by Katherine R. Hinck*, ELCA News Service
Each morning during the 2006 Youth Gathering of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), more than 15,000 high-school-
age youth gather at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, for a
Bible study led by the Rev. Stephen Bond, a recent graduate of
Trinity Lutheran Seminary, Columbus, Ohio. Trinity is one of
eight ELCA seminaries. The first Bible study took place July 6
and featured speaker Dr. San Juana Mendoza Bruce, a charity
doctor who serves the poor of Anapra and Juarez, Mexico; praise
and worship time with musician Peter Mayer and the House Band;
Agape (David Scherer), a Christian hip-hop artist; and a
multimedia presentation that includes dance, music and video.
Bond spoke to participants on the parable of the Good Samaritan
from the Gospel of Luke in the New Testament, encouraging youth
to open their eyes to those who are suffering. "Jesus refuses to
let us settle for the fear that keeps our eyes shut," Bond said.
"Jesus refuses to let the people at the side of the road remain
faceless. Our God refuses to rest until there is no one left at
the side of the road."
Mendoza echoed the theme of the Good Samaritan parable, sharing
her own experience with poverty. "Sometimes it seems like God is
silent, but we have to remember that God gave us free will ... to
love our neighbor and to seek peace and justice," she told
participants. About 40,000 high-school-age and adult Lutherans
from the United States and around the world are attending the
ELCA Youth Gathering. The gathering is taking place in two back-
to-back events -- July 5-9 and July 12-16 -- at the Henry B.
Gonzalez Convention Center and Alamodome in San Antonio.
*Katherine R. Hinck is a senior journalism and religion major at
Augustana College, Sioux Falls, S.D. This summer she is an
intern with the ELCA News Service.
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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
