Friday, July 19 – Created to Be Disruptive

Today, the final full day of the Youth Gathering, was a whirlwind of excitement and engagement. Participants immersed themselves in the theme “We are created to be disruptive,” working for justice for all.

The energy was palpable in the Interactive Learning Center as students explored educational exhibits from ELCA ministries and partners. This holy space allowed participants to engage with a variety of learning styles and sensory experiences, from fun activities like the Acolyte Olympiad Relay to the profound lessons of the Disaster Relief Kits.

Rev. Nicolette Peñaranda, Director of Interactive Learning shared, “this year through Interactrive Learning, we really wanted to merge our Created to Be theme with New Orleans culture. Through theme and geography, we hope participants had the opportunity to tap into their own spirituality and see the ways their interests and faith intersect. Our community partners and implementation teams worked incredibly hard to curate spaces that engage different learning styles and promote creative outlets.”

McDonough 35, A second-line marching band disrupted the space mid-day with a lively parade that Gathering Participants participated in. This holy disruption added to the dynamic atmosphere, reflecting New Orleans’ Mardi Gras parade culture. Other second-line bands featured this week: Roots of Music and Algiers Charter.

At the Naming Project booth, participants relaxed in the colorful Garden of Eden, receiving sparkle blessings from local Drag Queens. Deacon Ross Murray’s message was clear: everyone is known and loved by God and the church just as they are. At the Civic Life and Faith booth, students were inspired to think about social issues and how their voices can shape the future. A student from San Gabriel Lutheran Church, Alvarado, TX, shared that the experience opened their eyes to the many issues still needing attention and dialogue. Another student learned the importance of crafting statements that genuinely make a difference.

Formation Village offered an interactive game where young people were invited to consider what life might look like after high school. Many students don’t even know that there are so many options to them!

Over at the Lantern Hill booth, students painted ceramic tiles for a new school in Mexico, embracing their creativity and commitment to global education. They also engaged in interactive experiences on migration and disaster response, learning about resilience firsthand. Avery from Christ Lutheran Church, Brenham, TX, beautifully summed up the day’s impact: “Even though we’re here for the Gathering, we’re also making an impact in the world.”

Tonight, the final full day of the Youth Gathering, the Arena buzzed with an energy that reflected the profound impact New Orleans had on our youth. Despite a long four days with some groups walking an average of 8-10 miles a day, the participants’ spirits were higher than ever as they sang, danced, and filled the space with a vibrancy that could only be of the Holy Spirit.

Puerto Rican-born, Orlando-based contemporary Christian pop singer Blanca, kicked off the evening with an energetic concert, including songs in Spanish. She debuted her new song “Worthy” and shared her testimony, highlighting the night’s theme of “disruption.” Due to a nationwide disruption in flights, an IT failure almost prevented her keyboard player from being here. However, Sam, the sound tech, stepped in to play the keys like no other, showcasing how disruptions can lead to unexpected blessings.

The speakers tonight were powerful, moving, and genuine as they talked about holy disruption. 

Sally Azar, the first female Palestinian pastor in the Holy Land, shared her remarkable journey from attending the ELCA Youth Gathering as a student in 2012 to addressing 16,000 people at the Smoothie King Arena 12 years later. She said, “To be created to be disruptive means to figure out which rules shouldn’t be rules in the first place…We are not called to follow unjust rules; we are called to disrupt injustice. God created us to be a disruption!” Her powerful words emphasized the importance of challenging unjust rules and working for justice and peace in her country, deeply moving the crowd. She then invited the other Palestinian youth and staff with her on stage, where they received a standing ovation.

Lori Fuller, Pastor of Palms Deaf Church in Palm Coast, Fla., spoke through sign language and an interpreter. She shared her experience of discovering God’s love at age 21 in a deaf church and highlighted the need for inclusive worship. She taught the crowd to sign “I am not a mistake, you are not a mistake,” urging them to help disrupt the notion that there’s only one way to experience God’s love.

ELCA youth Nati, from Ethiopia, shared his powerful testimony about being orphaned, coming to America at age 7, and finding a bridge between his two worlds through soccer. His story highlighted the resilience and connections that can emerge from disruptive moments, showing how he walks between his two homes.

The evening was electric, filled with inspiring music, dance, and messages. As the night concluded, the realization that tomorrow’s worship would be the last gathering sank in. 

Friends, as you leave New Orleans and return to your lives, remember these words from Pastor Sally Azar, “Do not be afraid of God’s calling. You are created to be a disruption: to disrupt what is wrong and to work for what is right: for life, for hope, for justice, for peace.”

