Youth Gathering in the Detroit News

From Deadline Detroit 

Downtown hotels, Hart Plaza, Cobo Center and Ford Field are jammed with ebullient teens and harried chaperones who add a theme park vibe.

They arrived Wednesday for an Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Youth Gathering -- five days of faith, festivities and public service. The event has nearly 30,000 participants and "is expected to bring a $30 million economic impact to the region," Sherri Welch blogs at Crain's.

“This place is going to look like Disney World for a few days,” Michael O’Callaghan of the Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau tells her.

He refers to hundreds of tour buses, but the comparison also is apt because of matching T-shirts, outdoor snacking, selfie snapping and the type of effusive enthusiasm this tweet reflects: 

 

Downtown worker Diana Thomas McNary, a Detroit News graphic artist and designer, comments on her Facebook page: "They've really changed the downtown vibe from 'too-cool-for-you hipster' to 'yayyyy wheeeee OMG where are you from???' " 

Updates: Jason Marker, a member of the Detroit Party Marching Band, posts on our Facebook page: "They are insufferably cheerful." 

Another reader, Colleen Hasten of Grosse Pointe, comments: "It looks like a skittles factory exploded." 

The national event isn't all prayers, speeches and selfies, Welch notes Thursday:

Today through Saturday, 10,000 high school-aged kids and adults will board 220 buses each day at Hart Plaza and head to nonprofits around the city, in Highland Park and Inkster to take part in community service projects.

Those projects -- 600 in all -- will focus on providing housing and food, education, environmental sustainability, arts and culture, and other services.

About 100 area nonprofits will benefit from the volunteering, the Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau said.

Beneficiaries include the Belle Isle Conservancy, Focus: HOPE, Detroit Public Library main branch, Cass Community Social Services and Gleaners Community Food Bank of Southeastern Michigan, the Crain's writer adds.

Road Notes from Noah on Wednesday

Noah's summary of Wednesday:
Today was a good day!  We did a lot. First we got up and ate breakfast. Then we went to a mall, we browsed and shopped. Then we went to Belle Isle state park and saw a lot of art. There were fountains, green houses, a conservatory, a giant slide that was fun. We were there for 2 hours. Then we went to eat at a place called hockey town. The food was delicious. Then finally we went to Ford Field. There was good music, 30,000 Lutherans and some heart felt speakers. It was a blast and I memory I will have for life. 
 

Road Notes from Oscar on Tuesday

Oscars summary of Tuesday:
Today started at Grace Lutheran Church in Evanston IL, our host church. We got up and served, we cleaned our rooms and the fellowship hall at Grace to thank the congregation and to just be polite. 
After all was clean we packed the bus and got on the road around 9:30. We stopped to eat lunch at a park. The ride was smooth, we passed right by the Pickwick theater in Park Ridge. 
The bus ended in Detroit. We have not passed through the center of the city yet. We had our group discussions where we got our gathering bibles. The day ended with us boys getting to watch the all star game.

Road Notes Kenzie from Monday

Kenzie's summary of Monday:
On Monday morning we woke up earlier then usual. we drove to victory reigns a ranch that helps children with disabilities, so they pretty much do therapy by riding. Some of us painted and stained in the arena, while others were grooming and cleaning up horses. We spent a couple ihours there and then left to shower at a local YMCA. I have to say those showers felt nice after a hot sweaty day. We then headed to millennium park where we saw the bean. We walked from there to Ed debevics for dinner. That was a fun experience. We then headed back to grace Lutheran (where we stayed in Chicago) for a good night sleep before heading to Detroit the next morning.

Road Notes from Alyssa and Sydney

Alyssa/Sydney's summary of Saturday/Sunday:
We journeyed on a bus...for a LONG time. We got to a town right outside of Chicago and went to a beautiful church named Grace Lutheran. We were all amazing at how beautiful it is. The next day we were welcomed to worship with the grace community. We sang for them the song awesome God (I couldn't sing because I had stitches in my mouth so I helped them with the actions). It was very touching to feel so welcomed in the Grace community. 
After worship we helped grace with a service project. We helped them clear a garden so it can be used again. After yummy tacos in a bag for lunch we went to community cornerstone outreach. We helped them clean floors and bathrooms, make dinner for the residence of the homeless shelter and sort items for their free store. It was a really fun experience meeting all those people at the soup kitchen but also sad. Seeing all those adults, teens and children there was rough because this is everyday for them. Even with the struggle we know they face everyday, they were so nice to us and they made us seem welcomed. They needed our help and we were so glad to give it to them. 
After being at CCO we went out to eat in downtown Chicago. The restaurant we ate was called Pizanos. We ate Chicago style pizza which was really good. 
We ended our night with group discussion about racism and how we might encounter it in Detroit. 
Today was amazing.

Day of Service

On Monday the Jamestown area youth volunteered at Victory Reins, a nonprofit that provides therepeutic horseback riding.

- from their website: Our mission is to provide therapeutic equine recreational activities for children and adults to experience the bond that is created between horse and rider. Empowering them to be Victorious in all areas of life and reach their fullest God given potential. 

After work, the crew stopped at Ed Debevic's in Chicago to "Eat and Get Out!"

Youth worship and serve in Evanston

The Jamestown Youth Gathering bus stopped in Evanston Illinois for a few days of service, worship, and fun.  After worshiping at Grace Lutheran, their host church, the youth served a meal at a soup kitchen.  Sunday night they traveled to downtown Chicago for some sightseeing and a trip for some Chicago deep dish pizza. .