Best youth gathering. Ever. In July of 2015, the ELCA Youth Gathering was held in Detroit. Pastor Bryan and I were able to travel to Detroit with approximately 12 youth and 3 other adults from the churches we were serving at the time. It was special to welcome thousands of ELCA youth to Michigan and to walk back and forth from our hotel to Ford Field for the evening gatherings past familiar landmarks.
One of the things that was most meaningful was that the people of Detroit noticed us. Those who lived and worked in the area wondered why suddenly there were all these kids walking around in neon-colored t-shirts. In a news story, one person was quoted as saying that “it looked like a bag of skittles had exploded downtown.”
People noticed us and then the word spread that there was a whole group of Christians who were there not to judge but to learn, celebrate, and serve. The experience of traveling to and participating in the ELCA Youth Gathering is exhausting and joyful. For some, it is life changing.
Registration will soon open for the 2027 ELCA Youth Gathering to be held in Minneapolis. I’m looking forward to whatever new experiences it will bring. Thank you to all of you who have helped make this experience possible for our youth. Thanks for buying Christmas wreaths and candy bars. Thank you for supporting pop can drives and spaghetti dinners. Thank you to all of you who have traveled with the youth as chaperones.
We are about to begin that cycle again and I hope you will encourage the youth in your congregation and in your life to consider attending. There are many congregations in our synod who travel together to form a bigger group. There are scholarship opportunities to help meet the cost. There are youth leaders who will gladly assist you in making plans. Maybe I will even see you there — look for me in a bright orange shirt!
+Bishop Julie