By: Krista Smith : August 07 2018 :
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If I had to use one word to describe my experience at the Gathering this year, it would be “WOW”! Through five days of learning, service, and fun, the Gathering brought me closer to God and my fellow Lutherans than ever before. Seeing stories of how others have gone through troubled times encouraged me to help others, and seeing how those people found their own callings through God motivated me to find my own vocation in the world. Overall, the Gathering inspired me and many other Lutherans to learn more about our faith and how we can use it to help others and the world.
When I first walked into the Mass Gathering out of the burning heat of Houston, Texas, I was amazed. Our small group, alongside 30,000 other Lutherans, had waited outside the NRG Stadium for a long time with very few things to do. With that in mind, think about how crazy it would be to walk into a room filled to the brim with lights, sounds, and cool, refreshing AC! It really was a HUGE change of scenery; the wait was certainly worth it. After everyone had come in, the nightly show began - the music was played so loudly that you could feel it in your bones, and the speakers told stories and lessons that went right to your heart. The joy that filled that stadium each night could not be stopped by anything, and a part of it still remains within me today.
Then there were the specific, congregational-based activities. Our first, Synod Day, was a day based in learning the Word of God with people within our own individual synods, ours being the Northeast Ohio Synod. On Synod Day, our congregations mixed together so that we could learn as a whole and realize that although we may live in different places, our beliefs are the same. We also got to listen to Bishop Eaton speak, as well as the bishop of our own synod, Bishop Allende. After Synod Day, we got to work with other congregations on our Service Day. Our congregations, along with others from our synod (and one from California!) got to create a community garden for the local school. The final thing we did as a congregation was our Interactive Learning Day, in which we got to learn about how the ELCA supports people around the world and how we can help. Interactive Learning also had another side… ACTIVITIES! Through fun activities such as bumper cars, mini-golf and more, we got to learn even more about our church in an exciting way. Each day introduced a new method of learning about the ELCA and learning about God, and each day made learning even more fun.
In the end, my time at the Gathering strengthened my faith and brought me closer to God. I can use what I’ve learned to support not only our church community, but also people around the world. Thank you to everyone who supported our trip to the Gathering - what I’ve learned will not go to waste.
