Youth who love like Jesus

If you had walked into the Embassy Suites Hotel in Greensboro in late February for a relaxing weekend away, you might have been surprised to find approximately 500 youth and adults gathered for a weekend focused on how to Love Like Jesus. The eight youth who are the NC Synod’s Lutheran Youth Organization (LYO) board planned, organized, and led the entire weekend (including the food menus) where they were the church together. There were large group gatherings, small group times, meals with new and old friends, amazing music (led by youth,) inspired worship, a blacklight dance, and more. At every LYO Assembly, faith is shared, friendships are made, and there’s plenty of fun.

For the fourth year in a row, the synod’s Engage the Bible Task Force (formerly Book of Faith team) has sponsored “Tell It!,” a video contest for congregational youth groups to re-tell a Bible story. The top five entries were chosen by the task group and sent to the LYO Assembly for a final vote where the top three win prizes. This year, St. Philip, Raleigh, won $3000 for their version of “David & Goliath,” Christ the King, Cary, won $2000 for “Noah’s Ark—Redone,” and Macedonia, Burlington, shared “The Story of Utticus” for $1000. The prizes are higher than normal during an ELCA Youth Gathering year and there were a record number of wonderful submissions this year; the decisions were tough.

Cathryn Hewett, Director of High School Ministries at St. Philip, Raleigh, shares this story about her youth and their first-place video, “Our youth met a couple of youth from Emmanuel, High Point, at Teens Encounter Christ in January and we were excited to see them again at LYO and especially in Emmanuel’s video. When Emmanuel did not place in the “Tell It!” competition, our youth decided to share our winnings, understanding that Emmanuel has financial needs for the ELCA Youth Gathering as much as or more-so than we have. It seemed like the right thing to do and was an easy and unanimous decision for us to make.” Wow! How generous! And, that story led to other winners also sharing so that all of the top five youth groups were awarded prize money.

At LYO Assembly and all across the NC Synod, there are youth who share generously, youth who lead well, youth who make beautiful music, youth who welcome, youth who share their story and God’s story, and youth who show up. There are youth who question and youth who answer, youth who cry and youth who comfort, youth who consume 123 pizzas in no time flat, youth who dance and youth who enjoy board games. Most importantly, there are youth who love like Jesus and youth who are the church together! Noah, a young man from Grace, Hendersonville, shared that he enjoys coming to the LYO Assembly each year because, “everyone is so friendly, caring, and accepting.”

Noah finds the friendly, caring, and accepting atmosphere a wonderful place to live out his faith and be nurtured in Christian community. It is, in part, your kindness through your gifts of Mission Support that helps equip and encourage youth through attending our synod’s LYO Assembly. You make this possible. You equip and encourage adults in your congregation to lead youth. You make it possible for youth and adults to attend LYO Assembly and other synod youth events. You provide role models for inviting, caring, accepting, loving, and giving. We are the church together!

Give to the NC Synod’s Mission Support!