Outreach on the Beach draws in thousands with Christian music, addiction recovery resources

GULFPORT, Miss. (WLOX) - Hands waving in the air was a sight that performers were greeted with as they played their favorite Christian songs on Saturday at Jones Park.

To organizers like Josh Hutchinson, it’s more than another Christian music festival.

“There’s resource booths from across the country and different ministries,” said Hutchinson. “People are coming out here, chains are being broken, people have submitted into programs and getting off the streets.”

This is a special nine-month project for Narrow Path Ministries, which is known for its work when helping the homeless and those battling addictions — something Hutchinson and his wife went through for a huge portion of their life before turning their life around.

“It starts in the streets. It’s more than a music festival. We partnered with an organization and went out and were able to provide a hundred pairs of shoes, clothing and other resources for the homeless,” said Hutchinson. “And the best part of this is some folks actually submitted into the programs. We’ve got them sponsored, they’re completely free and they’re already off to treatment. It’s such a beautiful thing to see people being free from addiction.”

After seeing the turnout, the ministry was left speechless but optimistic.

“We felt it was going to be big but seeing thousands of people out here for the first event coming to support and rally behind addiction and mental health, I’m just blown away and in awe,” said Hutchinson. “You really can’t put a dollar amount on one life so seeing people being free is amazing.”

If you would like to learn more about Narrow Path Ministries, you can visit them on their website.

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