Title: LUTHERAN YOUNG PEOPLE CELEBRATE
ETHNIC DIVERSITY
ELCA NEWS SERVICE

July 26, 1997

LUTHERAN YOUNG PEOPLE CELEBRATE ETHNIC
DIVERSITY
97-YG-05-MR

     NEW ORLEANS (ELCA) -- When it comes to
sharing music and dance from
various cultures, young people do it with
passion, vigor and pride. About
1,500 high school age Lutherans celebrated
diversity at "Festival of
Cultures" -- a "trek" about ethnic
communities -- offered at the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's
Youth Gathering here July 23-27.
     "This trek gives young people the
opportunity to learn about
different cultures by meeting international
students and participating in a
variety of multicultural activities," said
the Rev. Sherman G. Hicks, a pastor from
First Trinity Lutheran Church,
Washington, D.C. Hicks hosted the trek.
"The activities offered here will
hopefully allow young people to gain an
appreciation of people from around
the world," said Hicks.
     Participants interacted with students
from Ethiopia, Guyana,
Lithuania, Palestine, Peru, Taiwan and a
half-dozen other countries. Young
people sang and danced with excitement to
music from countries around the
world. A youth group from Puerto Rico
performed a liturgical dance to
celebrate "God's gift of eternal life"
through popular and traditional
dances from the island.
     "The dancing was beautiful," said
Tsedle Melake, Bethlehem Lutheran
Church, Bronx, New York. "This heritage
brings us to the point of
multiculturalism illustrated in this youth
gathering," she said.
     Paula Batista, Calvary Lutheran Church,
Bronx, New York, said, "I am
from Puerto Rico, and watching the dance
made me think about how really
wonderful that is. I had little butterflies
in my stomach when I thought
about what a great heritage I have."
     "The dance taught me something about
their culture, that I otherwise
would not have learned because I am
Jamaican," said Mario Harris, Bethlehem
Lutheran Church, Bronx. "Living in the
Bronx, I know people from Puerto
Rico but not about their heritage," he said.

     Participants made crafts from different
cultures like origami
(Asian), tissue paper flowers (Latino),
bracelets and bookmarks using print
cloth (African), dream catchers and beading
(American Indian) and cross-cultural crafts
such as friendship bracelets using yarn,
worry beads,
musical instruments/noisemakers and woven
place mats.

     Ginger Arndt, St. Paul Lutheran Church,
Wilton, Wis., made a cloth
crown. "I had lots of fun creating and
learning about the different ways
in which people express themselves
culturally," said Arndt.
     Young people played the "World Game" --
a multi-media global
education workshop where 200 participants
are given props representing the
world's resources and charged with making
the world work for all of its
inhabitants. Topics include international
relations, economics,
environment and health issues, cultural
diversity and more.
     Paul Simon, a former U.S. Senator from
Illinois, spoke about "what it
takes to be a Christian" on Capitol Hill in
Washington, D.C. "The sincere
commitment to want to help people must be
there, with a factor of
compassion," said Simon. "We need people
who really want to help and to
work hard. Sometimes, it may mean taking an
unpopular stand on certain
issues," he said.
     Participants also heard from Charles R.
Baquet III, deputy director
for the U.S. Peace Corps and former U.S.
Ambassador to Djibouti, and the
Rev. Christopher M. Thomforde, president of
Bethany College, Lindsborg,
Kansas. Bethany is one of 28 colleges and
universities associated with the
ELCA.

                            -- 30 --

For information contact:
Ann Hafften, Director, News and Information
http://www.elca.org/co/news/current.html