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2009 ELCA Youth Gathering E-News
September 4, 2008 ► Issue 4

The Gathering E-News will be sent to you each month and deliver Gathering information and news to you on New Orleans and beyond. Previous issues of the Gathering E-News are archived.

Registration opens September 15, 12:01am (central time)
 
New Orleans ready and able to host the 2009 ELCA Youth Gathering

We have been monitoring closely the conditions in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast as a result of Hurricane Gustav and other hurricanes moving through the area. The impact has not diminished or changed the ability and commitment of the city of New Orleans and the ELCA to safely host the 2009 ELCA Youth Gathering. Registration for the Gathering will open, as planned, on September 15, 12:01am central time.

We draw strength, and a renewed sense of call, from the New Testament reading for August 31 that was read in many of our churches:

“Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers.” (Romans 12:12-13)

Please continue to pray:

  • With thankfulness for the preserving of life and limited damage in New Orleans;
  • For the safety and recovery of people who have had to leave their homes, and for the communities that experienced more severe damage and loss, and;
  • For the strength and encouragement of the volunteers, workers, congregations, and organizations that provide emergency services and care wherever they are needed.

For updates and information on the ELCA’s response in the Gulf Coast and other areas, go to:

The excitement and anticipation is almost unbearable!

Online registration for the Gathering opens September 15, 2008 through January 15, 2009. Go to registration information or the Gathering home page and click on the special registration button (link will not be active until 12:01am central time on September 15th).

Have all your participant information ready for when you log on, especially your congregational ID number.

Registration also opens for the Multicultural Youth Leadership Event (MYLE) and the Definitely-Abled Youth Leadership Event (DAYLE).

Jesus Justice Jazz: Think of the Gathering as a servant school with music, fun, dancing, and zip lines!

  • Your faith will be strengthened by the people you meet and the stories you hear.
  • You’ll dig into the Bible for God’s life-giving and guiding Word.
  • You will be challenged in your ideas about service and justice.
  • You will witness how God’s Spirit creates ripple effects through our actions that can bring about change and healing in the lives of people, communities, and creation.
  • And, yes, we will experience safely and celebrate the rich culture and history that is unique to New Orleans.

When it’s all over, we will be sent out to continue our lives of service and witness in the world, wherever we are… with the same compassion and justice that God has shown to us through Christ.

Learn more about the theme, the logo, and the questions being asked about the service experiences we'll have in New Orleans.

Got questions or suggestions?

Contact your Gathering Synod Coordinator (Word doc). They'll help you find answers to your questions, share ideas, connect you with other leaders. You can also reach the ELCA Youth Gathering office at gathering@elca.org.

Spread the excitement and share the message!
Jazz quotes

"My music is homegrown from the garden of New Orleans. Music is everything to me short of breathing. Music also has a role to lift you up -- not to be escapist but to take you out of misery."

Allen Toussaint, musician

“Jazz is played from the heart. You can even live by it. Always love it.”

 Louis Armstrong, musician
 

Did you know?
  • There are about 130 congregations in the Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast Synod.
     
  • New Orleans is one of the oldest cities in the U.S., boasting a 300-year history.
     
  • More than 36,000 volunteers have given over 1.6 million hours in repairing and rebuilding more than 10,000 homes in the Gulf Coast through Lutheran Disaster Response.

You are receiving this e-mail because you subscribed to the 2009 ELCA Youth Gathering E-News.  Unsubscribe from or subscribe to this Gathering E-News list.  For general questions contact the ELCA Youth Gathering office at gathering@elca.org or 1-800-638-3522, ext. 2100.