Serving God by Serving Man
Teenagers are by nature action-oriented. Sitting and listening may not always grab their attention, but give them a chance to get involved, and they are often unstoppable. The Servant Events at the Gathering gave participants the opportunity to use their energy and enthusiasm to serve God by helping others. MORE

Lost and Found and David Dean
It didn’t take long for the crowd to warm up at the LIVE Interest Center with musicians Lost and Found and comedian David Dean.  Lost and Found are Gathering favorites who play music sometimes identified as acoustic thrash. Many in the audience were long time fans, but Lost and Found is still creating new fans. MORE 

Nate Peregoy

For Nate Peregoy, serving the Gathering completes a full circle of receiving and returning the blessing of Christ. MORE

Sunday's Mass Event: "Unbelievable Yet Believable"

Sunday Night’s Mass Event focused on the theme “unbelievable yet believable.” The youth were led to think about their own struggles between unbelief and belief even as they were presented with many unbelievable acts and personal stories. MORE

YAVs Share the Gospel

New Orleans is not only awash in lime green backpacks, it is also filled with orange t-shirts. Young Adult Volunteers (YAVs) wear orange t-shirts, and according to YAV Manager Brandon Heath, they are “the hands and feet of the Gathering.” These young people are not just passive helpers; they are witnesses to the faith. MORE

Reaching Out to People of World Religions

We live in a rapidly changing culture. The demographics of our society are quickly changing, presenting us with new opportunities for evangelism. At this Interest Center Cynthia Khan spoke about our opportunity to minister to the Muslim community and shared some of her personal experiences from living in Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. MORE

WE BELIEVE Academies

The early church father Tertullian once said “What does the academy have to do with the church?” At this Gathering it has everything to do with the church! A new offering at the Gathering this year is a special collection of Interest Centers known as WE BELIEVE Academies. MORE

Charmaine's Musical Message Connects with Youth

Youth looking for a bit of a change of pace from Interest Centers and Servant Events are hitting the WE BELIEVE concert scene. Charmaine’s electronic beats and heartfelt lyrics bring youth to their feet. Ben, a self-described music fanatic from St. Charles, Missouri, described the show, “It was awesome. I loved the trance-like electronica!” MORE

Top Ten District Booths

Many districts bring a booth to the Gathering to create awareness about their district. After careful consideration, here are 10 of the best District booths, featuring everything from nail polish to tags to hair coloration to spam! MORE

Meet Emcee Eric Norwine

When Eric Norwine was a high school student, he and his friends decided to perform ‘N Sync’s hit, “Bye Bye Bye,” dance and all. Eric practiced everywhere: the shower, his room, and especially in his car. All was well, until he was caught by a car full of cute girls from a local high school. MORE

Group Beacons

When over 23,000 people descend on the Superdome for Mass Events, it can be hard to keep track of your group. Groups in the know made sure to construct a creative beacon to make the task a little easier. On Sunday night we spent some time in the Superdome searching for five of the best. MORE

LISTEN: God's Creation

It seems you can’t turn around without hearing about environmental issues today. From politicians to actors, everyone seems to have a message to broadcast. Often Christians take a skeptical look on environmental issues. In his LISTEN track Interest Center, Dr. Charles Arand takes a look at a Christian response to environmental concerns. MORE

Art4Haiti

Art4Haiti is an on-site Servant Event at the Gathering that blends art and service for a fun and rewarding experience for participants.In Hall B at The Commons, youth and adults at the Art4Haiti booth can paint blank tiles with Christian themes in the traditional New Orleans gumbo ya-ya style. Bright, bold, and beautiful, a random selection of these tiles are then put together to make crosses. MORE

Blankets of Love

While a blanket may seem like the last thing you want during the middle of a New Orleans’ summer, winter will be here before we know it. It’s then that the creations from this LIVE booth will be useful to the residents of New Orleans. Blankets of Love gives youth groups a chance to give a warm gift back to the community by making a fleece blanket that will be given to a local resident. MORE

Youth Group Profile #8: Chapel of the Cross, Saint Louis, MO

We're continuing to give you a closer look of a few of the groups in the sea of green backpacks with a Q and A with some of the participants. Our eighth group was ecstatic about getting hyped for Jesus in New Orleans. MORE

Youth Group Profile #7: Lutheran Church of Kispest Budapest, Hungary

Our sixth group traveled overseas in order to be a part of the Gathering and is travelling with the 29 youth and adults from Reedemer Lutheran in Fredericksburg, Virginia. MORE

LOOK: The Spectacle

In First Corinthians St. Paul describes his life in Christ as “a spectacle to the whole universe, to angels as well as men” (I Corinthians 4:9). Youth have an opportunity during WE BELIEVE to let their own life in Christ become a spectacle when they follow the LOOK track. This spectacle is a positive display of what it means to be Lutheran in today’s society. MORE

O’Reilly, a communications student from Washington state, serves as an emcee for the Mass Events with Leon Jameson and Eric Norwine. WE BELIEVE is O’Reilly’s second Gathering experience, and she loves the energy and excitement for Christ in the youth here in New Orleans. As an emcee,O’Reilly hopes to be a tool God uses to go in to people’s hearts and hit them where it really counts. MORE

If you hadn’t seen any other cemeteries in New Orleans, the Holt Cemetery may not appear all that strange. But when you see all the mausoleums in the surrounding cemeteries, the Holt Cemetery becomes one of a kind. Above ground graves are the standard in the city of New Orleans because the city itself is below sea level. MORE

That bus ride from Nebraska or plane trip from California probably seemed like it would never end, but on Saturday morning a group of participants whose trip to the Gathering was even longer came together. International participants from seven countries met at St. Paul Lutheran Church on Burgundy Street in New Orleans for a southern style feast. MORE

No matter what time of day or night it may be, hungry youth groups can count on Cafe Du Monde to cure their sugar cravings. Located in the French Quarter, Cafe Du Monde is famous for their beignets and coffee. Hanging out in the outdoor patio of Cafe Du Monde, we found a youth group from St. Paul Lutheran in North Tonawanda, NY. MORE