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Scenes from a Street Car: Created to be Disruptive

Friday, July 19 – Created to Be Disruptive

Today, the final full day of the Youth Gathering, was a whirlwind of excitement and engagement. Participants immersed themselves in the theme “We are created to be disruptive,” working for justice for all.

The energy was palpable in the Interactive Learning Center as students explored educational exhibits from ELCA ministries and partners. This holy space allowed participants to engage with a variety of learning styles and sensory experiences, from fun activities like the Acolyte Olympiad Relay to the profound lessons of the Disaster Relief Kits.

Rev. Nicolette Peñaranda, Director of Interactive Learning shared, “this year through Interactrive Learning, we really wanted to merge our Created to Be theme with New Orleans culture. Through theme and geography, we hope participants had the opportunity to tap into their own spirituality and see the ways their interests and faith intersect. Our community partners and implementation teams worked incredibly hard to curate spaces that engage different learning styles and promote creative outlets.”

McDonough 35, A second-line marching band disrupted the space mid-day with a lively parade that Gathering Participants participated in. This holy disruption added to the dynamic atmosphere, reflecting New Orleans’ Mardi Gras parade culture. Other second-line bands featured this week: Roots of Music and Algiers Charter.

At the Naming Project booth, participants relaxed in the colorful Garden of Eden, receiving sparkle blessings from local Drag Queens. Deacon Ross Murray’s message was clear: everyone is known and loved by God and the church just as they are. At the Civic Life and Faith booth, students were inspired to think about social issues and how their voices can shape the future. A student from San Gabriel Lutheran Church, Alvarado, TX, shared that the experience opened their eyes to the many issues still needing attention and dialogue. Another student learned the importance of crafting statements that genuinely make a difference.

Formation Village offered an interactive game where young people were invited to consider what life might look like after high school. Many students don’t even know that there are so many options to them!

Over at the Lantern Hill booth, students painted ceramic tiles for a new school in Mexico, embracing their creativity and commitment to global education. They also engaged in interactive experiences on migration and disaster response, learning about resilience firsthand. Avery from Christ Lutheran Church, Brenham, TX, beautifully summed up the day’s impact: “Even though we’re here for the Gathering, we’re also making an impact in the world.”

   

Tonight, the final full day of the Youth Gathering, the Arena buzzed with an energy that reflected the profound impact New Orleans had on our youth. Despite a long four days with some groups walking an average of 8-10 miles a day, the participants’ spirits were higher than ever as they sang, danced, and filled the space with a vibrancy that could only be of the Holy Spirit.

Puerto Rican-born, Orlando-based contemporary Christian pop singer Blanca, kicked off the evening with an energetic concert, including songs in Spanish. She debuted her new song “Worthy” and shared her testimony, highlighting the night’s theme of “disruption.” Due to a nationwide disruption in flights, an IT failure almost prevented her keyboard player from being here. However, Sam, the sound tech, stepped in to play the keys like no other, showcasing how disruptions can lead to unexpected blessings.

The speakers tonight were powerful, moving, and genuine as they talked about holy disruption. 

Sally Azar, the first female Palestinian pastor in the Holy Land, shared her remarkable journey from attending the ELCA Youth Gathering as a student in 2012 to addressing 16,000 people at the Smoothie King Arena 12 years later. She said, “To be created to be disruptive means to figure out which rules shouldn’t be rules in the first place…We are not called to follow unjust rules; we are called to disrupt injustice. God created us to be a disruption!” Her powerful words emphasized the importance of challenging unjust rules and working for justice and peace in her country, deeply moving the crowd. She then invited the other Palestinian youth and staff with her on stage, where they received a standing ovation.

Lori Fuller, Pastor of Palms Deaf Church in Palm Coast, Fla., spoke through sign language and an interpreter. She shared her experience of discovering God’s love at age 21 in a deaf church and highlighted the need for inclusive worship. She taught the crowd to sign “I am not a mistake, you are not a mistake,” urging them to help disrupt the notion that there’s only one way to experience God’s love.

ELCA youth Nati, from Ethiopia, shared his powerful testimony about being orphaned, coming to America at age 7, and finding a bridge between his two worlds through soccer. His story highlighted the resilience and connections that can emerge from disruptive moments, showing how he walks between his two homes.

The evening was electric, filled with inspiring music, dance, and messages. As the night concluded, the realization that tomorrow’s worship would be the last gathering sank in. 

