A message from Tammy Jones West, 2024 ELCA Youth Gathering Program Director—

I’m just, It’s just… 

Hello world. My name is Tammy Jones West. I am a Deacon in this church, from North Carolina, and I am serving as the Program Director for the 2024 ELCA Youth Gathering. I am honored to have been asked to serve in this way and a little terrified at the responsibility and scope of the work. I also know the impact and importance of this ministry and I will do my best to encourage, support and clear a path for the thousands of volunteers who make this event a reality. 

I’m just overwhelmed by the welcome and support. I want the adults who accompany our young people to this event to be just as overwhelmed – in a good way. Overwhelmed at the privilege it is to walk alongside them as they experience the magnitude of God’s grace, abundance, and love. That is holy ground and adults, you are walking it. As people of faith, you matter in their faith journey. You are there in their laughter, joy, tears, and pain. I am in awe of each of you. That’s why I will stop you if you ever say in my presence – “I’m just a volunteer.” You are so much more.

I hope Betty Lohr never uttered those words because she was so much more than “I’m just”. She took me to my first Gathering at Purdue University under the theme of “Power in the Cross”. She loved me even as a bratty teenager and she is literally why I was involved in youth ministry. She cared and kept taking me to all the events that shaped my friend circle, my world view, and my faith.  

This event happens because of you. Adult leaders, volunteers, and partners make the Gathering more than just an event.  

It’s just a time to widen our perspective on what a Lutheran looks like.  

It’s just a time to be a part of something bigger than ourselves as we learn about partners such as ELCA World Hunger, and so many more. 

It’s just a time to get to know our congregational group and share our lives with one another.  

It’s just a time to worship in new ways and understand that worship might look differently in other places yet it’s still worship. 

It’s just a time to experience scripture differently, shared by different voices, and heard in a new way. 

It’s just a time to go somewhere new, experience a different city, learn about the history and the stories of their people.  

It’s just a Gathering led mostly by volunteers. Full stop – it’s so much more and you are too. Thank you for your ministry and I hope to see you in 2024.  

We are very excited to see you next July for the 2022 Multicultural Youth Leadership Event (MYLE) and happy that we get to lead the brand new MYLE team called Cultural Awareness. Shai Seifert is currently serving as president of the European Descent Lutheran Association for Racial Justice and Felecia Boone is currently serving as vice-president of the Minneapolis Area Synod.  We both live in Minneapolis and are members at Calvary Lutheran Church. (Basically, we are both church nerds and do a lot of work on racial justice in the ELCA.)

Calvary is located one block from where George Floyd lost his life. It’s also the epicenter of a commitment to racial justice and community.  Like much of the world, the community at Calvary has been deeply affected by the death of George Floyd and the world-wide calls for racial justice. At the one-year commemoration of George Floyd’s death we were honored to host members of George Floyd’s family and the artist Common by providing practice and hang out space before the big concert. Having these experiences made our commitment to racial justice even stronger.

We have heard stories about microaggressions and other harms that have happened at past MYLEs. We have also heard that it appears some adults have not known what to do to help in these situations or haven’t understood what is going on. These stories break our hearts, and we are working hard to help people do better and for everyone to have a better experience at MYLE, in their faith communities and in the world. 

Our job is to help equip the youth leaders better recognize the harm that sometimes happens, to work to prevent harm, to deal with problems that arise and to support all their young people.

We can’t wait to see you and we want you to bring your whole amazing, unapologetic selves. See you at the University of St. Thomas next summer! 

A message from the Director of the ELCA Youth Gathering, Molly Beck Dean– 

I am thrilled to share with you that at the close of our early-bird registration we crossed over the 10,000-person mark for the 2022 ELCA Youth Gathering. It’s exciting and hopeful to know that even during an unusual and tough couple of years, thousands of you are preparing for the Gathering next summer. I know that thousands more of you are finalizing your plans and will register in the weeks to come.

Our planning teams are hard at work creating a meaningful, memorable, and safe experience at the tAble, MYLE and the Gathering. While we know that some things may look or feel a little different because of the pandemic, our boundless God will continue to show up in amazing ways. The Gospel will be proclaimed through word and deed, our neighbor will be served, young people will explore what God is calling them to be in this world and life-long memories will be made.

