– David Hunstad

In 1973, I was a junior in high school and I had an experience that indeed “changed everything.” I went to the All Lutheran Youth Gathering in Houston, Texas. I came from a small town in Wisconsin and my dad was our pastor and youth leader. Until I sat in the Houston Astrodome with Lutheran youth from all over the country, I thought the church, this faith that I was a part of, was kind of a family thing.

I remember to this day the reverberation of the Lord’s Prayer filling the largest room in the world. I remember watching as some of my dad’s friends ran the sound system and made announcements on the stage.

The joy and excitement of that space opened my eyes to the vast reaches of God’s grace, love, and mercy.

That moment in time changed the course of my life. I made it my mission to participate, attend, organize, and implement similar transformational events for future generations of high school youth. The Christmas gift that was most exciting for me was when my parents paid my way to a Gathering in Minneapolis. When I was in college, I would find a youth group that needed help going to a Gathering. As a youth director, I worked tirelessly to make sure our youth could attend local, regional, and Churchwide Gatherings.

The mission of Old Lutheran is to provide unique products and services that help our customers express their Lutheran identity.

I believe that the ELCA Youth Gathering is an event that helps shape that identity, and I consider it a privilege to be a partner.

I get a thrill knowing that my life’s journey of participating and organizing has led to a business that continues to help express the identity of this event before, during, and after we all gather in Houston.

– Natalie Zielinski

Once you experience the Youth Gathering, you keep wanting to come back.

I was lucky enough to attend the past two Gatherings. They were both were life-changing experiences for me. The Gathering helped me find my faith at a time where I was struggling. When I went to my first Gathering in New Orleans, I was getting ready to be a freshman in high school. I spent the past year battling an illness no one could figure out, and I was being bullied for having to use crutches and a wheelchair to get around. I was depressed and felt very alone, and I needed something to help me feel like I belonged.

Everyone I knew talked about amazing experiences at a Gathering and how it had changed their lives. I just hoped maybe it would change my life, too. It ended up having a bigger impact on my life than I ever imagined. When we got there the first night, I was amazed at the sheer number of youth that were surrounding me. Just standing in the sea of youth was such a powerful experience all on its own.

After hearing people like Nadia Bolz-Weber, Shane Claiborne, Leymah Gbowee, and so many others speak throughout the week, I had an “aha moment.” I heard all of the different stories and struggles other people faced and I started to not feel so alone.

The Gathering made me realize that I wasn’t the only one who felt out of place and didn’t know where to go. I realized I was part of a bigger story.

The Gathering made me realize that God has a plan for me, even if I don’t understand or know all of the plan.

I wouldn’t be the same person I am today if I hadn’t been to a Gathering.

– Theodore Kooistra

After a long day of working, I refilled my water bottle but was forced to empty it at the door of the stadium. This was one of the many things I vividly remember from my trip to Detroit.  That day, my group worked in a neighborhood to clean up trash. Countless areas in Detroit didn’t have city garbage disposal. So few people occupied spaces per block, that along with the cost of gas, waste companies would lose money driving out to pick up trash. Small and isolated neighborhoods also meant that sending police units to patrol the streets wasn’t efficient either. This set the stage for disorderly and dirty neighborhoods.

Each inhabited house had bags upon bags of garbage just sitting at the curb. All of the bags were in various stages of decay, with some bags even housing bees. Residing under the garbage were jungles of grasses, with weeds sprouting from the cracked sidewalks. Glass was all over the place.

When we learned that many people didn’t have running water because they couldn’t afford the bill, we immediately opened our bottles to share.

We learned later that day that often it was much easier to just leave a house abandoned than to file for bankruptcy. Those abandoned and unoccupied houses were falling apart. Often, houses were missing copper pipes as they were sold for money. These were only some of the looming complications that the people in our neighborhood explained.

Everyone tirelessly worked so we were exhausted, but enthused with what was accomplished.  Now you can imagine why my breath got caught in my throat while my water washed over the pavement.

However, being at the Gathering filled up the cups of those living in Detroit.

This is one of the transformational stories that overflowed me with love, reminding me of why I attended the Gathering.

– 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.

– 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!

– Jake Putala

As a rural Michigander, the Detroit ELCA Youth Gathering was an eye-opener. Yes, I live in Michigan, but I didn’t understand what the people of Motor City were going through. I never saw how we can do God’s work with our very own hands until I went on this trip—and I am forever grateful that I did.

What started with a eight hour bus ride (without air conditioning, I might add) turned out to be one of the best times of my life. Our synod took two busses, transporting about 120 Lutheran youth and chaperones. I only knew a few of them, so meeting many other youth who all share a passion for Christ was so inspiring.