Friends, as you leave New Orleans and return to your lives, remember these words from Pastor Sally Azar, “Do not be afraid of God’s calling. You are created to be a disruption: to disrupt what is wrong and to work for what is right: for life, for hope, for justice, for peace.”

 

Written by: Vicar Bobbi Cyr (she/her)
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Where I Belong

by: Adam Knudson

I am an ordained pastor and serve on staff at a Lutheran Church, but I am not an ordained ELCA pastor. My background is Presbyterian. My first Gathering experience was in New Orleans for the 2009 Gathering, Jesus Justice Jazz. I didn’t know what to expect. I’d never been to Louisiana before, I’d never attended such a large youth event before, I was afraid of what it would be like to lead a group of a couple dozen youth and adults around a city that I had never visited. Why did I agree to do this anyway?

Our church is in California and while there are MANY churches and many large churches in California, there are not a lot of Lutherans and even fewer large Lutheran churches. Attending the Gathering offers the youth from my church an opportunity to understand their place and their identity within a larger community. When the ELCA gathers tens of thousands of youth from across the country and beyond, some of our best values and our highest priorities are showcased, highlighted and lived in vibrant and compelling ways. 

When our youth attend the Gathering, I don’t need to teach a lesson, read a Bible story, or prepare a class on what we believe or how God calls us to live in the world. The core values of our faith are written large on giant screens, crowded buses full of folks with bright orange shirts ready to serve, and youth and adults willing to listen to the stories of our hosts as we enter their communities and their cities.

The ELCA Youth Gathering has opened my mind to understand the great breadth and depth of what it means to be Lutheran. The Gathering has given me a chance to share this perspective with our youth, to hold up their faith as a mirror in which they can see who they are and in turn, our youth return home and share stories with our congregation. For me, the Gathering is an opportunity to participate in the kin-dom of God and to recognize God’s family as a place where I belong.

Adam Knudson has served as Youth Pastor at Hope Lutheran in Fresno, CA for thirteen years. He is involved in youth ministry networks in his community and Synod.

 

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Looking back…

by: Bishop Abraham Allende

In my time as bishop of the Northeastern Ohio Synod, I have been blessed to attend two ELCA Youth Gatherings – Detroit in 2015 and Houston in 2018. On both occasions, we worshipped, rejoiced, served, and celebrated God’s wonderful gifts of love, grace, and hope.

Each night at Mass Gathering, we heard powerful messages from a wide variety of speakers and sang a dazzling and diverse array of music from contemporary musicians. During the day each synod either gathered to worship together, went out into the community to serve in different sites around the city, or learned of the many ways the church serves around the world in Interactive Learning. 

The members of the communities where our young people carried out their service projects couldn’t stop thanking them, which was affirming for the youth. And it is through that service that they go out before others and proclaim God’s mercy and grace. 

In both Detroit and Houston, I came away with a renewed feeling of hope for the church. Being around these young people keeps me young. They are eager to serve and demonstrate the love of God by loving their neighbor. The many outreach ministries they performed brought glory to God. 

When we agonize about why young people are leaving church, we need to ask ourselves, what opportunities are we giving them in our congregations to offer their boundless energy and enthusiasm, their passion for the gospel? As adults, we are sometimes unable and often unwilling to give up control. God’s invasion of this world in Jesus is resisted by those who hold power, those whose lives are dedicated to keeping boundaries intact. The challenge is to avoid the temptation of refusing to let go of our sense of authority and denying youth of their willingness to serve.

Bishop Abraham Allende was elected in 2014 to lead the 162 congregation Northeastern Ohio Synod. He previously served the Lutheran Church of the Covenant in Maple Heights, Ohio, and Iglesia Luterana La Trinidad, a Latino mission in Canton. Bishop Allende is a native of Bayamon, Puerto Rico. A second-career pastor, he has held successful positions in the fields of education, broadcasting and as a professional baseball executive.
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A life-changing opportunity

by: Erin Strybis

I went to the 2018 ELCA Youth Gathering to tell their story. 

I didn’t anticipate how they’d change my story, too.

When my editor and I discussed my assignment – to shadow a youth group at the Gathering for Living Lutheran – my stomach flipped with excitement. I believe this event for youth is one of the best things this church does. Not only does it inspire Lutheran teens in their faith journeys, the Gathering also affects adult participants and community members.

Walking into Houston’s NRG Stadium for opening night with my reporter’s notebook in hand, however, I felt timid. Would they accept me? Would they open up? I settled into my seat beside youth from Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Laurel, Md., and let a wave of cheers and music wash over me.

