| Bethany Lutheran Church Red Lake Falls MN |
|
2027 ELCA Youth Gathering
Minneapolis, MN
To Sign Up: https://forms.gle/dncDcuBMeHau3Krt6
|
|
THEME Verse
To God - whose power now at work in us can do immeasurably more than we ask or imagine. -Ephesians 3:20 (Inclusive) |
|
The ELCA Youth Gathering 2027 is officially happening in Minneapolis, Minnesota, from June 28 to July 2, 2027, bringing thousands of young Lutherans together for faith, worship, and community, with planning already underway for this major event. It's a large-scale gathering for high school youth (grades 8-12th graders in the fall of 2026) focusing on faith formation, service, and exploring their calling in the church.
Key Details:
|
ELCA Youth Gathering
History: Every three years, thousands of high schoolers and their adult leaders from across the ELCA come together for the ELCA Youth Gathering. It’s not just an event but a movement in which faith ignites and community comes alive. Through inspiring speakers, experiential learning and transformative connections, young people experience the church in bold, unforgettable ways. Each night, participants share a unique faith experience through high-energy worship and powerful storytelling. The Gathering is an opportunity to ask big questions, grow in faith and be part of something bigger than yourself. Our mission: The ELCA Youth Gathering, a unique community by size and scope, exists to accompany young people in their faith journey. Through experiential learning, worship, and intentional community, participants will be both affirmed and challenged in their faith. Our vision: Inspire a movement of young people to boldly live out their faith. |
Logistics
|
Daily Themes
Imagine More LOVE Imagine More WELCOME Imagine More GRACE Imagine More JOY Imagine More COURAGE |
Schedule
|
Daily Bible Stories
Jesus Calms the Sea Call of Matthew Prodigal Son Resurrection and naming of Mary Woman at the Well |
Imagine More
To God – whose power now at work in us can do immeasurably more than we ask or imagine. Ephesians 3:20 (Inclusive)
To every one of you attending the Gathering for the first time ...
To every one of you doubting that you are worthy of God’s love ...
To every one of you who has called the church your spiritual home but still wanders in and out ...
To every one of you facing a life-altering change in the days ahead ...
To every one of you grieving the death of someone you love ...
To every one of you who believes God does not know your name ...
To every one of you experiencing the promise of resurrection in a new way in your life ...
To every one of you wondering if there is a place for you here ...
We invite you to imagine.
Imagine arms wrapped around you in love. Imagine a place for you at the table. Imagine a word of forgiveness shared with you. Imagine the sense of joy when you witness the unthinkable happening. Imagine a world waiting to hear your voice.
Imagine more.
The power of God at work in us is a measure not of our own strength but of God’s limitless ability. God is the source of our encouragement and hope, always surpassing our expectations. Ephesians 3:20 comes from a section of Paul’s letter in which he prays for the early Christians in Ephesus, a major city of the Roman Empire:
For this reason I bow my knees before [God], from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name. I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to [God] who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to [God] be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever (Ephesians 3:14-21).
In Ephesus, followers of Jesus faced social rejection, opposition and even violence because Jesus’ message stood in direct opposition to the pagan goddess Artemis. Our own world distinctly parallels the times Paul references in his letter. He stresses God’s love, God’s forgiveness of sins and the unity of those who believe in Christ.
Through the Gathering, young people come together to experience that unity and understand their role in the community of the larger church. We recognize both the joy of community and the unique role of each participant as they return to their individual communities after this life-changing event. The apostle Paul sought to provide for the needs of the Ephesians with encouragement, hope and confidence in God’s faithfulness. The needs of faithful young people today are much the same.
Imagine more love. (Mark 4:35-41 — Jesus Calms the Sea)
Imagine more welcome. (Matthew 9:9-13 — A Place at the Table)
Imagine more grace. (Luke 15:11-32 — The Prodigal Son)
Imagine more joy. (John 20:1-18 — Resurrection and Naming Mary)
Imagine more courage. (John 4:1-42 — The Woman at the Well)
The ministry of the Gathering seeks to remind young people that God is already at work in them for the sake of the whole world. Often there are pressures and fears that limit their sense of worth and their ability to change the world. Through the death and resurrection of Jesus and the presence of the Holy Spirit, God invites young people to imagine more, immeasurably more, for their own lives, the city of Minneapolis, the body of Christ and the life of the world.
Will you imagine more with us in Minneapolis?
To God – whose power now at work in us can do immeasurably more than we ask or imagine. Ephesians 3:20 (Inclusive)
To every one of you attending the Gathering for the first time ...
To every one of you doubting that you are worthy of God’s love ...
To every one of you who has called the church your spiritual home but still wanders in and out ...
