-Amy Wagner

When I transitioned into a new role of Communications Coordinator three years ago, I knew I would miss leading students through those mountain top experiences of mission trips, retreats, and yes, the ELCA Youth Gathering—as exhausting as they can be.

I served three times as the Gathering Synod Coordinator for the Nebraska Synod. The role of Gathering Synod Coordinator is integral in helping prepare congregations experience the ELCA Youth Gathering. A facet of my role as a Gathering Synod Coordinator was to participate in the Gathering either as an adult leader for a congregation or as a volunteer. Since I wasn’t going to be bringing a group to Detroit in 2015, I was more than excited to be a volunteer.

This Gathering has continually renewed my faith in a mighty and powerful God that always shows up in our lives. Sometimes I forget to look for God through the to-do lists and calendars. God was already in Detroit before “the Lutherans” came. But to see God shine, through the hands and feet of the 30,000 participants during the week, is hard to describe. It was countless hugs and high fives, screams of joy, and youthful energy, as far as the eye could see.

Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton, addressed the whole community of participants twice, and in her Sunday sermon said, “We were taken out of our normal places wherever they were across this country and the Caribbean, and we were set down here in Detroit. We were just ready—ready to see what was going to happen. The Spirit could come in because we didn’t have our defenses up.”

The Gathering allows young people to see how big the church is, how big the reach can go beyond our communities and how we, as Lutheran Christians in the world, can affect change together. The event hashtag (#riseupELCA) was even trending on all three main social channels throughout the week! This event is a big deal: plain and simple.

It is a joy to be a part of a church that lives and breathes service to our neighbors, near and far. I look forward to the opportunity to volunteer again in Houston in 2018. Will you join me?

Amy Wagner currently serves as the Communication Coordinator for Sheridan Lutheran in Nebraska.

– Cody Miller

I am Cody Miller, and I just came on board as the Service Learning Project Manager for the 2018 Youth Gathering. I graduated from the University of Houston (#GoCoogs), and I have spent nearly my entire life in the city of Houston. I am in love with this wonderful city; I love everything from the culture, to the art, to the people, and everything else that Houston has to offer.

I have been involved in the church in many different capacities. When I was at UH, I was heavily involved with campus ministry. I was a part of youth ministry when I was in high school. Currently, I am on the leadership team for youth ministry at my home congregation, Kinsmen Lutheran.

Kinsmen sent a group of youth to Detroit for the 2015 Gathering. I had the opportunity to listen to the their stories about how the Gathering affected them and helped them grow in their faith, as well as see how they impacted the host city. I heard stories of how God was at work in Detroit, and I am excited to see God at work through the youth in Houston in 2018.

The Youth Gathering is such an incredible ministry. It positively impacts everyone involved from the youth, to the host city, to the congregations. I am excited to be a part of this team.

Houston has a great story to tell. I am excited to see the story of Houston be told and to see God at work in this story.

– Jessica Noonan

Hey y’all, my name is Jessica Noonan. I will be the Service Learning Team Leader for the 2018 ELCA Youth Gathering. I will oversee the development and execution of Service Learning for all students and adult leaders coming to Houston. In 2012, I also served in this role in New Orleans. It is definitely a privilege and an honor to be a part of this holy work.

Listening is a huge part of the work we do from the very beginning—listening to churches, listening to leaders, and listening to organizations doing amazing work in big and small ways in every part of the city. We need to hear what God is already doing through awesome people and organizations, so that we can join them in the journey. God is working all over the city of Houston in some pretty incredible ways.

A little bit about me: I live just west of Houston with my husband, three kids, dog, cat, and hamster. My everyday job is as a Director of Children’s Ministry. This is where I get to work with families from birth to fifth grade and walk with parents and families through faith journeys. Life is pretty full, but when I get a chance, I love to read all types of books, dance with my girls in the living room, take a nice walk, and spend time art journaling. I am looking forward to seeing all of you in Houston in 2018!

They say that Lutheran youth have been gathering for more than 100 years, and they would be correct.  

When the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America was formed in 1988, one of the practices passed on by the predecessor church bodies (American Lutheran Church – ALC and Lutheran Church in America – LCA) was the rich tradition of young people and their adult leaders coming together every three years to experience the love of Christ and to share their faith. Congregational youth groups would meet their peers in various settings, universities, and hotels, and spend several days focused on worship, workshops, music, and fellowship.  

Before 1988, ALC and LCA Youth Gatherings occurred in Denver, CO; Banff and Alberta, Canada; Lafayette, IN; Houston, TX; Detroit, MI; New York City, NY; Seattle, WA; Missoula, MT; and Miami, FL. Probably the most notable keynote speaker was the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, who preached in front of 20,000 youth at the 1961 ALC Luther League convention in Miami [pictured]. I guess you can say that Youth Gatherings have always been on the cutting edge, challenging young people to do God’s most righteous work.

After the birth of the ELCA, Gatherings have been held in cities that could accommodate thousands of participants, while providing facilities for experiential learning along with a venue that could hold everybody at the same time for worship and other programming. Here is a list of the ELCA Youth Gatherings, with their themes:

• 1988: San Antonio, Rejoice in the Lord Always
• 1991: Dallas, Called to Freedom
• 1994: Atlanta, 2 Be Alive
• 1997: New Orleans, River of Hope
• 2000: St. Louis, Dancing at the Crossroads [40,000 participants]
• 2003: Atlanta, Ubuntu: I am because we are. We are because Christ is. [38,000 participants]
• 2006: San Antonio, Cruzando: Journey with Jesus [37,000 participants]
• 2009: New Orleans, Jesus, Justice, Jazz [36,000 participants]
• 2012: New Orleans, Citizens with the Saints [33,000 participants]
• 2015: Detroit, Rise up Together [30,000 participants]

Many of you remember that the Gatherings in 2000, 2003, and 2006 were two-week, back to back, identical events. The rationale behind that was so that each Gathering week would be smaller (15,000 people rather than 30,000), making the event less crowded and more intimate. It also ensured that no congregation would be turned away for lack of sleeping space, as happened in New Orleans in 1997.  The formula worked well, but was ultimately financially unsustainable, so in 2009 we returned to the one week, one event model and welcomed 36,000 participants back to New Orleans.

Our demographics have changed, and the overall shrinking of mainline denominations may play a role in decreasing numbers of participants, but the ELCA Youth Gathering continues to capture the hearts and ignite faith in tens of thousands of people every three years.

Have you been to a Gathering? Will you join us in Houston in 2018? Over the next several months, we will be walking with you to help you prepare your youth for the journey. We are here for your questions, and hope you share your stories with us. We know anecdotally that the Gathering has inspired young people to go to seminary or otherwise consider a life in the church. The Gathering has also influenced many to carry out God’s work with their hands, out in the world as teachers, artists, or social workers. The Gathering reminds us that we need to stop, turn around, and look at the communities in which we’re planted, and make them better places.

We all know that it’s the work of the Holy Spirit – the Gathering is nothing that we do ourselves, on our own. There are a host of people throughout this country who give their time and talent to make the Gathering happen. Every youth leader is a worker in the field, so that each young person may awaken to new faith. I’m reminded of the words from the 2000 promo video: “You’d be surprised what we hear when you think we’re not listening.”

And God saw that it was very good.