STORIES

Combining service and the vocation of a writer

Kirsten Petersen, a member of Christ the Servant Lutheran Church in Montgomery Village, MD, wrote several articles and blog posts during the 2009 ELCA Youth Gathering in New Orleans, including reflections on the group's service experiences.

Read her work here: http://www.thelutheran.org/about/person_detail.cfm?person_id=1560

Example of creative reflection and celebration

A dozen participants in the 2011 Disciple Project's Go Serve! Track spent a day of service and learning at My Father's Farm in Seguin, TX. The learned about the farm's ministry and goals and had a chance to lend a helping hand. (The Disciple Project is a week-long intergenerational leadership school sponsored by the ELCA Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast Synod.)

Watch a video, compiled by Tracy Vik, a volunteer youth leader from South Dakota, reflecting and celebrating the group's work: http://animoto.com/play/7GX8Ca3lbDdgv2TISZivLg

2009 ELCA Youth Gathering

The Times-Picayune, New Orleans' daily newspaper, presented a front-page article on the 37,000 youth and adults that had just arrived for the 2009 ELCA Youth Gathering. The event included a significant emphasis on service, mission, and justice.

Read the article here: http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2009/07/37000_lutherans_converging_on.html

Two bucks a day...

To understand the reality of poverty that faces much of the world, the youth group from Peace Lutheran Church in Beavercreek, OH, staged a "2 days - 2 dollars" service learning event. The group slept overnight in cardboard boxes, had only had $2 to spend each day, and learned about a number of Dayton-area justice and advocacy organizations. The experience included significant attention to preparation, reflection, and celebration.