Nebraska Synod ELCA

After the 2022 ELCA Youth Gathering was cancelled in early February, other summer opportunities for high school youth and their adult leaders began popping up.  Here’s a list of some alternatives to consider for young people in your ministry:

• Lutheran Disaster Response in Kentucky: Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Wahoo is planning to work with Lutheran Disaster Response efforts in Kentucky this summer sometime between July 6-14, and they have room on their bus for others to join them. To learn more, contact Judy Stukenholtz from Bethlehem.
• Multicultural Youth Justice Event: Designed as a virtual gathering for young people, especially young people of color, MYJ22 will be held July 21-23.  Small groups will gather in their locale in-person and then tune in virtually at the end of the day for music, speakers and worship.  More information can be found here.
• Nebraska Lutheran Outdoor Ministries:
  • Carol Joy Holling near Ashland will offer Whispering Winds summer camp for 9^th-12^th graders several weeks in June and July. They’ll also offer a Road Trip Adventure to the Black Hills June 26-July 1 and a Backpacking Trip to Colorado July 24-28.  More information can be found here.
  • Sullivan Hills near Lodgepole will offer Night Camp for youth in grades 7-12 from July 10-15, and you can learn more here.
• No Coast Regional Youth Gathering in Kansas: Camp Tomah Shinga, Bethany College and the Central States Synod of the ELCA are hosting a No Coast Regional Youth Gathering from July 23-27 in Kansas. Nebraskans are invited, and there’s more information here.
• Service Learning Camp in Duluth, Minnesota: Young people and their adult leaders from Southwood Lutheran Church in Lincoln will travel to Duluth, Minnesota this summer to take part in Service Learning Camp from June 19-26.  They are happy to welcome others to travel and serve along with them.  To find out more, contact Grace Johnson at Southwood.

If you’re still wondering what youth and their adult leaders from your area might do this summer, please feel free to contact Lisa Kramme, Director for Faith Formation with the Nebraska Synod, for brainstorming and connections.

For your future planning, the Nebraska Synod will host a Journey during the summer of 2023.  This ministry is typically offered during years when the ELCA Youth Gathering isn’t held.  More information will be available here by August 2022.  Also, please make a note in your calendar that the next ELCA Youth Gathering, along with the Multicultural Youth Leadership Event and the tAble, will be held in the summer of 2024.  To stay up to date, check out the Gathering’s website here.