In something of a mission turnabout, some 20 young people from the Church of the Redeemer and Main Street Missionary Baptist Church in Biloxi, Mississippi are coming to Massachusetts in late May to help paint and refurbish Esperanza Academy in Lawrence. Esperanza Academy is an independent, tuition-free middle school for girls founded by Grace Church, Lawrence and Christ Church, Andover, with support from numerous other diocesan congregations and individuals.

The Rev. Jane Bearden, priest-in-residence from the Diocese of Massachusetts at the Church of the Redeemer in Biloxi, said the mission trip is a reciprocal response by Biloxi residents to efforts of missioners from the diocese who have helped them in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. “Much of the energy for this project comes in response to the phenomenal outpouring of support from the people of Massachusetts for the work in restoring the homes of the residents of East Biloxi. Those volunteers have been beacons of hope and vision as we have struggled to rebuild physically and emotionally. We hope to model our service to Massachusetts after the amazing work we have seen here since Katrina,” said Bearden.

Esperanza provides poor, mostly latino girls with the opportunity to lift themselves out of the cycle of poverty through rigorous academic preparation and athletic and arts enrichment programs. Bearden sees this trip as an opportunity to break down barriers of race and class by bringing people together, reducing their physical and mental senses of separation and difference. “This is a program of transformative learning around the issues of institutional racism and classism in our country,” Bearden said.