It will be so good to be together in Minneapolis next summer worshipping our boundless God. It’s not too late to join us with a group from your congregation (or a neighboring congregation!) or as a Servant Companion or Local Volunteer if you fit those demographics. We continue to hold our congregations in prayer as they prepare for this life-changing experience next summer.

See you next summer in Minneapolis!

Molly

Hi everyone! My name is Veronica, I’m from Philly and I serve on the 2022 MYLE planning team, working with our volunteers. I’m working hard to recruit and develop the best volunteers to make this event unforgettable for all of our participants.

Speaking of volunteers, can you remember a time when you volunteered for something? Was it for an hour, a day, or even a week? I’ve traveled all over the world, but my favorite service activity was actually during the 2006 MYLE in San Antonio. We weren’t painting, hammering, or even collecting trash – we were spending time and getting to know the youth living in San Antonio. Our assignment was to play games and hang out with teens from the local community center. We shared how living in San Antonio and Philly were different, and yet kind of the same.

Sometimes, volunteering can be confusing or stressful. You may experience nervousness or anxiety when you have to learn a new skill quickly, meet new people, or speak to a group. I understand how you may feel. But, what’s the potential – the upside of serving others? What could I learn? Who could I meet? How could this experience help me get closer to others, myself, and to Jesus? 

To find the perfect example of volunteerism and service, look no further than Jesus and His Disciples. They were out there working, sharing, healing, teaching, and preaching. Sometimes they went hungry. Sometimes they were rejected and chased out of town. But you know what they did? They just dusted their sandals off and kept it moving. 

God calls us to serve our neighbors, but we are also called to walk beside them, listen, and help them dream. I’m really excited to meet you next summer. I’ll be ready, our team will be ready,  the city of Saint Paul, MN will be ready, the University of St. Thomas will be ready. Will you? 

See you next summer!

Veronica

If you are interested in serving as a volunteer at the 2022 Multicultural Youth Leadership Event, please email the Gathering office at gathering@elca.org.

Many congregations are just now getting things ready to attend the 2022 Gathering, so if you haven’t started yet– you aren’t behind! Here are 10 things to know as you prepare to bring a congregational group to the 2022 ELCA Youth Gathering.

1. Utilize the Gathering’s promotional materials to get your community excited about this faith formation experience. We have PowerPoint templates, flyer templates, posters, promotional videos and logos for you to download and use. Consider inviting past participants to share a testimony as well!
2. Download the Official Gathering Handbook: Tips & Tricks for Adult Leaders. This resource is jammed-packed with pro-tips, sample covenants, timelines, budgets and more. If you’d like a printed version, you can purchase one from our partners at Old Lutheran.
3. Thinking about raising funds to attend the Gathering can be daunting. However, we know from the testimonies of young people and adult leaders that it’s totally worth it. Depending on your community’s guidelines for COVID-19, you might need to adapt and think creatively on how to raise funds. Early in the pandemic, the Gathering curated a resource of virtual and socially distanced fundraisers.
4. Connect with your Gathering Synod Coordinator (GSC)! These individuals are trained on all things Gathering and are your go-to contact for your synod. You can contact your GSC by sending them an email on the Gathering’s website.
5. Sign up and attend the pre-Gathering webinars. Gathering leadership will share what they are planning for next summer during these monthly webinars. Visit the Gathering’s website to see recordings of past webinars or sign up for future ones.
6. Download the Getting Ready Materials. This curriculum was designed to help introduce your congregational group to the daily themes of the Gathering and start bonding.
7. There is still financial assistance available for young people attending the Gathering. Up to $300 per youth participant may be provided with a max of 10 youth per congregation. The primary adult leader should apply on behalf of the young person via the application.
8. Our team is hard at work making plans to ensure that the 2022 Gathering is a safe for our participants. All youth and adult participants, team members, volunteers, staff, and Interactive Learning partners will be required to submit proof of a full COVID-19 vaccination or proof of a negative COVID-19 test (likely 72 hours before arriving). More information around how this information will be submitted will come spring 2022.
9. Gathering leadership is continuously monitoring the pandemic and guidance for events of our size, but confident that we will have a safe Gathering next summer in Minneapolis. If we get to a point where we are unable to have a safe event and the Gathering is cancelled, deposits will be refunded, with the option for congregations to donate some or all those funds towards the ministry of the Gathering or to forward their deposit to the 2024 Gathering. Visit our COVID-19 page for FAQs and more info.
10. Don’t do it alone. Invite another trusted adult in your congregation to join you in the planning and logistics!

