LAWRENCE ELECTED PRESIDENT OF LUTHERAN YOUTH ORGANIZATION

     NEW ORLEANS (ELCA) -- "The one strength I have that casts a shadow over all else is that God is on my side," said Rebecca D. Lawrence, 17, Chicago.  "That's strength.  There is nowhere that God will ever put me that he won't be there with me.  His grace is all the strength I need ... every challenge will be overcome and it will all be to the glory of God," she said.
     Lawrence was elected president of the Lutheran Youth Organization of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.  Delegates elected Lawrence at the LYO's fourth triennial convention held here July 24-26.
     Lutheran youth should "be ready for a big turn-around, a lot of surprises, and just be happy that they have a leader that is on their side," said Lawrence.  LYO members "are going to work together to have the best organization and the best Youth Gathering for the year 2000," she said.
     Lawrence is African American.  "One of things I want the LYO board to address is to bring more multicultural people to the youth gatherings. There are not a lot of us in the church; there is such a small amount that I do not see any reason why all of us should not be here to represent more of what God intended his kingdom to look like.  That is what we need to do; that is the vision we need to work on," she said.
     LYO holds its triennial convention in conjunction with the ELCA Youth Gathering -- a gathering that brings together thousands of high-school-aged Lutherans from across the United States and Caribbean, as well as from other countries around the world.  About 500 delegates conduct the business of the ELCA's youth organization.  Up to eight voting delegates are selected by each of the ELCA's 65 synod LYOs.  LYO is housed in the ELCA's Division for Congregational Ministries. The theme of the 1997 Youth Gathering was "River of Hope."  About 30,000 young people attended the gathering here July 23-27.
     "I'm most proud of the fact that we have the biggest youth gathering of any denomination -- 30,000 is the number and we're still counting," Lawrence said.  "There are so many good young people not portrayed in the news media.  We have a lot of good kids out there that are doing what they are supposed to be doing, like following God and the Ten Commandments. They are the ones who need more media attention," she said.
     Lawrence will serve a three-year term -- 1997-2000.  She succeeds Karris Golden, 20,  a communication student at Wartburg College, Waverly, Iowa.  Golden was LYO vice-president and served as president after Vance Robbins' resignation July 10, 1996.
     "I am confident the youth organization will pick up the torch and continue to carry it for excellent leadership," said Golden.
     Lawrence is a member of Zion Lutheran Church, Chicago.  She served as LYO president of the ELCA's Metropolitan Chicago Synod from 1995 to 1996. She graduated high school from Seton Academy, South Holland, Ill., and will attend the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana in the fall.  She is already a member of the Lutheran Campus Ministry and the Black Students Union there.
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