This information is for bishops attending the ELCA Youth Gathering in New Orleans

What is the theme? Citizens with the Saints

When is the the event? July 18-22, 2012

What is the gathering web page? www.elca.org/gathering

What is the theme passage? Ephesians 2:14-20

How many are registered? As of 3/1/12:

Total number of people registered:  32,779. Youth:  25,019. Adults:  7,760

Definitely-Abled Youth Leadership Event (DAYLE): 39

Multicultural Youth Leadership Event (MYLE): 634

More detailed numbers are available HERE.

Where is bishop registration? www.conferencebuilders.com/elca2012/bishops

Am I registered? Bishops registered 5-21-12

Are spouses welcome? Yes. There is a place at the bottom of the registration to put the name of your spouse if s/he is coming.

What is my role? Be present. Engage. Preach and preside at morning worship at your synod’s hotel, on your synod’s Practice Discipleship Day. Go out into New Orleans with your synod on Practice Discipleship and Practice Justice days. Attend the opening dinner Wednesday for the bishops’ orientation.

If I can’t attend, may I send a stand-in to preach and preside? Please do. Let Mike know who this is, so we can connect this person. If you are not going to send someone, let Mike know, so we can recruit someone to preach and preside for you.

On which day is my synod’s Practice Discipleship Day? Synod Practice Discipleship Days

What hotel is my synod in? To find out which hotel your synod is in, contact your synod’s coach or coordinator (see below):

Who is my synod’s coordinator? http://www.elca.org/ELCA/Youth-Gathering/Questions-Answers-Resources/Gathering-Synod-Coordinators.aspx

Who is my synod’s coach? http://www.elca.org/ELCA/Youth-Gathering/Questions-Answers-Resources/Gathering-Synod-Coaches.aspx

What hotel are bishops in? The Ritz Carlton, 921 Canal Street, New Orleans, Louisiana 70112. 504-524-1331. http://www.ritzcarlton.com/en/Properties/NewOrleans

When are MYLE and DAYLE? July 16-18 MYLE and DAYLE

What are the costs? The event will cover registration, hotel and a couple meals. Bishops cover their own transportation and food.

When should I arrive? Wednesday morning, July 18, unless you are coming early for MYLE or DAYLE (7/16-18). Get settled in your room, and ready for an early dinner and orientation at 4:30. The event ends at noon in the Superdome on Sunday, July 22.

What is the schedule roughly? Click here for the Schedule on the web page: Schedule. Click 2012 daily schedule COB for a more detailed schedule. On Wednesday and Thursday at 4:30 bishops will have dinner together. Wednesday’s dinner will include an orientation. Dinners are early due to the fact that the dome events begin at 7:00 each night. Doors open at 6, and we need travel time. SYMBOL (Synod Youth Ministry Band of Leaders) is hosting Thursday night’s dinner.

What are the Practice Discipleship, Practice Justice and Practice Peacemaking Days? Click HERE.

Who can I contact with questions? Mike can track stuff down, but our host is Tammy Jones West, Youth and Family Ministry person for the NC Synod, and chair of the SYMBOL (Synod Youth Ministry Band of Leaders) Network: tammy@lutheranyouth.org or 828-308-1362.

What is the liturgy like on our Practice Discipleship Day?  Leader Edition PD Worship FINAL

The worship begins with a song and a skit, in which you will have some lines to read. Large cardboard boxes make up a wall in the middle of the room, and the text about Christ tearing down the dividing wall of hostility between us is used. After a time of confession, in which you also have a part, those boxes are brought down by the ushers, and turned into a cross-shaped table that becomes the altar for communion. Then we read the Ephesians 2 text again, and you have the first of two homilies. This one they look to be roughly 8 minutes.

Then communion. The communion liturgy will consist of the Sursum Corda, Proper Preface, the song “Open the Eyes of my Heart Lord,” then the Words of Institution. Following communion there is an extended time for interactive prayer. After the prayers, you have 4 minutes for a closing reflection, which will focus specifically on Ephesians 2:19, the “citizens with the saints” theme passage.

This is an unusual liturgy, and I know that I at least am not accustomed to having two sermons. The gathering team likes it because of shortened attention spans. So you have two sermon spots: an 8-min. spot before communion, and a 4 min. closing spot after communion, just before the benediction.

A stole in the gathering colors and a leaders’ book will be provided. No robe. Collar is up to you. Keep in mind you’ll be going from worship to small groups, then out into New Orleans.

There are no bulletins. The entire service is in PowerPoint. The music is prerecorded. Your synod coach has latitude to recruit musicians. You can adapt the PowerPoint and liturgy to fit your synod’s needs. Every change you make will, of course, will make things more complex for your coach and team, which is putting together off-site worship for 400-600 people in a hotel ballroom. Be kind. :-)

We did this worship service on February 2 in New Orleans, with your Gathering Coaches. Here is my sermon from that day. It’s not proscriptive. In fact, the second sermon is so personal you couldn’t use it anyway. The gathering folks asked me to put it up, to give an idea of how one might divide the sermon:

02-07-12 ELCA Gathering Coaches Sermon