SPY at NYG (St Paul Lutheran at the National Youth Gathering)
AT YOUR SERVICE
Lutheran teens lend a caring hand
Wednesday, August 05, 2009
By Carroll Devine
St. Tammany bureau
A throng of Lutheran high school students from around the United States and several foreign countries came to Covington and Mandeville recently, armed with paintbrushes, scrub brushes and willing hands, donating three days of their time and energy to clean up, spruce up and perform service projects in the community.
The students, in groups of 120 plus chaperones, were a daily part of the 36,000 participants in the National Youth Gathering of ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church of America), which came to the New Orleans area July 22-26.
They worked with schools, churches, recreation centers, the Fire Department, and Keep Covington Beautiful and at sites that included the St. Tammany Humane Society, Bogue Falaya Park, ball fields, and the Farmers Market. They scraped, painted, picked up litter, repaired benches, cleared brush, pulled weeds and mulched.
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And they did the work with vigor, according to Catherine Cooper, assistant to Covington Mayor Candace Watkins.
"They were enthusiastic despite the heat, which most were not used to," Cooper said. "The volunteers worked alongside of City Council members, staff and local volunteers to accomplish so many needed maintenance projects."
Some spent time working with children at the Boys and Girls Club, reading, playing games and mentoring.
At the Humane Society shelter in Covington, 40 of the youth each day cleared weeds behind the building and repainted several of the kennels. They also helped to take care of and walk the dogs.
"They were ecstatic about being able to walk the dogs," said Paul Stich, a member of Hosanna Lutheran Church in Mandeville, who was a supervisor at the site. "I think the dogs loved interacting with the kids, too."
A bonus for the volunteers at this site was that they were able to observe some of the spaying and neutering, so it was a learning experience as well, he said.
ELCA has a gathering of high school-aged youth every three years, at which time the students are exposed to a variety of learning activities and service opportunities. This year, under the banner of "Jesus, Justice & Jazz," the emphasis was on community service with the post-Katrina New Orleans area as the focus.
Each morning, alternating groups of students would be taking part in learning programs at the Interaction Center, participating in activities at the Convention Center in New Orleans, or they would ride buses to the sites for their community service projects. It was a major effort to coordinate, but with great benefit to the local community.
"The ELCA project is testimony to teaching this old dog a new trick," Watkins said. "I was hesitant about having this many volunteers because of the amount of time and effort it took to plan and prepare for their visit, but the outcome both in completed projects and a sense of shared purpose and the spirit of American volunteerism reminded me that it's always worth the effort to allow people to come into your community and extend a helping hand."
Local leaders, like Priscilla Floca of Keep Covington Beautiful, admitted that she hadn't known what to expect with all the volunteers.
"And I realized that they didn't know what to expect either when they asked if they would get to see any alligators at the recreation complex," she said.
There were no complaints from the volunteers.
"They were totally amazing to work with," Stich said. "They truly loved what they were doing. One of the hardest things each day was to get them to stop. They wanted to stay longer and keep going.
"For most of them, it was their first time in New Orleans, but they'd heard all about Katrina and they were amazed that there was still so much to do."
They were not a bunch of high schoolers looking for a typical summer vacation trip. They worked with, as Stich said, "a servant's heart." And the reasons they gave for coming here all had a common thread.
Elizabeth Harris, a volunteer from Concord, N.C., perhaps summed it up best. "It was to experience new things, of course, but also to feel like you've accomplished something for somebody else who really needs it, and you're not being forced to do it."
Published on NOLA.com Wednesday, August 5, 2009 1:34 p.m.
Published in The Times-Picayune Thursday, August 6, 2009
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(Update after returning to Le Center)
Lutheran Youth Encouraged to Lead Through Service
This is from the elca.org website
NEW ORLEANS (ELCA) -- All 37,000 Lutheran teenagers, adult leaders and other volunteers had completed at least one day of service in as many as 200 community projects when they gathered July 25 in the Louisiana Superdome. Speakers had words of thanks and encouragement to continue that work when they returned to their homes across the United States and Caribbean.
They were here July 22-26 for the 2009 Youth Gathering of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). "Jesus Justice Jazz" was the theme of activities at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center and the Superdome.
New Orleans Mayor C. Ray Nagin brought greetings to the gathering. "We have many groups who have come to see about us and to do special things, but we have never had a group like the Lutherans to do what you have done this week," he said.
