It can be a little lonely here out west.
That’s what led to the formation of the Western States Youth Gathering in the 1980s, but its key tenets of faith formation, relationship, and discipleship has kept it going since then, all the way through to 2026 and its latest iteration, A Faith Odyssey, arriving on the campus of California Lutheran University this summer, June 28-July 1.
Held every three years, the event is intended to be a precursor to the following year’s ELCA nationwide youth gathering.
“It’s a great prep event for kids going to the gathering the following year,” said Tom Hoegel, team leader for logistics and production for the Western States Youth Gathering. “It’s a bit smaller but has the feel of something big. And for leaders, it’s sort of a practice run for what it’s like to manage your kids at a youth gathering.”
The planning team is doing a lot of intentional work to create that big feel, including an increased emphasis on diversity from the platform.
“We have something different every day on the main stage,” said Pastor Sarah Sumner-Eisenbraun, another member of the planning team, “but the thread that will tie it all together is that we will have a fully bilingual worship music and liturgy that will be woven throughout the entire event. I’m really excited about that.”
The planning team has also welcomed young voices to ensure the event speaks well to those who will be there.
“We have a lot of young adult and youth leadership, because we want this to be an event that’s being shaped by the voices of our youth and young adults,” Sumner-Eisenbraun said.
One such young voice is Maya Goehner, a recent graduate of California Lutheran University and the Media/Publicity Team Lead for the Western States Youth Gathering, who began attending these gatherings as a teenager.
“It was a formative event because I was going into high school when I went to my first Western States Youth Gathering,” Goehner said. “It was quite an experience to spend three days straight with other peers who were of the same faith from all over the country, and to see the similarities in our Lutheran theology but also some of the different practices we had in youth group.”
“I found it interesting to hear different speakers,” Goehner continued, “because you usually grow up with one or two pastors, so to hear speakers talk about faith in a different way was a way for me to think deeper about my faith. And even the music, too, being able to hear different worship songs and styles revitalized my faith.”
According to Sumner-Eisenbraun, this kind of presentation diversity is baked into the ethos of the planning team.
“We’re responsive to the needs of what we see in the lives of our young people, and that open spirit is what makes it so great,” she said. “We try to pay attention to what’s going on with them, what the needs are, what the question are, and make a space where we can talk about things together, be in conversation, and not get stuck in the ways we’ve always done things. It’s really collaborative, and I love that.”
And of course, it’s all done with the intent to capitalize on the sparks that are generated when a bunch of young people are gathered under one roof to deepen their collective faith.
“I love this event because it’s an amazing time to build community and to see our youth really shine and realize their gifts and voices in new ways,” said Sumner-Eisenbraun. “My hope is we can create that kind of experience, where youth leave determined to do more. That yes, they’ve made new friends and met some cool people, but they really want to step into their God-empowered gifts.”
For more information or to register for this year's event, visit the official Western States Youth Gathering website.
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