A group of 30 Millsaps students, professors and staff recently went to New York City for an intensive, week-long community service trip as part of the College's Faith & Work Initiative. The Faith & Work Initiative, which encourages students to make connections between faith, work and vocation, sponsors several immersion programs each year. These programs are designed to foster student reflection and action regarding the social problems of our time.

"The goal from the Faith & Work Initiative's standpoint is to expose students to a rich array of possibilities for contributing in constructive ways to deeply entrenched problems," said Dr. Darby Ray, the director of the program. "We also strive to challenge students to consider how such exposure might inform their own future commitments and activities."

The participants spent two days sightseeing and touring New York, but most of the trip centered around education and community service work. The trip provided an opportunity for students to experience the repercussions of the tragedy of September 11th and learn from those who have responded by working to bring people and communities together. The group visited Ground Zero and learned about the relief efforts coordinated from St. Paul's Chapel. Participants also attended sessions with organizations working towards reconciliation, justice and peace. Community service provided an opportunity for participants to meet New Yorkers and help mobilize community resources to meet their needs. Group members divided into different teams, and each team performed community service tasks at churches throughout the city.

"We often forget about the people less fortunate than we are because we are surrounded most often with people of the same class and status," said Emily Schmidt, a junior from Lafayette, La. "Working in the food lines reminded me again that there is something I can do to help."

Millsaps Chaplain Don Fortenberry has been taking students on trips like this one for several years, but this is his first year to collaborate with the Faith & Work Initiative.

"This year, as a result of teaming up with the Initiative, the trip has a sharper focus than in previous years," said Fortenberry. "It includes a more diverse set of experiences, both educational and service-oriented, than in previous incarnations."

"More than anything, this trip reaffirmed my belief that I must find a vocation that I'm passionate about and that will award me with happiness," said Mandy Horne, a sophomore from Brandon. "Those aspects of vocation are more important than the financial situation."