In her opening message, ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton urged Gathering participants to watch for God to “show up in places we least expect.” OK Bishop, I thought, observing the sea of Lutherans surrounding me, I’ll keep watch. 

I turned on my tape recorder, started asking questions, and sure enough…

          God showed up as youth served with their hands and opened their hearts to seniors at a local YMCA.

          God showed up in Interactive Learning, where I met teens who’d found acceptance at the Reconciling Works booth.

          God showed up in the stories of speakers who shared myriad challenges and gospel hope.

          God showed up in the blare of bands and synod gatherings and holy conversations.

After Friday’s Mass Gathering, Holy Trinity youth were bouncing with excitement as they exited the stadium. We pulled off to the path’s edge and I found myself surrounded, each jumping for a turn to speak into the recorder. As I watched their faces light up, I thought, Yes! This electric faith, this community, this growth is why the Gathering matters.

God showed up in the clear, honest testimonies of these 12 young people – Alicia, Caroline, C.J., Jenna, Jordan, Lewis, Madison, Michael, Peter, Samantha, Tyler and Will.

I came into their group an outsider; I left with 12 friends in Christ.

Erin Strybis (middle) is a lifelong Lutheran, mother of one and voracious reader who believes in the healing power of stories. Find more of her stories at erinstry.com or on Instagram (@erinstry).

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Vocation, Calls and the Gathering

by: Sophia Behrens

The ELCA Youth Gathering is an excellent resource for youth to explore their vocations. After attending the 2018 Gathering, I had a better understanding of how big our church was. I also realized that youth can have an empowering opinion about their faith life and how to carry that voice out through our vocations. The Gathering gave me a space to further explore my vocational call of social justice.

I’ve been involved in social justice issues since middle school, beginning with learning about women’s rights and later expanding horizons to be more involved with social justice issues relating to world hunger and diverse representation. The Gathering aided me in finding a way to better connect these issues to my faith life. During my Interactive Learning day, I was able to explore and talk with different organizations and ministries of the ELCA in the social justice space from immigration law to advocating for a better life for farmers across the globe. Along with my peers, I learned how I can get involved with these organizations. 

For me, the speakers at Mass Gathering emphasized the importance of faith communities and the support they give in relation to an individual’s vocation. We heard from strong speakers about a range of subjects, but the one that still sticks out to me over a year later is Maria Rose Belding. Maria founded and directs MEANS database, which helps distribute food across the country. Her words about the struggles of being a teenager and finding a way to fix and advocate for a unique problem inspired and reminded me of my vocation and how to find parallels with faith life and vocation instead of keeping them separate. 

While these were the areas of the Gathering that inspired me personally, there were countless other activities and speakers that could speak to other youth which is what creates the vast outreach of the Gathering.

 

Sophia Behrens is a freshman at Valparasio University. Throughout high school, Sophia was active in the ELCA Youth Core Leadership Team, her home congregation, and supporting ELCA World Hunger. Sophia was also a part of the 2021 Theme Discernment team for the ELCA Youth Gathering

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My Biggest Takeaway from the Gathering

by: Rev. Daniel Locke

For years, on the dashboard of my first car, sat a green and blue hacky sack. It looked like a small globe. It was well worn and faded by sunlight. This hacky-sack was a reminder of one of the most powerful experiences of my life – the 2003 ELCA Youth Gathering in Atlanta. GA.

When I first met the Gathering in 2003 (“Ubuntu: Do Life”), I was overwhelmed – not only by the immensity of the Gathering – but by life as well. For starters, I was an awkward, too-often-bullied high school band geek, who also kept the bench warm for two varsity sports teams. I was a thespian and a boy scout. And if that wasn’t enough, my dad was commuting long-distance to seminary, my mom was fighting cancer, and my only sibling was attending college. I was wrestling with my identity, longing to find my place and voice in life, and, most of all, I blamed God for it all.

So, I attended the 2003 Gathering with what I consider to be a reasonable amount of skepticism and disdain for faith, as well as a greenish-blue hacky sack. Every spare moment prompted a game of hacky sack, inviting anyone to join. As the circle grew so did my opportunity to meet my peers from around the world – who were also longing to figure out who they were.

It’s been almost two decades since I attended that Gathering and I am still processing the impact of that experience. The more I reflect, the clearer it becomes that the Gathering had such a positive, long-lasting effect not only on my faith formation and relationship with God, but on my understanding of the Church as well.

