Here's another reflection on the Youth Gathering, as posted to the Living Lutheran blog, entitled Seeing the face of Jesus.
An excerpt: "For many of 33,309 young people attending this year’s Gathering, the experience has been eye-opening. Whether it’s been hearing the stories of war, conflict and injustice in the Practice Peacemaking area of the Convention Center, worshiping with their friends and neighbors, or serving the people of New Orleans, the kids who attended the Gathering have made memories that have the potential to change the trajectory of their lives."
Showing posts with label NY. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NY. Show all posts
7.27.2012
7.26.2012
Press release: About 35,000 ELCA youth, adults and volunteers build a community of love
Here's press release from the ELCA News Service about the Gathering that explains even more about what we all experienced during our week.
ELCA NEWS SERVICE
July 24, 2012
About 35,000 ELCA youth, adults and volunteers build a community of love
12-49-MRC
NEW ORLEANS (ELCA) - Dane Bakken wanted to know what it was like to haul a 41.5-pound jug of water on foot for 3.7 miles -- the average for what a woman or girl in Africa will walk to bring clean water for her family.
"You can read about (such statistics) as much as you want, but until you do it, that's what makes you realize just how hard that is. Otherwise, it's just numbers," said Bakken, a participant at the 2012 Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's (ELCA) Youth Gathering in New Orleans, July 18-22.
"Here (in the United States) most of us can go to the kitchen to get a glass of water. The same is not true for many around the world," Bakken said.
It was a tough journey. With beads of sweat streaming down his cheeks and momentary rest stops, Bakken was determined to complete his task. It took him more than one hour or 37 turns around a track. Organizers of the activity were asking youth to walk one-tenth of a mile.
Bakken was cheered along the way, but no one beamed with more pride than his pastor, the Rev. Jeffrey D. Jacobs of Springdale Lutheran Church in Mount Horeb, Wis.
"Dane just did it on his own initiative. He's that kind of kid. He does thoughtful things very quietly, and I have been very proud of him," Jacobs said.
The activity was part of the "100 Wells Challenge," where a goal was to raise $250,000 to support the water projects of ELCA World Hunger around the world. That amount could mean building 100 wells, each one with the potential of bringing clean water to 500 families at a time. ELCA youth and their congregations delivered their offerings at the 100 Wells Challenge exhibit. More than $406,000 has been collected as of July 24.
Such multi-sensory activities at the 2012 ELCA Youth Gathering were part of "practice peacemaking" held at the Ernest M. Morial Convention Center here.
Under the theme "citizens with the saints," about 35,000 ELCA youth, adults and volunteers engaged in practice peacemaking as part of the gathering's three core practices. The participants were also challenged to practice justice and practice discipleship.
The ELCA "has a long history of commitment to adolescent faith formation," said Heidi Hagstrom, director of the gathering.
"This generation, in particular, is a product of the ELCA's deepening understanding of and commitment to the connection between service learning and faith formation. I want young people to return to their congregations as leaders, demonstrating what they've learned here and possibly igniting the whole congregations' imagination for mission" in the world, she said.
Under the guidance of Lutheran Campus Ministry staff and students, ELCA youth also took part in starting the construction of three houses for three families in New Orleans.
As part of the project, "We talked about the realities of poverty, and why we need to get involved in these kinds of services," said the Rev. Christopher S. Heavner, an ELCA campus pastor at Clemson University in Clemson, S.C. To support the project, ELCA campus ministries from across the country raised close to $20,000.
Called "The Wall," ELCA youth heard stories of war and armed conflict, as well as stories of hope from young people and adults who came to the gathering from other parts of the world.
Other activities of practice peacemaking included artistic expressions, sports and more.
Practicing justice
For three of the five days of the gathering, about 11,000 ELCA youth and adults were dispersed throughout New Orleans, engaging in nearly 400 service opportunities that ranged from painting a high school to rebuilding community libraries.
