By Robyn Graves, DisciplesWorld contributing writer

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (10/13/06) — Nearly 14 months after Hurricane Katrina destroyed much of the north-central Gulf Coast, the Council for Ecumenical Student Christian Ministry (CESCM) has announced that their Celebrate! At the River conference will be held Dec. 28, 2006-Jan. 1, 2007 in New Orleans.

Since the conference requires a great deal of planning, it is only held once every four years, being held at a different location each time. It was soon after the Celebrate! conference in 2002 that it was decided that the next conference would be held in New Orleans. The original reason for this location had to do with finances.

After the events of Hurricane Katrina, a lot of questions arose, including the question of whether or not it was even going to be possible to host the event there.

However, the hotel that had been booked for the conference and other people in New Orleans insisted that they would be ready for the event.

“At that point, I felt as if this was some kind of divine intervention. There was no other location that would need our support more than New Orleans,” said Brad Lyons, director of communications and program officer of the Disciples' Higher Education and Leadership Ministries (HELM).

Due to everything that New Orleans endured, the design of Celebrate! has changed drastically. Instead of this being the traditional young adult conference, it has been adapted to include three main days to engage the senses. One day will focus on seeing and hearing what has happened there, one day will be devoted to doing something about it and the next day reflection will take place.

Some of the activities that attendees will be participating in include: daily and ecumenical worship, denominational time, bus yours of New Orleans, including parts that were severely damaged from the hurricane, service projects and opportunities to enjoy New Orleans’ culture through music featuring the New Orleans Jazz band and Irvin Mayfield. There will also be a New Year’s Eve dance.

This year CESCM and the Celebrate! Design team are expecting at least 1,200 young adults between the ages of 18 and 30 from seven different denominations to be in attendance.

It is expected that this will be a life-changing event for many of the people who attend the conference. Organizers want the conference to be a springboard for young adults across the country to undertake mission and service trips to New Orleans to help with the rebuilding process.

“I hope that the conference helps people to understand the magnitude of Hurricane Katrina. I hope that people walk away with a better understanding of faith during crisis,” said Lyons.

Another goal of the conference is to give young adults the opportunity to see the big picture.

“We want to open the eyes of our generation. What we see on television regarding so much of life is only a piece of the big picture,” said Trayce Stewart, the Disciples of Christ representative to CESCM and a member of the Celebrate Design Planning team. Stewart serves on the leadership team of the Student Ecumenical Partnership (STEP), the college student ministry shared by the Disciples and the United Church of Christ.

“We want this conference to empower young adults across the country to take a stand for any cause they see worth while and to make a difference. Every effort and person can make a difference, but when you can unite a group of people on one accord, for the same mission, the results can be overwhelming,” said Stewart.

Additional information and registration materials may be found by visiting CESCM’s Web site.