– Carmen Cobo, Mission Investment Fund

Mission Investment Fund (MIF) comes to each Gathering because we are church, and because we believe in lifting up the youth of this church.  I am energized as I come to each Gathering.  I am energized by the positive teens in my midst who have such a strong belief in God and a strong conviction to serve others, by the dedicated youth leaders and pastors who have so much to share with those they guide, and by the ELCA leaders who make this inspirational event happen every three years.

For these very reasons, MIF has made special contributions to bring youth to the Gathering—so that those who may not otherwise be able to attend can indeed be part of this incredible event. We are church together.

MIF is your partner—as you prepare for the next Youth Gathering, during your participation in the event, and after you return home and settle back into your normal ministry routines.  We offer your congregations a Youth Ministry Demand Investment Account, which is a great way for youth groups to save for the triennial Youth Gathering and other youth activities.  If you don’t already have an account, we encourage you to open one.

When you come to Houston in 2018, our MIF Service Center will be open each day to assist you with your financial needs on site. We’re also planning a new, fun, interactive activity—more to come on this later! And long after the 2018 Youth Gathering is over, we will be here to assist your congregations and its future leaders with financial products and services that support your ministries and help you carry out your missions in your communities.

I can’t wait to see you all in the summer of 2018!

Carmen Cobo is Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer of the Mission Investment Fund, the lending ministry of the ELCA.

– Bishop Michael Rinehart

Forty years ago, I was 15 years old when I attended my first national gathering. In 1976, the All-Lutheran Youth Gathering, For All the Saints, brought together ALC, LCA, and LCMS youth at the brand new (opened in 1975) New Orleans Superdome. A member of our youth group was baptized in the Superdome at that event.

The gatherings have changed over the years, then and now, but I can still feel the energy and anticipation of that event, as well as the fun of meeting people from all over the country. It strengthened my faith and gave me a sense of the scope of this church. It is one of the reasons I am a pastor and bishop today.

You can imagine how excited I am to welcome 30,000 of you to the Bayou City, where I now serve as bishop. The 2018 ELCA Youth Gathering will gather at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, the fourth largest city in the U.S. We will sing, pray, learn, and serve together.

Houston is named after Sam Houston, once the President of the Republic of Texas, when Texas was a country. Sam Houston then brought Texas into the Union, becoming a senator, then governor. He opposed secession and lost his job because of it.

Houston is a big city with a big heart. Houston has no racial majority as the most multicultural city in the U.S. Houston has been working hard to battle homelessness in a significant way. Home to Mission Control at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, Houston has sent people to the moon.

You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to know that the blessing of the event will be in the relationships. Friends and strangers will make this event something you will remember for the rest of your life.

I’ll see you in Houston in 2018!

Rev. Michael Rinehart is Bishop of the Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast Synod, a community of over one hundred congregations, campus ministries, retreat centers, and other agencies. 

-Molly Beck Dean

Hi! My name is Molly and I serve as the Program Director for the ELCA Youth Gathering or Gathering Director for short. I began as director in January 2015 and accompanied former director, Heidi Hagstrom, and the other 2015 leadership in the months leading up to the Gathering.

So while I’m still relatively new on staff, my passion for and involvement in the Gathering started many years ago. In July of 1997, I boarded a bus in North Dakota and headed to New Orleans for the Gathering. That week was transformative for me. I experienced God in a new way. I saw how huge the ELCA was, and I was delighted in knowing tens of thousands of other teens shared in the Lutheran faith with me. I made lifelong friends, experienced an exciting city, and learned how important an adult youth worker can be in your life.

I am also fairly certain that the Gathering cemented God’s calling for my life. I returned home fired up about youth ministry, dove deeply into leadership within my synod, and rededicated myself to ministry in my congregation. I went on to serve as Director of Youth & Family Ministry at St. John in Fargo and as assistant program staff for the Northwestern Minnesota Synod and the ELCA Youth Ministry Network. For two summers, I was on staff with Lutheran Outdoor Ministries of Florida. In 2002, the Holy Spirit called me to Philadelphia where I joined the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod as their Youth Ministry Specialist for almost thirteen years.

Youth ministry is my calling. Showing young people the magnitude of God and God’s church is my passion. Walking alongside young leaders is my honor. Creating a community of support for adult youth workers is my delight. I love God and feel blessed to be doing this work in the ELCA.

My first love is my family! My husband and two children are on this crazy journey alongside me. We are making our new home in Illinois, and I am so grateful for their love and support.

Blessings!

Welcome to the new ELCA Youth Gathering blog!

We want to create a space for sharing the stories and experiences of the Gathering. A place that wasn’t filled with the latest updates or specific details, but rather a place for those who love and are transformed by this ministry to share their stories, best practices, and insights.

There are plans for youth participants, adult leaders, Gathering staff, team leaders, artists, speakers, learning partners, and host city leaders to contribute to the blog over the next few months. As we enter the preparation phase of the Gathering, we will call on adult leaders and others to share their experiences and helpful tips. But our plans are flexible, and we will see how the story of the 2018 Gathering unfolds.

If there are people you would like to hear from or things you would like to see told on the blog, please let us know by email.

We invite you to subscribe to our blog. This is a separate list from our gNews, so be sure to sign up. In fact, it would be great for everyone in your congregation or ministry to sign up, so they too can read first-hand the impact the Gathering has on individuals and communities.

Molly Beck Dean,
Gathering Director