Morgan Gates and Martha Chumchal, members of Peace Lutheran Church in College Station, Texas, visited Holt Cemetery in Pottersfield. Although rain prevented them from their assigned work of cleaning the cemetery grounds, they boarded buses with groups of other ELCA youth anyway.
"This cemetery is where all the poor people bury their loved ones because they can't afford a regular cemetery," said Chumchal.
"A lot of the graves were homemade," said Gates. "PVC pipes are used and headstones are made of plywood with names spray-painted on. We took the tour in the rain, in the wet and in the gross. But we learned more about the culture of New Orleans, and we saw that a lot of jazz musicians and military veterans are buried here."
"People (in New Orleans) are into honoring the dead, and there is so much heart in what they do -- the commentaries and compassion people have for one another here are so inspiring," said Chumchal.
Another significant project of the gathering was collecting and distributing 1 million books in 25 book fairs across New Orleans, hosted in part by the city's recreation department and other local organizations. The city's educators, primarily from the Jefferson and Orleans parishes, offered book titles.
ELCA youth were also inspired by worship and Bible study led by 60 of the ELCA's 65 synod bishops. As part of practice discipleship, ELCA youth learned to take their relationship with Jesus Christ to a deeper level.
Every evening, all ELCA youth and adults participants gathered at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome for music, dance, speakers and more.
They were moved and inspired by the Rev. Nadia Bolz-Weber, pastor of House for All Saints and Sinners in Denver, who shared her personal story of overcoming addiction and her love for the ELCA. Leymah Gbowee, a 2011 Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Lutheran Liberian peace activist, and Shane Claiborne, an author and activist from Philadelphia, also spoke.
The Rev. Andrena Ingram, pastor of St. Michael Lutheran Church in Philadelphia, and AIDS activist, shared her story of living with HIV, and anti-bullying activist Jamie Nabozny asked youth to think about the things they say in their everyday lives that might have an effect on others. ELCA Presiding Bishop Mark S. Hanson spoke at the gathering's open, preached and led closing worship. "At the table Jesus sets, we are all welcome. We are one community in Christ," Hanson told ELCA youth at the close.
Nicole Reeves, of Love of Christ Lutheran Church in Mesa, Ariz., said she's proud to be an ELCA member.
Reflecting on how her experience at the gathering might impact her life as she returns home, "I kind of want to go on a mission trip," she said. One evening at the gathering "I was sitting in the hallway and thinking about the meaning of life and, I was like, 'I should probably just go help people.'"
- - -
About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with 4.2 million members in 10,000 congregations across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of "God's work. Our hands," the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA's roots are in the writings of the German church reformer, Martin Luther.
For information contact:
Melissa Ramirez Cooper
773-380-2956 or Melissa.RamirezCooper@ELCA.org
http://www.ELCA.org/news
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Lutherans
Living Lutheran: http://www.livinglutheran.com
ELCA NEWS SERVICE
July 24, 2012
About 35,000 ELCA youth, adults and volunteers build a community of love
12-49-MRC
NEW ORLEANS (ELCA) - Dane Bakken wanted to know what it was like to haul a 41.5-pound jug of water on foot for 3.7 miles -- the average for what a woman or girl in Africa will walk to bring clean water for her family.
"You can read about (such statistics) as much as you want, but until you do it, that's what makes you realize just how hard that is. Otherwise, it's just numbers," said Bakken, a participant at the 2012 Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's (ELCA) Youth Gathering in New Orleans, July 18-22.
"Here (in the United States) most of us can go to the kitchen to get a glass of water. The same is not true for many around the world," Bakken said.
It was a tough journey. With beads of sweat streaming down his cheeks and momentary rest stops, Bakken was determined to complete his task. It took him more than one hour or 37 turns around a track. Organizers of the activity were asking youth to walk one-tenth of a mile.
Bakken was cheered along the way, but no one beamed with more pride than his pastor, the Rev. Jeffrey D. Jacobs of Springdale Lutheran Church in Mount Horeb, Wis.
"Dane just did it on his own initiative. He's that kind of kid. He does thoughtful things very quietly, and I have been very proud of him," Jacobs said.
