HOUSTON TRIP
I was really excited about the trip to Houston because I love exploring new places. Even the 34 hours on the bus was fun at times. We played games and got to know one another. Houston was so different from Boise. People walked everywhere. You don’t see that much here. There were some really tall buildings. I experienced the subway/train system for the first time. The residents of Houston were really understanding about all of the kids packing the trains. Passengers asked us questions about where we were from and why we came to Houston. We were able to tell them about the ELCA Youth Gathering. Continue reading
A reflection from Colter Sprague, 10th grade.
Thanks to Hope’s generosity, I was able to attend the 2018 ELCA Youth Gathering in Houston, Texas. This was my first time to attend a youth gathering. During this week, I saw God’s love emerge in many different ways. When we first arrived, we joined 31,000 Lutheran youth and I witnessed their compassion and support of each other even though we were complete strangers. One of the things we did in our congregation was to help weed a garden and do landscape maintenance of community members needing help. The Treasure Valley youth all cooperated and showed love towards these people we barely knew. We ate with them and talked with them and became friends in a very short time. In my opinion, I thought that was amazing that our congregation helped these people in God’s name.
On Sunday of our visit to Houston…
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A reflection from Ben Miller, 10th grade.
Hope. What a fascinating concept. Desmond Tutu said, “Hope is being able to see the light despite all the darkness.” Being able to see the light in the dark. During the youth gathering I listened as half a dozen people stood in front of 30,000 high school students and told us about the most embarrassing mistakes and how they fought through them using hope. Even when they lost it for the longest times. Even when they couldn’t see God. God was there to let them see the light in the dark. Whether it was physical like drug or pill abuse, mental like starving yourself because you think you will never be good enough, or emotional like letting yourself fall because of what people say. God was there to let them lean on a stable arm. To hold out the light of hope for…
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Leah Schade’s article in Patheos paints a beautiful portrait of what the ELCA Gathering was this year for people coming from places (such as her home, Kentucky, and my home, Idaho) where ELCA Lutherans are not the majority. My colleague Casey Cross did a great job in her Gathering Roundup of describing the experience the youth and adults from Hope, Trinity, Redeemer, Faith, and St. Paul had. I commend their articles to you. My Gathering 2018 wrap-up is going to introduce you to seven specific people/memories/moments. Continue reading
The ELCA Youth Gathering has a long history, and an even longer lineage, going back to 1902. Do you think that the Youth Gathering will be coming to Minneapolis in 2021 for the first time? Think again. This will be the 14th time that this event will be held in the City of Lakes.
Thanks to John Hulden, who sent us this information. Thanks to David Halaas for requesting the information from the ELCA Archivist. And thanks to Joel Thoreson, the ELCA’s Archivist for Management, Reference, and Technology for keeping track of this great information!
Here’s the history of the Gathering in the ELCA and its predecessor church bodies, including the themes (when available) and any special, notable facts:
ELCA Youth Gatherings (1988-Present)
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Just over two years ago, I presented the dream of Hope sending youth to not one, but two youth gatherings – the 2017 Western States Youth Gathering with the theme of DREAM BIG and the 2018 ELCA Youth Gathering in Houston with the theme of THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING. Hope captured the dream and answered the call, supporting us through our various fundraisers and buoying us in our journey with prayer. Thank you! We will never forget the experiences shared and the ways we have grown during these two summers.
It is fitting that our first night at the Gathering in Houston focused on call. It was God’s call that brought over 31,000 of us to that one specific time and place. On this first night, we heard from six speakers, including the ELCA’s Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton. They shared their unique stories of God’s call in their lives. Our…
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Checked out of our hotel
Took our last trip on the Metro
Worshiped at NRG: heard Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton preach and communed with over 30,000 friends
Boarded the bus and started the journey home
Stopped for dinner and a group photo
Brunch at Harry’s
A trip to Hermann Park and the zoo gift shop
The Interaction Center
Another amazing night in the stadium
This morning we all had to be up earlier for our service project, but we did have a late start because it was so early all of us slept through our alarms and a lot of us were leaving with an empty stomach. Our service project was helping in a small local garden called Harry Holmes Healthy Harvest Community Garden. The work we had to do was thankfully not very laborious and it wasn’t stressful, it was only pulling the weeds in the beds. Even though it wasn’t much we all had a lot of fun and it was a good time to get to know the city a little bit more. There were three very sweet old ladies that we got to know and we had some great discussions with them, they talked about the hurricane last year which was very interesting. When lunch came we all were very exited for some food and enjoyed the tasty local sandwiches. Later we went to the service party and got to wonder off in groups and enjoy the activities set up, there were some familiar games like Gaga ball, nine-square in the air, and four-square. They also had a whole room with blow-up obstacle courses and some really interesting active games. Waiting in the line before the Mass Gathering was hard because of the extremely hot weather and all the body heat surrounding all of us wasn’t helping much. Tonights Mass Gathering was personally my favorite so far, we had good seats, we were more energetic and all the speakers and performances were awesome tonight. I can not pick a favorite thing from tonight.
“You are magnificently imperfect.”-Nadia Boltz-Weber
“There’s Grace for that.”-the Rev. Will Starkweather
“It makes no sense, but this is God’s grace”-Michaela Shelley
“You matter, you are loved, and there is no limit to God’s grace.”-Elizabeth Peter
-Madelyn Wambolt, Redeemer Lutheran
photos from the leaders
 | Dr John A on Pentecost with St. Mark’… |
 | Martin on Highlights from the Treasure… |
 | Jessica Nipp Hacker on End of a Road Trip |
 | Peg S-A on Last Minute Thoughts – Penteco… |
 | Carolyn Manlove on Answering “How are … |
A Place at the Table 