“…citizens with the saints…” (Ephesians 2:19)

By the time you read this article, six of us from OSLC will be well into the 2012 ELCA National Youth Gathering in New Orleans! Our trip started out via Ann Ottinger’s SUV (thank you Ann!) on Monday with a trip to Atlanta, GA, where we met up with the Faith Lutheran Church (Farragut, TN) Youth Group and caught the Amtrak on Tuesday to New Orleans. Registration was done on Wednesday and our little group met up with over 34,000 other Lutheran youth and adults while there! Can you imagine? (Not if you live in East Tennessee you can’t!)

Our plans are to arrive back in Johnson City late Monday/very early Tuesday, July 23/24. I am sure that we will come back with stories to tell! We do plan to offer a visual presentation of what transpired this week, all because we want each of you to know how your dedicated offerings to us were used!

During our time in New Orleans, we will experience and “practice” Justice (our particular task is entitled “Cultural Literacy”), “practice” Peacemaking-where we will be trained to go out into the city and talk with people about their lives and share a little bit about ours; and “practice” Discipleship-where we will gather with 418 other youth from our own synod and look at how scripture directs us to be disciples for the Lord Jesus! There will be amazing worship experiences each night at the Super Dome, and opportunities for a “safe nightlife” in our hotel as well as early morning worships there as well. Workshops and lots of fun will be had by all. There is a place to gather to do all kinds of crafts, experience music, even play basketball, football, throw Frisbee, even help build a Habitat for Humanity house! Of course, we will do some sight-seeing of this great city too!

We–Ann and Chloie Ottinger, Devan Cunningham, Jacob Aaroen, Michael Leonard, and myself–want
to thank you all from the bottom of all our hearts for helping us have this incredible experience. We could not have done it without you! Your prayers, your support, and your financial donations have made the difference, once again, for the youth of OSLC. This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for us, and you made it possible. THANK YOU!

We hope to bring back all kinds of excitement and inspiration to share with everyone! Keep those prayers going; they help us each day we are there!

By now, “…we are no longer strangers…” (Ephesians 2:19) with those we have been spending this week with; we are grateful to God for this opportunity, and gain, we thank God for all of you!

God loves you and so do I!

Pastor Jim