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37,000 Lutheran youth in the Superdome

Faith in the Superdome

If you ever need help writing a meaningful travelogue, Marci Barnhart is the woman for you. A St. Paul adult leader at the 2009 ELCA Youth Gathering in New Orleans, Marci kept a detailed log of the St. Paul group’s adventures. Her observations will make you laugh and cry. Enjoy some excerpts —

New Orleans photo album »

Justice & Jazz, Beignets & Conga Lines, Kids & Faith

July 22, 2009

[On the bus, 12 hours into the journey south] 5:45 a.m. and I am waking up to see the pre-dawn mist rolling across the Mississippi countryside… Traveling across the upper bayou region kept the kids’ attention. Most were amazed at the houses on stilts in the grassy swamp area, alligators close to the road…

Many commented on what it must have been like to be on that same road with all the traffic heading north before Katrina struck. [Now] so many buses headed south, everyone waving at each other, knowing we were all headed to New Orleans. There was already a common bond forming between total strangers…

…Off to the Superdome for our first mass gathering. What a sight when we turned the corner to see a sea of multi-colored t-shirts all heading up the ramp into the dome. The electric vibes and energy you felt when you walked through the door was amazing… Bishop [Mark] Hanson welcomed us in a unique way involving a bathrobe and motorized bathtub. It was good to see the bishop out and about during the entire gathering, working alongside the youth…

…Can I just say right here that we averaged 6.5 miles per day on foot and one day we logged 11 miles, data gathered from my trusty pedometer!

July 23, 2009

The quiet of New Orleans at 6 a.m… Matt and I walked down to Café Du Monde to experience our first beignets and coffee. A great way to start our day… peaceful and calm. [She was later dubbed Marci “Beignet” Barnhart. The group suspects that it was the city’s deep-fat-fried-and-sugared treats and strong coffee that got Marci through the week on such little sleep.]

[In the Dome], as soon as Peter Mayer and the house band took the stage to warm up the crowd, the conga lines began. Our youth disappeared into a sea of brightly colored t-shirts. I assured our adult leaders they would all come home; they were out bonding with 5,000 of their new friends!...

July 24, 2009

…We met to walk to Mr. B’s Café for our group luncheon. It was an elegant, charming restaurant and they treated our group of high school students with such patience, grace, and attention. Our head waiter Stephen thanked each of us personally for coming to New Orleans. He informed us that this was the single largest group to come to their city since right after Katrina. The amount of work that 37,000 youth accomplished in one week would have taken them three years to organize and accomplish….

July 25, 2009

Service Day… One-third of the Gathering were sent out each day. It was a sea of orange t-shirts everywhere you looked heading out for their service day… We were taken to a city park which was being set up for a free health and safety fair for inner-city children and their families. [In spite of thoughtful volunteer organization], hardly anyone came. Our hearts were breaking for the volunteers but apparently the city of New Orleans had refused to offer busing to get the kids to the fair…

Later, as we were crossing a street, a New Orleans police car pulled over quickly to the curb with its lights on. We kind of jumped as the officer came out of his car and approached us. He stuck his hand out and shook each of our hands, gave us a hug and told us over and over thank you for being here, God bless you all, you don’t know what your being here means to our city. After the letdown at the park, what a blessing he was for us!...

July 26, 2009

Bishop Hanson said the mayor Ray Nagin of New Orleans was astounded at the energy, sincerity, feelings of warmth, and love that were in the Dome. He explained how the Dome is still perceived as a place of sorrow, death, and separation by the people of New Orleans. He wished the people could come, join hands, and circle the Dome, and pray for the youth inside… that with their prayers these youth could help the people of New Orleans work past the stigma that surrounds the Dome, and fill it with love and happiness once again.

[In the final worship service]: Communion for 37,000 in 25 minutes, offerings gathered, the peace shared, and Bishop Hanson closed with the challenge for the youth to carry what they learned back into their communities and lives… The key phrase for the week was “Be the Change.” I hope our youth are ready to step up and accept the challenge. I think they are.

superdome

‘All of Us Were Changed’

The scene in the Superdome

Ann Rosendale, our pastoral intern, was the fearless leader of 29 St. Paul youth and five adult leaders. She reflects on the scene in the New Orleans Superdome —

The music was loud and the lights were bright as we sang songs with such enthusiasm that we all came close to losing our voices.

I was particularly moved by the theme verses from Philippians 2:1-8 that were displayed on the big screens every night for the duration of the event. Verse 4 of that passage was an especially helpful reminder to me in my faith: “Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others.” 

Our speakers at the mass gatherings drove this point home by talking about how we can give our lives away in service to others. We heard from the young founder of the organization Free the Children which works to enforce child labor laws around the world. We listened to the story of one young woman who has started a running club for homeless people in Philadelphia. 

Each of these speakers was an example of how just one person can make a difference in the world. I watched our St. Paul youth listen to these speakers and could see the impact of the speakers’ words on these impressionable hearts and minds. As we stood up to sing again at the close of each mass gathering, I could sense a strong spirit of courage and determination take over the Superdome.

…There is no feeling like worshipping God in a packed Superdome, filled with 37,000 other Luth-erans. You feel small and great, all at the same time. You get the sense that you are a part of something larger than yourself… a part of something larger, even, than the Superdome, or the city of New Orleans, or the world of Lutheranism. You are a part of God’s kingdom realized right here and now, on this earth. That feeling is incredible!

 … It became clear to all of us who went down to New Orleans that God had far more planned for 37,000 teenagers than just dances and a rock concert. The Holy Spirit was teaching us so much about people… listening to people, paying attention to people, serving people. This week was the embodiment of “Love God, Love Others.” All of us were changed. And we were inspired to change the lives of others because of our experiences. 
Thanks be to God for an amazing time in New Orleans!