Written by: Vicar Bobbi Cyr (she/her)

by: Adam Knudson

I am an ordained pastor and serve on staff at a Lutheran Church, but I am not an ordained ELCA pastor. My background is Presbyterian. My first Gathering experience was in New Orleans for the 2009 Gathering, Jesus Justice Jazz. I didn’t know what to expect. I’d never been to Louisiana before, I’d never attended such a large youth event before, I was afraid of what it would be like to lead a group of a couple dozen youth and adults around a city that I had never visited. Why did I agree to do this anyway?

Our church is in California and while there are MANY churches and many large churches in California, there are not a lot of Lutherans and even fewer large Lutheran churches. Attending the Gathering offers the youth from my church an opportunity to understand their place and their identity within a larger community. When the ELCA gathers tens of thousands of youth from across the country and beyond, some of our best values and our highest priorities are showcased, highlighted and lived in vibrant and compelling ways. 

When our youth attend the Gathering, I don’t need to teach a lesson, read a Bible story, or prepare a class on what we believe or how God calls us to live in the world. The core values of our faith are written large on giant screens, crowded buses full of folks with bright orange shirts ready to serve, and youth and adults willing to listen to the stories of our hosts as we enter their communities and their cities.

The ELCA Youth Gathering has opened my mind to understand the great breadth and depth of what it means to be Lutheran. The Gathering has given me a chance to share this perspective with our youth, to hold up their faith as a mirror in which they can see who they are and in turn, our youth return home and share stories with our congregation. For me, the Gathering is an opportunity to participate in the kin-dom of God and to recognize God’s family as a place where I belong.

Adam Knudson has served as Youth Pastor at Hope Lutheran in Fresno, CA for thirteen years. He is involved in youth ministry networks in his community and Synod.

by: Bishop Abraham Allende

In my time as bishop of the Northeastern Ohio Synod, I have been blessed to attend two ELCA Youth Gatherings – Detroit in 2015 and Houston in 2018. On both occasions, we worshipped, rejoiced, served, and celebrated God’s wonderful gifts of love, grace, and hope.

Each night at Mass Gathering, we heard powerful messages from a wide variety of speakers and sang a dazzling and diverse array of music from contemporary musicians. During the day each synod either gathered to worship together, went out into the community to serve in different sites around the city, or learned of the many ways the church serves around the world in Interactive Learning. 

The members of the communities where our young people carried out their service projects couldn’t stop thanking them, which was affirming for the youth. And it is through that service that they go out before others and proclaim God’s mercy and grace. 

In both Detroit and Houston, I came away with a renewed feeling of hope for the church. Being around these young people keeps me young. They are eager to serve and demonstrate the love of God by loving their neighbor. The many outreach ministries they performed brought glory to God. 

When we agonize about why young people are leaving church, we need to ask ourselves, what opportunities are we giving them in our congregations to offer their boundless energy and enthusiasm, their passion for the gospel? As adults, we are sometimes unable and often unwilling to give up control. God’s invasion of this world in Jesus is resisted by those who hold power, those whose lives are dedicated to keeping boundaries intact. The challenge is to avoid the temptation of refusing to let go of our sense of authority and denying youth of their willingness to serve.

by: Erin Strybis

I went to the 2018 ELCA Youth Gathering to tell their story. 

I didn’t anticipate how they’d change my story, too.

When my editor and I discussed my assignment – to shadow a youth group at the Gathering for Living Lutheran – my stomach flipped with excitement. I believe this event for youth is one of the best things this church does. Not only does it inspire Lutheran teens in their faith journeys, the Gathering also affects adult participants and community members.

Walking into Houston’s NRG Stadium for opening night with my reporter’s notebook in hand, however, I felt timid. Would they accept me? Would they open up? I settled into my seat beside youth from Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Laurel, Md., and let a wave of cheers and music wash over me.

In her opening message, ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton urged Gathering participants to watch for God to “show up in places we least expect.” OK Bishop, I thought, observing the sea of Lutherans surrounding me, I’ll keep watch. 

I turned on my tape recorder, started asking questions, and sure enough…

          God showed up as youth served with their hands and opened their hearts to seniors at a local YMCA.

          God showed up in Interactive Learning, where I met teens who’d found acceptance at the Reconciling Works booth.

          God showed up in the stories of speakers who shared myriad challenges and gospel hope.

          God showed up in the blare of bands and synod gatherings and holy conversations.