Nagin recalled the words of poet Maya Angelou that the best time to see a rainbow is when the sky is half dark and half sunny. Looking across tens of thousands of Lutheran youth wearing brightly colored T-shirts, Nagin added, "I see your colors, your T-shirts. You are our Katrina rainbow. God bless you."
The Rev. Mark S. Hanson, ELCA presiding bishop, read a letter to the gathering from U.S. President Barack Obama: "I am pleased to send my warmest greetings to all those attending the 2009 ELCA Youth Gathering. Thank you for your service to the people of New Orleans."
"You've done what caring requires, what justice requires, and that's work," said Donald Miller, author of "Blue Like Jazz," Portland, Ore. Many people are satisfied with just writing a check and feeling they are "doing justice," he said.
Miller provided the vision for The Mentoring Project which works with faith communities to provide positive male role models to boys between the ages of seven and 14. "I've come here to thank you," he said.
"The song that you have sung this week is a beautiful song," Miller said. "It is a song of freedom. It echoes through the buildings of this city. So much so that the mayor had to come and say 'I like your music.'"
Venice R. Williams reminded the youth that God imagined the world and created it. "God has never stopped imagining. God has never stopped creating," she said.
Williams is executive director of Milwaukee's Kujichagulia Lutheran Center, which helps individuals and families discover self-determination (Kujichagulia) through spiritual, cultural, artistic and academic learning.
"Everybody is talking about 'going green.' Everybody's talking about this 'green movement,' but for faith-filled God-centered gorgeous creatures, that's not what it's about," Williams said. "This whole movement is about honoring God's imagination."
Anne Mahlum moved to Philadelphia to take a job that she wasn't sure she wanted. She told the Superdome audience she felt God's direction while taking her morning run.
Mahlum ran past a homeless shelter, and, after time, got to know some of the men. She rounded up shoes and running gear for nine of the men and started "Back on My Feet," engaging them in running as a means to build confidence, strength and self-esteem. The running group has grown to more than 25.
"I didn't have faith, and I didn't have anything guiding me two years ago. Now I do. I get why you're here," Mahlum said.
"Whatever you're doing, it's working. Keep doing it. God bless you."
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Jesus Justice Jazz - New Orleans 2009
Click to view the slideshow
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(Tuesday – July 28, 2009)
JESUS, JUSTICE & JAZZ
We are back. After a loooooooong bus ride from New Orleans we arrived back in Le Center around 6:15 A.M. Jeremy, Taylor and Bertrand are, I am sure, in bed for most of the morning. We were able to sleep a bit on the bus. We dropped off the people from Zion Lutheran in Stewartville around 3:30 A.M. and then the group from Redeemer Lutheran, Alden, MN around 4:30 A.M. and then from there we drove back to Le Center. We know the exhaustion from the trip will set in. When we are able to get some rest we will try to share with you a summary of our experience of worship and service to the people of New Orleans. Over and over again on the way down and while we were in New Orleans and then returning we would hear from people who served us in the food stops and the motel and hotel stops, what a good crew we were. Many of them added, come and stay with us any time. We would love to have your group stay with us.
I hope in the next day or so to share with you pictures from our journey to New Orleans. Thanks again, for your support and your prayers for our journey. We are grateful to God for our journey and for our safe return. God bless you.
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(Monday - July 27, 2009)
JESUS, JUSTICE & JAZZ
We are on the final leg of our journey today. This morning we are resting, we slept in, have had some breakfast here at the motel, and will check out around noon and head for downtown Memphis. We are going to the Hark Rock cafe early this afternoon and then we will board the bus and head for southern Minnesota and Le Center. Our group is playing some cards, some are swimming, and others are just relaxing. The card games sound pretty wild from a distance. So a good time is being had by all. We have had such a marvelous journey. I said to Shirley in the office a couple of days ago that Tuesday when we return to Le Center will be the day that we begin planning for the next National Youth Gathering. There is a rumor, I don't think it is confirmed at this point, but the rumor going around is that we will be returning to New Orleans again in 3 years. It would make sense. They are a city that can hold 37 - 38000 people pretty well. Not too many cities can say that. We could invite them all to come to Le Center, but with only one motel, where would they sleep. The Legion could probably feed the 38000 or maybe not. Sounds like they did a great job at the Matt Collins benefit. Sure would have liked to have been there. The National Youth Gathering - Jesus Justice and Jazz is about being in relationship with God in Christ and with one another. We did that with the people of New Orleans an you all have been doing that with Matt Collins and his family. We are all in this together. We sometimes forget that don't we. We think it is all about me or it is all about us when really in Christ we are all together. We are One Body in Him. I think Jeremy, Tayor, and Bertrand and I heard that loud and clear. I hope that we can continue the spirit of being a servant to one another in the days ahead. We know it will not be easy to return. We know that it will be easy to return to some of the old habits and sometimes the "new" ideas which are the "old" ideas of Jesus being a servant are not always received by others. We will try to be gentle in our ways when we return and we ask for your patience and gentleness in return to listen to what we have experienced. We have been celebrating life and it has been so good.
