Exhibitor Schedule

 
What is the 2009 ELCA Youth Gathering?
The 2009 ELCA Youth Gathering is about serving in the manner of Christ. The biblical text that shapes it is Philippians 2, especially verses 5-7: "Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness."

On any given day -- Thursday, Friday, or Saturday, July 23, 24, or 25, 2009 --12,000 people will be doing service projects in the community of New Orleans; 12,000 will be in the Interaction Center for guided experiential learning; and 12,000 will be making their way through a Learning Mall. Both the Interaction Center and the Learning Mall are located in the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.

On the next day, each community of 12,000 will rotate so that by the end of the third day every participant will have journeyed through all three experiences designed to deepen the baptismal covenant God made with them to:
  • Live among God’s faithful people
  • Hear the Word of God and share in the Lord’s Supper
  • Proclaim the good news of God in Christ through words and deed
  • Serve all people, following the example of Jesus
  • Strive for justice and peace in all the earth

It is the mission of the 2009 ELCA Youth Gathering to inspire and equip young people to practice compassionate justice as they follow Jesus in their daily lives.

Service Learning experiences (Thursday, July 23, Friday, July 24, Saturday, July 25)

36,000 ELCA Youth Gathering participants will rotate through three service learning experiences in three groups of 12,000. These groups of 12,000 will be further organized into six Interest Areas around which they will focus their time in New Orleans at the Gathering and when they return home. The six Interest Areas are:

  • Housing
  • Environment
  • Arts & Culture
  • Health & Wellness
  • Wealth & Poverty
  • Literacy

The three components of the ELCA Youth Gathering’s service learning program initiative include:

Learning Mall
The Learning Mall is replacing the learning program component of past Gatherings. The planning team leader who is responsible for the Learning Mall describes it like a "college where students have three classes: Bible, Church in Society, and Spiritual Formation." In the Learning Mall young people will be invited to practice their own spirituality as they explore scripture together and critically think about the church’s witness in society.

Interaction Center
The Interaction Center comprises 600,000 contiguous square feet of space in the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. In addition to being the site of a traditional exhibit floor where exhibitors can interact with ELCA youth, the Interaction Center is home to the very popular indoor high ropes course, and a large sports section featuring sand volleyball, basketball, and other recreation. If sports isn’t their thing, young people can also create works of art, walk a labyrinth in quiet devotion, knit caps for children undergoing chemo therapy, and participate in various other activities that engage them in faith-forming experiences. The Interaction Center is like the town square where the community gathers to learn about Christ’s love in the world by eating, playing, sharing, and laughing together, and even catching up on the day’s news.

Service Experiences (on each of the three days: Thursday, Friday, Saturday)
Groups of 12,000 young people and adults will enter into New Orleans with the intent to make a difference, and with an openness to learn new things and new ways of thinking by serving with the residents of New Orleans. Young people will engage in service experiences that relate to the Interest Area they have chosen. The Gathering’s ServantLife planning team is working closely with local congregations, long-term disaster recovery organizations, local government, and recovery agencies, organizations, and institutions to develop a system of serving in a way that honors the local community and the participants of the ELCA Youth Gathering.

Specific schedule for exhibitors and project exhibitors who have 10' x 10' booths:

Wednesday, July 22, 2009
10:00am-5:00pm
Interaction Center open (Ernest N. Morial Convention Center)

Thursday, July 23 through Saturday July 25, 2009
2:00-5:00pm
Interaction Center open (Ernest N. Morial Convention Center)

Specific schedule for project exhibitors:
Thursday, July 23 through Saturday July 25, 2009
8:30am-5:00pm Interaction Center open (Ernest N. Morial Convention Center)