ELCA teens love the masks of New Orleans .

(Left) Devin VanBibber, 16, and Austin Bates, 15, are headed to the downtown convention. They’re both members of Grace Lutheran Church, Bandera, Texas.

Oakly Zinc,  16, of Hillsboro, N.D., turned out at Youth Gathering opening event in the Superdome with his horned hat.

Click below to see what they look like unmasked. (more…)

I wanted to know who was doing the dirty work.

The teens that’d volunteered for a July outdoor assignment in New Orleans.

The teens that worked up a sweat because the labor was intense and not simply because the weather was hot.

The teens forced to endure all of Louisiana’s elements.

Those are the teens I wanted to highlight in Youth Gathering stories. If they were going to do all that hard work, the least I could do is watch them. (Tell their story, too!)

Today was the day I met up with Youth Gathering teens an hour south of New Orleans. We drove as far as we could. Then we were taken on a 45-minute ride by other means to the work site. (more…)

Headed to a work project now with youths. Below is a brief summary of ingredients from last night’s Superdome event. More later.

• Big purple cross
• Ten big screens
• Fireworks
• Bathtub bishop
• Cartoon Martin Luther shirtless and wrapped in towel
• Lots of talk about waters of baptism
• “Be the change”
• Community service
• St. Bernard Parish Project
• The wave
• Conga lines
• Avatars
• Jazz
• “When the Saints”
• High-five exercise
• “Stomp.” “Stomp.” “Clap.”
• “Where’s the food?”
• God’s Work. Our Hands. (more…)

Music starts at the Super Dome at 6:30 p.m. Will we make it?

At my hotel, it’s pure Lutheran madness (in a good sense). Lots of teens still arriving. Four busses are parked outside and more are lined up down the streets.

The lobby is a sea of hyperactive teens wearing backpacks and carrying luggage.  It’s loud — the sounds of laughter and storytelling everywhere. The excitement is palpable.

But the elevators are impossible. If I go back to my room, will I make it to the Superdome on time? Probably not. My floor is in the 20s.

The restaurants are packed, too. I didn’t bother with breakfast or lunch. The youths were smarter. They ordered pizza and had it delivered.

Outside, along Canal Street, the sidewalks are every bit as packed as the main drag. Lutheran teens are walking in groups, each wearing distinct T-shirts. Drivers patiently allow the red group pass, then the neon-green group and, finally, the group wearing horned viking helmets.

I’m guessing they’re from Minnesota. In fact, I’m convinced that there are no Lutheran teens left in Minnesota. They’re all here this week. Three out of four times I stop a teen for an interview, it goes something like this: (more…)

Groups at the Youth Gathering tend to bring really cool shirts.  You can check out some of the early-bird entries at the Gathering Shirts gallery, which will be updated throughout the week.

Meet Emma Sieling.

She’s 17 years old and from Alexander, Minn. She’s attending the 2009 ELCA Youth Gathering in New Orleans with about 30 other teens from her town.

They’re hoping to do volunteer work on Saturday at a health fair being held for the people of New Orleans.

Emma arrived in the city last night, wide-eyed and hungry. While her friends ate pizza, she shared the sobering things she’d learned on the ride from the airport to the hotel.

“Our bus driver gave us a little history of New Orleans and the big hurricane,” Sieling said. “I couldn’t believe how bad things looked in some places. It surprises me. It’s been four years. It just makes you want to work all that much harder to help the people.”

(more…)