ELCA Youth Gathering
| ELCA Youth Gathering | |
|---|---|
| Location(s) | Various |
| Years active | 1982 - Present |
| Founded | 1982 |
| Website | |
| elca.org/gathering | |
The ELCA Youth Gathering is a national convention held every 3 years in a different American city attended by high-school-age youth of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. For the events before 2009, the gathering would last two weeks, with certain churches coming one week, the others going the second week. The gathering lasts around 5 days and each day is focused on a form of service. Each convention has a central theme to it. These themes are focused on a certain scripture from the bible.
Contents
Locations and themes of the ELCA Youth Gathering (1982–present)
| Year | Location | Venue | Theme | Bible verse |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | San Antonio, TX | |||
| 1985 | Denver, CO | |||
| 1988 | San Antonio, TX | "Rejoice in the Lord Always" | ||
| 1991 | Dallas, TX | "Called to Freedom" | 1 Timothy 4:12 | |
| 1994 | Atlanta, GA | Georgia Dome | "2 Be Alive" | |
| 1997 | New Orleans, LA | Louisiana Superdome | "River of Hope" | |
| 2000 | St. Louis, MO | Edward Jones Dome | "Dancing at the Crossroads" | |
| 2003 | Atlanta, GA | Georgia Dome | "Ubuntu" ("Do Life") | |
| 2006 | San Antonio, TX | Alamo Dome | "Cruzando" ("Crossing") | |
| 2009 | New Orleans, LA | Louisiana Superdome | "Jesus, Justice, Jazz" | Philippians 2:1-8 |
| 2012 | New Orleans, LA | Mercedes-Benz Superdome | "Citizens With the Saints" | Ephesians 2:14-20 |
| 2015 | Detroit, MI | Ford Field | "Rise Up Together" | The Gospel of Mark |
| 2018 | Houston, TX | NRG Stadium | TBA | TBA |
Specific Gatherings
New Orleans 2009
In July, 37,000 Lutheran youth and their chaperones attended a gathering in New Orleans to help with post-Katrina problems in the city and surrounding suburbs. "This was the biggest convention since Katrina," said bestofneworleans.com. The theme for this gathering in New Orleans was "Jesus, Justice, Jazz." The Bible theme for this convention was Philippians 2: 1-8. Usually, the host city is chosen immediately after the last gathering, but organizers were not able to pick New Orleans three years in advance because they did not know if New Orleans was capable of holding such a gathering. Organizers saw the city, and decided to use New Orleans after requests to use other cities were denied. Though there was opposition to the convention taking place in New Orleans, due to rising crime rates and its reputation for adult sensuality, organizers came upon the agreement that New Orleans needed them as much as they needed New Orleans.
Unlike the 2006 gathering, which was split into two one-week groups, the 2009 gathering would only be one week. The change shifted from 20,000 people each week, to 36,000 in one week. This is roughly a sixth of New Orleans's population. The days were split in two, with the mornings focusing on either Jesus, justice, or jazz (in line with the theme of the gathering). On the day focused on Jesus, the youth would search their spiritual lives. On the day focused on jazz, the youth learned about the stories and experiences New Orleans had during Hurricane Katrina. On the day focused on justice, the youth took part in various activities including replanting marsh grasses; restoring Holt Cemetery through weeding, planting and fixing grave stones; hosting community fairs to promote health and literacy; and painting and fixing up broken homes.[1]
Guest Speakers[2]
- C. Ray Nagin: Mayor of New Orleans
- Marc Kielburger: founder of Free the Children
- Pastor Jay Bakker
- Viola Vaughn: started the village school for girls in Senegal, West Africa
- Becca Stevens, founder of Thistle Farms and Magdalene
- Spencer West: overcoming adversity and living life without legs
- Michel Chikwanine: child soldier from Uganda
- Donald Miller: author of Blue Like Jazz
- Anne Mahlum: founder of Back on My Feet
- Venice Williams: worked with community gardens
Musicians
- Agape
- Group1Crew
- Celia Whitler http://celiamusic.net
- Skillet
- Lost and Found
