wfn.org | ELCA Youth Spruce up City Parks During Gathering

[News News <NEWS@ELCA.ORG>]

ELCA NEWS SERVICE

June 30, 2000

ELCA YOUTH SPRUCE UP CITY PARKS DURING GATHERING
00-YG06-FI

     ST. LOUIS (ELCA) -- Twenty-two city parks are getting an early
summer sprucing, thanks to thousands of young members of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America who have come to town from
across the United States and Caribbean and brought guests from around
the world.
     The ELCA Youth Gathering is meeting at the America's Center
June 28-July 2 and July 5 9.  The two events bring together some
40,000 Lutheran youth of high school age, who are engaging in
worship, Bible study, learning, community service and fun.
     The gathering theme is "Dancing at the Cross Roads," and more
than 100 "Two Step Service" projects took 7,225 teenagers into St.
Louis and the surrounding area June 29-July 1.  Another 4,600 young
people are registered to lend a hand July 6-8.
     In addition to working in parks, they're cleaning up 15 city
neighborhoods.  They're visiting 20 senior centers and 71 senior
residences, three shelters for people who are homeless and 14 day
care centers.
     Most of the youth brought canned goods and children's books to
the gathering, and some young people are delivering the gifts to 18
food pantries and day care centers in the area.  Hundreds of young
people are painting 10 large vinyl panels at the America's Center
which will be displayed as murals in centers and city gardens.
     "We get a lot of volunteer groups, but nothing this scale,"
said Matt Winkler, park supervisor I, City of St. Louis Parks.
Winkler oversaw a crew June 29 that included 60 gathering
participants from Salem Lutheran Church, Rockford, Ill.; St. Paul
Lutheran Church, Davenport, Iowa; St. Paul Lutheran Church,
Hackensack, Minn.; four ELCA congregations in and around Lancaster,
Ohio; First Lutheran Church, Astoria, Ore.; Trinity Lutheran Church,
Latrobe, Pa.; and Peace Lutheran Church, Herreid, S.D.
     The crew trimmed branches and applied mulch to the bases of
several birch, evergreen and spruce trees in the city's central
Forest Park.  "We don't get a lot of time to do this kind of work,
especially in the summer, so this really helps," said Winkler.
     Winkler said other crews from the gathering will help weed many
of the city's new floral displays.
     "I'd like to do this kind of work all the time," said Charles
Drubel, New Concord, Ohio, a member of Christ Lutheran Church,
Cambridge, Ohio.  He said he enjoyed working outdoors.  "I learned a
new way to mulch today"   making a "donut" of mulch around the base
of a tree to trap rain water, he said.

For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://listserv.elca.org/archives/elcanews.html