To every one of you facing a life-altering change in the days ahead ...
To every one of you grieving the death of someone you love ...
To every one of you who believes God does not know your name ...
To every one of you experiencing the promise of resurrection in a new way in your life ...
To every one of you wondering if there is a place for you here ...
We invite you to imagine.
Imagine arms wrapped around you in love. Imagine a place for you at the table. Imagine a word of forgiveness shared with you. Imagine the sense of joy when you witness the unthinkable happening. Imagine a world waiting to hear your voice.
Imagine more.
The power of God at work in us is a measure not of our own strength but of God’s limitless ability. God is the source of our encouragement and hope, always surpassing our expectations. Ephesians 3:20 comes from a section of Paul’s letter in which he prays for the early Christians in Ephesus, a major city of the Roman Empire:
For this reason I bow my knees before [God], from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name. I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to [God] who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to [God] be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever (Ephesians 3:14-21).
In Ephesus, followers of Jesus faced social rejection, opposition and even violence because Jesus’ message stood in direct opposition to the pagan goddess Artemis. Our own world distinctly parallels the times Paul references in his letter. He stresses God’s love, God’s forgiveness of sins and the unity of those who believe in Christ.
Through the Gathering, young people come together to experience that unity and understand their role in the community of the larger church. We recognize both the joy of community and the unique role of each participant as they return to their individual communities after this life-changing event. The apostle Paul sought to provide for the needs of the Ephesians with encouragement, hope and confidence in God’s faithfulness. The needs of faithful young people today are much the same.
Imagine more love. (Mark 4:35-41 — Jesus Calms the Sea)
Imagine more welcome. (Matthew 9:9-13 — A Place at the Table)
Imagine more grace. (Luke 15:11-32 — The Prodigal Son)
Imagine more joy. (John 20:1-18 — Resurrection and Naming Mary)
Imagine more courage. (John 4:1-42 — The Woman at the Well)
The ministry of the Gathering seeks to remind young people that God is already at work in them for the sake of the whole world. Often there are pressures and fears that limit their sense of worth and their ability to change the world. Through the death and resurrection of Jesus and the presence of the Holy Spirit, God invites young people to imagine more, immeasurably more, for their own lives, the city of Minneapolis, the body of Christ and the life of the world.
Will you imagine more with us in Minneapolis?
|
|
2024 ELCA Youth Gathering
|
|
Created to Be theme
We have been created to be ourselves. Created by the Holy One. Since the last time the ELCA came together for an ELCA Youth Gathering, our young people have experienced several major life events. Still today, we are experiencing an ongoing public health crisis mixed with an economic and political crisis. However, we can rest assured that we are created to be in relationship with one another.
We are created to be brave, to show up with an open mind and heart, willing to be challenged.
We are created to be authentic, to bring our whole selves and know that we are loved by our Creator.
We are created to be free, to be transformed by the gospel.
We are created to be disruptive, to work for justice for all our siblings.
We are created to be disciples, to be sent out into the world to love our neighbor just as we are loved by God.
Our host city, New Orleans, has always been its true, authentic self. Our theme, “Created to Be,” highlights the arts, music and soul of this beautiful, vibrant and resilient city. New Orleans was built to host and be a city where all God’s children come together.
We plan to dive deeper into justice, mental health and anti-racism conversations throughout the Gathering. These are hard conversations, but our church desperately needs to have them. We also hope to foster relationships and be a sanctuary for one another. We are saint and sinner simultaneously, and we need forgiveness when we aren’t or can’t be brave, authentic, free, disruptive disciples.
We have been created to be ourselves. Created by the Holy One. Since the last time the ELCA came together for an ELCA Youth Gathering, our young people have experienced several major life events. Still today, we are experiencing an ongoing public health crisis mixed with an economic and political crisis. However, we can rest assured that we are created to be in relationship with one another.
We are created to be brave, to show up with an open mind and heart, willing to be challenged.
We are created to be authentic, to bring our whole selves and know that we are loved by our Creator.
We are created to be free, to be transformed by the gospel.
We are created to be disruptive, to work for justice for all our siblings.
We are created to be disciples, to be sent out into the world to love our neighbor just as we are loved by God.
Our host city, New Orleans, has always been its true, authentic self. Our theme, “Created to Be,” highlights the arts, music and soul of this beautiful, vibrant and resilient city. New Orleans was built to host and be a city where all God’s children come together.
We plan to dive deeper into justice, mental health and anti-racism conversations throughout the Gathering. These are hard conversations, but our church desperately needs to have them. We also hope to foster relationships and be a sanctuary for one another. We are saint and sinner simultaneously, and we need forgiveness when we aren’t or can’t be brave, authentic, free, disruptive disciples.