The activity was part of the "100 Wells Challenge," where a goal was to raise $250,000 to support the water projects of ELCA World Hunger around the world. That amount could mean building 100 wells, each one with the potential of bringing clean water to 500 families at a time. ELCA youth and their congregations delivered their offerings at the 100 Wells Challenge exhibit. More than $406,000 has been collected as of July 24.
Such multi-sensory activities at the 2012 ELCA Youth Gathering were part of "practice peacemaking" held at the Ernest M. Morial Convention Center here.
Under the theme "citizens with the saints," about 35,000 ELCA youth, adults and volunteers engaged in practice peacemaking as part of the gathering's three core practices. The participants were also challenged to practice justice and practice discipleship.
The ELCA "has a long history of commitment to adolescent faith formation," said Heidi Hagstrom, director of the gathering.
"This generation, in particular, is a product of the ELCA's deepening understanding of and commitment to the connection between service learning and faith formation. I want young people to return to their congregations as leaders, demonstrating what they've learned here and possibly igniting the whole congregations' imagination for mission" in the world, she said.
Under the guidance of Lutheran Campus Ministry staff and students, ELCA youth also took part in starting the construction of three houses for three families in New Orleans.
As part of the project, "We talked about the realities of poverty, and why we need to get involved in these kinds of services," said the Rev. Christopher S. Heavner, an ELCA campus pastor at Clemson University in Clemson, S.C. To support the project, ELCA campus ministries from across the country raised close to $20,000.
Called "The Wall," ELCA youth heard stories of war and armed conflict, as well as stories of hope from young people and adults who came to the gathering from other parts of the world.
Other activities of practice peacemaking included artistic expressions, sports and more.
Practicing justice
For three of the five days of the gathering, about 11,000 ELCA youth and adults were dispersed throughout New Orleans, engaging in nearly 400 service opportunities that ranged from painting a high school to rebuilding community libraries.
Morgan Gates and Martha Chumchal, members of Peace Lutheran Church in College Station, Texas, visited Holt Cemetery in Pottersfield. Although rain prevented them from their assigned work of cleaning the cemetery grounds, they boarded buses with groups of other ELCA youth anyway.
"This cemetery is where all the poor people bury their loved ones because they can't afford a regular cemetery," said Chumchal.
"A lot of the graves were homemade," said Gates. "PVC pipes are used and headstones are made of plywood with names spray-painted on. We took the tour in the rain, in the wet and in the gross. But we learned more about the culture of New Orleans, and we saw that a lot of jazz musicians and military veterans are buried here."
"People (in New Orleans) are into honoring the dead, and there is so much heart in what they do -- the commentaries and compassion people have for one another here are so inspiring," said Chumchal.
Another significant project of the gathering was collecting and distributing 1 million books in 25 book fairs across New Orleans, hosted in part by the city's recreation department and other local organizations. The city's educators, primarily from the Jefferson and Orleans parishes, offered book titles.
ELCA youth were also inspired by worship and Bible study led by 60 of the ELCA's 65 synod bishops. As part of practice discipleship, ELCA youth learned to take their relationship with Jesus Christ to a deeper level.
Every evening, all ELCA youth and adults participants gathered at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome for music, dance, speakers and more.
They were moved and inspired by the Rev. Nadia Bolz-Weber, pastor of House for All Saints and Sinners in Denver, who shared her personal story of overcoming addiction and her love for the ELCA. Leymah Gbowee, a 2011 Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Lutheran Liberian peace activist, and Shane Claiborne, an author and activist from Philadelphia, also spoke.
The Rev. Andrena Ingram, pastor of St. Michael Lutheran Church in Philadelphia, and AIDS activist, shared her story of living with HIV, and anti-bullying activist Jamie Nabozny asked youth to think about the things they say in their everyday lives that might have an effect on others. ELCA Presiding Bishop Mark S. Hanson spoke at the gathering's open, preached and led closing worship. "At the table Jesus sets, we are all welcome. We are one community in Christ," Hanson told ELCA youth at the close.
