LCC’s twelfth triennial youth gathering takes place in Winnipeg

by Michelle Heumann

The 2022 National Youth Gathering – LCC’s twelfth – took place in Winnipeg on July 15 to 19. The NYG’s mission statement is “providing opportunities for Lutheran youth to grow in faith and relationship with others as the body of Christ,” and approximately 140 youth, leaders, volunteers, and exhibitors gathered for four exciting days of visiting, singing, learning, playing, sharing, and serving. 

The main speaker for the gathering was Rev. Eric Moffett, Associate Pastor at Foothills Lutheran Church in Calgary, and the theme was “In Not Of,” based on “But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 3:20). 

When introducing the theme before the gathering, Rev. Moffett wrote: “It can be hard to see the differences between being IN the world but not OF the world, but imagine having one foot standing in this world and one in heaven. Your citizenship is in heaven through faith in Christ, but while we are living in this world we don’t turn our backs on it; rather, we reach out and share the love of Christ with all those around us.” 

For the first time ever, the NYG’s main sessions and worship services were livestreamed and will remain available on their YouTube Channel. Main sessions at a youth gathering usually involve some singing, some fun and announcements with the MC, some kind of skits or drama, and teaching and prayer by the main speaker. 

This year’s MC was Rev. Scott Brayall, who kept everyone laughing with a gross food-based game show. Singing during the sessions and services was led by Peace by Peace, the music team from Peace Lutheran Church in Winnipeg, who were back for their second Winnipeg NYG. They also wrote the gathering theme song, “Make Us Your Light.”

The dramas were written and presented by Rev. Scott Gamble, who brought the stories of two fictional cousins, Immer (living in exile in Babylon) and Pash (tending his family orchard in Israel), placing them during the historical events taking place around 590 BC. Immer struggles with living as a Hebrew in a foreign land surrounded by false gods, and Pash struggles with depression stemming from the grief and trauma of living in a time of violent political upheaval. Each cousin has a prophet who speaks God’s comfort and promises into his life – Daniel in Babylon, and Jeremiah in Israel – reminding the cousins, and the gathering attendees, of God’s love and promises, and His sovereignty. 

Rev. Moffett used scripture, pop culture, sports, and personal experiences to teach on the theme over five sessions, discussing the hope of heaven and the struggles of living in the world. He concluded the last session by reminding the attendees that “our citizenship is not here and we await the Lord, our Saviour, Jesus Christ, the one who has perfected us, the one who has made us righteous in God’s eyes, the one who has constantly and always been working in our lives to bring us to this place, and now we get to go in His love and share it with others. Let’s do so with joy.” 

Each main session was followed by a small group Bible study, written by the NYG chaplain, Central Regional Pastor Rev. David Haberstock. The studies followed the Book of Daniel examining the topics of “The World and Us,” “Daniel in the World,” “Daniel’s Friends in the World,” and “Daniel Squeezed by the World.” The small group Bible studies were divided up by age and led by adult volunteers, giving youth a chance to discuss what they are learning and meet other youth in their age group, as well as other youth leaders. There were also study groups and devotion times for the leaders and volunteers, and youth groups had devotions together at the end of each day.  

The worship services – the opening service, Morning and Evening Prayer, Sunday’s Divine Service, and the closing service – were led by the chaplain, Rev. Haberstock, assisted by other pastors in attendance. His sermons connected baptism to the gathering’s theme, and at the closing service he concluded by reminding the group that “through baptism, you who are in this world were made citizens of the world to come, citizens of Christ’s kingdom, and no one, no one, can snatch you out of Christ’s nail-scarred hands.” 

On Sunday morning, LCC’s President, Rev. Timothy Teuscher, preached on the gathering theme verse, discussing the fact that Christians are strangers in a strange land with their citizenship in heaven. He reminded the gathering that the Apostle Paul, who wrote Philippians 3:20, recognized that his citizenship was in Heaven while living in the imprisonment that came along with his earthly, Roman citizenship.  

Rev. Teuscher also pointed out many of the differences between people who are citizens of the earth and people who recognize that they are citizens of heaven, including the fact that Christians are responsible for being good stewards of God’s creation even while recognizing that it is not their permanent home. 

Concluding with Ephesians 2:19-22, Rev. Teuscher reminded those gathered that “you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.” 

