Registration remains open for National Youth Gathering
The LCMS
Registration remains open for the 2004 National LCMS Youth Gathering, July 24-28 in Orlando, Fla.
Gretchen Jameson, communications manager for the Gathering and its sponsor, LCMS Youth Ministry, said that mailed-in registrations will be accepted “on a space-available basis,” as late as March 1.
Jameson said the registrations that Youth Ministry has received “pushed a record-level mark” of about 29,000 by the Nov. 5 priority-window registration deadline. Gathering registration opened Oct. 22.
“Gathering planners report that because of the outstanding Orlando hotels and the convention center, space is available for as many as 36,000 Gathering participants,” Jameson said.
“Some in the Synod have assumed that registration would be closed by Nov. 5,” said Gathering Registrar Krista Miller. “But with the unique situation in Orlando, this simply is not the case. This Gathering offers the opportunity for more youth than ever before to attend a National Youth Gathering.”
The last youth gathering, at New Orleans in 2001, had a record 32,000 participants.
Miller said that more than 18,000 youth and adults registered online in the Oct. 22-Nov. 5 priority period.
“Online registration, which has now ended, not only helped speed up the process for confirming registrations, but helped to save the Gathering thousands of dollars and man hours on costly data entry,” Miller said.
Each LCMS congregation last summer received a booklet with registration forms, signature forms and information about the Gathering.
To register, send the completed registration and signature forms to the youth-ministry office in St. Louis. Include payment of at least $125 of the $225 Gathering registration fee for each person registering.
For more information about the national Gathering, go to its Web site, http://www.nyg.lcms.org , or contact LCMS Youth Ministry at (800) 248-1930, Ext. 1155.