Nicole Reeves, of Love of Christ Lutheran Church in Mesa, Ariz., said she's proud to be an ELCA member.
Reflecting on how her experience at the gathering might impact her life as she returns home, "I kind of want to go on a mission trip," she said. One evening at the gathering "I was sitting in the hallway and thinking about the meaning of life and, I was like, 'I should probably just go help people.'"
- - -
About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with 4.2 million members in 10,000 congregations across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of "God's work. Our hands," the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA's roots are in the writings of the German church reformer, Martin Luther.
For information contact:
Melissa Ramirez Cooper
773-380-2956 or Melissa.RamirezCooper@ELCA.org
http://www.ELCA.org/news
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Lutherans
Living Lutheran: http://www.livinglutheran.com
7.21.2012
Friday: Practice Justice
We were up bright and early today for our Practice Justice day. We stumbled to breakfast at 6:55 a.m., wearing our matching orange servant day t-shirts. Amazing to think that each day of the gathering, there were 11,000 wearing these matching orange t-shirts, practicing justice and serving the city.
The day began with worship, focused on what it means to do justice, and learning about why New Orleans is a place that still needs love and hope. Then onto a bus to drive to Akili Academy, a charter school in what they call a “Recovery District” in the city, which is all charter schools set up after Katrina to help replace schools that had been destroyed.
Akili is a series of trailers right now, waiting for the funding to build a permanent structure. They are a future K-8 school, building up one grade a year. So this fall, they are adding their first 5th grade class, and they needed to clean out one building that had been used for storage to set up classrooms for this new class of about 100 students.
So our project was to help work on the building to get it cleaned up and set up. We pulled hundreds of staples from the walls and put mini tennis balls on the feet of desks and chairs to help them slide around. We moved bookshelves and a giant desk from one building to another. We taped around bulletin boards and windows to prepare for paint crews to come in.
Perhaps the most interesting thing about the work day is that by the time we got there, it was monsooning. A huge storm system off the gulf had settled over us, and it downpoured – seriously, SHEETS of rain – for hours and hours. We watched the small plots of land between school buildings fill up to flooded. There was a brief period of thunder and lightning that scared the pants off of us, and killed the power in all the buildings for about twenty minutes.
There is a certain sort of desperation that sets in when it’s been downpouring, and I’m not joking here. You start to feel anxious when you see the land out the window fill with water, and when you realize that you have no idea where the water will go. When we got back to our hotel, we watched as water gushed out of sewers and Pastor Miller even saw the water shoot manhole covers up and off.
But I think that the constant rain and scary flood watches and warnings helped us understand a little bit of what our brothers and sisters in New Orleans go through every hurricane season, and gave us new empathy for the horror of Katrina.
The dome tonight focused on peacemaking.
Jamie Nabozny spoke about bullying, and about how youth can take a stand and make a difference. Diane Latiker shared with us her own inspirational story about how she is promoting peace and nonviolence in her community by opening up her home as a gathering space for youth to keep them off the streets. Our keynote speaker tonight was Nobel Laureate Leymah Gbowee, who spoke to us about hope, and how God’s light is the hope in the world, and how we can live out God’s hope in the world.
The Dome ended with Rachel Kurtz singing a version of “Hallelujah,” complete with white-robed dancers and huge white balloons and cloth streamers being raised above our heads in the dome. Breathtakingly beautiful. Incredibly moving.
Since it WASN’T raining, we actually left our hotel for community life events after the Dome. Half of the group went to see Agape in concert, and the other half went to a dance down at a hotel on Canal Street.
Another very full, very wonderful day. Hard to believe the trip is half-over already!
The day began with worship, focused on what it means to do justice, and learning about why New Orleans is a place that still needs love and hope. Then onto a bus to drive to Akili Academy, a charter school in what they call a “Recovery District” in the city, which is all charter schools set up after Katrina to help replace schools that had been destroyed.
