– Shelbe Kukowski

I’m pretty new to this whole “youth leader” thing. In fact, I ended up winning an award at the most recent Youth Ministry Network Extravaganza for working with youth the least amount of time (only three months). This newness is why it was so important for me to attend the Extravaganza in Houston—it not only served as a learning and equipping workshop weekend for me, but it also allowed me to enroll in the “How to have a Great Gathering” Intensive Care Course (ICC).

The ICC was a two-day course led by very knowledgeable teachers (who happen to sit on the planning committee for the Gathering!) that went through the history of the Gathering, what to expect, how to prepare youth for attending such a life-changing event, and hosted a panel of speakers so we could see, hear, and ask questions directly to the Gathering staff.

What’s some of the stuff we learned? How about the most common reasons youth end up in the medical tent?

1. Hurt toes: make sure youth wear closed toed shoes.
2. Dehydration: make sure youth are drinking water at least every hour…you too.
3. Upset GI: if someone needs privacy to poop in a hotel room, get their roommates out the door!

I know, I know. You’re laughing, but as a newbie I needed all of that veteran advice. The ICC teachers were very serious when informing us of the “troublesome three.”

Not all of the ICC was classroom work, though! We took buses around the city and listened to local guides tell the history of Houston.

Did you know Houston is the most diverse city and fourth most populous city in the United States? Or that there is an underground pedestrian tunnel system? Or that all of us going to the Gathering will book up almost every single hotel room in the city? Neither did I.

We drove through The Galleria, stopped by NRG Park, rode the METRORail, and saw many of the beautiful art murals found throughout the city.

Overall, I entered the ICC as a Gathering newbie and left the course prepared to lead youth to Houston this summer.

Shelbe Kukowski  is a newbie youth adult leader in Seattle, WA and is super excited to attend the Gathering with youth from Our Redeemer’s Lutheran Church. 

– Nicolle Layman

The Youth Gathering has always held a special place in my life. My first Gathering was in 2006 in San Antonio, TX. I still remember standing in the stadium and feeling overcome with emotion, surrounded by 36,000 others worshiping God. I never experienced anything like it. Little did I know that God was planting seeds in my heart, which began to be cultivated over the next few years.

Flash forward to 2009 in the Superdome in New Orleans. I just graduated high school and was planning to attend a Christian university in the fall to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Youth Ministries. I was absolutely terrified by this call, questioning if I could make any impact at all. Looking around at my fellow Christians in the stadium, the Holy Spirit stirred in me once again and gave me the courage to continue pursuing God’s call to ministry. 

I am now preparing to attend my fifth Gathering in Houston in 2018. It will be my second time as a Primary Leader. I would have never guessed that back in 2006 in San Antonio that I’d be returning to Texas 12 years later to provide this life-changing experience to more of the incredible youth I serve. There is nothing like the Gathering and the impact it continues to have in my life, and now the lives of my youth. It is a beautiful ripple effect that God has orchestrated, and it is what I’m looking most forward to in Houston—seeing God’s work in the hearts of my youth and the youth of the ELCA. 

Nicolle Layman has served as the Director of Family and Youth Ministries at Calvary Lutheran Church for the past five years and is currently pursuing her Masters in Clinical Counseling at Cairn University.

– Chris Heavner 

I love coming to the Gatherings and staying in a hotel!  My family didn’t stay in hotels that much (even now, I snatch all the tiny shampoo bottles for my kids).  This luxury would probably not be so thrilling if my stay only reminded me that I lack a permanent place to sleep.  For too many families, “home” is a couch in the home of a friend or relative.  For too many of God’s children, it is a dream to have a thermostat which controls the temperature and a bathroom with running water. 

“This Changes Everything” about the way we understand our stay in the hotels in Houston. Those of us staying in the hotels will “change everything” about the lives of three Houston families. 

