Ministries Youth & Family Prayer, Play, Service and All that Jazz!
ELCA youth entered into God’s presence in New Orleans to receive the witness of others and practice their faith through worship, prayer, play, service and learning.
The Gathering promised to respond 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 Jazz -- is the catalyst for answers to these and other questions.
Here is a sampling of what was accomplished at this year's gathering.
Youth and adults participating in ServantLife worked with:
- 82 schools
- Preparing school supply kits for every K-3rd grade student in New Orleans
- 13 churches
- 11 organizations building homes
- 7 public parks
- 21 community centers
- 2 major public events
- 5 reading fairs
- And many other community organizations and ministries
And over the 3 days there were:
- 12,000 Gathering servants per day
- 360 young adult volunteers per day
- 300 buses per day
- A lot of supplies used that were contributed through the online offering catalog (still open)
