The Diocesan Dialogue
Current Issue
February 2007

Lumen Students "Celebrate!" New Orleans

By Joel Nau

Lumen participants "Celebrate." Episcopalians who participated in the trip were Karen Van Winkle of the diocesan staff, Kyle Andrus of St. James and Adam Collier of St. James.

Eight young people of Lumen (Episcopal/Lutheran Campus Ministry) ventured to New Orleans over the new year for the quadrennial gathering of "Celebrate!", the national gathering for the Council of Ecumenical Student Christian Ministries (CESCM).

The 600-plus students who gathered on Dec. 28 - Jan. 1 were from Episcopal, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Methodist, Disciples of Christ, United Church of Christ, and Roman Catholic backgrounds.

The students were treated to a grand welcome, featuring the musical genius of Irwin Mayfield and the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra, who serve as the de facto "cultural ambassadors" for New Orleans and the State of Louisiana.

The welcome continued with a bus tour of New Orleans, including the Lower 9th ward, one of the most underserved districts of the city, and which suffered most of the devastation of Katrina's aftermath. The trip also included a visit to the Fats Domino museum, which is still standing, but in ruins.

On Dec. 30 students headed out to various parts of the city to serve in the ongoing cleanup and restoration efforts underway. One team assisted the Episcopal Diocese Relief Worker Home in their preparations to receive workers in the coming months.

Others visited the St. Mark's Community Center to help strip walls, paint classrooms, clean out closets and catalogue musical instruments. The center is the home of the "Awesome Girls" program, an educational offering to girls aged 8-18 to nurture self esteem and artistic growth.

But there was also plenty of celebrating. A Regional Olympics competition (in which the West tied with the South), a New Orleans-style "Second Line" procession through the French Quarter, a formal banquet and dance, and of course, ringing in the New Year by watching the "jambalaya pot" drop from the vista of a crowed and reenergized Jackson Square, were all opportunities to engage in the local culture and meet fellow Christian students from across the country. Our closing Eucharist celebrated the new life and hope

The students left with a clear message: "Tell the story!" While the people of New Orleans are experiencing a rebirth out of the sorrow and loss of Hurricane Katrina, they realize they cannot rebuild alone.

Our final speaker, Adren Wilson, from the Department of Social Services for the State of Louisiana, encouraged students to engage in the reconstruction efforts: "I tell you, over the last days, you have heard many, many stories...
You've heard stories about people living out God's calling through their service. Now it is time for each of you to tell a story. How will you answer the call to make a difference?"

The Rev. Joel Nau is chaplain, Lumen Campus Ministry. Photos courtesy of Joel Nau.

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