– 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!

– Carmen Cobo, Mission Investment Fund

Mission Investment Fund (MIF) comes to each Gathering because we are church, and because we believe in lifting up the youth of this church.  I am energized as I come to each Gathering.  I am energized by the positive teens in my midst who have such a strong belief in God and a strong conviction to serve others, by the dedicated youth leaders and pastors who have so much to share with those they guide, and by the ELCA leaders who make this inspirational event happen every three years.

For these very reasons, MIF has made special contributions to bring youth to the Gathering—so that those who may not otherwise be able to attend can indeed be part of this incredible event. We are church together.

MIF is your partner—as you prepare for the next Youth Gathering, during your participation in the event, and after you return home and settle back into your normal ministry routines.  We offer your congregations a Youth Ministry Demand Investment Account, which is a great way for youth groups to save for the triennial Youth Gathering and other youth activities.  If you don’t already have an account, we encourage you to open one.

When you come to Houston in 2018, our MIF Service Center will be open each day to assist you with your financial needs on site. We’re also planning a new, fun, interactive activity—more to come on this later! And long after the 2018 Youth Gathering is over, we will be here to assist your congregations and its future leaders with financial products and services that support your ministries and help you carry out your missions in your communities.

I can’t wait to see you all in the summer of 2018!

Carmen Cobo is Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer of the Mission Investment Fund, the lending ministry of the ELCA.

– Bishop Michael Rinehart

Forty years ago, I was 15 years old when I attended my first national gathering. In 1976, the All-Lutheran Youth Gathering, For All the Saints, brought together ALC, LCA, and LCMS youth at the brand new (opened in 1975) New Orleans Superdome. A member of our youth group was baptized in the Superdome at that event.

The gatherings have changed over the years, then and now, but I can still feel the energy and anticipation of that event, as well as the fun of meeting people from all over the country. It strengthened my faith and gave me a sense of the scope of this church. It is one of the reasons I am a pastor and bishop today.

You can imagine how excited I am to welcome 30,000 of you to the Bayou City, where I now serve as bishop. The 2018 ELCA Youth Gathering will gather at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, the fourth largest city in the U.S. We will sing, pray, learn, and serve together.

Houston is named after Sam Houston, once the President of the Republic of Texas, when Texas was a country. Sam Houston then brought Texas into the Union, becoming a senator, then governor. He opposed secession and lost his job because of it.

Houston is a big city with a big heart. Houston has no racial majority as the most multicultural city in the U.S. Houston has been working hard to battle homelessness in a significant way. Home to Mission Control at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, Houston has sent people to the moon.

You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to know that the blessing of the event will be in the relationships. Friends and strangers will make this event something you will remember for the rest of your life.

I’ll see you in Houston in 2018!

Rev. Michael Rinehart is Bishop of the Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast Synod, a community of over one hundred congregations, campus ministries, retreat centers, and other agencies.