ELCA NEWS SERVICE September 17, 2008 Online Registration For ELCA Youth Gathering Passes 22,000 In 36 Hours 08-157-FI CHICAGO (ELCA) -- As many as 22,417 participants registered during the 36 hours after registration opened online for the 2009 Youth Gathering of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The registrants were from at least 1,392 congregations by midday Sept. 16. Registration is possible only online and is limited to 36,000 high-school-age and adult leaders for the gathering July 22-26, 2009, in New Orleans. Special consideration will be given to "congregations that have lost power or computer access or have been displaced by the recent hurricanes and flooding," according to the gathering's Web site. The gathering's "Jesus, Justice, Jazz" theme "draws from the rich faith history, diverse cultures and arts of New Orleans," the site said. "The focus will be on service and justice as we live our shared reality as Christians." "The high volume of early registrations is an indicator to us that ELCA youth are eager to live out their baptismal call to service in the world," said Heidi Hagstrom, director, Youth Gathering, ELCA Vocation and Education. "We have completely reshaped the program for 2009 around service in response to an invitation from God's people in New Orleans to partner with them as they continue to rebuild from Hurricane Katrina, as well as requests from our audience of young people who value such opportunities as highly significant for their faith formation," Hagstrom said. "We are thrilled that the registration process, which was streamlined to be both green and costefficient, has worked so well," said Donna Wiegel, assistant director, Youth Gathering, ELCA Vocation and Education. "By having our registration process entirely online, we have eliminated using a huge amount of paper." "We are keeping the registration live until January, so that congregations can go back into their 'records' and make additions and substitutions, instead of mailing them for us to do," Wiegel said. "We've also committed to just two confirmation mailings -- at the end of January, when they will get their housing assignments, and again in June with their financial information," she said. "We did not send a 30-page registration book with forms to each congregation. Instead we sent a four-page flyer, inviting everyone to visit our Web site frequently in the months prior to the opening of registration. The savings were significant," Wiegel said. The ELCA is providing "full financial assistance to 739 participants and partial assistance to another 489 in 270 congregations," Wiegel added. A Definitely-Abled Youth Leadership Event and a Multicultural Youth Leadership Event will be July 19-22, 2009, at the Sheraton New Orleans Hotel. -- -- -- Information about the 2009 Youth Gathering is at http://www.ELCA.org/gathering on the ELCA Web site. For information contact: John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or [log in to unmask] http://www.elca.org/news ELCA News Blog: http://www.elca.org/news/blog