by Frank Imhoff, ELCA News Service
Organizers of the 2009 Youth Gathering of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) are enlisting the help
of 800 young adults to be "servant companions" July 20-26,
2009. The gathering will attract 36,000 high school youth
and adult leaders to New Orleans around the theme "Jesus
Justice Jazz." Each servant companion will welcome, lead,
facilitate and care for a group of 45 youth and their adult
leaders throughout the gathering.
Servant companions must provide their own transportation to
and from New Orleans and must commit to spending the full
week at the gathering. The gathering will provide room and
board. Training and orientation begin July 20. Lyle M.
Griner, national director of peer ministry, The Youth & Family
Institute, Bloomington, Minn., will coordinate a team of 27
coaches to lead the servant companions.
All applications are taken online at
http://www.ELCA.org/gathering/ by following links at "Gathering
Volunteers (apply now)." The application includes a mandatory
background check and reference check. Volunteers are needed
also for the Gathering Volunteer Corps and Community Life.
Registration brochures will be mailed to ELCA congregations
in May 2008. Registration for the gathering opens Sept. 15,
2008.
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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
