About Bethel and the 2009 Youth Gathering

Whether you know a little or a lot about the ELCA's national gatherings, here are some questions and answers about Bethel and the next Gathering.

First, here's the official website: 2009 ELCA National Youth Gathering.

In particular, their FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) page is very informational.

What's so special about a national youth gathering?
It's best to hear first hand impressions from youth who attended. As we collect those impressions, here are reflections from counselors:
Sherman: Sitting in a stadium with tens of thousands usually focuses on sports. Church service, for the most part, is tens or hundreds of people sharing meaningful rites and rituals that don't always speak to young people. Imagine a stadium filled with with tens of thousands of young Christians sharing not only those rites and rituals but also gospel-filled music of different styles, inspirational speakers who share their stories of Jesus in their lives and how the youth are not just the future of the church, but are very much the present of and to the church. But it's not just about the big events. There are many smaller group activities, service opportunities in the local community, and lots of fun.
Deb: With a group like ours which attends almost as many high schools as we have youth, it's rare to be in an environment and know that some other student has a deep relationship with Jesus. The Gathering provides a sharp contrast to that, and provides once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to grow spiritually and share that with others. You can make new friends in Christ, or in some cases, reacquaint with old friends who've moved away from St. Louis (such as Rachel Metzler). And down the road, it's a common experience that might be discovered when meeting new folks at college.

When is it?
July 22-26 are the dates for the actual event. Obviously time will be needed for transportation to and from New Orleans. Based on the transportation decision (bus), travel dates will be 7/20 (morning departure with an overnight stay in Memphis) to 7/27 (early morning).

What about lodging?
When we register as a group, we get a block of rooms at Gathering hotels to accommodate our participants.

What about transportation?
At the 9/14 youth group meeting, the consensus decision was to take a bus with St. Louis metro area churches. We'll be able to get to know other St. Louis Lutheran teens better, and contribute to the Gathering's request of having buses available in New Orleans to help with local transportation for service projects.

What about the cost?
First and foremost, Bethel does not want the cost to be an obstacle to participation. If you have financial concerns/difficulties, Bethel will work to overcome them.

The basic formula is:
$295 per attendee for registration, which includes events and lodging
$xxx per attendee for bus transportation
$yyy per attendee for additional night's stay in Memphis (awaiting details from St. Louis metro churches)
$zzz per attendee for food and spending money

The family is expected to pay the $125 non-refundable deposit for each youth's registration, as well as food and spending money.

The youth group has fundraisers planned throughout the year and the goal is to cover the rest of registration, transportation and additional lodging.

Again, if money is an issue, please contact Sherman, Deb and/or Pastor Bill. Bethel will try as hard as possible to remove cost as an issue.

Why do I need to commit so early?
Lots of reasons, but here are the main ones:

• We need to commit our numbers to the St. Louis area churches so they can contract the charter buses for transportation. Their deadline to us was originally 9/15, but they've graciously extended that to 10/5.
  
• Registering early increases the certainty that all are participants are housed in the same hotel.
  
• We need as much time as possible to work together on growing spiritually and raising funds in preparation for the trip.

How can I help my youth prepare for the Gathering?
(This section is updated as of Saturday 9/27)

• With your youth, seriously consider the commitment to going to the Gathering.
• Attend the special parents meeting on 9/21 at 10:00 in the Bethel Library.
  
• Formally commit and pay the deposit ($125) by 10/5. Checks should be may payable to "Bethel Lutheran Church" with the memo section stating "2009 Youth Gathering Deposit".
  
• If you cannot attend the 9/21 meeting, please contact Sherman to make other arrangements and/or to ask any questions you might have about the Gathering.
  
• Participate (and even lead!) in the fundraiser events.
• Be supportive in their efforts and preparation throughout the year for the Gathering.