The 2025 LCMS Youth Gathering took place in New Orleans, La., July 19–23. Over 20,000 participants attended, of which 997 were from the Michigan District.
Several churches from the Ann Arbor/Jackson area teamed up and chartered a bus together to go to New Orleans. The churches included St. Paul, Ann Arbor; University Lutheran Chapel, Ann Arbor; Trinity, Jackson; Redeemer, Jackson; Holy Trinity, Lakeview (English District) and The Vine, Grand Rapids. Wesley Shasko, a member of St. Paul, Ann Arbor and one of the adult leaders, described attending the Youth Gathering (a first for him) as a great way to reconnect with his faith at a deeper level. He said that being able to spend time together with his son in that setting—being surrounded by people of the same faith and seeing examples of faith being lived out—was a remarkable experience.
Shasko appreciated that there were sectionals geared specifically toward the adult leaders, and says they were very helpful for his spiritual life, with lots of practical applications. The most exciting part of the Gathering were the mass events, as he summed up: “fun concerts and being with the youth and adults from the group in a crowd of 20,000 people.” The Michigan District event was also a high point: “It was really nice being able to talk and break bread with others in the District and reconnect with people from around the state. It was a time to relax and have fun, not being in the busy-ness of the Gathering,” said Shasko.
But the highest point of the experience for him was to see his son, Ryan, sing with the Gathering choir at the closing worship. (In total, 13 Michigan youth participated in the Gathering choir and/or wind ensemble.) It was a full circle moment for his family, as Dr. Kurt von Kampen, the choir director, had been the director at Lutheran High School Westland when Shasko’s wife, Ellen, was a student there.
St. Paul, Trenton posted this recap on its Facebook page: “The 2025 LCMS National Youth Gathering took place in New Orleans, La., and was both fun and inspiring. Eleven youth and four adult leaders from St. Paul, Trenton attended the event, centered around the theme Endure, which focused on enduring in Jesus, enduring as a people, and enduring to the end. Despite scorching temperatures reaching 112 degrees, the group was thankful the rain held off all week—and yes, they endured! The week was filled with engaging speaker sessions, meaningful Bible study, impactful service projects, and powerful worship. This unforgettable experience not only strengthened participants’ faith in Jesus, but also deepened their bonds with one another.”
President Davis was at the Gathering for a day and said, “It was great to see so many young people from Michigan at this event. Certainly their experience in worship, fellowship, study, and hands-on ministry positions them to endure the challenges the world throws them in their walk of faith.”
Shasko liked the experience so much that he’s considering being a volunteer in the 2028 Gathering. To anyone who is thinking about going next time, he would definitely encourage you to pray about it and consider going: “It’s worth it emotionally and spiritually. It fills up your faith cup and sends you back with ideas to take to your church and discuss with the youth in your life.”
Randy Bickel, the Michigan District Coordinator for the LCMS Youth Gathering and Youth Director at St. Martin, Birch Run, shared: “Having the opportunity to serve as the Michigan District Coordinator allowed me to observe not only the youth of our congregation but also from our state, realize that they’re a part of God’s larger family that is usually beyond our comprehension on a Sunday morning! Something as simple as a youth being “pinned” with a clothespin decorated by another youth from a church from the opposite side of the country could trigger that surprise and realization. I was also blessed to observe the joy-filled reunions of many adults serving the youth in many different ways at the Gathering, who would often provide encouragement to each other to endure, not only for the short-term of the Gathering, but for the life-walk of faith.”
The next LCMS Youth Gathering will take place July 3–7, 2028 in San Antonio, Texas.
Photos courtesy of the many adult leaders from the churches mentioned in this article.
