ELCA Youth Gathering!


About this time next month, I will be with five youth and two other adults at the 2018 ELCA National Youth Gathering in Houston, Texas. Every Three years, 30, 000 high school youth and their adult leaders from across the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America gather for a week of faith formation known as the Gathering. Through days spent in interactive learning, worship, Bible study, service and fellowship, young people grow in faith and are challenged and inspired to live their faith in their daily lives.

This is really a once in a lifetime event unless someone returns as an adult leader in later years. Our journey begins June 25 with a two day bus ride to Houston. From our synod alone, around 700 students will be attending the event. We will not return to Wisconsin until July 2.

Gathering programming will take place in three main venues, NRG Stadium. NRG Arena and NRG Center, located just outside of downtown Houston in the entertainment complex known as NRG Park, a convention and sports entertainment complex. Can you imagine 30,000 people gathered for worship? That is the National Youth Gathering. All of those in attendance will have a service work day. Our service project may include hurricane/flood recovery work. It is less than five months since Hurricane Harvey brought damage to Houston and other coastal areas of Texas.

So, we ask for your prayers for safety and patience and enlightenment, for the youth on this trip: Allison, Bayat, Carson, Kidist, and Madeline, and their adult leaders: Beth and Lori. Oh, and me too!

Yours in Christ,

Pastor Bond

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