After Friday’s Mass Gathering, Holy Trinity youth were bouncing with excitement as they exited the stadium. We pulled off to the path’s edge and I found myself surrounded, each jumping for a turn to speak into the recorder. As I watched their faces light up, I thought, Yes! This electric faith, this community, this growth is why the Gathering matters.

God showed up in the clear, honest testimonies of these 12 young people – Alicia, Caroline, C.J., Jenna, Jordan, Lewis, Madison, Michael, Peter, Samantha, Tyler and Will.

I came into their group an outsider; I left with 12 friends in Christ.

Erin Strybis (middle) is a lifelong Lutheran, mother of one and voracious reader who believes in the healing power of stories. Find more of her stories at erinstry.com or on Instagram (@erinstry).

by: Sophia Behrens

The ELCA Youth Gathering is an excellent resource for youth to explore their vocations. After attending the 2018 Gathering, I had a better understanding of how big our church was. I also realized that youth can have an empowering opinion about their faith life and how to carry that voice out through our vocations. The Gathering gave me a space to further explore my vocational call of social justice.

I’ve been involved in social justice issues since middle school, beginning with learning about women’s rights and later expanding horizons to be more involved with social justice issues relating to world hunger and diverse representation. The Gathering aided me in finding a way to better connect these issues to my faith life. During my Interactive Learning day, I was able to explore and talk with different organizations and ministries of the ELCA in the social justice space from immigration law to advocating for a better life for farmers across the globe. Along with my peers, I learned how I can get involved with these organizations. 

For me, the speakers at Mass Gathering emphasized the importance of faith communities and the support they give in relation to an individual’s vocation. We heard from strong speakers about a range of subjects, but the one that still sticks out to me over a year later is Maria Rose Belding. Maria founded and directs MEANS database, which helps distribute food across the country. Her words about the struggles of being a teenager and finding a way to fix and advocate for a unique problem inspired and reminded me of my vocation and how to find parallels with faith life and vocation instead of keeping them separate. 

While these were the areas of the Gathering that inspired me personally, there were countless other activities and speakers that could speak to other youth which is what creates the vast outreach of the Gathering.

Sophia Behrens is a freshman at Valparasio University. Throughout high school, Sophia was active in the ELCA Youth Core Leadership Team, her home congregation, and supporting ELCA World Hunger. Sophia was also a part of the 2021 Theme Discernment team for the ELCA Youth Gathering. 

by: Rev. Daniel Locke

For years, on the dashboard of my first car, sat a green and blue hacky sack. It looked like a small globe. It was well worn and faded by sunlight. This hacky-sack was a reminder of one of the most powerful experiences of my life – the 2003 ELCA Youth Gathering in Atlanta. GA.

When I first met the Gathering in 2003 (“Ubuntu: Do Life”), I was overwhelmed – not only by the immensity of the Gathering – but by life as well. For starters, I was an awkward, too-often-bullied high school band geek, who also kept the bench warm for two varsity sports teams. I was a thespian and a boy scout. And if that wasn’t enough, my dad was commuting long-distance to seminary, my mom was fighting cancer, and my only sibling was attending college. I was wrestling with my identity, longing to find my place and voice in life, and, most of all, I blamed God for it all.

So, I attended the 2003 Gathering with what I consider to be a reasonable amount of skepticism and disdain for faith, as well as a greenish-blue hacky sack. Every spare moment prompted a game of hacky sack, inviting anyone to join. As the circle grew so did my opportunity to meet my peers from around the world – who were also longing to figure out who they were.

It’s been almost two decades since I attended that Gathering and I am still processing the impact of that experience. The more I reflect, the clearer it becomes that the Gathering had such a positive, long-lasting effect not only on my faith formation and relationship with God, but on my understanding of the Church as well.

Obviously, one week in Atlanta did not resolve my struggles. It is 16 years later and I still wrestle. But now I wrestle with confidence and hope. The Gathering invited me into a safe space to wrestle with my identity, not only in Christ but my place in the world as well. It taught me that I am not alone. I left the Gathering with an overwhelming appreciation for the size of the church and my place in it. Lastly, and most of all, the Gathering taught me about the beauty of God’s unconditional grace; for I am named, claimed, blessed, and sealed, and there is no amount of wandering, waiting, or wrestling that can change truth.

The Rev. Daniel Locke lives in Jacksonville, FL with his wife, the Rev. Sarah Locke, and their 1-year-old son, Bennet. Daniel serves the people of St. Mark’s Lutheran Church. In 2018, Daniel served the Gathering as the Technical Manager for the Interactive Learning Center. He is excited to serve the Gathering’s Interactive Learning team once again in 2021.