The National Youth Gathering was a blast! It was truly a great event and a wonderful time to share with our youth! I would like to say a huge thank you to our leaders and adults who helped make the trip possible. Shout out to Adam McConnell, Natalya Legvold, Tyler Weller, and our Xperience leaders, who made us packed lunches on two occasions!

The last Youth Gathering was held in 2018 in Houston, TX. The last two attempts were cancelled due to Covid. This year, it was happening! As all 16,000 Lutherans gathered in New Orleans, it was obvious that everyone was glad the wait was over, and we were ready to worship! There was so much energy and excitement! It was like there had been no interruption, but rather, we had picked up where we left off in 2018!

Our schedule each day was different. There were so many things to do! We were invited to learn about the culture of New Orleans and explore the city. We were scheduled for a service project. We had a day where we went to the Interactive Learning Center to see all of the ministries and projects going on in the wider Church. We looked forward to Mass Gathering every evening where we heard speakers and some amazing vocalists. In addition to the Gathering, our Xperience Band led two events, worship for our Region 9 Day and playing their show as an option for community night life.

We had devotions every evening to talk about the day’s events and to process what we had learned. It was inspiring to see so many people on fire about their relationship with God! We met people from different places and exchanged little trinkets from our congregations. My favorite was this little Jesus figurine. I’m going to hold on to this one!

As wonderful as it was, it could not last forever.

We couldn’t stay suspended in that rapid momentum.  While the pace was exciting and engaging, it was unsustainable; and I don’t think New Orleans could have stood the overwhelming presence forever. They may have even had a small sigh of relief once we stopped jamming up their restaurants!

However, we don’t need the Gathering to last forever. Its power was in its intensity and intention. It was the power of the Church. The power of our singing. The power of our service. The power of God’s presence among us.

We can compare these experiences to an airport. I reference airports because I have been spending a lot of time in them lately. We are not meant to stay at an airport, but rather, come through and get connected to the next destination. In the same way, that is what Church is meant to be, a way to connect the blessings of God to the world.