Three Habitat for Humanity Houses will be constructed in the Interaction Center. Youth will swing the hammers that will frame the walls for bedrooms, kitchens, and living rooms.  I love coming to the Gathering knowing that a part of me and my heart will stay in the hosting city when I am gone.  

This is the fourth Gathering at which such a project has been one of the Interaction Center offerings.  The leadership is provided by Lutheran Campus Ministry and Lutheran Disaster Response. Twelve college students for whom Lutheran Campus Ministry has become an avenue for civic and community engagement will be serving as crew leaders. In addition to the work completed in Houston, we will tell you how you can organize similar projects in the places you call home. 

I love coming to the Youth Gatherings and meeting folks from across our country and our Church.  And I love working with you to change so many things in the city which serves as our host. 

Chris Heavner is campus pastor at Clemson University in South Carolina. This will be his eighth Gathering. He also serves as the faculty advisor for Clemson’s Habitat for Humanity, with whom he as built thirty-three homes.

– Branden Hunt

The theme for MYLE in 2018 is One.

We must all come together as one. We must all move forward together as one. Yet coming together as one does not mean that groups of people must give up their culture in the process.

There is room for all people at God’s table to come exactly as they are.

There are different communities of people in the ELCA that each bring their own stories and experiences to the table, but for a lot of communities, there can be the feeling that something must be given up in order to fit in.

Our hope for MYLE this year is that we can talk about how we are one in Christ, and one in Christ with different gifts and abilities.

A young person of color can be a part of a community, but they do not have to give up who they are. In fact, they have so much to bring to the God’s table. One of the daily themes is “One Body, Many Parts,” in which we will explore with young people the gifts that they have for the world. These gifts need to be shared with the world to make it a better place.

Our hope for our church and our world is not that we just come together as one, but rather, we come together as one in such a way that every culture’s unique gifts are lifted up and no one has to lose their identity. Our hope is that everyone is accepted for who they are. If we are able to come together in such a way… it can change the church and the world.

– Sarah Mayer-Flatt

“I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made!”  proclaims the psalmist in the 139th chapter. That proclamation is the truth to which all participants of the tAble 2018 will come to know as their truth, too. Because God made us—putting us together piece by piece from within the bodies that held us before birth—we are ALL wonderfully made.

Sometimes other worldly voices try to tell us that those who live with a disability are an inconvenience, inspirational, or any number of things that do not speak to the truth that we are promised in the equalizing waters of our baptisms: we ALL belong to God.

Each day at the tAble, we’ll answer those questions that get stirred up by other voices in our lives and yet answered by God. Who do you belong to? Why do you belong? How do you belong? And finally: Who belongs with you?

At any table that is made holy by God, ALL are welcome.

You Belong: these two words are words that many never hear enough within their lives, and youth who will attend rhe tAble may struggle to believe them even more. Belonging means the community welcomes you as you are, and that accommodations are second nature and not uncomfortable. Belonging means the community of faith sees gifts within you just as they do in so many others, and upholds those gifts as valuable.

Belonging means the community of faith walks or rolls with you and goes into the hard places, where the truth of belonging still needs to be proclaimed—by and to the very ones who DO BELONG—to each other, and to God.

Sarah Mayer-Flatt is a person with a disability who serves as the Team Leader for the tAble 2018. Sarah is also Associate Pastor at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Omaha, NE, where she lives with her husband Randy, their two cats, and their new puppy.

– Molly Beck Dean

There is some curiosity about my job, so our fabulous blog editors thought it would be fun to do a “day in the life of the Gathering Director” post. I’m on the road five to fifteen days a month, but when I’m not out meeting with fabulous folks promoting and planning the Gathering, I’m hanging out in a cubicle on the 9th floor of Higgins Road in Chicago. This particular day in January felt especially ordinary so we thought it would be fun to share!

8:25am: Arrive to the office, general chit chat, and hot beverage getting with colleagues.

8:40am: Open the email inbox and be pleasantly surprised when there are only 20 new messages since 10pm last night. Time to reply!

