July 2022
Thanks and praise to God for our congregations’ youth groups and their leaders. The LCMS Northern Illinois District had 691 participants and 47 congregations represented that attended the 2022 National Youth Gathering held in Houston.
During the five days of the Gathering (July 9-13, 2022), an estimated 20,000 youth spent time together in God’s word, worship, service, and fellowship with others from across the Synod.
Held every 3 years since 1980, the LCMS Youth Gathering (NYG) provides thousands of youth and adults the opportunity to come together as a community of God’s people to learn more about Jesus Christ, the Christian faith and their Lutheran identity. This event is organized by LCMS Youth Ministry in Saint Louis, Missouri. The next Gathering takes place in 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana.
This year, the LCMS Northern Illinois District’s traditional District Event was held as a State Event for the first time. All three of the LCMS Districts (LCMS Northern Illinois, LCMS Central Illinois, and LCMS Southern Illinois) combined efforts to host one event attended by all the Illinoisans. We are blessed that Illinois has three Districts which work closely together and support each other well.
May God use gatherings such as the NYG to encourage and lead our LCMS youth into professional church work as their life vocation. ‘The harvest field is plentiful, but the workers are few’.
We thank Concordia University Chicago for sponsoring a portion of the state event and several faculty and staff for attending along with 
CUC President Dawn. Charlie T. Cougar was a highlight as well. We thank our LCEF DVP, Joe Willmann for sponsoring a portion of the NID Youth Gathering District t-shirts. We are stronger together!
NID staff President Allan R. Buss, Rev. John Prohl, and Lois Stewart were able to attend and participate in supporting roles for the Gathering. Very critical to our own District’s success were LCMS Youth Gathering District Coordinators Hannah Russell and David Meier.
God was at work and blessed the worship, sessions, service projects, and fellowship. And, our work together is supported by Resolution 3-01 from the District’s 2022 Convention: Congregations can have a greater impact for the Gospel by working closely together. We are many faces, but one faith, serving the people for the sake of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The NID’s support of work of National Youth Gathering fits hand-in-hand with all of the NID’s mission pillars:
WORD: Helping congregations be more centered on a rich life of Word and Sacrament, with congregational support in transitions as well as time of joys and sorrows.
WELLNESS: Promoting and encouraging health and vitality in congregations, schools, ministries, professional workers and lay-leaders.
WITNESS: Encouraging personal witnessing, congregational engagement with their community, support of our NID partnerships and missions and sharing in a world mission field together.