ELCA NEWS SERVICE July 18, 2003 ELCA Youth Meet ELCA Bishops At Gathering 03-YG-05-JB ATLANTA (ELCA) -- Teenagers and bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) met together in small groups here to discuss a variety of spiritual, social and church issues. Their session called, "Get It Off Your Chest," is part of the Learning Village here at the ELCA Youth Gathering. The ELCA Youth Gathering is meeting July 16-20 and July 23- 27 at the Georgia Dome and Georgia World Congress Center. The two events bring together some 40,000 high-school-age and adult Lutherans from across the country and around the world to participate in worship, community service, Bible study and fun. "They asked questions such as, 'What do we do about worship? We want to be involved, but we don't feel there's a place for us,'" said the Rev. Kari A.S. Brendefur, King of Glory Lutheran Church, Boise, Idaho. Brendefur volunteered to coordinate the youth and bishops' Learning Village sessions. The ELCA has 65 synods across the country and Caribbean, each headed by a bishop. Youth asked questions about their place in "aging congregations," where to attend college, sacraments and issues such as human sexuality. "Some kids have come in asking for prayer," she said. "I've been surprised not only with their questions but also with their insights," Brendefur said. "The bishops have been very good about inviting conversation with the youth rather than just talking at them." Youth have articulated their faith in "deep and inspiring ways," she said. Hearing the youth interact with the bishops has given Brendefur "great hope for the church," she said. "It is really a lot of fun to hear about their congregations," said the Rev. Gerald L. Mansholt, bishop of the ELCA Central States Synods, Kansas City, Mo. "This reaffirms the call to be attentive to our youth. A primary posture of youth ministry is to listen to our youth." While the questions that youth are asking bishops may involve social issues in the world and the church, most of the initial questions are about spirituality, said the Rev. Andrea DeGroot-Nesdahl, bishop of the ELCA South Dakota Synod, Sioux Falls. "I'm hearing questions about spiritual life, questions about scripture and how to understand it," she said. "I hear questions about call (to ministry) and what does God want me to do with my life." The kind of questions and conversations the bishops are having with youth is not surprising, said DeGroot-Nesdahl. "My experience with young people is that this kind of depth and 'groundedness' is not surprising at all," she said. "This is exactly the foundation on which our church will blossom and grow, spiritually and in terms of vision and strategy about how we carry out programs that are mission-focused." When DeGroot-Nesdahl was younger, women could not be pastors in the Lutheran church. When women were able to enter the ordained ministry more than 30 years ago, she recalled the pastors and other adults who guided her. "All contributed to a sense of call," she said. "When the church said, 'We will ordain women,' I was able and ready to say that I think that's the route God is calling me to." She added that youth events, such as the ELCA Youth Gathering, have always "been opportunities to fill my cup." Information from the ELCA Youth Gathering can be found at http://www.elca.org/gathering/home.html on the Web. For information contact: John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or [log in to unmask] http://www.elca.org/news