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2009 ELCA Youth Gathering E-News
January 2009 ► Issue 9

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 for the Gathering is now closed

Thank you for registering for the 2009 ELCA Youth Gathering! 36,650 young people and adults are registered and preparing to participate in Jesus Justice Jazz.

Confirmations and housing assignments will be e-mailed to all primary leaders beginning the third week of January 2009. Housing assignments will be prioritized based on registration payments. If your congregation has not yet submitted a deposit payment, you will be one of the last to be assigned.

Please mail all checks for your Gathering registration fees to the following address. Remember to write your Congregational ID # on the memo line at bottom of your check.

ELCA Youth Gathering Registration
P.O. Box #798291
St. Louis, MO 63179-8000

Need to make a substitution, deletion, or change in your group's registration? Here's what to do...
Now that registration has closed and the online registration records are no longer accessible, your group's Primary Leader will need to:
  • Submit the changes and information in writing via e-mail to gathering@elca.org. Please do not call the Gathering office with changes.
  • Make sure e-mailed changes are sent from the Primary Leader's e-mail account or that the e-mail message provides the Primary Leader's e-mail address for responses.
  • Include your Congregational ID # in all messages and correspondence.

Thank you for your patience and help as we work to finalize registrations, make changes, and process hotel assignments!
 

Special individual registrations still open

Gathering registration for specific categories of individuals remains open even though registration for congregational groups has closed. The following individuals can still register:

Getting Ready resources now available
Adults who are registered for the Gathering have begun to receive a special monthly email with links to the Getting Ready study and preparation resources. We know from past ELCA Youth Gathering evaluations that groups that have done careful, intentional, and prayerful preparation work in advance have strengthened and deepened their Gathering experiences.

You can also find the resource materials on the Getting Ready Web site.
 
Gathering offerings
Stay tuned for information on the Gathering offering opportunities and recipient ministries. Your entire congregation can participate in these efforts to support important ministries of the church.
 
Video story of a family trying to rebuild after Katrina
PBS FRONTLINE: The Old Man and the Storm. FRONTLINE follows one New Orleans family as it struggles to rebuild and pull back together after Hurricane Katrina.

View videos, learn more, and join discussions at www.pbs.org/frontline/katrina.

Here are some frequently asked questions about serving in New Orleans during the Gathering, and Getting Ready resources for preparing your group.
 

Charlie Roberts introduces us to New Orleans... via video

Click on the Oyster Bar to view the video (wmv).

Charlie is the coordinator for the Gathering's Community Life Team, and a leader in congregational and synodical youth and family ministry. He calls Pennsylvania home, but he sure seems comfortable in New Orleans!

Charlie introduces us to the city that is graciously hosting us and reminds us of our call to ministry and service. (The New Orleans Convention & Visitors Bureau produced this video for the Gathering -- thank you!)
 

Share the excitement about Jesus Justice Jazz

Click on the ad to order official Gathering gear from Old Lutheran.

Download the Gathering logo to make your own t-shirts, create newsletters, and add to your Web sites.

Discuss the Gathering logo and what Jesus Justice Jazz means. February's Getting Ready resources explore the theme and logo.
 

New Orleans jazz quotes

Improvisation was the blood and bone of jazz, and in the classic, New Orleans jazz it was collective improvisation in which each performer, seemingly going his own melodic way, played in harmony, dissonance, or counterpoint with the improvisations of his colleagues.

Quite unlike ragtime, which was written down in many cases by its composers and could be repeated note for note (if not expression for expression) by others, jazz was a performer’s not a composer’s art.

Russell Lynes, art historian, writer, and photographer
 

 Did you know?

The colors of New Orleans and Mardi Gras are purple, green, and gold. Purple represents justice, green stands for faith, and gold signifies power. Rex, the King of Carnival, selected them in 1872 for his first parade.

While they were probably chosen simply because they looked good together, Rex assigned a meaning to each in his 1892 parade, entitled "Symbolism of Colors."

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