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ELCA NEWS SERVICE

July 18, 2003

Lutheran Youth Provide Services In Atlanta
03-YG-06-JAC*

     ATLANTA (ELCA) -- All over town high-school-age and adult
Lutherans took part in service events July 17-19, a component of
the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Youth
Gathering.
     The ELCA Youth Gathering is meeting here at the Georgia Dome
and Georgia World Congress Center in two back-to-back events:
 July 16-20 and July 23-27.  The Gathering, "Do Life! Ubuntu," is
bringing together some 40,000 Lutherans who are engaging in
worship, Bible study, community service and fun.
     One service event took place at a Habitat for Humanity home
that is being constructed in Atlanta.  At the home, Lutherans
worked side-by-side with the family who will own the house.
     The presiding bishop of the ELCA, the Rev. Mark S. Hanson,
worked alongside youth digging a hole in red clay dirt to plant a
tree near the one-story home.
     Hanson was enthusiastic about the service experience.  "We
are a people who take serving very seriously.  I am convinced it
is our young people leading us back to the legacy of our
ancestors, who came and started hospitals and social service
agencies," Hanson said.  "Now we have kids doing servant
activities at Gatherings, justice journeys in their
congregations.	I just wanted to work with them, serve with them
and also affirm them."
     Of the youth at the Habitat for Humanity house, many were
from Zion Lutheran Church, Albion, Neb.  Andrea Kruse and Ashley
Johnson, both of Albion, painted beside their adult leader, Mary
Levander, while behind the house their siblings Kyle Kruse and
Lisa Johnson washed out a refrigerator.
     Many of the group from Albion painted -- the porch, the trim
on the house, the walls and doors inside -- while others
shoveled, cleaned and moved gravel.
     "We have a lot of painting," Levander said.  "As long as we
have enough brushes, it works great."
     Levander explained that during the 2000 Youth Gathering in
St. Louis her youth did a service project at a park.  She said
that she was glad that youth experiencing their second Gathering
were able to have a different experience than before.
     "We signed up because we wanted a servant event," Levander
said.  "We hoped to get Habitat for Humanity."
     During the Gathering youth will participate in several
projects throughout Atlanta, including cleaning up parks and
neighborhoods, working in soup kitchens, housekeeping projects,
reading to children and others.

Information about the gathering is located at
http://www.elca.org/gathering/home.html on the Web.

*Jessica A. Crane is completing her bachelor of arts degree at
Concordia College, Moorhead, Minn.  This summer she is an intern
with ELCA News and Media Production.

For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or news@elca.org
http://www.elca.org/news