9:15am: Done enough with emails for now. On to contract writing! Today’s checklist includes Service Learning lunches, a Mass Gathering speaker, and a MYLE worship leader.

10am: Check-in meeting with the fabulous Chicago-based Gathering staff. #blessed

12pm: Lunch at my desk (a bad habit), sign some new hotel contracts, then book flights for the ELCA Youth Core Leadership Team members for their March meeting.

12:45pm: More emails, check social media.

1pm: Off to meet with a representative from the Network of ELCA Colleges & Universities!

1:30pm: More emails.

2pm: Finalize details and the news release for our Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands fundraiser.

2:15pm: Eat some Sour Patch Kids.

2:17pm: More emails.

3pm: Meet with colleagues from Mission Investment Fund to finalize plans for their presence at the Gathering.

3:30pm: Work with colleagues on the Gathering’s plans for being at the ELCA Youth Ministry Network’s Extravaganza.

4pm: More emails, more social media, more Sour Patch Kids.

4:17pm: Phone call with the Convention & Visitors’ Bureau in our 2021 Gathering host city!

4:25pm: Back to emails!

4:45pm: Finish up 2017 staff evaluations.

5:10pm: Pretend to straighten up my desk and pack up to go home.

5:12pm: Someone stops by the cube with a question and some friendly chat.

5:20pm: Putting my coat on, really leaving this time.  Remember I was supposed to print something for a meeting this weekend so I fire my computer back up.

5:25pm: Grab a few more Sour Patch Kids and hit the road.

Another full and wonderful day as Director of the ELCA Youth Gathering!

– Jessica Noonan

This past August as the summer was winding down and a new year of school was beginning, life along the Gulf Coast came to a standstill.  It was like time froze. Everything was a blur.  No one knew what day it was or what the next day would bring. When you come to Houston this summer, you will learn quickly that everyone has their “Harvey story.”  Living through it and seeing the devastation that followed Hurricane Harvey it still seems unimaginable—the rain that kept coming, rising waters, tornadoes… and the waiting.  My neighborhood had no physical damage.  It was pure luck that our house was just a little higher in elevation than the neighborhood one mile way with lots of flooding, or the neighborhood four miles away that was completely obliterated. There is a lot of guilt when your home is fine and your neighbor down the road has no home. Everyone has a story.

You might be wondering how has the hurricane changed our approach to how we walk alongside our Service Learning partners in Houston?  It hasn’t.  One of our values has always been accompaniment.  We are in relationship with our partners.  We listen to their needs. We still want to focus on the needs of our partners whatever they might be come June 2018.

Jessica Silverio is part of the Service Learning Team; she is helping to secure service learning projects for the Gathering.  She said, “Many people are still out of their schools or homes and some lost it all. Getting to see 30,000 youth come out to the streets and help in whatever way they can will be a great sight to see. It’s important to give people a chance to talk about their lives and how its changed since Harvey.”

We are a people of story—Jesus teaches us through story, the Bible is filled with the stories of our faith—we are a people of story.

When Gathering participants go to project sites our hope is that the partner shares the story of their organization, mission, and why this work matters.  We hope that Gathering participants share their story with partners.

We hope that participants go home and create new stories in their communities.

Jessica Noonan is the Service Learning Team Leader for the 2018 Gathering.

– Todd Buegler

My first experience bringing a group to the ELCA Youth Gathering was in San Antonio in 1988. I brought a group of nine young people, along with one other adult leader.

Our experience in San Antonio was okay. Good. Fine. Not great, but good.

After the event, I talked with our young people about their experience. I compared notes with colleagues from other congregations who brought groups to the Gathering and heard about their great experiences. I came to realize something after these conversations: the good and decent experience we had in San Antonio wasn’t the fault of the Gathering planners and organizers. It was my fault.

It was my fault because our group wasn’t prepared to receive what the Gathering offered and to recognize how God was at work. I just wasn’t prepared.