Obviously, one week in Atlanta did not resolve my struggles. It is 16 years later and I still wrestle. But now I wrestle with confidence and hope. The Gathering invited me into a safe space to wrestle with my identity, not only in Christ but my place in the world as well. It taught me that I am not alone. I left the Gathering with an overwhelming appreciation for the size of the church and my place in it. Lastly, and most of all, the Gathering taught me about the beauty of God’s unconditional grace; for I am named, claimed, blessed, and sealed, and there is no amount of wandering, waiting, or wrestling that can change truth.

The Rev. Daniel Locke lives in Jacksonville, FL with his wife, the Rev. Sarah Locke, and their 1-year-old son, Bennet. Daniel serves the people of St. Mark’s Lutheran Church. In 2018, Daniel served the Gathering as the Technical Manager for the Interactive Learning Center. He is excited to serve the Gathering’s Interactive Learning team once again in 2021.
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The Mission and Goals for the Gathering

 

The Gathering’s mission, faith formation in teens, is the hub from which all things come for the tAble, MYLE, and the Gathering. Our goal is to create environments and opportunities for faith formation through worship, Interactive Learning, Bible study, Service Learning, and fellowship. While some of the experiences can be replicated at home, some are unique and special to the Gathering because of the size and scope of this ministry.

There are five core goals that we have for this ministry. We hope that all participants can be both affirmed and challenged in their faith, experience new perspectives, ponder their vocation, bond with their congregational group, and learn more about the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).

While some participants may accomplish these goals during our two pre-events, MYLE or the tAble, some will at Mass Gatherings, where participants come together for music, speakers, and worship. Others might tackle these goals in the Interactive Learning space, where they can experience exciting things that the ELCA and our partners are doing. Or maybe it’s being God’s hands and feet in the Twin Cities on their Service Learning day. It might even be during Synod Day, where participants are in community with those geographically close to them or it might just happen during the nightly congregational devotion and debrief called Final 15.

Wherever it happens, we know that this is a powerful and transformational ministry if you are brave enough to let your guard down long enough for the Spirit to enter in, if you can be quiet long enough to listen to someone different than yourself, if your prayer is to be open to what God is calling you to, if you realize the strong roots of a community will ground you no matter the strength of life’s storms, if you imagine yourself as part of something bigger than you.

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God’s Hope Changes Everything: Day Four of the Gathering

On the last full day of the ELCA Youth Gathering, the daily theme was “God’s Hope Changes Everything.” Synod Day, Service Learning, Community Life, and Interactive Learning were taking place in various locations around the city of Houston.  

 One of the many Service Learning sites was the Houston Food Bank. More than 900 youth participants were hard at work in the facility. They were busy sorting and packing not just food items, but also toiletries and health products. Trini, 16, of Redeemer Lutheran Church in Houston said that the Gathering will leave a lasting impact in the city she calls home. She said, “The Gathering will make Houston a better place by spreading goodness.”  

 Piny, 16, and Joy, 14, from St. Olaf Lutheran Church in Austin, MN were helping pack food and products at the food bank. With working in the food bank for Service Learning, Piny said she was glad she had the “ability to help others in need. It gives us a chance to stop thinking about ourselves and to help others.”  

 At their Synod Day, youth in the La Crosse Area Synod enjoyed forging relationships, worshiping and connecting in faith under the theme, “God’s hope changes everything.” Sharice, a teen from the synod, shared her faith story, inspiring her peers with a message of hope: “We are the future of this church.”  

 It was also Synod Day for the Delaware-Maryland Synod. Some synod youth groups attended Houston’s “Families Belong Together” rally beforehand to protest the separation of undocumented children and their families. In his opening message Bishop William J. Gohl, Jr., told youth there’s power in coming together for this time of community as a synod and “there’s power in inviting others to come inside (the church).” Throughout the afternoon, youth leaders guided their peers through activities and worship.  

Back in the NRG Arena, youth were having fun playing with inflatables, singing karaoke, dancing, and relaxing. Ojulu Cham, 18, Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, Austin, MN, especially liked playing games and meeting new friends in Community Life after a morning spent wrapping and packing beans at the Houston Food Bank.  

Live Bible study at Community Life were “idle tales”; Rev. Nadia Bolz-Weber, Rev. Jodi Hogue, Rozella Haydée White, and Rachel Kurtz sat down to have a discussion on God’s hope and the Road to Emmaus in Luke’s Gospel. The conversation between these four powerful women today focused on women being the first witnesses to the resurrection, and how the hope of women is how the resurrection came to be known today.  