Akili is a series of trailers right now, waiting for the funding to build a permanent structure. They are a future K-8 school, building up one grade a year. So this fall, they are adding their first 5th grade class, and they needed to clean out one building that had been used for storage to set up classrooms for this new class of about 100 students.
So our project was to help work on the building to get it cleaned up and set up. We pulled hundreds of staples from the walls and put mini tennis balls on the feet of desks and chairs to help them slide around. We moved bookshelves and a giant desk from one building to another. We taped around bulletin boards and windows to prepare for paint crews to come in.
Perhaps the most interesting thing about the work day is that by the time we got there, it was monsooning. A huge storm system off the gulf had settled over us, and it downpoured – seriously, SHEETS of rain – for hours and hours. We watched the small plots of land between school buildings fill up to flooded. There was a brief period of thunder and lightning that scared the pants off of us, and killed the power in all the buildings for about twenty minutes.
There is a certain sort of desperation that sets in when it’s been downpouring, and I’m not joking here. You start to feel anxious when you see the land out the window fill with water, and when you realize that you have no idea where the water will go. When we got back to our hotel, we watched as water gushed out of sewers and Pastor Miller even saw the water shoot manhole covers up and off.
But I think that the constant rain and scary flood watches and warnings helped us understand a little bit of what our brothers and sisters in New Orleans go through every hurricane season, and gave us new empathy for the horror of Katrina.
The dome tonight focused on peacemaking.
Jamie Nabozny spoke about bullying, and about how youth can take a stand and make a difference. Diane Latiker shared with us her own inspirational story about how she is promoting peace and nonviolence in her community by opening up her home as a gathering space for youth to keep them off the streets. Our keynote speaker tonight was Nobel Laureate Leymah Gbowee, who spoke to us about hope, and how God’s light is the hope in the world, and how we can live out God’s hope in the world.
The Dome ended with Rachel Kurtz singing a version of “Hallelujah,” complete with white-robed dancers and huge white balloons and cloth streamers being raised above our heads in the dome. Breathtakingly beautiful. Incredibly moving.
Since it WASN’T raining, we actually left our hotel for community life events after the Dome. Half of the group went to see Agape in concert, and the other half went to a dance down at a hotel on Canal Street.
Another very full, very wonderful day. Hard to believe the trip is half-over already!
7.20.2012
Thursday: Practice Peacemaking
It was another good night of sleep and a late-start morning (the last one of the trip for us!) on Thursday.
It was blue day – all twenty-six of us gathering for breakfast in our matching “Caribbean blue” t-shirts and heading across town from the Superdome area (where our hotel is) to the Convention Center for our Practice Peacemaking day.
It was humid and gray as we walked. With about three blocks to go, we noticed a few raindrops. With about two and a half blocks to go, the skies opened and we shuffled our way through a downpour the rest of the way to the Convention Center, where we shivered in the air conditioning and regrouped, looking wet, disheveled, and yet happy!
Our time in the Convention Center began in the auditorium with worship. We sang and prayed with a couple thousand other Gathering youth, led by a gospel-jazz worship team. We listened to a message about how God not only tears down walls, but that in Christ, there ARE NO WALLS. Powerful stuff.
Then it was down to the main floor to kick off our activity time in the Interaction Center. Kevin, Erik, and Sam made a beeline for the Blood Donation area, while the other split into groups and spent all afternoon painting leaves in a mural, making bracelets, playing ping-pong and dodge ball, visiting goofy photo booths, checking out displays by Lutheran colleges and universities, listening to bands play at different stages around the room, carrying jugs of water through an obstacle coure to learn about malaria and all those people who have to walk great distances to find clean water....and that was just a teensy bit of the first floor!
Upstairs, we had groups who walked the labyrinth, groups that checked out a really beautiful art exhibit on themes of peace, discipleship, and justice. Some groups explored prayer stations, other groups spent time in a meditation room, some groups looked around at workshops on bullying, immigration, advocacy, and justice.
The Convention Center is HUGE. It takes you more than 15 minutes to walk from the entrance of the building to the far end of the Interaction Center. We scratched the surface and hope to return there on Saturday afternoon.
