ELCA National Youth Gathering Day 5
Written by: Ashlynn Caldwell
Friday morning started with a leisurely wakeup call and some bagels and coffee. The rain pushed back for long enough to wander around the French Quarter, looking at art, noticing people and places, and souvenir shopping. We also walked down Bourbon Street, experiencing one side of New Orleans culture but simultaneously recognizing that there is more to NOLA and the people living here than the Big Easy’s sometimes negative connotation. Throughout the week we’ve gotten glimpses of the beauty of life here-even amidst the large group of high school tourists-in simple moments like kids biking down the road and doing tricks, street musicians and the passion that they share, and the individuals that go out of their way to make our experience special and impactful.
After stopping for lunch, we had the opportunity to connect with more youth gathering participants at the interactive learning center. From games to pin-making, sparkle blessings from drag queens to learning sign language and examining accessibility and inclusivity in church, and even trading stickers with other Lutherans from all around the country, the diversity and all-around welcome stuck out to me and set an example for how we can go out into the world. This experience has shown me that embodying love the way Jesus loved-without exception or judgement-is disruptive, which was the theme for the day. Holy disruptiveness, something we were created to exercise by challenging status quos and fighting injustice.
Some of the group split off to attend the Wisconsin/Upper Michigan synod worship, which included camp songs and praise along with messages from each synod’s bishop about being created to be brave, authentic, free, disruptive disciples and connections with people closer to home.
Then it was time for dinner! We got dressed up to eat at Tujagues, the second oldest restaurant in New Orleans. All of the food was absolutely amazing, from creamy gumbo to tender pork to savory shrimp and grits to rich bread pudding with caramel sauce. The chef and staff were wonderful, sharing their restaurant’s story, going out of their way to create a vegetarian meal which they didn’t have on their menu, and making us feel welcome and well taken care of.
After dinner we headed back to the Smoothie King Center, and thanks to Sammie our bus driver and his willingness to change plans, we didn’t need to walk. Keith, our new friend in security, got us seats all together and his smile and welcome was greatly appreciated throughout the week! People’s kindness has been beautiful and we’re so thankful for the hospitality that we’ve been met with everywhere this week.
During mass gathering we enjoyed a short concert by Blanca, a Puerto Rican Christian singer who shared her talent and faith through her music. Additionally, we examined our call to be disruptive-not distracted or distracting, but using holy disruptiveness-to challenge social norms that we can’t let slide. Pastor Sally Azar, the first female Palestinian ordained minister, spoke about rules that we are called to challenge because they’re unjust and harmful and only enforced due to human greed for power. Her stories about living in Palestine and the brokenness of her whole community is heartbreaking. She used her story to call us to be disruptive in order to create change. We also learned from Pastor Lori Fuller, a greatly inspiring and disruptive woman who was born deaf and uses sign language and an interpreter to communicate. She taught us some sign and reminded us that we are NOT a mistake and can use our differences to create a disruption for the better. The message to be disruptive, which is not always a bad thing, is a powerful reminder that we can take with us as we’ve been sent out to be welcoming, inclusive, and loving disciples of Jesus.
