New Orleans: the city of Lutherans

This may seem like an odd title to my post as there are not actually many Lutherans who live in New Orleans. The title does not refer to permanent Lutheran residents but instead refers to the massive amount of Lutheran high school youth who inhabited the city last week during the 2009 National ELCA Youth Gathering. High school Lutherans came from far and wide to unite in the Big Easy and serve the city in many facets. I was blessed with the opportunity to represent Valparaiso University at the gathering and meet students from all over the U.S. I spoke with students from Arkansas, Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, New York, Washington, Ohio, South Dakota, North Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Indiana, and even the Virgin Islands and South Africa (to name a few). It was an experience of impressive magnitude as over 36,000 high school students convened in service, worship, and fun. Their efforts were so impressive that they merited a visit and award from the mayor of New Orleans and recognition from President Obama. For those of you who may have attended, shoot me an email at seth.nelson@valpo.edu or connect with me on Facebook at Seth at Valpo. For those of you who were not able to attend, I am up for letting you know more about the experience so you should connect with me, as well!

-Seth