So for this day, again, thank you for your prayers and your support of our journey. He has been a good journey. We are tired and will be tired when we return, but we have been blessed in so many ways. We pray that we might be a blessing to our church and to our community in the days ahead. Thank for your journey with us. I will bring another update tomorrow and as soon as I can figure out how, I will put a gallery of pictures on our site. My thanks to Paul Mencinger from jrwebworks.net for putting our website together and for keeping all of us updated with this updates. Thanks Paul.
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(Sunday - July 26, 2009)
Today is our final day at our National Youth Gathering - Jesus Justice & Jazz. This morning we worshipped with almost 38000 others. We shared Holy Communion together and it only took about 20 minutes to communion 38000! Last evening we heard from the Mayor of New Orleans. He came to thank us for coming and making a difference for his community. People on the street would stop us and say "Thanks for coming and thanks for helping us". President Barak Obama sent a special greeting to us as well thanking us for our service to New Orleans and our nation. The 3 guys (Jeremy, Taylor, and Bertrand) that are here with me asked if we could stay another week. That was a real compliment, but we were ready to go and we did leave shortly after the closing worship this morning.
We have seen and we have experienced a whole lot of Jesus, Justice and Jazz. We have been challenged to bring Jesus and Justice to our communities. We do see and we do feel a whole lot of hope for the church. As I said in our telephone devotion this morning, if you could just see 38000 young people praising Jesus the ways that they did, you would see that there is hope for the future of the church. My prayer is that you and I will listen to our young people in the days ahead.
Our journey today has brought us to Memphis, Tennessee. We had a delay along the road because of a flat tire on the bus. The bus hit something on the road and damaged a tire. So we are late getting to our hotel tonight. The plans for spending some time in the swimming pool have not given way to crawling into bed for the night.
Each night and again tonight on our journey home we have a "final 15". This is a time for us to share a word from the Scriptures and a time to share a part of our day and then to pray with one another. As I send this off, I will be returning to our room where our "final 15" will take place.
We continue to thank you for your generous support for our journey. We know that we have made a difference for a number of people in New Orleans. We were glad to be used by God in the ways that He used us in these days.
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(Saturday - July 25, 2009)
Today is our last full day in New Orleans at the National Youth Gathering - Jesus Justice and Jazz. After our morning worship and communion service we will begin our journey back home. We slept well last night after our servant day on the Bayou yesterday. It was one of the hottest days (100) we have had since we came to New Orleans and we were outside most of the day.
In worship last evening we heard Spencer West speak. Again, you could hear a pin drop. Many of the speakers have been able to touch many of us with their stories of life and their life. Spencer West knew as a kid what it was to be bullied. He lost both of his legs at the age of 5 and became the target for bullying and stereotyping and being made fun of. Through it all Spencer never lost hope or the courage that he needed to overcome obstacles of all sorts. He had a powerful message of hope and life for all of us.T
Today Jeremy, Taylor, Bertrand and I are going to take some time to explore more of New Orleans. Today is called our learning day. This afternoon we will be at the convention center participating in some learning experiences. Some of the opportunities for learning include:
- Level Playing Field - We will look at the differences among the people of our society. Why do some of us have opportunities and some do not? We will talk about privilege and oppression. That is really present in this community here in New Orleans. Many of those with money and insurance were given more than those who had so little. What is God calling you and I to do and to be to "level the playing field".
- Who's Got the Cheese? - What about the perceptions of wealth and poverty? How rich or how poor do you feel? Do we feel like Oprah? or Bill Gates? or the Wal-Mart family?
- Luck of the Draw - What does it mean to live on less than a dollar a day? What would our life look like? We will look at poverty not only here but throughout the world.
- Can you hear me now? - Martin Luther wrote how both faith and service lead us in the direction of our salvation. He believed that our response to this gift is to answer God's call for our life. We will look at Biblical stories and how they connect with our story and our call to faith and service.
With 38,000 of us here in New Orleans we have been and we are a powerful witness of God's Work - Our Hands to this community. Our Bishop Huck Usgaard told us last evening that the TV and newspapers are filled with what an impact we are making on the city of New Orleans. We are the largest group to enter New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina. New Orleans has received us with open arms and we have been open arms to them. What a way to make a difference in the lives of others.
We are so proud to be a part of a great Christian and a Lutheran witness to this area.
Again, thank you for your prayers and your support for our journey here. Your financial support has made this possible. You have been gift to us and we have been and are gift to the people of New Orleans. We will be sharing some of our financial gifts in our offerings "Change for Change" and our Sunday morning offering that will go to help many service organizations here in New Orleans.
God bless each of you this day.
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(Friday - July 24, 2009)
Jesus,Justice, & Jazz
Yesterday was our interaction center day. There were many games and learning experiences in the Interaction Center. We entered through a wealth and poverty section and heard Bishop Mark Hanson speak with us. Last evening we heard Jay Bakker speak. While he spoke, you could hear a pin drop. Jay said that we were very fortunate to be a part of a church that believes in grace. He said, I didn't. He spoke to us about love and forgiveness. He said that many people today do know feel that God loves them. He said, "love takes off the blinders" He said, you and I are not to keep records on our own faults nor the faults of others. What a word of Grace for all of us! It was a great night for all of us. I only wish that all of you who are reading this were here with us. We had a great night of worship with two other wonderful speakers.
Today was our servant day. We got on a bus and traveled about 40 minutes to St. Bernard Parish. We were there to clean up a Bayou. We learned what a Bayou was. It is a waterway like a diversion ditch only this Bayou was originally used to transport boats and materials. We cleaned out bottles, cans, old tires, and all sorts of stuff. We got pretty dirty and stinky. Now we have returned and have showered up and we smell pretty good again, for a group of guys.
Many people in the neighborhood drove by and thanked us for helping them.
We are not heading for the Superdome for our Friday evening worship and then we will meet with our S.E. Minnesota Synod Bishop - Huck Usgaard and others from our Synod.
Thank you for your continued prayers and support.
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(Another update for Thursday - July 23, 2009)
Today is our first full day at the Gathering. Today is our interaction day. We heard ouf Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson speak and pray with us this morning as we entered. We are in the Wealth and Poverty section. Tomorrow we go out to do our service project in one of the neighborhoods. Our section is called Community Care. Will share more about that tomorrow when I find out. The people of New Orleans have said that what we are going to accomplish in 3 days would take them 3 years. We are the largest group to enter into New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina and Rita. This morning we had our picture taken by Thrivent Builds and went through their demonstration. Thrivent Builds is building a house in Le Sueur right now. The family is scheduled to move in yet this summer. Some of us went and served food for the workers one of the days a couple of weeks ago. Pastor Grady St. Dennis who has come and served in the pulpit for us from Gustavus is here with a group from Gustavus. Actually, I am using one of his computers to bring this word to you. We have been meeting and making lots of new friends. The guys are doing great. It is a privilege to be here with them. We plan to go out and go on a trolley ride this afternoon to look around part of the area. Then we are back to the Superdome this evening for our worship. Blessings to you. Thanks for continuing to hold us in prayer in these days. Know that we are holding you all in prayer.
(Thursday - July 23)
I was not able to send this last evening from Mississippi, as the internet went down, so we are in New Orleans, arrived aroung 1 P.M. and will be opening our worship tonight at 7 P.M. Two long days of traveling, but it already is worth it. Will send more material tomorrow when we are at the interaction center. Peace to you. Pastor Dave, Jeremy Bosacker, Taylor Bosacker, and Bertrand Calixte.
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(Wednesday - July 22)
JESUS JUSTICE & JAZZ
Yesterday was for us a full travel day. We left Le Center at 4:15 AM and got on the bus in Alden, MN with about 16 more kids and adults. Then on to Stewartville, MN where another 23 boarded. We headed south through Iowa, Missouri, part of Tennessee(sp?). Our travel has been marked by sleeping, watching movies, playing cards, and visiting (getting to know one another). Our tavels yesterday were all in the rain with lots of traffic backed up around St. Louis, Missouri. We were glad to get out of the bus and get into our motel rooms for a good night's sleep. We are loading the bus now and heading to New Orleans.