Mass Gathering was an expression of how God’s hope changes everything. The speakers tonight covered intense topics that need to be discussed thoughtfully and honestly within our faith communities.  

Stephen Bouman, executive director for ELCA Domestic Mission, opened up the final evening of the Gathering with a heartfelt speech on current issues facing the US and this church, including gun violence in our schools, racism, and the ongoing demonization of refugees and immigrants. Bouman shared how he has seen signs of hope in the work of his church, the ELCA, in its advocacy work, fighting hunger in the US and beyond, building peace globally, and accompanying migrant families and children through its AMMPARO initiative. Kelby Anderson, 16, from Zion Lutheran Church, Iowa City, IA, said he appreciated Bouman’s timely message of hope and how he connected it to current events. 

Youth were moved when Jamie Bruesehoff and her 11-year-old daughter, Rebekah, shared their story. Rebekah is transgender. “When I was younger, I was worried and confused. Why did I have to go through all of this?” Rebekah shared. “I’ve come to learn that God does not make mistakes. I was created in the image of God to be me.” 

Since claiming her gender identity, Rebekah has went on to speak to lawmakers and others, advocating on behalf of the LGBTQIA+ community, particularly those who are transgender. “Transgender kids are just like other kids,” she said. “We need to be loved and supported.” 

 As she wrapped up her speech, Rebekah called on youth to make a difference in their own communities and congregations and show others hope. “I hope for a church and world where people are not only welcomed but they are celebrated,” Rebekah said. “Go out. Start something. Help somebody struggling in their community. Cheer them on. Throw them a party. Paint a giant rainbow flag outside. That’s what I want my church to do.” 

Faye, 15, Atonement Lutheran Church, Rochester, NY, said, “I really liked (Rebekah’s) message no matter how old you are you can make an impact on someone’s life.” 

Maria Rose Belding, executive director of MEANS Database, spoke about her journey to create a national nonprofit database connecting people and organizations with extra food to donate it to nearby hunger nonprofits. She opened up to youth about her anxiety and depression in high school while she was working to create MEANS.  

Belding also discussed her sexuality and past trauma. When she came out to her mentor as queer, he raped her. “What happened to me what not my fault, and if this happened to you, it wasn’t yours either,” Belding said. “God’s hope and love and grace are enough for every queer rape survivor, and every hungry person who has been told to just be more responsible, and everybody in recovery from something, and every child and parent torn apart at our border.” 

Belding’s message deeply resonated with Katie, from St. Philip Lutheran Church, Raleigh, NC. “Being a woman and knowing those types of experiences and being able to hear (Belding) talk and claim that she knew it wasn’t her fault was really powerful to me,” Davidson said.   

Joe Davis, a poet, musician and recent ELCA seminary graduate, inspired youth with a message of hope amid adversity.  “I am a Black man and I am speaking in front of one of the whitest church denominations. My very body is the hope of my ancestors, my very presence is a prayer,” he said. “In a world that speaks death to me … my existence is resistance. I am here for a purpose and a reason.” 

Davis told you they were here for a purpose and reason, and he encouraged them be bold in their faith. “You may have been told to shut up and sit down but I wanna tell you to stand up and speak out,” he said. “We’re no longer in a church building but we are building church.” 

After his talk, Joe Davis said he wanted Gathering participants to remember to “have more reasons to hope than despair. We have to practice hope like a discipline, and it is best practiced in community.”  

Ten Avenue North closed out the evening with a spirited performance of songs that touched on God’s love, grace, and hope. Youth were energized and inspired, and many said the concert was their favorite moment of the evening. Isabel, 18, New Creation Lutheran Church, San Jose, CA, appreciated that lead singer, Mike Doney, “was so in touch with the crowd and brought his view of God into it and explained it and it really made sense.” 

 ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton expressed that she wanted participants to find a way to not just take the hope expressed at Mass Gathering from this one night. Behind the stage, she said she hoped participants would take the entirety of the Gathering experience home with them with them when they depart Houston. Her hope was for participants to maintain the sense of community as they return to their homes across the ELCA.  


Follow the 2018 ELCA Youth Gathering on social media:

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Follow instructions to download the ELCA Youth Gathering app here.

