ST. LOUIS (ELCA) Hundreds of youth from congregations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) helped build a home in East St. Louis, Ill., July 6, for Habitat For Humanity. The project was one of dozens of community service projects performed by participants at the ELCA Youth Gathering.
The Youth Gathering met June 28-July 2 and July 5-9 at the America's Center here. The two events brought together some 40,000 Lutheran young people and adults who engaged in worship, Bible study, community service and fun under the theme "Dancing at the Crossroads."
Participants performed a variety of tasks ranging from painting and building walls to carrying lumber and digging.
Jim Lemke, ELCA Youth Gathering volunteer and chair for the gathering's home-building for Habitat for Humanity, gave the young builders a message before they went to work. "Jesus loves you and you love him, or else you wouldn't be here," he told the group. "When it comes to our love for Christ, we express it in service to others."
Lemke said his passion for serving others was in the form of helping to build new homes. "If not through home-building, find another way to serve God and others," Lemke said.
Jon Lewis, Calvary Lutheran Church, Hillsboro, Ore., was one of many hard at work. "I like building stuff. This makes me feel good, because I know I'm helping out the community," he said.
Lemke's wife, Marcine, was a volunteer helping to distribute drinks and treats to the workers. "The kids are eager and interested to help. No one says 'no.' It shows us that not all teenagers are bad. They're good citizens learning how to be better citizens," she said.
As one group of participants was leaving to make way for another, Ron Harper, an ELCA Youth Gathering volunteer, told the youth how proud he is of the work everyone is doing.
"Before you and the other participants from last week came, the spaces where these houses are being built were just holes in the ground," he said. Now they're well on their way to being homes, he said.
"We're trying to rebuild this community one house at a time," Jim Lemke said.
[*Michael N. Hoffman is a junior at the University of Kansas,
Lawrence. This summer is an intern with ELCA News and
Information.]
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://listserv.elca.org/archives/elcanews.html
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About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with 2.8 million members in more than 8,500 worshiping communities across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of "God's work. Our hands.," the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA's roots are in the writings of the German church reformer Martin Luther.
For information contact:
Candice Hill Buchbinder
Public Relations Manager
Candice.HillBuchbinder@ELCA.org
