Title: Lutheran Youth Organization Greeted by Variety of Supporters ELCA NEWS SERVICE
July 12, 2006
Lutheran Youth Organization Greeted by Variety of Supporters 06-100-JB
SAN ANTONIO, Texas (ELCA) -- More than 300 delegates attending the Seventh Triennial Convention of the Lutheran Youth Organization (LYO) here July 9-12 heard a variety of greetings from partners and friends from throughout the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC).
LYO represents the high-school-age members of the ELCA. Its convention convenes every three years.
All ELCA members aged 14 to 18 are members of LYO, said Maren Hulden, LYO president, Moorhead, Minn. The convention is a time for "conversation, prayer and thought," she said. It also provides an opportunity for the participants to discover what it means to be a young person in the ELCA, what matters most to them and "what do we want to do about it?" Hulden said in her opening remarks.
"This time is about the passions in your heart. You are all leaders, and as leaders, we follow Jesus together," said Dianha Ortega-Ehreth, associate director for youth leadership and spiritual formation, ELCA Vocation and Education, Chicago.
Sue Rothmeyer, ELCA director for campus ministry, Chicago, said, "The church needs to hear your voice. The church wants to hear your voice." Rothmeyer welcomed the young leaders on behalf of ELCA Vocation and Education, the unit of the churchwide organization to which LYO relates.
Speaking for the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, ELCA presiding bishop and president of the Lutheran World Federation, Myrna J. Sheie offered thanks to the leaders on the bishop's behalf. Sheie is executive assistant for governance and institutional relations, ELCA Office of the Presiding Bishop, Chicago.
"We're eager to hear what you have to say," she said. "The words you say to the church as a whole, matter." Youth lead through service and by challenging the church, and they have "pushed" the ELCA to be more inclusive, Sheie said.
Lutherans attending the 2006 ELCA Youth Gathering, a separate event for all high-school-aged youth in the ELCA taking place here in two sessions July 5-8 and 12-15, are working to raise $1 million for the ELCA World Hunger Appeal. Under the "Hamiltons for Hunger" effort, every Lutheran attending the Gathering is asked to bring "three Hamiltons," or $30, to contribute.
Sue Edison-Swift, associate director for interpretation (hunger/disaster), ELCA Communication Services, Chicago, thanked the LYO and Youth Gathering participants for their efforts to raise funds to feed hungry people. "Imagine the power, the impact of what you're doing with Hamiltons for Hunger," she said. Edison-Swift cited examples of how the funds could be used: $30 could feed a child for a month; four gifts of $30 each could help a woman start a business to help support her family; twenty gifts of $30 each could buy a cow to support a family; 333 gifts of $30 could bring a reservoir of water to a community, she said.
"You are taking your place at the front, and your voice needs to be heard," said the Rev. Richard Schulz, Winnipeg, Manitoba, representing the ELCIC. The ELCIC is a "small church," compared to the ELCA, with five synods and about 182,000 members, he said.
"Be proud of what LYO does," said Andrea Mair, Winnipeg, the ELCIC liaison with the LYO for the next three years. "I hope we can learn a lot from each other during the next three years."
"I am excited about the global richness of events here in San Antonio," said Ray Ranker, intern, ELCA Global Mission, Chicago. More than 100 international guests are attending the Youth Gathering, he said. Ranker also told the LYO about the "Young Adults in Global Mission" program, which provides opportunities for young Lutherans aged 19-30 to serve the church in international settings. Ranker also encouraged LYO participants to attend the ELCA Global Mission Event July 27-30 in Amherst, Mass.
Lori Lepelletier, Blairstown, N.J, greeted the LYO in her role as Lutheran Student Movement-USA (LSM-USA) liaison. LSM-USA is an organization for college-aged Lutherans, which normally meets annually in late December.
"LSM is how I stayed active in college," she said. "Once you've joined you wish you would have joined sooner." LSM-USA is an ecumenical, independent, pan-Lutheran organization, Lepelletier said.
Keith Langford, Aurora, Colo., representing Lutheran Men in Mission (LMM), expressed concern about the numbers of young men participating in the church.
"Recent studies show young men are almost non-existent in the church, and we intend to change that," Langford said.
He invited LYO participants to consider attending LMM's Road Trip II, a gathering for young men to be held Oct. 27-29 at the YMCA of the Ozarks, Potosi, Mo.
Carmen Richards, churchwide president, Women of the ELCA, Hope, N.D., commented on her organization's educational program focusing on women's health, "Raising Up Healthy Women and Girls."
"This is an exciting program that all (women) in your church can work on together," she told the LYO convention. People seek spiritual health through their churches, and they must also be mentally and physically healthy, she said. Linda Post Bushkofsky, executive director, Women of the ELCA, Chicago, said the women's organization has already initiated conversations with LYO staff to explore ways in which the two organizations can accomplish things together.
Others who greeted the LYO convention were Carlos Pena, ELCA vice president, Galveston, Texas, and Sara Collins, representing Lutheran Peace Fellowship, Seattle.
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Information about the Lutheran Youth Organization is at http://www.ELCA.org/lyo/ on the ELCA Web site and information about the ELCA Youth Gathering is at http://www.ELCA.org/gathering/ on the ELCA Web site.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or news@elca.org http://www.elca.org/news ELCA News Blog: http://www.elca.org/news/blog