We plan to arrive in New Orleans around 2 PM today and continue our journey - Jesus, Justice, & Jazz. God Bless you. Thanks for your prayers and your support for our Jazzy Journey.
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(Tuesday – July 21)
Today we begin our journey by getting on the bus in Alden, MN at 6 A.M. and joining kids and adults from Alden. Then we will journey to Stewartville and pick up another part of the crew. We will then start heading South. We plan to stay in the southern part of Missouri tonight. We will be on the road with many others from South Eastern Minnesota. And then we will all come together on Wednesday in New Orleans, Louisiana.
As we go we are praying that we are ready to receive and ready to give. Our theme verse for our time together is Philippians 2:1-8. These verses are all about following the way of weakness and humility that was modeled in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Weakness is not a position to which most of us aspire, but maybe, just maybe, that is what God is asking of us who follow his Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus deliberately became a servant who suffered because of and for the sins of all people that we might all know forgiveness, love, redemption, and have new life. With unselfish humility, he put others before himself as he cared for people who were crushed by injustice and poverty. And, with boldness, Jesus fought to change the traditions, systems, and institutions that thrived on injustice and poverty. These actions of self-giving service set the “way” that Jesus’ community would have to follow in the face of all challenges, temptations, and crises in life. The people of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast know something about surviving a crisis. It is a gift that we are meeting here this summer, especially during a time of growing financial crisis in our country and the world. The real treasure from this Gathering will not come so much in what we as ELCA youth and adults give to New Orleans through service projects, but in what New Orleanians give to us through their faith, determination, sense of justice, and rich stories. Everything that we will be doing is designed with the intent to encourage us in our faith and to send us into the world as humble servants—as eager to listen and receive as we are to give. We pray and we have faith that this will be an incredible, Spirit-filled week for us and we hope that we will be able to share it with you when we return. And we will seek to remember, that when it’s all over, it’s not over; we will seek to continue living as compassionate servants following Jesus Christ where we live and wherever we go.
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(Monday – July 20)
A REFLECTION - Jesus Justice Jazz
God’s limitless and priceless love will meet us and almost 37,000 youth of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) as the Gathering returns to New Orleans in July 2009 to celebrate and participate in the acts of God’s love with the people of New Orleans. This city is a context where God’s boundless love has been poured out in the past, the present, and will continue to be poured out in years to come. God’s love was with those who lost their sisters, brothers, wives, husbands, and children to the raging waters of Hurricane Katrina. God’s love was there when the water snaked through the city’s canals and knocked down the concrete walls of the levies daring to overcome any and everything in its path. The infinite love of God was also there when thousands of people walked through flood waters to shelter on higher ground. Today God’s love continues to manifest in the work and spirit of the citizens of New Orleans and strangers from many lands who come to help rebuild the city. The ELCA Youth Gathering and the people of New Orleans invite young people to join in this effort and to "serve in the manner of Christ" in the Big Easy.
The Gathering holds promise
We from St. Paul Lutheran and other young people from all over the church will enter into God’s presence in New Orleans to receive the witness of on another and practice our 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 Jazz -- is the catalyst for answers to these and other questions.
Please hold each of us in prayer in the days ahead.
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(Sunday - July 19)
So... what does this Jesus Justice Jazz logo say? What does it mean?
The logo art emerged as we thought about the 2009 ELCA Youth Gathering being in New Orleans, the devastation and recovery from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, what we hope to learn about serving others in the manner of Jesus, and the promises of God's presence in the world.
The chaotic, dark, swirling on the left of the graphic reminds us of the darkness and confusion that we sometimes experience in the world. You can almost feel the powerful wind and destruction of a hurricane.
And in the midst of the chaos, confusion, and mess is the cross, drawing our vision to the light and hope of Jesus. It is Jesus who draws us into a life of compassionate justice wherever we are and whomever we're with. It is Jesus who sets us free into the world jazzed for justice, for kindness, and for humble walking with God.
Jesus Justice Jazz stands bold and connected to what seems confusing and disconnected. Our faith and our baptismal call to be bold, compassionate witnesses in the world are always connected and relevant to whatever is swirling around us.
(please check each day for updates from our journey to New Orleans and the National Youth Gathering - The four of us, Jeremy Bosacker, Taylor Bosacker, and J. Bertrand (the Bear) Calixte from Moorhead, and Pastor Dave will be traveling by bus on Tuesday, July 21st and arriving in New Orleans on Wednesday, July 22nd)
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