild projects are conducted through local churches who are in turn able to meet spiritual needs for months and years to come. Already, thousands of residents have experienced hope through the efforts of Southern Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers. "There was a time when Catholics were the only well-known Christian presence in the city," Tobey says. "Now Baptists are creating important relationships and gaining more credibility with residents."

More Information:
Individuals and groups are needed to volunteer through 2008. To find out how you can participate, log onto www.operationnoah.netor call 877-934-0808. Email noah@namb.net. For information on other volunteer opportunities, visit thebridge.namb.net.