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God’s Grace Changes Everything: Day Three of the Gathering

“God’s grace changes everything” set the tone for the second full day of the ELCA Youth Gathering. Youth and adult leaders dispersed to Synod Day, Interactive Learning, Community Life and Service Learning sites around Houston.

Seminarian Kelsey Brown, vicar at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Santa Monica, Calif., was extremely moved to serve with her youth at Freedmen’s Town for Service Learning. Brown believes the Holy Spirit worked through the founders of Freedmen’s Town, in the lives of freed people making a difference. She felt the presence of the Spirit today, as the people of the neighborhood still occupy this rich history, and that such a difference will continue to live on.

Logan, a youth participant from Incarnation Lutheran Church in San Diego, felt the significant history of this Service Learning location. “The history of this place is beautiful, empowering, and strong. This was built from being enslaved and being treated in a way no human ever should be. They went from being in slave houses to being able to build their own city.” Jon, from Lutheran Incarnation Church of Poway, CA was inspired that ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton participated in Service Learning at Freedmen’s Town. He said, “It was pretty great to see the head of the Lutheran church out here with the youth groups.”

In the Interactive Learning at NRG Center, Katie Hrybyk from St. John’s Lutheran Church, MD, visited the Women of the ELCA exhibit on human trafficking. She was surprised to learn how many people become victims of human trafficking but was glad to discover her church is working to end it. “The more people that know about (human trafficking) and are aware of it, the more we can do about it,”Hrybyk said.

In the “God adores you!” space sponsored by Reconciling Works, Aiden, 17, and Z. (name changed for privacy) were writing cards of encouragement for people in the LGBTQIA+ community. “I learned (here) that I can be more comfortable about my sexuality around other faith and other Lutherans and… it really hits me in the heart,” Aiden said. “It’s really difficult hiding who I am.”

Z. has also hidden her sexuality from her parents. “I now know it’s okay to be who you are; God still loves you,” she said.When asked if she’s had any uplifting moments at the Gathering, Z. remarked, “Literally right now—I actually got one of these (God adores you!) cards. One of them actually said, ‘Add me on Snapchat’ and they added me and said, ‘I would love to meet you.’”

At the “People on the move: A migrant and refugee experience” exhibit, sponsored by Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services, Lutheran Disaster Response, and the ELCA’s AMMPARO initiative, participants walked through a simulation reflecting the journeys of people who are migrants and refugees.

Marta Vuola from Christ the King Lutheran, Snohomish, WA, followed the long, dangerous, and traumatic path of the Rohingya, an ethnic group fleeing persecution in Myanmar. Vuola was shocked by the experience. “I am so privileged, why do other people go through this? … It’s hard to think of it,” she said. “(This) gave me more empathy for others.”

ELCA missionary Chandran Martin spoke with groups about the ways Lutheran Disaster Response is supporting refugees in Bangladesh and worldwide. Upon learning this, Masame Fletcher, also from Christ the King, said, “It’s really amazing, we’re contributing to a big thing, and I feel proud to be part of it.”

Youth also enjoyed interacting with the ELCA World Hunger Global Farm Challenge, checking out ELCA colleges and universities, playing sports and more.

Grace was the primary focus of Mass Gathering.

Elizabeth Peter opened the evening by examining the Biblical story of the Ethiopian Eunuch, who was stigmatized and stereotyped. “Maybe you’ve been stereotyped, too,” she said, later adding: “There are times where I feel like I’m not always included. I don’t always feel welcomed in the church. Because of my skin, my gender, my youth, my hair, the way I talk and dress.”

She asked the over 30,000 participants in NRG Stadium if they knew how they judged and excluded others in the church and in the world. Peter reminded everyone they are a vehicle for God’s grace, and grace can show up not just in unexpected places, but also unexpected people. She wanted everyone present to know and remember after tonight, “You are indeed in the limitlessness of God’s grace.”

God’s limitless grace was reflected again and again as others took the stage to share their stories, including Michaela Shelley, who has been fighting mitochondria disease since she was a teenager. For a long time, she was angry at God and at everyone.

Then she started connecting with other teenagers with mitochondria disease, eventually creating an online support group for teens like her that has now connected 500 people from 20 countries. “No matter how many times you curse God, he still loves you no matter what,” Shelley said. “God’s grace is not only about forgiveness but about the way you can become the person you are meant to become.”

From her powerful testimony on God’s grace, Michaela Shelley wanted people to remember that even in the midst of her honest words on life and death, that children living in similar situations could still be a normal kid.