However, it wasn’t meeting people that was the best part. It was seeing God’s work in action that gave me a feeling of awe and spiritual revival. When we were helping the less fortunate get a meal or building a house for a low income family, it wasn’t us who were doing this work. It was God. God brought all of us together for fellowship, service, and worship. Being in a sports stadium with 30,000 other Lutherans was quite possibly the most incredible experience of my life. Singing hymns, listening to inspiring speakers, and seeing how energetic the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America could be created a whole new appreciation for my faith, and, more importantly, for Jesus Christ.

I would recommend to any young Lutheran to attend the Gathering. What seems to be a short week turns into a lifetime of love, passion, and enthusiasm for Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Always remember: Jesus is GOOD news!

Modeled partially after a similar activity hosted by hunger leaders in the Florida-Bahamas Synod, Rocky Mountain Synod youth participate in a “hunger meal” hosted at Spirit of Joy Lutheran Church in Fort Collins, Colorado.

On a cold January weekend this year, the Rocky Mountain Synod was a buzz with 400 middle school youth, adults and peer ministers gathered for fun, fellowship and formation under the theme “Reform.” From participating in ELCA World Hunger’s “Act 2Day 4 Tomorrow” activities to sharing a hunger meal and food packaging, hunger was at the forefront of the Rocky Mountain “reforms.”

“We put on a hunger meal to raise awareness,” said Sophia, a sophomore and peer minister from Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church in Fort Collins, Colorado.

“The kids are divided into different groups with different social classes, and they get different amounts of food. As you go up [the classes], there are fewer people in each class. I was the cook for the meal,” said Anand, a classmate of Sophia’s at Poudre High School. “I volunteer at the foodbank a lot, and many times, even though they were getting food, it wasn’t always the best or healthiest. That inspired me,” Anand went on to share.

Sophia [left] and Anand [right] are friends from Poudre High School. Sophia is a peer minister and member of the Rocky Mountain Synod hunger team. She and Anand both used their unique skills to raise awareness to end hunger — together.

The youth also took part in packing food kits for local non-profits that help feed people experiencing homelessness and hunger in the area. Rocky Mountain Synod hunger leader Carol McDivitt from King of Glory Lutheran Church in Loveland did the pre-work of calling local agencies and cleared the local food packing projects to make sure the food was usable for the groups.

When asked what message she hopes the hunger meal conveys to the youth, Sophia responded, “I want people to realize that they can make such a huge difference, that they are making a difference. World hunger is being solved; it’s actively being solved. It’s important to remember that even if it does feel hopeless, it’s not.”

Two youth from Lutheran Church of Hope in Broomfield, Colorado, with the prepared packages.

Way to go, Rocky Mountain Synod youth! #untilallarefed

“God’s Work. Our Hands.”

And feet.

This is what the hands and feet of some ELCA teens looked like midway through their

service project planting wetlands grasses 75 miles south of New Orleans. The outreach

was part of the 2009 Youth Gathering. Three miles of wetlands can stop water from rising

 a foot, according to Bayou Rebirth, the agency that hosted ELCA youth.  Rebuilding

wetlands is critical to protecting New  Orleans from another devastating hurricane.

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During the 2009 Youth Gathering in New Orleans, these 16-year-old youth from Holmen, Wis., had one of the messiest service projects — which they embraced with enthusiasm.  They planted wetlands grasses in a muddy area 75 miles south of New Orleans.

Pictured from left to right are: Taylor Pederson, Mackenzie Schriver, Rylee Drugan and Alex Brown. They say getting dirty is all part of doing “God’s Work. Our Hands.” (more…)

When I first met Patrick Allen, he was sitting in a hotel lobby, quiet and unhappy. He’d come to New Orleans for the 2009 Youth Gathering looking forward to helping with Hurricane Katrina relief efforts.

On work project day, his group was assigned to clear litter and weeds from a neighborhood hit hard by Katrina four years ago. Patrick had hoped to do hands-on work that was more than “cosmetic.”

“I didn’t think it was worth our time and effort,” he told me in the lobby. The 18-year-old from Richmond, Va., felt that he’d somehow let the people of New Orleans down.

After I wrote about Patrick’s disappointment, people from New Orleans posted comments saying the effort had made a difference. They seemed to sense the sincerity of this young man in striving to serve others as Jesus commanded.

One reader wrote: “You have NO IDEA how much a CLEANED LOT, or one gutted house, one slab removed, affects us in our spirit to GO ON, to know that God is there.”

After reflecting more on his experience, Patrick sent these comments along, describing the spiritual transformation that happened for him in New Orleans. Thank you, Patrick, for sharing your thoughts:

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