The Gathering isn’t meant to stand alone as an event. It is intended to be contextualized for your community.

Everything experienced from the main stage, the interaction center, and the service opportunities are intended to be interpreted for your unique youth group. And you… we… the adult leaders… are the interpreters.

I’ve been a part of every ELCA Youth Gathering since 1988: as a pastor bringing a group, as a planning team member, and as a team leader.  These experiences have affirmed for me that our group’s experiences are still dependent on how well we are prepared to receive what God brings through the Gathering. Pressure? Yeah, maybe some.  But here’s words of hope: you are not alone in this.

We have a Network.  The ELCA Youth Ministry Network is the organization that supports adults who work with children, youth, and families in ELCA congregations, The Network focuses on renewal, education and networking.  We connect with each other to create a culture of learning and support, so that the work we do as interpreters of the Gathering, of other ministry experiences, and of God’s work in the lives of young people can be transformative for those we are called to serve.

From January 26th to the 29th, almost 1,000 adult leaders will gather for the annual Extravaganza in Houston for worship, learning, and to connect with each other.

Prepare yourself and your group for the Gathering.
Strengthen your ministry.
Learn all you can learn.
Know the material.
Ask questions.
Wonder about what God is up to.

I invite you to join the Network!  We are a community centered around faith formation for the young, and our belief that God calls us to serve. Thanks be to God!

Rev. Todd Buegler is the senior pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Owatonna, and also serves as the Executive Director of the ELCA Youth Ministry Network.

– Andrea Martínez

My name is Andrea Martínez, and I serve as the Team Leader for the Communications Team for the 2018 Gathering.

What exactly does this team do, you may wonder? This is the team that is joyfully responsible for the 24-hour infoline, social media, photography, livestream, videography, mobile app, printed guide, and of course, the amazing blog. We are also well connected to the important work of other Gathering teams, supporting their communication needs.

Through our work, we help tell the story of the Gathering to those who might attend, those who do attend, and those who support participants in Houston.

Though I never had the privilege to attend as a participant, this is my third Gathering—the first was in New Orleans in 2012 with Service Learning and the second was in Detroit in 2015 in Interactive Learning.

I currently work in marketing and outreach with Habitat for Humanity International. I am also pursuing a Master in Public Health from Emory University—almost half way through. Prior to my work with Habitat, I had the pleasure of serving as the Director of Communications with the Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast Synod—the Gathering’s host synod for 2018.

I look forward to connecting with you in the coming months and in June 2018 in Houston—be that through Instagram stories, snaps, tweets, photographs, videos, or face-to-face. #ELCAYG2018

– Cody Miller

The Gathering identified the need to lift up literacy as part of the Service Learning experience. Through the many conversations with literacy-related partners in Houston, we learned that many of the students in the Houston Independent School District enter school lacking reading-readiness skills. Up to the 2nd grade, students are taught and graded on their ability to read and write; once they get to the 3rd grade, they are expected to know how to read or write at their grade level. For those who do not read or write at their grade level by 3rd grade, they are at risk of never catching up.

Image courtesy of the Barbara Bush Literary Foundation

One reason for the lack of reading readiness skills is that families struggle to provide books for their children to read at home. Some families are unable to promote literacy at a young age because of the need to prioritize financial resources on the most necessary things: shelter and food.

There is a stunning statistic from the Barbara Bush Literacy Foundation: there is one book for every 300 kids in low income neighborhoods.

Books are most beneficial to students when they are in their homes. With this in mind, we are asking all participants to bring books to Houston from a curated book list. These books will then be distributed to kids who do not have easy access to books.

During the Gathering, several groups will sort the books and take them to various locations throughout Houston for book fairs for their Service Learning Day project. During these book fairs, Gathering participants will interact with kids from the community with games and literacy related activities. The kids in the community will go home with books.

By putting these books into the hands of these students, you are helping to promote literacy and playing a role in building a more successful lives.