MINISTRY

For the last THIRTEEN YEARS, YOM has been serving in the greater New Orleans area.  We continue to partner with The Greater New Orleans Baptist Association, local churches, United Methodist Volunteers In Missions, various homeless ministries and numerous other ministries in and around the city. New Orleans was thrust into the world spotlight in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.  While the pain, loss and sorrow that resulted were immense, it has provided an opportunity for the Church and openess to the Gospel like never before. We have heard two themes time and again from the citizens of New Orleans since Katrina - "If it were not for the Christians coming to serve, we would be exactly as we were the day after the hurricane" and "Don't let them forget about us."

FAST FACTS ABOUT THE CITY

The last population estimate before Hurricane Katrina was 454,865, as of July 1,2005  A population analysis released in August 2007 estimated the population to be 273,000, 60% of the pre-Katrina population and an increase of about 50,000 since July 2006. A September 2007 report by The Greater New Orleans Community Data Center, which tracks population based on U.S. Postal Service figures, found that in August 2007, just over 137,000 households received mail. That compares with about 198,000 households in July 2005, representing about 70% of pre-Katrina population.  New Orleans is notably absent from the ProtestantBible Belt that dominates religion in the Southern United States. In New Orleans and the surrounding Gulf Coast area, the predominant religion is Catholicism. Within the Archdiocese of New Orleans (which includes not only the city but the surrounding Parishes as well), 35.9% percent of the population is Roman Catholic.  The influence of Catholicism is reflected in many of the city's French and Spanish cultural traditions, including its many parochial schools, street names, architecture, and festivals, including Mardi Gras.New Orleans also famously has a presence of its distinctive variety of Louisiana Voodoo, due in part to syncretism with Roman Catholic beliefs, the fame of voodoo practitioner Marie Laveau, and New Orleans' distinctly Caribbean cultural influences.   Although the exotic image of Voodoo within the city has been highly promoted by the tourism industry, there are only a small number of serious adherents to the religion. New Orleans' pre-Katrina population of 10,000 Jews has now dropped to 7,000. In the wake of Katrina, all New Orleans synagogues lost members, but were able to re-open in their original locations, except for Congregation Beth Israel, the oldest and most prominent Orthodox synagogue in the New Orleans region. Beth Israel's building in Lakeview was destroyed by flooding, and it is currently in temporary quarters in Metairie

HOUSING

All groups are housed in a local hotel in Metairie, LA, which provides a central location for groups and a short drive just outside of the city of New Orleans.  Prices per person are based on four persons to each room.