Conference Draws Local Teens to Service in New Orleans

The Lord of Life Lutheran Church of Fairfax and Clifton sent 43 youths and 11 adults to New Orleans last week to attend a conference with 35,000 other teens from around the world.

“The trip was amazing, we were always busy,” said 15-year-old Tony DiPippa, of Centreville. “We went to a ton of activities with other youths from around the country.”

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Triennial Youth Gathering took place from July 18 through July 22 and it focuses on leadership and service opportunities for teens. It is the largest gathering of the 4.6 million member denomination, according to the group’s website.

"It was great watching the kids as one of the adults and seeing the excitement they had in everything that they were doing," said the church's Youth Director Amy Norman, who also went on the trip.

The teens, ages 13 through 18, participated in community service while they were there. The youth group encompasses children from Fairfax Station, Clifton, Burke, Centreville, and the greater Northern Virginia area.

“We were deconstructing houses and taking materials like wood and bricks so that they can be used again instead of thrown away,” DiPippa said. “We actually took a tour of the Ninth Ward and saw all the destruction.”

The church youths held several fundraising events to make it on the trip, including a New Orleans dinner and auction and a golf tournament, which raised at least $10,000 for the trip.

“The fundraising was fun. It was good to know we were helping to raise the money ourselves and not just paying it all at once but having to earn it,” DiPippa said. 

According to the Lord of Life’s Church Administrator, Gary James, “The gathering served as a wonderful opportunity for our youth.”

The conference takes place every three years, with the next conference slated to take place in Detroit.