This issue of Sharing focuses on the church’s youth. At both the LCMS Youth Gathering this summer in New Orleans and at the first-ever national youth camp held by the Cambodia Lutheran Church, young people were brought together to study the Bible, serve others and see that they are part of a larger church body.
Speaking about the Cambodian youth camp, LCMS missionary Rev. J.P. Cima says, “We really wanted Lutheran youth to get a sense of ‘Hey, there are actually other Lutheran youth out there.’ Most [of the youth] exist in very tight-knit rural communities. They don’t have many opportunities to break out … to give them a vision of other congregations, … [so this] is quite valuable.”
In his letter, LCMS President Rev. Dr. Matthew C. Harrison reflects on the Synod’s long connection to the city of New Orleans — first as the entry point for the Saxon immigrants who founded the LCMS and later through the extensive disaster-response work that the LCMS carried out following Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
“The events of 20 years ago feel like a blur to me now,” Harrison writes. “But the purpose of our presence in New Orleans then remains the same as it is around the world today: to help people and give them Jesus.”
Thank you for your support of LCMS World Relief and Human Care. Visit lcms.org/mercy to learn more about the Synod’s mercy work.