We gathered back at the hotel for a dinner of really delicious pizza from a local indie pizza joint right around the corner, and then it was onward to our second night in the Superdome!
Tonight’s Superdome gathering was intense. Focused on the theme of “practicing discipleship,” it centered on the idea that following Jesus – being a disciple – is risky. It is challenging. It makes your life messier and more unpredictable. It was a challenge to let our faith lead us, even into uncharted waters.
The night included a spoken word piece by Elijah Furquan, and a performance by Tony Memmel, a singer and songwriter who, despite being born missing his left forearm, plays guitar, piano, and harmonica. His songs were great and his courage inspiring. “Valerie Rivas shared a moving story about her call to serve in South Africa for a year after college through the Young Adults in Global Mission program, and 18-year-old Megan Subbs shared her story of being part of a missionary family serving in Tanzania.
The keynote speaker was Shane Claiborne, who got us all riled up with his passionate words about crossing boundaries, crossing injustice, and even crossing the legal system for the sake of following Jesus. I would encourage you to head over to the ELCA website (www.elca.org), follow the link to the Youth Gathering page, and click the purple button sending you to videos from the week – and listen to his talk for yourself.
The Superdome gathering ended with a group of youth sharing stories about being different and being bullied. Moving moving monologues. Presiding Bishop Hanson wrapped up the conversation with a challenge and a prayer. A challenge to stop the bullying, to take care of the bullied, to help the bullies find grace, and a challenge to all of us to take a stand instead of staying silent, taking the risk to stand up for one another and protect our brothers and sisters in Christ – fellow children of God.
Our St. Timothy group took some time back at the hotel to talk about what we had seen and heard in the dome. You have to know that this is an exceptional group of high schoolers, and St. Timothy needs to be so proud of them. The depth and integrity of faith that shone through in our group conversation was staggering. These are some pretty incredible young people. We as a congregation are blessed by them and have much we can learn from them.
Today was a great day. Positive vibes all around, great experiences, lots of laughter, lots of love. Here’s looking to another great day tomorrow!
It was blue day – all twenty-six of us gathering for breakfast in our matching “Caribbean blue” t-shirts and heading across town from the Superdome area (where our hotel is) to the Convention Center for our Practice Peacemaking day.
It was humid and gray as we walked. With about three blocks to go, we noticed a few raindrops. With about two and a half blocks to go, the skies opened and we shuffled our way through a downpour the rest of the way to the Convention Center, where we shivered in the air conditioning and regrouped, looking wet, disheveled, and yet happy!
Our time in the Convention Center began in the auditorium with worship. We sang and prayed with a couple thousand other Gathering youth, led by a gospel-jazz worship team. We listened to a message about how God not only tears down walls, but that in Christ, there ARE NO WALLS. Powerful stuff.
Then it was down to the main floor to kick off our activity time in the Interaction Center. Kevin, Erik, and Sam made a beeline for the Blood Donation area, while the other split into groups and spent all afternoon painting leaves in a mural, making bracelets, playing ping-pong and dodge ball, visiting goofy photo booths, checking out displays by Lutheran colleges and universities, listening to bands play at different stages around the room, carrying jugs of water through an obstacle coure to learn about malaria and all those people who have to walk great distances to find clean water....and that was just a teensy bit of the first floor!
Upstairs, we had groups who walked the labyrinth, groups that checked out a really beautiful art exhibit on themes of peace, discipleship, and justice. Some groups explored prayer stations, other groups spent time in a meditation room, some groups looked around at workshops on bullying, immigration, advocacy, and justice.
The Convention Center is HUGE. It takes you more than 15 minutes to walk from the entrance of the building to the far end of the Interaction Center. We scratched the surface and hope to return there on Saturday afternoon.
We gathered back at the hotel for a dinner of really delicious pizza from a local indie pizza joint right around the corner, and then it was onward to our second night in the Superdome!
