Day Five 7/20/25

 

After breakfast in our room at the hotel, we headed out to walk to the Convention Center. We were running about 10 minutes behind schedule and all the elevators were full of other groups leaving for the gathering. Eventually, we took the service elevator from the 21st floor to the 11th floor, then waited again to get everyone from the 11th floor to the lobby. There are wo separate banks of elevators, with 10 people max per elevator. It took a while to get everyone all the way down. Philippe is leading the way of course (with Kendra carrying the pole). Philippe looks like he might just hop off into one of those palm trees, but he didn't.



We happened to encounter our former Vicar Gonzales along the way.

We made it to the Convention Center just in time for our 10AM Bible Study (each group is assigned a room and a time for Bible study). 



Our group's Bible Study is led Rev. Doug Bender and Rev Mark Rouland. The theme was considering who Jesus is. It was a question asked in the Bible and still a relevant question today. Jesus is more than a historical figure, more than a preacher or a prophet, more than a miracle worker. He is my savior, who died for me to take away my sin. He endured the cross. He knew the cross was coming and he endured it anyway - because of his great love for me and for you and for everyone who has ever or will ever live. 



After that we split into a group of guys and a group of girls, and went to the interactive center to look for merch, such as these hats (being given out by Concordia Wiscosin). 




We met for lunch in the Convention Center and ate our pre-ordered box lunches.

After lunch we were each given several decorated clothespins, NOT to clip people with (Clipping is the act of sneaking a clothespin onto another person's clothes or backpack without them knowing) but rather to HAND to another person as a conversation starter.


At 2pm, we again split into male and female groups for separate sessions where the speakers addressed questions relevant to guys or girls respectively. Here we are arriving to the session, enjoying the pre-session music.


The Our Redeemer female group took a picture with our speakers (Christina Hergenrader and Amy Hubach) afterwards.



The guys also took a selfie - theirs was in the interactive center area.


Then we split into groups of three or more and explored- there was time to further explore in the interactive center are and also to go to another session. We ran into some more familiar faces including former Vicar Luke Scheele,





Seth and Emily Illich,


and former Vical Morgan Garrett. (Art bought that lovely alligator headpiece at Mardi Gras World last time he was in New Orleans for NYG....)


We also encountered our only YAV this year (Ava Pence)

In the interactive center, there are lots of stations/booths, some of which have activities or games, and most have some sort of free item. Here they are writing on post it notes who they want to be, and sticking them on the board.

Here they are writing on cards that can be given to women who come to a crisis pregnancy center, to encourage them.

Here are messages for women experiencing a crisis pregnancy.




This is a booth giving away very small replicas of Jesus.

At some point a marching band (the same one we had heard at the masss event last night) came through the convention center. 

We watched from the sidelines as they passed.


A lot of the Our Redeemer people went to the session by Trevor Sutton called "1>45,000:Why Be Lutheran?" which explored why Lutherans make the bold and daring claim that one confession of faith (LCMS Lutheran) is the fullest articulation of the truth when there are many Christian denominations and many world religions.

We all met by Door D to catch the bus for dinner.


We ate at New Orleans Hamburger and Seafood Company, where you could get either Americal fare or creole. A group joined us from Peace Lutheran Chruch (Fort Wayne), as Pastor Mann from Peace went to seminary with Pastor Hartwig. Below is Kara, Pastor Hartwig, Rose (Peace's recently retired Director of Youth), and then Pastor Mann' s wife and Pastor Mann) 

Peace brought three adults and 4 youth to NYG. Here Aiden (one of their youth ) is joining Claire, Kendra, and me at a table. 

Then we drove to the Superdome for this evening's mass event. Glowsticks and Glow rings were handed out on the bus! The mass event included skits, worship songs, and speakers.





The mass event was followed by a 30 min FLAME concert.








We left the superdome,


and walked back to our hotel.



Lord, thank you for this day, for keeping us safe, for allowing us to hear your Word both in the presentations and in the music. May each participant at the Gathering - youth and adult - be strengthened in their faith through this event. May we ENDURE whatever it is that we are going through, even as You endued the cross for us.




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