Singer Tauren Wells brought the crowd to their feet with upbeat, thoughtful songs expressing God’s deep love for us. “It’s hard truth and ridiculous grace to be known fully known and loved by you,” he sang. “I’m fully known and loved by you.”

Will Starkweather, an ELCA pastor, shared his experience with cutting during his teenage and young adult years. In college, when he revealed his secret to his pastor, that pastor told Starkweather he was going to hell. Starkweather left the church, dropped out of school and fell into a deep depression—and he cut.

Eventually he began to rebuild his life. He found a new church, then divulged his secret to the pastor. “Pastor Carla listened and then she also said four words: There’s grace for that,” Starkweather said. “Y’all, those words changed my life.”

He learned cutting is a coping mechanism for stress and began to start sharing his story with others so they’d know they were not alone. Starkweather went on to become an ELCA pastor. Acknowledging the hurt and pain that resides in each of us, Starkweather told all who were gathered, “We are all recovering from something—and there is grace for that.”

After concluding a powerful testimony to a standing ovation, Starkweather greeted friends behind the stage. From his talk, he wanted people to take home with them that there is “no such thing as ‘too broken.’ Our broken places are where God brings out beauty.”

“One of my best friends at school is cutting,” said Julia Novak, 15, Evangelical Lutheran Church, Evangelical Lutheran Church, Fredrick, Md. “When one of your friends is cutting it impacts all of your friends.” Seeing Starkweather talk helped her see “people aren’t alone in what they’re doing and you can always get through it.”

Cassie Cole, 17, from a church in Florida, agreed: “We have a member in our group who used to self-harm. … I think (the speech) was really powerful to her.”

Nadia Bolz-Weber, an ELCA pastor and best-selling author, gave the final talk of the evening. She told youth that when she was a teen, she struggled with an autoimmune disease that made her eyes bulge out. “My daily reality at your age was name calling and social isolation,” she said. “If I was a kid at the Gathering (today), I would be the kid who refused to stand up when everyone else stands up.”

Bolz-Weber said it was difficult to write in her book about the pain and alienation of her youth, which led her to substance abuse.  She proclaimed to youth: “If your life totally sucks right now, if you struggle with having friends or feeling like and outsider, just know that your current reality is not your ultimate reality.

“There’s a word for when our tears turn to joy. There’s a word for when our pain is a home for those who also hurt,” Bolz-Weber said. “And that, my Lutheran friends, is grace.” She said she wishes someone had told her 15-year-old self what grace was. That’s why Bolz-Weber writes and preaches so honestly about her life experiences, because “the jagged edges of our humanity are what connect us to God and to each other.”

God isn’t waiting for you to be thinner, smarter or more spiritual, she preached. “You are magnificently imperfect. The self God loves is your actual self, not your ideal self. And there’s a word for this: grace.”

The implications of God’s radical grace mean that God’s grace is also for our enemies, she said. The uncomfortable truth is this: “salvation of my enemy is also wrapped up in my own salvation,” Bolz-Weber said.

In closing out her speech, Bolz-Weber called on all who were gathered to renounce the devil in his many manifestations—in our racism, sexism, classism, ableism, heterosexism and other forms of hatefulness.

She asked: “Do you renounce the lies that tell you grace isn’t real, that there’s anything grace can’t redeem?”

The crowd responded, “I renounce them.”

“Well, me too,” she said. “Amen.”

Jamie Jimenz, 18, Augusta, GA, loved how honest Bolz-Weber was about her past and her flaws. She related to Bolz-Weber’s experiences with bullying, and will remember “how (hardships) make you feel now is not the way you’re going to feel for the rest of your life.”

“I liked Nadia and how she used her story to show that god shows his grace to everyone and doesn’t discriminate,” said Olivia Sullivan, also from Evangelical Lutheran, MD.

For Sullivan, the most powerful moments of the night were when she and youth around her were singing and swaying together to music. Following Bolz-Weber’s speech, youth with “Loved” shirts flooded the stage and floor as the House Band performed its final song.

“Words can’t really explain it, but there was this power and you could really feel God’s love in the arena,” Sullivan said.

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God’s Love Changes Everything: Day Two of the Gathering

Transformative love was the theme of day two of the 2018 ELCA Youth Gathering.