Tonight’s Superdome gathering was intense. Focused on the theme of “practicing discipleship,” it centered on the idea that following Jesus – being a disciple – is risky. It is challenging. It makes your life messier and more unpredictable. It was a challenge to let our faith lead us, even into uncharted waters.
The night included a spoken word piece by Elijah Furquan, and a performance by Tony Memmel, a singer and songwriter who, despite being born missing his left forearm, plays guitar, piano, and harmonica. His songs were great and his courage inspiring. “Valerie Rivas shared a moving story about her call to serve in South Africa for a year after college through the Young Adults in Global Mission program, and 18-year-old Megan Subbs shared her story of being part of a missionary family serving in Tanzania.
The keynote speaker was Shane Claiborne, who got us all riled up with his passionate words about crossing boundaries, crossing injustice, and even crossing the legal system for the sake of following Jesus. I would encourage you to head over to the ELCA website (www.elca.org), follow the link to the Youth Gathering page, and click the purple button sending you to videos from the week – and listen to his talk for yourself.
The Superdome gathering ended with a group of youth sharing stories about being different and being bullied. Moving moving monologues. Presiding Bishop Hanson wrapped up the conversation with a challenge and a prayer. A challenge to stop the bullying, to take care of the bullied, to help the bullies find grace, and a challenge to all of us to take a stand instead of staying silent, taking the risk to stand up for one another and protect our brothers and sisters in Christ – fellow children of God.
Our St. Timothy group took some time back at the hotel to talk about what we had seen and heard in the dome. You have to know that this is an exceptional group of high schoolers, and St. Timothy needs to be so proud of them. The depth and integrity of faith that shone through in our group conversation was staggering. These are some pretty incredible young people. We as a congregation are blessed by them and have much we can learn from them.
Today was a great day. Positive vibes all around, great experiences, lots of laughter, lots of love. Here’s looking to another great day tomorrow!
7.19.2012
Wednesday: We are in New Orleans!
After a late night on Tuesday, our youth got to sleep in a little today while the adult leaders hiked across town to the Convention Center to get registered. They learned a little bit about the city, a lot about the Gathering, and then returned to the hotel with 26 backpacks and 26 t-shirts. It is official: WE ARE HERE and READY TO GO!
We had the rest of the day free until the opening night festivities in the Superdome, so we set out to explore.
We walked to the French Quarter, admiring the pretty buildings, taking pictures of all of the French-named street signs, and yes, working our way toward Bourbon Street.
Bourbon street was definitely a controlled adventure. A mix of really delicious restaurants, really tacky gift shops, plenty of bars, and signs for some pretty skeevy establishments (if you catch my drift.)
When we left Bourbon street and walked the one block over to the gallery district, it was amazing how you can go from dark and yucky to artistic and beautiful over the course of one block. And some of the youth were talking about how God is present both in the dark places and in the light places.
We ate lunch together at a restaurant in the French Quarter and did some “adventurous eating,” as we all tried and shared good Creole and Cajun food at our tables.
Then off to Jackson Square, where we watched a street performer, all dressed up in gold, with gold paint on his face, giant wings, and fangs, perch on a pedestal as a living statue. We browsed artwork created by street painters, and Erik commissioned a poem from a streetside writer.
Then back to the hotel for some cooling off, swimming, and getting ready for opening night at the Superdome!
It is hard to explain what it feels like to enter a huge arena with 35,000 other people, and to see the screens and the stage and the giant cross hanging down. We cheered together, sang together, danced together, prayed together. Bishop Mark Hanson (the presiding bishop of the ELCA) kicked things off. We listened to fantastic speakers: Bishop Michael Rinehart, Rev. Yehiel Curry, and Rev. Nadia Bolz-Weber.
The best way to describe our first night in the Superdome is to send you to the ELCA Youth Gathering page. Watch the videos there to see what we saw!
On our way out (after a weather delay as they held us inside b/c of thunderstorms), we walked down the ramps toward the exit, shoulder-to-shoulder with tons of other groups. What do you know – our group were instigators in getting the WHOLE TUNNEL to sing. Everything from Christmas carols to “Don’t Stop Believing.” Fantastic. From there, we braved the rain back to our hotel, where we went to a big dance and a big room full of inflatables before doing closing devotions and heading off to bed.
