Date: Sat, 1 Jul 2000 14:33:23 -0500 Reply-To: [log in to unmask] Sender: Read stories for public news media about the ELCA <[log in to unmask]> From: News News <[log in to unmask]> Subject: ELCA Youth Hear There Are No 'Strangers' with God Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Title: ELCA Youth Hear There Are No 'Strangers' with God ELCA NEWS SERVICE July 1, 2000 ELCA YOUTH HEAR THERE ARE NO 'STRANGERS' WITH GOD 00-YG08-FI ST. LOUIS (ELCA) -- "I greet the Christ within you," Sunitha Mortha told 22,000 teen-age Lutherans gathered June 30 for a morning Bible study in the Trans World Dome here. "Dancing with the Stranger" was the theme of the program filled with music, dancing and Mortha's message. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's (ELCA) Youth Gathering is meeting here June 28-July 2 and July 5-9. The two events bring together some 40,000 Lutheran youth of high school age who are engaging in worship, Bible study, learning, community service and fun. Mortha pointed out many of the cultural differences between India, where she was born and raised, and the United States, where she is studying cross-cultural ministry at Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minn. Women dress differently; dancing is an artistic expression in India; and most people in India do not date because their marriages are arranged by their parents, she said. In spite of cultural differences, Mortha said young people in both cultures share common emotions. "We laugh at some of the same things, and we cry at some of the same things," she said. "We each ask, 'Am I beautiful?'" In India, Mortha said, people with lighter skin are considered more beautiful than those with darker skin. "I'd like to tell you my story as a dark-skinned woman in India," she said. "It made me feel like a stranger in my own country." While she was a girl, she would often hear people ask her parents, "How are you ever going to find a husband for that girl?" "Each time I heard the words 'black' or 'dark,' I got darker inside," she said. Mortha would feel smaller and smaller, until "all they saw was a black dot." Frightened and humiliated by the opinions of others, Mortha's father lifted her from her gloom by telling her she was beautiful. "When I looked into my father's eyes, I knew he was telling me the truth," she said. "Every time we look at the cross, God is telling us He loves us and that is why He sent us His Son," said Mortha. "God looks into your eyes and tells you, 'You are beautiful. You are loved.'" God's love is not based on a person's appearance, said Mortha. "It is a free gift from my God to me," she said. "No one can take it away from me." Mortha gave the gathering a demonstration of semi-classical Indian dance. "Dancing is an expression of my joy," she said. "Even though I was a black dot, I would find joy and dance." The program included two songs which were commissioned especially for the gathering. Todd Zielinski and Well of Hope, Charlotte, N.C., performed "Dance of Life." Dakota Road, based in Sioux Falls, S.D., presented "All Are Welcome." Ken Medema, San Francisco, and James Ward, Chattanooga, Tenn., directed the musical portion of the program. April M. Barfield, Inglewood, Calif.; Becky Gulsvig, Moorhead, Minn.; and David Scherer, Minneapolis, were masters of ceremony. For information contact: John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or [log in to unmask] http://listserv.elca.org/archives/elcanews.html