The ELCA Youth Gathering is a national convention of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America for high-school-age youth. It is held every 3 years in a different American city. The gathering lasts around 5 days and each day is focused on a form of service. Each convention also has a central theme to it. Each theme is focused on a certain scripture from the bible. The 1979, 1982 and 1985 Youth Gatherings were a ministry of the American Lutheran Church. The ELCA officially came into existence on January 1, 1988, by the merging of three Lutheran church bodies, including the American Lutheran Church. From 2000 to 2006, a different format was tried in which the gathering was held for two weeks with certain churches coming to the convention one week and the other churches coming to it the second week. This was later merged into one week in 2009.
In July, 37,000 Lutheran youth and their chaperones attended a gathering in New Orleans to help with post-Katrina problems in the city and surrounding suburbs. "This was the biggest convention since Katrina", said bestofneworleans.com. The theme for this gathering in New Orleans was "Jesus, Justice, Jazz." The Bible theme for this convention was Philippians 2: 1-8. Usually, the host city is chosen immediately after the last gathering, but organizers were not able to pick New Orleans three years in advance because they did not know if New Orleans was capable of holding such a gathering. Organizers saw the city, and decided to use New Orleans after requests to use other cities were denied. Though there was opposition to the convention taking place in New Orleans, due to rising crime rates and its reputation for adult sensuality, organizers came upon the agreement that New Orleans needed them as much as they needed New Orleans. Unlike the 2006 gathering, which was split into two one-week groups, the 2009 gathering would only be one week. The change shifted from 20,000 people each week, to 36,000 in one week. This is roughly a sixth of New Orleans's population. The days were split in two, with the mornings focusing on either Jesus, justice, or jazz. On the day focused on Jesus, the youth would search their spiritual lives. On the day focused on jazz, the youth learned about the stories and experiences New Orleans had during Hurricane Katrina. On the day focused on justice, the youth took part in various activities including replanting marsh grasses; restoring Holt Cemetery through weeding, planting and fixing grave stones; hosting community fairs to promote health and literacy; and painting and fixing up broken homes. Guest Speakers
The 2012 ELCA Youth Gathering took place in New Orleans, from July 18–22. 33,309 youth and chaperones attended this gathering, going out to over 400 different volunteer sites on the Practice Justice Day. The theme for the 2012 gathering was "Citizens with the Saints". The Mercedes-Benz Superdome, affectionately re-dubbed the "LutherDome", reprised its role from the 2009 event and hosted a mass gathering each evening the 18th to the 21st, and a final morning service on July 22. Each of the three full days of the gathering was designated for a different "practice" of faith. On Practice Peacemaking day, youth were encouraged to visit exhibitions, participate in sports and other activities, donate hair, blood, and money to build wells at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. Practice Justice day saw the youth coming together to complete volunteer service projects. Finally, Practice Discipleship was a day of worship and bible study in which each church's group met with other groups from the same synod. This was the first time any city had hosted a third gathering, as well as the first time two consecutive gatherings have been held in the same city. The "LutherDome" sessions were emceed by students Kaelie Lund and Josiah Williams. Speakers and performers, organized by night, included:
The 2015 ELCA Youth Gathering took place in Detroit, from July 15–19. Over 30,000 youth and chaperones attended this gathering, going out to over 600 different volunteer sites on the Proclaim Justice Day. The theme for the 2015 gathering was "Rise Up". Ford Field, hosted a mass gathering each evening the 15th to the 18th, and a final morning service on July 19. Each of the three full days of the gathering was designated for a different "practice" of faith. On Proclaim Community day, youth were encouraged to visit exhibitions, participate in sports and other activities, donate hair, blood, and money to build wells at the Cobo Center. Proclaim Justice day saw the youth coming together to complete volunteer service projects. Finally, Proclaim Story was a day of worship and bible study in which each church's group met with other groups from the same synod. This was the first time Detroit had hosted a gathering. Speakers and performers at the Ford Field nightly sessions, organized by night, included:
