– Rev. Priscilla Paris-Austin

I traveled by train halfway across the country to attend the Youth Gathering in New Orleans with four youth. Months of preparation and anticipation were finally being made manifest as we rose early that first full day for our Justice Day. Our task was to pick up trash in a neighborhood still recovering after Hurricane Katrina, but the dumpsters from the city had not yet arrived. We met with leaders of the partner organization who explained that it was not unusual for folks to say they were coming to help in this area… and then not show up. The city then developed a habit of waiting to provide resources until the evidence proved they could be useful. Our presence, despite the planning, was a surprise!

After surveying the area and spending some time with leaders, our Servant Companion gathered us back on the bus for reflection. When faced with the decision of calling it a day or walking the neighborhood, I completely understood the massive number of hands on the bus that rose to end the day… until I turned to look at my youth. All of them were opting to stay. They wanted to meet the people, or at least try. It was a moment that made this veteran youth leader weep with pride. 

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.

While the majority vote meant that our day was done, my youth were transformed in that moment. They recognized that while they didn’t get their hands dirty, the difference they made was not of their own doing, but it was a gift of God. They were a gift of God just by showing up.  This knowledge, it changes EVERYTHING.  

Rev. Priscilla Paris-Austin serves as the pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Seattle, WA.

– Tom Hoegel

My name is Tom Hoegel and I have the privilege and honor of serving youth and families at Bethel Lutheran Church in Cupertino, CA.  Over 30 years ago, I took my Bethel youth to the Denver National Youth Gathering and began my journey serving on the Mass Gathering Team. In St. Louis in 2000, I formed the Tech & Talent Team to coordinate talent for the event, as well as to act as the connector between volunteers and hired techs.  It has been a delight serving God through this work at the Gatherings

One of my greatest passions has always been to lift up youth musicians.  In 2009, we saw that seed begin to germinate with two talented college age bands that help launch our Immersion Day events.  In 2012 and 2015, that desire blossomed into over 60 youth bands leading Synod Day events throughout the Gathering.

Houston promises to build on this great momentum as youth really are the church of today!

When I’m not serving the Gathering, I enjoy spending time with my grown daughters, attending concerts, working out, playing bass, tearing down and building stuff, and motorcycle and convertible rides in the California hills.  I look forward to seeing you in Houston. 🙂

– Tony Acompando

I am Tony Acompanado, a member of the Mass Gathering Team for the 2018 Youth Gathering in Houston. I am humbled and super excited for the opportunity to be returning for a third cycle to serve on this amazing team.

I attended my first Youth Gathering in 2006 in San Antonio as a youth director and participant; I still recall so many wonderful moments that my youth and I experienced throughout that Gathering.

In Detroit in 2015, I had the incredible opportunity to speak on the main stage, and this once in a lifetime experience offered me a truly unique perspective of the Gathering.

Being invited to share God’s message of hope and redemption within the larger Gathering community continues to be an amazing and unforgettable experience that has impacted my life in so many different ways.

That same year, I also watched my eldest daughter experience her first Gathering. Seeing the work of the Holy Spirit in her life because of the Gathering has been so incredible.

As I look ahead to 2018 in Houston, I am filled with excitement because my eldest son will be attending his first Gathering, and I can’t help but wonder about all the amazing people he will meet, the transformative experiences of God’s love that he will encounter, and the sense of mission that will return home with him.

It has been an amazing gift to experience the Gathering through these diverse perspectives with each one offering me a unique encounter of many ways the Gathering impacts people’s lives. As you look ahead to Houston next summer, I pray that you are filled with tremendous wonder and excitement for all the ways that you may encounter God while you experience all that the Gathering has to offer.  It is my hope that you will immerse yourselves in new experiences and share in the stories of the amazing people you will meet along your journey. I trust that you will experience God’s transformative love throughout the Gathering, no matter where you find yourself.  I cannot wait to see you in Houston!

– Mark England

Why do we go to the ELCA Youth Gathering? I wonder this as I think about all of the time we will spend fundraising, the energy we will spend organizing, and all of the logistics involved in travel. The ELCA Youth Gathering is not quite a servant trip. We are not there to save a city.  We aren’t tourists there for sightseeing.  So what is the ELCA Youth Gathering and why do we attend?

I would argue that the ELCA Youth Gathering is our opportunity for pilgrimage.

A pilgrimage is often a journey made to a holy site such as Jerusalem or Rome. It’s just that our holy sites, the cities where we gather in the name of Jesus, are movable.

Traditionally, pilgrimages have been made for answers to specific prayers.  In our pilgrimage, we do not seek answer to prayer, but instead, we leave with prayers on our hearts, in our minds, and on our lips. Pilgrims have profound spiritual experiences as a part of their journey.  The ELCA Youth Gathering has certainly been one of the places where our youth and adults have experienced the fullness of God’s presence and the wideness of the church’s work.

When I think of the ELCA Youth Gathering as recovering the lost art of pilgrimage, then I can recognize that it’s not just about the destination, but it is the whole journey that is holy. In this way, the car washes, the sponsor banquets, and all of the planning become sacred parts of the pilgrimage and more than just a means to an end.

Some may argue that Wittenberg is the proper destination for a Lutheran pilgrimage. For me, I’ll happily join all of the other Lutheran pilgrims in candy colored shirts finding our way to our domed stadium destination.

– Sherry Ferne

After graduating  from Central High School in January, 1961, I worked at the State of Ohio Library. I was saving money for college at Capital University and also to attend the 1961 Luther League Convention in Miami Beach, Florida. I looked forward to both. The Convention would be a real adventure for someone who had only traveled to Michigan and West Virginia. I took a train to Washington, DC and then to Miami Beach, Florida; a whole train full of Lutheran teenagers! Yet “Colored” bathrooms and drinking fountains at the railroad stations in the south surprised and shocked me.

We stayed at the very upscale Fontainebleau Hotel. The sessions were terrific with all of the young people: the enthusiastic singing was inspiring.  The speakers were thought provoking.  Most impressive of all was a black pastor who spoke with such passion and authority, and with the certainty that he was doing what God was calling him to do.  I don’t exactly remember his words, but I do remember that his message was powerful.  He was so impressive. 

To this day, I wonder how the American Lutheran Church was able to convince Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to address this group of teenagers.  It certainly was a pivotal moment in my life as I carefully followed his few remaining years.

The convention in 1961 made me a huge proponent of our ELCA Youth Gatherings.  I heartily encourage every young person in the ELCA to attend as many Youth Gatherings as they can.  My 15 year old grandson attended his first gathering in Detroit and he looks forward to attending the Houston Gathering with his younger sister.  They are life changing events!

– Tara Gilbert

I had the amazing opportunity to attend two Gatherings as an adult leader with our youth group at Trinity Lutheran in Marysville, Ohio: San Antonio and Detroit. There are many places where I saw Jesus at work as I reflect upon my Gathering experiences.

The biggest places I saw Jesus at work were where we witnessed to, fellowshipped with, and served those in need.  While in San Antonio, I was placed at a retired military assisted living facility where we did yard work and fellowshipped with the residents. I truly was able to see Christ at work in our youth as they did yard work in 95 degree heat without complaining, and then fellowshipped with and asked questions of a retired military general.  I was able to see God at work in our youth as they showed appreciation and respect for our elders and shared Scripture with them.

While in Detroit, my group was placed at a homeless shelter for families that had struggled and were trying to gain a second chance in life.  While  there, a bishop from Minnesota and I helped improve the facility by painting the walls in the facility and in the residents’ rooms.  I saw Jesus in every stroke that we painted as we fellowshipped with one another and with the families as they walked by us.  I saw Jesus in the kids’ smiles as we ate lunch with them and learned that everyone deserves a second chance.  Our youth learned that just because you have had a hard time in your life, that you can strive to be strong again.  The families there taught me to appreciate all the moments of life.

One of the other places where I saw Jesus at work was in worship.  I could not help but be brought to tears as I witnessed 30,000 youth praising our Lord through song and listening to speakers share their faith.  Jesus said in Matthew 18:20, “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”  As an adult, I have been inspired by these worships services to continue growing in my faith and to have my eyes opened to the different ministry needs all over our country.  Jesus can use all of us to better the kingdom.  I saw our youth grow together as one community as we sang, laughed, cried, and read Scripture together.

It all comes down to the cross, as we are reminded at the Gatherings with the big colorful cross on the stage, displayed for all to see.

I saw Jesus everywhere through these Gatherings, and I can’t help but smile as I think about Houston.

Tara Gilbert is a member at Trinity Lutheran, Marysville, Ohio

– Sessen Stephanos

I first found out about MYLE in 2012. My youth director, Brianna pitched the idea to me when I was 14 and I was adamant that I did not want to attend. Looking back on it, I think my attitude towards it was rooted in fear. Fear of acknowledging that my experience as a first generation African-American woman was different from many of my peers at school and at church. I did not attend MYLE in 2012, but the feeling lingered over the next few years. By the time 2015 came around, I was 17 and had just graduated high school. When Bri asked me this time, I said yes. I had spent a lot of time researching about race relations in the United States and I was ready to explore my identity that I had spent so much time trying to suppress.

MYLE definitely pushed me out of my comfort zone. It was a drastically new experience for me.

I think the biggest thing that I took away from MYLE is that our differences are not something that should be ignored. So often I hear people say things like “I don’t see race” or “I don’t see color,” and while those statements come from a well intentioned places, I think it in some ways they are still invalidating. Being black is part of who I am, being from Ethiopia is part of who I am. It is not all that I am, but it is a lens through which I see the world and experience God.

MYLE helped show me that different communities and cultures feel God’s love and express it in different ways.

I was surrounded by people who had really similar upbringings and also drastically different ones. MYLE gave me the opportunity to engage in some of the most honest discussions about topics that I never really thought I would be able to have in my faith communities, and it was a really valuable and precious experience.

– Matt Staniz

One of the biggest ways that I have seen the Gathering transform the lives of young people is by inspiring them to become generous disciples who care about the needs of others and find ways to respond. This radical generosity has taken root among Gathering participants at Saint Luke Lutheran Church in Devon, Pennsylvania.

In fact, it has reshaped the way we prepare for our time together with 30,000 Lutheran friends.

As a congregation situated among well-to-do communities in suburban Philadelphia, God reminds us that we have the ability—and the responsibility—to make sure that all of our neighbors experience the same opportunities that we might take for granted.

Because the Gathering is among the greatest opportunities that the young people of Saint Luke have, we know that we are called to extend the ministry of the Gathering to others. As soon as we figure out how much it will cost for our group to fully experience the Gathering, we increase our fundraising goal by enough to give away ten percent of everything we raise. Trusting in God, we contribute most of our pledge to our synod office from the very first dollars we raise so that young people from other communities can register for the Gathering.

In 2015, we also began saving some money for an additional special gift. After returning home, our young people discussed what they discovered during the Gathering and they decided together how God was leading them to use what they had left. The conversations were incredible and important, and the continued impact of the gifts are felt not just by those who receive them, but also by our group. This empowers them to not only be thoughtful stewards of God’s gifts, but also to think deeply about how being a generous disciple impacts their neighbor and the world.

It allows the Gathering to continue to change our lives as we live out God’s amazing and abundant grace!

– Chris Clay

Hello, I’m Chris Clay. I’m a lifelong Lutheran, born in Chicago. I grew up and spent most of my life in Atlanta.

I served at five of the last six Gatherings. In 2000, I “Danced at the Crossroads” in St. Louis, performing concerts with my band. In 2003, I was in my hometown of Atlanta to “Do Life” or “Ubuntu.” I was a member of the House Band in 2009 for “Jesus, Justice, Jazz” in New Orleans.  I was back in N’awlins in 2012 where we celebrated being “Citizens With the Saints.” I also served as a member of the House Band and as worship leader for “Practice Peacemaking” Day. In 2015, I served as the House Band Music Director in Detroit guiding the community to “Rise Up, Together.” Creating music for the Gatherings has been one of the greatest joys and honors in my life.

Each Gathering has been a beautiful place where I’ve created friendships and relationships with SO MANY people… people from different places, all walks of life, all colors, all generations. But here’s the BEST thing—even though there are vast differences and delightful diversity—there is an overwhelming sameness and oneness that I feel… and I hope YOU feel it, too.

We come together and share a common faith.
We come together and serve an AWESOME God by serving others.
We come together to listen and learn.
We come together to sing and dance.
We come together to WORSHIP and PRAISE!

One of my favorite praise songs I’m listening to right now is called “Spirit, Break Out” by William McDowell. A lyric in the chorus describes what I see, feel, and hear at the nightly mass gatherings:

Our Father, all of heaven roars your name,
Sing louder—let this place erupt in PRAISE …
Can you hear it?
The sound of HEAVEN TOUCHING EARTH!
The sound of HEAVEN TOUCHING EARTH!

THAT IS IT!  That’s what the Gathering has been for me—the sound of Heaven Touching Earth.

– Ben Remmert

I am Ben Remmert and I am serving on the Community Life Team for the 2018 Youth Gathering in Houston. This is my first time serving on a leadership team for a Gathering, but I have brought youth to the previous two in Detroit (2015) and in New Orleans (2012). As a Houstonian, I am very excited for all of y’all as you begin your journey and also discovering the rich history and diversity of Houston.

I believe that the Gathering is an integral place for faith development for our youth. I also believe that the 2018 Youth Gathering will change lives in a way that will make the church grow in new and dynamic ways.

I first experienced the Gathering as a youth ministry intern for the Texas Louisiana Gulf Coast Synod in New Orleans. Working alongside the Service Life Team (with only nine hours of sleep for the week), I had the privilege of accompanying youth and adults. They encountered the local community in new ways and discovered their calls as servant leaders in the church. I discovered my call as a minister of Word and Service from the Gathering.

I am passionate about raising youth as leaders of the church and the community. I live out this passion where I currently serve as the Director of Youth and Family Ministries at Christ the King Lutheran in Rice Village. I’ve lived in Houston for 26 years and I am always discovering new restaurants and events. I am celebrating my first year of marriage with my wife, Lindsay, and our two dogs Lou and Blue. On my days of Sabbath, I enjoy mountain biking trails, collecting comic books, catching up on movies, and finding new hole in the wall places for the best chicken fried steak.

I am excited to see y’all in 2018!