Know that Gathering leadership is praying for you and your community as you consider attending the 2022 ELCA Youth Gathering. We know that this ministry changes lives and enriches congregational youth ministry, and we hope your congregation will join us.

For more information on the 2022 Gathering, MYLE and the tAble, visit: elca.org/Gathering.

The 2022 Gathering theme song was co-written by Sam Noble and Faith Bartelt while serving on summer staff at Rainbow Trail Lutheran Camp in Hillside, CO in 2019. 

Sam was a participant at both the 2015 and 2018 Gathering and felt called to use his gifts to write a theologically sound pop-rap song that young people could be excited about. Having performed at the 2018 Gathering in Houston, Sam had lots of ideas but wasn’t sure where all the pieces were going to come from. 

Fast forward to that summer when both Sam and Faith found themselves serving on Rainbow Trails staff. After Faith and her partner shared an original song at the staff talent show, Sam reached out about collaborating on this exciting project. Sam came to Faith with a chorus “lick” and instrumental track, looking for a lyrical, female vocalist to help bring his Prince-inspired concept to life. Faith, having also attended the 2015 and 2018 Gathering, knew Sam’s style was different from hers, and was intrigued by the unique pairing and energy they shared.

While they hoped to “write all summer,” it wasn’t until they were paired to lead a trip across the country that their creative minds were able to join. Cancelled 4am flights, inclement weather, and unfortunate traffic delayed them a day and a half to their service site in the Tennessee Appalachian Mountains and over 18 hours coming home. This provided the perfect time to finally write a song–brainstorming lyrics and melodies was exactly what they needed to stay awake and keep their spirits alive on their journey back to Colorado.

As the first co-write for both Sam and Faith with someone who wasn’t “already a best friend,” they were challenged to mesh Sam’s rhythmic, Christian-pop and Faith’s lyric, singer-songwriter styles; they both reflected that neither could have written “boundless love” without the other! Throughout their collaboration, Faith was challenged to think about praise music in a new way, and Sam was challenged to embrace traditional, flowing styles and ideas.

Nevertheless, the pair’s unique dynamic has developed a fun, praiseful, call to action song they hope will serve as a reason to dance, and a reminder of how boundless our God really is! Written over several years, and re-written and edited through zoom during a pandemic (no parts recorded together in-person!), they can’t wait to be together with thousands of other young people to praise and worship our boundless God at the 2022 ELCA Youth Gathering!

Watch the “boundless love” music video here. 

Stream “boundless love” on Spotify. 

Faith Bartelt is a recent graduate of Viterbo University where she received her BFA in Musical Theatre with a minor in Arts Administration. Today, she works as a Church Administrator at New Heights Lutheran Church in the South Central Synod of Wisconsin where she leads strategic planning, operations and procedures, the church’s future building project, and occasionally dabbles in special music with her husband. With both a creative and organizational mind, she loves the arts, spending time with her friends and family, exploring creation, game nights, and peanut butter! Faith is incredibly humbled and honored to get to share this opportunity with her summer colleague, and can’t wait to laugh, dance, and praise God at the 2022 Gathering!

Samuel Noble Garcia is a recent graduate of Pacific Lutheran University where he earned his B.A. in Communication with a minor in nonprofit leadership. Sam is a first year student at Luther Seminary and is currently pursuing his Master of Arts in Children, Youth, and Family Ministry. Sam was raised in the Northern-Texas Northern-Louisiana Synod and is a member of Calvary Lutheran Church in Richland Hills, TX. Sam experiences the love of God when listening to both sacred and secular music, and answers his call to reform by creating catchy songs that young people can easily relate to. His love of God, hip-hop music, the church, and youth culture has transformed his homemade parodies into an exciting musical ministry. Sam is overjoyed to have the opportunity to share his gifts at the 2022 Gathering and  looks forward to experiencing it’s ministry in a new way.