- The Flying Karamazov Brothers
- The Katinas
- Guyland Leday: 9 yr old accordion player
- Amanda Shaw: 16 yr old violinist
- Rachel Kurtz
New Orleans 2012
The 2012 ELCA Youth Gathering took place in New Orleans, Louisiana, from July 18–22. 33,309 youth and chaperones attended this gathering, going out to over 400 different volunteer sites on the Practice Justice Day. The theme for the 2012 gathering was "Citizens with the Saints". The Mercedes-Benz Superdome, affectionately re-dubbed the "LutherDome," reprised its role from the 2009 event and hosted a mass gathering each evening the 18th to the 21st, and a final morning service on July 22. Each of the three full days of the gathering (July 19–21) was designated for a different "practice" of faith. On Practice Peacemaking day, youth were encouraged to visit exhibitions, participate in sports and other activities, donate hair, blood, and money to build wells at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. Practice Justice day saw the youth coming together to complete volunteer service projects. Finally, Practice Discipleship was a day of worship and bible study in which each church's group met with other groups from the same synod. This was the first time any city had hosted a third gathering, as well as the first time two consecutive gatherings have been held in the same city. The "LutherDome" sessions were emceed by students Kaelie Lund and Josiah Williams. Speakers and performers, organized by night, included:
Wednesday July 18th
- Rev. Yehiel Curry
- Bishop Michael Rinehart
- Pastor Nadia Bolz-Weber
- AGAPE (Christian Rapper)
- Rachel Kurtz (Christian Singer)
- Roots of Music (local New Orleans children's music program)
- Lost and Found (Musical Act)
Thursday July 19th
- Shane Claiborne
- Mark Hanson, Presiding Bishop of the ELCA
- Valerie Rivas
- Eric Hoelzi
- Megan Stubbs
- Elijah Furquan (musical act)
- Tony Memmel (musical act)
- Aaron Strumpel (musical act)
Friday July 20th
- Leymah Gbowee, 2011 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate
- Kelly Wallace
- Diane Latiker
- Jamie Nabozny
- Rhema Soul (musical act)
- Lost and Found (musical act)
Saturday July 21st
- Rev. Andrena Ingram
- Greg von Wald
- Preservation Hall Junior Jazz and Heritage Brass Band (local New Orleans children's and adolescent's musical act)
- Switchfoot (alternative / Christian rock band)
Detroit 2015
The 2015 ELCA Youth Gathering took place in Detroit, from July 15–19. Over 30,000 youth and chaperones attended this gathering, going out to over 600 different volunteer sites on the Proclaim Justice Day. The theme for the 2015 gathering was "Rise Up". Ford Field, hosted a mass gathering each evening the 15th to the 18th, and a final morning service on July 19. Each of the three full days of the gathering (July 15–19) was designated for a different "practice" of faith. On Proclaim Community day, youth were encouraged to visit exhibitions, participate in sports and other activities, donate hair, blood, and money to build wells at the Cobo Center. Proclaim Justice day saw the youth coming together to complete volunteer service projects. Finally, Proclaim Story was a day of worship and bible study in which each church's group met with other groups from the same synod. This was the first time Detroit had hosted a gathering.
Speakers and performers at the Ford Field nightly sessions, organized by night, included:
Wednesday July 15th
- Elizabeth Eaton, Presiding Bishop of the ELCA
- Mikka McCracken
- Rev. Dr. Luke A. Powery
- Agape (Christian rapper)
- Lost and Found (musical act)
Thursday July 16th
- Karis Ailabouni
- Eric Barreto
- Rev. Alexia Salvatierra
Friday July 17th
- Rani Abdulmasih
- Sarah Funkhouser
- Steve Jerbi
- Emily Scott
Saturday July 18th
- Kyle Larson
- Veronika Scott
- Rozella White
- Marian Wright Edelman
- Skillet (band)
References
- ↑ "The Kindness of Strangers." Lord of Life Lutheran Church. 3 Aug. 2009. Web. 01 Feb. 2012.
- ↑ Neeley, Kimberly. "New Orleans Youth Gathering 2009 – Stats and Facts, Graham Brenna, Graham Brenna Church Media & Communications Guy. 28 July 2009. Web. 01 Feb. 2011.
