Online Registration for ELCA Youth Gathering Passes 22,000 in 36 Hours

CHICAGO (ELCA) -- As many as 22,417 participants
registered during the 36 hours after registration opened
online for the 2009 Youth Gathering of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The registrants were
from at least 1,392 congregations by midday Sept. 16.
Registration is possible only online and is limited
to 36,000 high-school-age and adult leaders for the gathering
July 22-26, 2009, in New Orleans. Special consideration
will be given to "congregations that have lost power or
computer access or have been displaced by the recent
hurricanes and flooding," according to the gathering's
Web site.
The gathering's "Jesus, Justice, Jazz" theme "draws
from the rich faith history, diverse cultures and arts of
New Orleans," the site said. "The focus will be on service
and justice as we live our shared reality as Christians."
"The high volume of early registrations is an indicator
to us that ELCA youth are eager to live out their baptismal
call to service in the world," said Heidi Hagstrom, director,
Youth Gathering, ELCA Vocation and Education.
"We have completely reshaped the program for 2009 around
service in response to an invitation from God's people in New
Orleans to partner with them as they continue to rebuild from
Hurricane Katrina, as well as requests from our audience of
young people who value such opportunities as highly significant
for their faith formation," Hagstrom said.
"We are thrilled that the registration process, which was
streamlined to be both green and cost-efficient, has worked so
well," said Donna Wiegel, assistant director, Youth Gathering,
ELCA Vocation and Education. "By having our registration
process entirely online, we have eliminated using a huge amount
of paper."
"We are keeping the registration live until January, so
that congregations can go back into their 'records' and make
additions and substitutions, instead of mailing them for us
to do," Wiegel said. "We've also committed to just two
confirmation mailings -- at the end of January, when they will
get their housing assignments, and again in June with their
financial information," she said.
"We did not send a 30-page registration book with forms
to each congregation. Instead we sent a four-page flyer,
inviting everyone to visit our Web site frequently in the
months prior to the opening of registration. The savings
were significant," Wiegel said.
The ELCA is providing "full financial assistance to 739
participants and partial assistance to another 489 in 270
congregations," Wiegel added.
A Definitely-Abled Youth Leadership Event and a
Multicultural Youth Leadership Event will be July 19-22,
2009, at the Sheraton New Orleans Hotel.
-- -- --
Information about the 2009 Youth Gathering is at
http://www.ELCA.org/gathering on the ELCA Web site.

For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or news@elca.org
http://www.elca.org/news
ELCA News Blog: http://www.elca.org/news/blog