Another important part of learning at a gathering are the breakout sessions for youth, leaders, and young adults. There were 28 different sessions offered over four time slots, covering a wide range of different topics, led by church workers and experienced lay people. The most well-attended sessions were the ones on the topics of gender/sexuality and mental health, and other sessions included music, prayer, creation history, missions, church work vocations, and navigating the online world. Some of the breakout sessions were recorded, and the NYG hopes to make them available online over the next year. 

The NYG’s special guest speaker was LCMS DCE Cassie Moore, who serves as Director of NextGen Ministries at St. Mark Lutheran in Houston. An experienced youth leader with an excellent youth ministry book available through CPH, her wealth of experience and encouraging presence was a blessing to the youth leaders. 

Moore joined in one of the NYG’s virtual round tables before the gathering, and presented a leader training session and a Q&A at the gathering, along with a breakout session for youth and one for young adults. She also spent a lot of time getting to know the youth and leaders, sharing many words of encouragement and speaking highly of the work of the NYG committee. Plans are in the works for another virtual round table with her in the new year, to continue the youth leader training she began at the gathering. 

Youth leaders at the gathering were also invited to a round table discussion so the gathering planners could find out about the state of youth ministry in Canada in general, and specifically what would make youth leaders feel more equipped for this vocation, and what would engage more youth in wanting to come to gatherings. Despite the early hour on Sunday morning, there was a large turnout and an encouraging discussion. Youth leaders shared their joys and struggles, and the topics they’d like to learn more about so they can answer their youths’ questions. There was also a lot of discussion about the youth, young adult, and family ministry worker overture that was approved at Synod convention, and those who work and volunteer in youth ministry are very excited for all the potential that position holds. 

Gatherings aren’t all just learning through teaching, though. Servant events are another important traditional part of a NYG, and this year for the first time the whole group was able to serve the university community that hosted the gathering, as all of the servant events took place on campus. Most of the attendees helped in the two-acre community garden on the edge of campus, which was opened in 2017 as a way to support immigrant families living in the area; in 2019, it produced more than 70,000kgs of food, and served 200 families from 34 nationalities. 

On what was unfortunately the most humid day in Winnipeg since 1966, the NYG packed up after Sunday worship and went to the zoo. The Assiniboine Park Zoo is known for their conservation work, especially with polar bears that have been injured, and when choosing a location for the excursion, the NYG committee was excited to support this important stewardship work. And the polar bear exhibit is quite well air conditioned, so it was a hit for more than one reason! There was also an opportunity for the youth to complete a photo scavenger hunt and receive a small prize. 

Another highlight of a gathering is the games – there were games in the gym and in the quad, there were board games in the youth lounge, and there were Kahoot trivia games. There was even a paint night for those who wanted to be creative. 

Outside the main session area there were a number of exhibitors from different Lutheran organizations, and several of them had draws for prizes. As well, there was a passport to be filled out at each booth for an opportunity to win more prizes. 

A youth gathering couldn’t happen without a huge number of volunteers (well over 30 of them, not including the volunteer youth leaders!), and the committee is very thankful for everyone who gave their time and talents so that the NYG could happen. They are also thankful for the generous financial gifts from a number of organizations, congregations, and individuals. Financial donations help keep the registration costs low and make the gathering more affordable for youth and congregations. 

At the end of last main session, Arnold Drung and Grace Henderson thanked the NYG committee on behalf of LCC’s Board of Directors. “Synod means walking together,” Drung said, “and what we’re seeing while we’re here is people from congregations all across the country, from all of our regions, walking together, so we’re doing what it means to be synod. We’re worshipping together, we’re honouring God together, and it’s just a wonderful thing that we can do.”  

And what did the youth who came to the gathering have to say about it? “It was an honour to go to NYG,” Katie said, “it was the highlight of the summer.” Bruce said that he “had a blast at the NYG. I’m excited to go to the next one, and the friends I made were life-changing. Absolute 10/10 experience.” 

Gavin said that “if I could rewind time and go there again, I don’t think I would change a thing. The food there was amazing, the people there were so nice, I learned so much, and overall it was amazing. If you ever get a chance to go to NYG, I would take it!”

If you’ve never been to an NYG, watch for the news from the next committee about when and where to gather and take Gavin’s advice. Whether you attend as a youth, a leader, a volunteer, or an exhibitor, you can be part of the gathering’s mission of “providing opportunities for Lutheran youth to grow in faith and relationship with others as the body of Christ.” 

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Michelle Heumann is Regional News editor for The Canadian Lutheran magazine.

Learn more about LCC’s NYG at lccnyg.ca or lutheranchurchcanada.ca/nyg.

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