So as I said. A busy day. A full day. A hot and humid day. And an AWESOME day. And this is just the beginning…
We had the rest of the day free until the opening night festivities in the Superdome, so we set out to explore.
We walked to the French Quarter, admiring the pretty buildings, taking pictures of all of the French-named street signs, and yes, working our way toward Bourbon Street.
Bourbon street was definitely a controlled adventure. A mix of really delicious restaurants, really tacky gift shops, plenty of bars, and signs for some pretty skeevy establishments (if you catch my drift.)
When we left Bourbon street and walked the one block over to the gallery district, it was amazing how you can go from dark and yucky to artistic and beautiful over the course of one block. And some of the youth were talking about how God is present both in the dark places and in the light places.
We ate lunch together at a restaurant in the French Quarter and did some “adventurous eating,” as we all tried and shared good Creole and Cajun food at our tables.
Then off to Jackson Square, where we watched a street performer, all dressed up in gold, with gold paint on his face, giant wings, and fangs, perch on a pedestal as a living statue. We browsed artwork created by street painters, and Erik commissioned a poem from a streetside writer.
Then back to the hotel for some cooling off, swimming, and getting ready for opening night at the Superdome!
It is hard to explain what it feels like to enter a huge arena with 35,000 other people, and to see the screens and the stage and the giant cross hanging down. We cheered together, sang together, danced together, prayed together. Bishop Mark Hanson (the presiding bishop of the ELCA) kicked things off. We listened to fantastic speakers: Bishop Michael Rinehart, Rev. Yehiel Curry, and Rev. Nadia Bolz-Weber.
The best way to describe our first night in the Superdome is to send you to the ELCA Youth Gathering page. Watch the videos there to see what we saw!
On our way out (after a weather delay as they held us inside b/c of thunderstorms), we walked down the ramps toward the exit, shoulder-to-shoulder with tons of other groups. What do you know – our group were instigators in getting the WHOLE TUNNEL to sing. Everything from Christmas carols to “Don’t Stop Believing.” Fantastic. From there, we braved the rain back to our hotel, where we went to a big dance and a big room full of inflatables before doing closing devotions and heading off to bed.
So as I said. A busy day. A full day. A hot and humid day. And an AWESOME day. And this is just the beginning…
7.16.2012
One more day
- Monday is the day when laundry needs to happen.
- Monday is the day when emergency Target runs need to happen for travel shampoo, camera batteries, bus snacks, and a water bottle to replace the one that you thought was in your gym bag but wasn't there when you looked for it.
- Monday is the day when you stack all of your clothes on the bed, look at the giant pile, and then realize that you don't need seventeen shirts for six days of travel.
- Monday is the day when you pack up your backpack, but leave out your phone charger and iPod charger so that you can use them overnight and pack them in the morning.
- Monday is the day for last email checks and last-minute details.
Because Tuesday - tomorrow - we leave for New Orleans!
We had a great BBQ and final meeting last night at church. St. Timothy hosted the youth from St. Paul Lutheran in Villa Park and Grace Lutheran in Glen Ellyn, who are our busmates for the ride to and from New Orleans.
We ate ourselves silly on hamburgers, hot dogs, chips, and salads. We played getting-to-know-you games out in the church yard while our AMAZING team of grillmasters weathered the heat and humidity to cook us delicious food. We collected paperwork and final balances and handed out our trip t-shirts.
I don't know about you, but I feel ready to go! Well, except for that whole laundry and packing business...
Anyway, one more day! Tomorrow, 4:45am, the adventure begins...
7.14.2012
Who we are
We are the high school youth (and adult leaders) of St. Timothy Lutheran Church, and we are heading to New Orleans, Louisiana for the 2012 ELCA National Youth Gathering! More on the Youth Gathering in the next post. But for now, here are a few pictures to give you a sense of who we are (hint: we are a little crazy and a lot awesome!):
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