Tim Lenz, Director of Youth and Family Minsitries
On July 5-9, seven youth along with sponsors Brannon Lloyd, Cindi Scruggs, Donna Salas, and Tim Lenz attended the triennial ELCA National Youth Gathering in San Antonio, TX. The youth had the opportunity to meet and interact with many of their peers in fellowship, worship, and prayer. Each day we all gathered together in the Alamodome in the company of thousands of excited Lutherans from various parts of the country to engage in song and be part of the biggest Bible studies I have ever witnessed! Heather Scruggs described her experience at the gathering by saying, “I really enjoyed meeting lots of new people and worshipping with 16,000 of my closest friends everyday!” Not only did our youth attend worship in the dome, but a few of them actually got the chance to participate in the service. Nathaniel, Timothy, and Matthew Winston were chosen to sing in the choir at closing worship. “It was amazing to have an opportunity to sing in front of thousands of people,” declared Matthew. Timothy said, “It was fun singing in the choir and getting a chance to meet new people from around the world.” Landon Schaeffer, Andrea Salas, and Michael Sandoz also attended the gathering.
Throughout the week we heard speakers from a variety of backgrounds and cultures, many of whom had to overcome great adversity and conflict to achieve greatness in the ELCA and around the world. The youth attended learning seminars on a variety of global issues along with building relationships and teamwork skills with our group on a ropes course in the adventure filled Interaction Center. Each day was filled with events from sunrise to sunset which gave the youth the opportunity to discover more about their faith and themselves.
Andrea Salas had the opportunity to stay longer in San Antonio to represent our synod as a voting delegate for the triennial Lutheran Youth Organization (LYO) Convention to discuss critical issues and to make strategic decisions for the organization.
Great appreciation goes out to Christ the King Church for all of your support. Without all the generous donations, this once in a life time experience would not have been possible. Thank you once again for all the gracious support! We are planning an evening for the congregation to view a slideshow of our trip. The youth participants will describe their experience at the gathering and express their gratitude to everyone. Date to be announced soon.