The
2010 National LCMS Youth Gathering will be held in New Orleans, La.
July 17-21, 2010. The 2010 Gathering marks the event’s third visit to
New Orleans. Previous New Orleans’ Gatherings included “A Time For Joy”
(1992) and “Higher Ground” (2001). The Gathering had planned to hold
its 2007 event in New Orleans, but moved to Orlando in the wake of
Hurricane Katrina.
“New Orleans is once more a vibrant city for meeting the mission of
the National LCMS Youth Gathering,” shares Gretchen Jameson, Associate
Director for LCMS Youth Ministry – Communications.
LCMS Youth Ministry has conducted multiple site visits to New
Orleans since the storm, meeting with city officials, police, the New
Orleans Convention and Visitor’s Bureau and LCMS Southern district
leadership. “The decision to return to New Orleans is based on those
visits and the detailed information provided to LCMS,” Jameson shares.
“The rationale for the return has been presented to the Office of the
President, the Council of Presidents and LCMS Risk Management. The
Gathering can be successfully hosted in New Orleans.”
A Web site that allows parents, congregations and others access to
much of the same information provided to LCMS Youth Ministry in the
decision-making process goes online October 1. This site is accessed
via the Gathering Web site at www.lcmsgathering.com.
“We recognize that the media has spent a tremendous amount of energy
creating a perception about New Orleans, but there is much more to the
city’s restoration process,” Jameson states. “The Web site gives
parents and adult leaders the opportunity to interact with New Orleans,
the members of the LCMS Southern district and the information that
helped LCMS decide that New Orleans is the best home for the 2010
Gathering.”
“Thousands of LCMS adults and youth have already traveled to New
Orleans as part of post-hurricane assistance efforts and have seen
first hand the recovery taking place there,” Jameson says. “The
opportunity for the Gathering to contribute both in service and
encouragement is significant.”
“New Orleans Gatherings rank among the most remembered in Gathering
history,” shares Rev. Mark Kiessling, Gathering Program Director. “To
see that the city is once more ready to support and house the Gathering
is exciting. New Orleans provides a vibrant home for meeting the
purpose of this event.” The release Web site includes an interactive
feature that allows users to share past memories of Gathering and
Servant Event experiences in New Orleans.
Rev. Terry Dittmer, Director for Youth Ministry states, “When we
take the Gathering to New Orleans, there is always a sense of returning
to a place where Missouri Synod roots run deep. There is a long, deep
history of Lutheranism in New Orleans and Louisiana, going all the way
back to 1838 that most people don’t know about. The return to New
Orleans is a homecoming. We are glad that in 2010 we can “go home”
again.”
Registration for the 2010 Gathering will open online in October 2009. | 
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