Gathering Info
“This is not your mother’s youth gathering.”
This comment bounced among conversations and presentations about the 2009 ELCA Youth Gathering at the initial meeting of Synod Gathering Coordinators in New Orleans in January and at the ELCA Youth Ministry Extravaganza in Anaheim, CA in February. As more and more people heard about the bold and amazing servant ministry approach to this Gathering, some began referring to it instead as “The mother of all servant events.”
The next ELCA Youth Gathering will be held in New Orleans, LA July 22 – 26, 2009. During that time, 36,000 Lutheran youth and adults will gather around Word and Sacrament in New Orleans, the birthplace of jazz. The theme is Jesus♣Justice♣Jazz and it draws from the rich faith history, diverse cultures, and arts of New Orleans. It will stretch our understandings of what it means to live in relationship and service with each other in the manner of Christ – for life!
The temptation may be to think that since you have been to “Cruzando” or to a previous gathering that you are well prepared for the 2009 event. Whether or not you have been to an ELCA Gathering in the past, you will want to prayerfully discern participation in this one. Consider this from the Gathering Web site
ELCA Youth will enter into God’s presence in New Orleans to receive the witness of others and to practice their faith through worship, prayer, play, service, and learning. The Gathering holds promise in responding to several questions related to the social mission of the church. How can young people, through their experiences in New Orleans, step into their baptismal vocation as Christians and see themselves within God’s narrative of love and justice? What will empower them to leave New Orleans more committed to shaping their congregations into compassionate communities of faith? How will youth discover the joy of holistic living where heart and head are joined together with life-giving Christian practices? How will they discover anew that God in Christ loves all humankind and all of creation unconditionally and shows that love each day through the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit? The Gathering’s theme—Jesus, Justice, and Jazz—is the catalyst for answers to these and other questions.
The focus will be on service and justice as we live our shared reality as Christians: Marked with the cross of Christ forever, we are claimed, gathered, and sent for the sake of the world. The Gathering is a time of change and growth because we gather in the presence of God’s Spirit with others who journey with Jesus.
The ELCA Gathering Team has commissioned me to be your Synod Gathering Coordinator in an effort to support your journey and to help make your Gathering experience a meaningful and positive one. I look forward to serving you as you begin your preparations. Please do not hesitate to contact me (do not directly contact the ELCA Gathering office). I can be reached .
The nature of change is that it often generates many questions and even some anxiety. To help explain the nature and purpose of these changes, to answer questions, and to quell any anxiety I will be offering two opportunities for youth ministry adults who are interested in accompanying youth to New Orleans to gather:
- Saturday, April 12, 1:00 – 3:00 PM at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, Springfield, VA
- Sunday, May 4, 3:00 – 5:00 PM at St. Luke Lutheran Church, Silver Spring, MD.
Please try to attend one of these.
In the meantime, if you haven’t already done so, you can start your preparations by visiting the Gathering website. There you can sign up for Gathering News on the homepage. You can also view the promotional videos and posters (copies were mailed to congregations in September), read the Theological Statement of the Gathering, access information about safety in New Orleans, and more.
If there is someone in your congregation to whom future mailings should go to directly, please let me know their name, mailing address, and email address. Thank you for your assistance with this!
God bless you in your ministry with your young people!
Barbara Harner
Gathering Synod Coordinator, Metro DC Synod
Email –
