Group to hold numerous volunteer efforts to benefit local and national organizations

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - July 16, 2025 
Media Contacts: 

 

NEW ORLEANS – July 16, 2025 – New Orleans & Company, the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, the Caesars Superdome and our hotels and hospitality partners are preparing to welcome over 20,000 participants for The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) triennial Youth Gathering, the largest gathering for youth and adults in the entire LCMS network, held July 19 to 23, 2025.  

Held every three years since 1980, the 2025 Youth Gathering marks the group’s fifth time in New Orleans – most recently in 2016, reinforcing why New Orleans is Built to Host large, complex citywide gatherings. Stretched across five days, the event enables thousands of young people to come together and be encouraged in their walk with Jesus Christ, building a community of God’s people as they are immersed in the Christian faith and their Lutheran identity.  

This year’s theme, ENDURE, touches on various aspects of Christian life, preparing young people to endure in Jesus, as a people, and to the end. The Youth Gathering features multiple sessions per day, each one led by speakers from across the LCMS. Sessions contain themes such as navigating Christian faith amid struggles, choosing career paths, pressures in mass media, and interpersonal relationships. To find the full event schedule, please visit this link.  

Participants will also have service opportunities with several local and national organizations, including: 

  • Audubon Charter School  
  • Bayou District Foundation  
  • Bayou Sauvage Urban National Wildlife Refuge  
  • Bricolage Academy  
  • Broadmoor Improvement Association  
  • Bywater Neighborhood Association  
  • City Church of New Orleans  
  • City Park Conservancy  
  • Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana  
  • Community Academies of New Orleans  
  • Community Center of St. Bernard  
  • Concordia Publishing House  
  • CRISP Farms  
  • Crown Community Garden  
  • Dolores T. Aaron Academy  
  • Dress for Success  
  • Edible Schoolyard  
  • Faubourg Marigny Improvement Association  
  • Friends of Joe W. Brown Memorial Park  
  • Glorias’ Garden  
  • Hagar's House  
  • HandsOn New Orleans  
  • Harriet Tubman Charter School
  • Healthy Gulf  
  • Hollygrove-Dixon Neighborhood Association  
  • InspireNOLA Charter Schools  
  • Jericho Road Episcopal Housing Initiative  
  • KIPP Central City Primary  
  • KIPP Leadership  
  • Louisiana Children's Museum  
  • Louisiana Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals  
  • Lutheran Braille Workers   
  • Material Institute’s 24 Carrot Garden
  • Morris Jeff Community School  
  • New Orleans Airlift  
  • New Orleans Family Justice Center  
  • New Orleans Mission  
  • NOLA Economic Development Focus Group - New Orleans East Matters  
  • New Orleans Recreation Development Commission  
  • PlayBuild NOLA  
  • Pontchartrain Conservancy  
  • ReNEW Laurel Elementary 
  • ricRACK  
  • Rosedale Neighborhood Association  
  • Santosha Village  
  • Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans  
  • Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans  
  • Sugar Roots Farm  
  • Supporting Urban Agriculture  
  • The Arc of Greater New Orleans  
  • The Blood Center  
  • The Green Project  
  • The Recycle Challenge  
  • UNITY of Greater New Orleans  
  • Urban Conservancy  
  • Welcome Home Farm  
  • Wigs For Kids
  • Woodlands Conservancy  
  • Young Audiences Charter Schools - Lawrence D. Crocker School  
  • Young Audiences Charter Schools  
  • Ysleta Lutheran Mission  

Walt Leger, III, President and CEO of New Orleans & Company, the official destination sales and marketing organization for the New Orleans tourism industry, said, “We’re proud to welcome The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod’s Youth Ministry back to New Orleans. Their energy, their mission, and yes, those unmistakably bright shirts, bring something truly special to our city. This Youth Gathering not only boosts New Orleans’ economy by bringing a large-scale event that creates jobs and drives local business, but it also gives back through multiple service projects, leaving a lasting impact on the community long after the event ends. We are continually grateful that the LCMS chooses New Orleans.” 

