2015 National Youth Gathering
Every three years the ELCA holds the ELCA Youth Gathering. This year the gathering was in Detroit. Sheridan sent seven people to the Gathering this year. Without the support of the congregation we would not have been able to attend. We are so thankful that we got to have this experience. The seven of us spent some time cleaning up the community, praying for the community and just being a part of it. Each evening we got to worship with 30,000 other Lutherans. The worship was moving and meaningful. It was very cool to get to sing praise songs with 30,000 voices singing strong. The theme for the gathering this year was Rise Up Together. All of our students did just that on this trip. They rose above the fear of an unknown city past stereotypes and committed to walk with Detroit. All of the students that attended had meaningful experiences. Below are some of their reflections form the trip.
Sheridan’s Gathering group
“I had the time of my life while I was in Detroit. I saw God at work everywhere I turned to make the city what it is now, and what it will continue to grow into. I heard so many touching stories of the speakers that made me realize I have to be grateful for everything I have and not take advantage of it. The most amazing part for me was when we were doing our Proclaim Justice day and a man pulled up to us and got out of his car and thanked our entire group for helping to make that area look nice. I learned not to base my thoughts off of stereotypes because those aren’t always true. This trip helped me to prove my faith, and for that I will forever be thankful!” – Ashley Svik
“Going into the mission trip I was confused about the rumors I had always heard about the city of Detroit and wondered if it was really as bad as everyone said it was. During our service day and getting to meet some of the locals it was apparent to me that they were just normal people living normal lives, be it they may have had more fiscal problems than others. Working for the city of Detroit opened my eyes to the gratefulness people had even if all we did was clear some vegetation from an alley and picked up some trash on a corner. Having people react the way they did was what hit me the hardest during our trip to Detroit.” – Eric Ullman
“The trip to Detroit was a great experience for me to learn how God helps people with just the little things. Before I went to Detroit I had a different look on the city but once we met the people living there it changed my view on Detroit. The Lord was working all over Detroit when we were there and is still helping the people. For our community service day we cleaned up trash around a neighborhood as well as trimming bushes in that neighborhood. The people were very happy we were there. They came out and thanked us for cleaning up their neighborhood. My fellow participants were always in a good mood, we would walk down the street and other participants would high five us and greet us with a smile. You could tell that everyone was happy to be there. I want to say thank you to everyone who helped support us by attending our fundraising activities and praying for us while we were on the trip. This trip showed me how God can work to make a community happy.” – Morgan Henning
“The week I spent at the ELCA Youth Gathering was great. I got new friends and spiritual growth. The people there were great and made us feel welcome. I was also moved when a man came to thank us for what we were doing. All and all I had fun in Detroit, despite the lack of a particular ponytail (from Parking Wars).” – Connor Tryon