On the first full day of the Gathering, Service Learning, Synod Day, Interactive Learning, and Community Life were in full operation. Makenna, 18, and Cosette, 17, of Mt. Carmel Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, WI were packaging children’s books at Blast off for Books. Makenna said packing the books for the local community was important because “I’m helping get books together so everyone can have access to reading them.” Cosette stated, “This is a good way to give kids an opportunity to gain knowledge and prepare for the future.”

Participants from Faith Lutheran Church in Glen Ellyn, IL had fun at Community Life. They were anticipating discussions that were taking place for their Synod Day. Their synod, Metropolitan Chicago Synod, were going to talk about current immigration issues in the United States and how the church is called to respond.

The many activities of the day led to the second Mass Gathering. Caroline Meeker opened the Mass Gathering by sharing her battle with anorexia, a disease for which she was hospitalized at the age of nine. 

“I couldn’t stop the voice in my head telling me not to eat,” she said. “I was literally disappearing, physically and mentally.” In the hospital, receiving nutrition from a feeding tube, Meeker felt like she’d lost everything.  

As she recovered, she began noticing God. “God was there in my family, church and friends. God was everywhere,” Meeker told youth. The experience helped her see God doesn’t give us hardships, but “God promises to be there.”  

Grant, 17, from Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, Barnesville, Minn., said Meeker’s story made him realize, “God doesn’t judge you by how you look, but how you act, how you feel and believe in him.” 

Meeker’s message also left an impression on Clark Lenczycki, 17, from Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church, Portland, Col. He was reminded “God is with us through the hardest times, it’s really his love that gets us through the hardest times, it’s always there.”

Other highlights included musical performances from Ryan Brown, Rachel Kurtz and Guardian Drum and Bugle Corps. “I thought the music tonight was phenomenal,” said Luke Thomsville, 17, also from Our Savior’s, Barnesville, Minn. “Each of the individual singers had their own moments. I loved the traditional Mexican dancing and the drumline at the end.”  

Deacon Erin Power spoke about the importance of finding a church home and how we are called to express and embody such a home for a world in need. Power hoped that participants would go home with the realization that “Our call as the church is to embody radical hospitality and we need to proclaim this message.”

Youth were also moved by Reverend Aaron Fuller’s heartfelt speech about his ministry as a wrestling coach and Navy chaplain. Fuller only became a pastor recently, after working as a Naval Officer and struggling with his own demons related to his identity.

“I used to keep people at a distance,” he told youth. “What changed? In my own life, my own dark moments, people walked alongside me. The thing I was going through never scared them.” Today, as a chaplain, Fuller accompanies sailors and wrestlers as they wrestle with life’s ups and downs. 

“The world needs us to be courageous and walk alongside others in [dark] moments,” he said. “What they don’t need us to do is fix their problems and save their world. What they do need is love.” Fuller’s hope was that those attending the Mass Gathering would have the “courage to see suffering in the world, not turn away and enter into it.”

Fuller’s story left an impact on Nicholas Blonstein, 18, from Grace Lutheran Church, Palo Alto, Calif. “This meant a lot to me today,” he said. “People have struggles in their lives that we don’t always realize. People aren’t always what they seem in the outside. Just standing with those people (when they struggle) is enough.” 

Houstonite and storyteller Marlon Hall closed out the evening by blessing ELCA youth with a message of love—and a call to action.  

“You were born to make an indelible mark on the world that no one can erase,” he said. “If you don’t make that mark that mark won’t be made. You make this mark by the love of God.” 

Hall spoke about his and his partner’s hardships during their eight-year struggle to conceive. Then he welcomed his daughter, Phoenix to the stage. He said his daughter is “now and forever a physical manifestation to me that God’s love isn’t earned, it’s welcomed.” 

Hall then shared a story about an encounter with Joe, a man who transformed Hall’s vision of love. Joe took Hall’s phone from a convenience store, then returned it to Hall in the parking lot as though it was a gift. “Joe was trying to give me a blessing that I already had,” he said. “So is true with the love of God.” 

This idea really resonated with Taylor Hohenbrink, 17, from Hope Lutheran Church, Fresno, Calif. She said Hall showed her, “You can’t be given God’s love because you already have it.” 

Comforter Berjbo, 14, who is attending her first gathering, said every speaker gave her goosebumps. Her takeaway from the evening? “God’s love changes the way we look at people, the way we speak of his word . . . it just changes the way we look at life.” 


Follow the 2018 ELCA Youth Gathering on social media:

Don’t forget to follow the hashtag #ELCAYG2018!

Follow instructions to download the ELCA Youth Gathering app here.

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