“The LCMS Youth Gathering has a wonderful history in New Orleans, as we make our fifth visit to the Crescent City. We’re thrilled to be gathering in New Orleans again to enjoy our time together growing, learning, and serving. The facilities and hotels make for a welcoming, safe, and enriching event. We are also blessed to be in a host city that has great history, culture, and food that adds so much to the experience for our participants,” said Reverend Mark Kiessling, Director of LCMS Youth Ministry.  

Kiessling continued, “We are thankful for the hospitality extended to us by the people of New Orleans. We see this in our interactions with New Orleans & Company and city officials and all those part of the hospitality industry. Thank you for welcoming us so warmly and working so hard on our event. We hope you are blessed by our presence in your city. I know we are honored to be in a city that has taught us so much about faith, endurance, and resiliency.” 

"The Convention Center is once again serving as the hub for thousands of young people attending this year’s LCMS Youth Gathering to learn, connect, and engage with meaningful service projects across New Orleans. Events like this enrich our city while underscoring our mission to host experiences that inspire and leave a lasting impact beyond the event itself. We welcome their return and look forward to sharing the spirit of our city again," said Elaine Williams, Chief Commercial Officer of the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. 

“We are excited to have the LCMS Youth Gathering back in New Orleans and at Caesars Superdome. For five days, there will be thousands of young people in our city doing both on-site and off-site service projects that will benefit our entire community, well after they have left town, and we are thrilled, along with the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, to be one of their host sites that week,” said Evan Holmes-ASM New Orleans General Manager.  

For more information on the 2025 LCMS Youth Gathering, please click here.  To apply for media credentials, please contact Meredith Whitefield Smith, 314-996-1152, Meredith.whitefeld@lcms.org. 

 

About the LCMS 
Held every 3 years since 1980, the LCMS Youth Gathering provides thousands of youth and adults the opportunity to come together as a community of God’s people to be encouraged in their walk with Jesus Christ and learn about the Christian faith and their Lutheran identity. This event is organized by  The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod’s Youth Ministry Office in Saint Louis, MO. 

About New Orleans & Company  
New Orleans & Company is the official destination sales and marketing organization for New Orleans’ tourism industry. Founded in 1960, our mission is to inspire, promote and encourage travel to our city for the economic, social and community benefit of New Orleans and its people. Our vision is to ensure New Orleans remains the most remarkable, unique, and welcoming city in the world. For more information, visit us at neworleans.com or on social media @VisitNewOrleans or @Neworleansandco. 

About ASM Global  
ASM Global is the world’s No. 1 development and full-service venue company focused on client-first approaches for driving significant financial success. Acquired by Legends in 2024, the company’s elite network spans five continents, featuring a portfolio of more than 400 of the world’s most prestigious arenas, stadiums, convention/exhibition centers, and performing arts venues.  ASM Global translates its unique visionary ownership experience into innovative project development, planning, and execution; content programming; curated guest-immersive experiences; locally tailored solutions; and optimized revenue streams for our client’s properties and surrounding communities. Focused on value creation and economic growth, ASM Global realizes venue business potential to elevate the profitability and profile of our clients and partners. We cultivate strong, inclusive relationships with the communities we work and live in while championing the welfare and development of our employees and small business partners, resulting in a more cohesive, resilient, and vibrant community.

About the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center  
New Orleans is Built to Host! With 1.1 million square feet of prime exhibit space on one level, all under one roof, NOENMCC is tied for the sixth-largest convention center in the United States. NOENMCC is a 2025 Exhibitor Magazine Centers of Excellence recipient and is consistently named a regional top workplace by The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate. A recent LEED Gold certification makes NOENMCC the largest LEED-certified project in Louisiana and the largest convention center project in the U.S. certified under LEED v4.1 Operations and Maintenance, as well as the first convention center in the world to be awarded initial certification under LEED Gold v4.1 O+M. A leading contributor to the city’s robust tourism economy, NOENMCC event activity has produced $90.1 billion in economic impact since its 1985 opening. 

 

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