The Lutheran Church-Canada National Youth Gathering (NYG) is an event sponsored by Lutheran Church-Canada. Our mission is to provide opportunities for Lutheran youth to grow in faith and relationship with others as the body of Christ.
Our 12th Gathering will be held over 5 days in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The National Youth Gathering will provide opportunities for youth, leaders, and volunteers to join in corporate worship, study God’s Word, be equipped through large and small group sessions, reach out to the community through servant events, and engage in fellowship and fun.
Youth in grades 7 to 12 as of June 2022 (ages 13-18) are welcome to attend the Gathering as youth participants. The NYG sessions are planned for Lutheran youth, however, we encourage your group to reach out and bring friends because all youth are welcome. We will provide pastoral support for questions about the teachings of the Lutheran church.
Adult volunteers are able to serve as iBods. Please see the “What is an iBod?” section below.
Adults 21+ are also able to serve as 7+1 youth leaders.
Lutherans from all countries are welcome. Youth groups from across Canada, the United States, and Australia have attended the Gathering in the past.
We often hear that we have one foot in this world and one foot standing in Heaven. As adults we struggle with this, and our youth are bombarded by secular culture even more so and have a hard time differentiating between the two. At In Not Of, we want to remind the youth that their citizenship is in Heaven through Christ, but that doesn’t mean that while we are in the world we turn our backs on it, but rather we reach out and share the love of Christ with those around us. The theme verse is “But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 3:20).
This year’s speaker is Pastor Eric Moffett, Associate Pastor at Foothills Lutheran Church in Calgary, where he spends half of his time on the university campus interacting with students. He’s been involved with youth gatherings since he was a youth himself (no comment on how long it’s been since then) and is on two gathering planning committees. He enjoys playing board games with his lovely wife, has terrible taste in music, loves sports, and knows some real bad dad jokes. He enjoys playing board games with his lovely wife Kayla, teaching his twins, Wesley and Wren, about the toaster goblin and baseball, and has “terrible” taste in music.
The Gathering will be at The University of Manitoba, located in Winnipeg, Manitoba. All registrants will be provided with accommodations and meals. Main sessions will also be hosted on campus, along with other breakout sessions. 7+1 leaders will receive a map and a list of the rooms used for the Gathering. There will be off-site activities, including a trip to the Winnipeg Zoo and various servant events. Youth are to be supervised by their 7+1 leaders at all times.
The NYG is required to follow the Covid-19 protocols and health orders of the province and the University of Manitoba. For more information on provincial requirements and the university policies, see the links below.
Provincial Protocols: https://www.gov.mb.ca/covid19/index.html
University Protocols: https://umanitoba.ca/coronavirus/health-safety
Youth and youth leaders pay a subsidized rate of $495.00 per person, which includes the program costs, food, accommodation, and an excursion to the Winnipeg Zoo. There will be an extra fee for transportation to and from the airport, or you are welcome to arrange your own. More information about transportation will be provided closer to the date of the Gathering. We offer a reduced registration rate for our iBods (volunteers) at $200.00 per person.
Yes. On Friday, a sponsored dinner will be offered to all attendees. Breakfast, lunch, and supper will be provided as part of registration fees on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday of the Gathering. Breakfast will be provided on the Tuesday morning of the Gathering as part of registration fees. Tuesday lunch is not provided but a bagged lunch is available for $14 per attendee. Attendees are welcome to bring snacks. Additional food, snacks, and other items will also be available for purchase at the zoo and on campus.
You may request a roommate! We can’t guarantee that we’ll be able to put you with the person you request, although we’ll do our best. Dorms are divided into sections for boys and girls, and we do our best to try to keep all of the members of a 7+1 group in the same area, however, this isn’t always possible.
We ask that groups attending the Gathering have a minimum of one adult leader for every seven youth, so a 7+1 group is seven youth and their leader.
A 7+1 leader must:
- Be a confirmed member of a Lutheran Church-Canada congregation
- Have love for God and for youth
- Be at least 21 years old at the time of the National Youth Gathering
- Be approved by their pastor/elder/church worker for their role as a youth leader
- Submit a valid, recent (less than one year old) police record check with vulnerable sector screening with his/her registration.
You are required to send one leader for every seven youth. However, we highly recommend that you consider having a 7+1 leader of each gender, if possible.
Yes! All adults (people aged 18 and over) attending the LCC National Youth Gathering in any capacity must provide an original police record check with vulnerable sector screening that is less than one year old. The original document will be returned to you, upon request, after the Gathering and a copy will be kept for our records. If you are a +1 leader, your church should provide you with a letter for your local police station, requesting a vulnerable sector check for a volunteer position working with youth (any cost for the check is the responsibility of the +1 leader/church). If you are an iBod and need a volunteer letter, please contact lccgathering@gmail.com (any cost for the check is the iBod’s responsibility). Please note, this process can be quite time-consuming, and the Registrar needs to receive your police check by June 1!
We strongly discourage congregations from sending leaders who are younger than 21. However, if another 7+1 leader over 21 is attending and will co-lead, occasional exceptions may be made. You can contact the planning committee to ask for special permission.
Prayerfully consider that the Gathering content is prepared with 13- to 18-year-old youth in mind. If you determine a youth should be included, you may apply for an exemption. Please send the registrar a letter from the parent/guardian granting permission for the youth to attend the Gathering and a reference from your pastor or church worker identifying reasons why he/she feels this youth would benefit from attending a Gathering.
iBods are adult volunteers (19+ or out of highschool for 1 year) who are eager to serve in a variety of ways at the NYG. This includes welcoming, writing, acting, artistry, organizing, Bible study leading, event setting up and taking down, ‘takin’ care of the details’ etc. In addition to serving and volunteer work, iBods are encouraged to attend sessions and events whenever possible. See the iBod registration form for more information.
We are working on merchandise options – watch the website and/or social media for information when it becomes available.
The 2022 planning committee is co-chaired by Deacon Lisa Olding and Pastor Glenn Worcester, and the chaplain is Regional Pastor David Haberstock. The other committee members are Madison Bouwman, Josh Gajdos, Erika Schroth-Gajdos, Phil Guebert, Michelle Heumann, Rhonda Kelman, Pastor Eric Moffett, Nathan Vaughan, and Bill Wardekker.
The registration deadline is April 15, 2022. You must have your whole group registered online no later than April 15.
Both! You must register your group online and then mail all the original paper forms, along with payment to the Registrar. For legal reasons, we must have the original forms, with signatures, to keep on file for at least 7 years. Your forms should be mailed to:
Erika Schroth-Gajdos, Registrar
LCC National Youth Gathering
405 Waterloo St. Unit 405
London ON, N6B 3R7
If you are arriving on the first day of the NYG and leaving on the last day of the NYG, we are happy to help with your transportation needs. The cost is $30/person round trip. Please use the following link to register for the shuttle bus: https://forms.gle/npBQXAQYb2eFCTBh9
Once a registration has been entered online, that person has committed to attending, and the registration fee is non-refundable. A registration may be transferable to someone else in your group BEFORE June 1, at the Registrar’s discretion. No transfers will be accepted after June 1.
In the event that the NYG is cancelled for circumstances beyond our control, we will make every effort to provide as much of a refund as possible.
- A little spending money (for snacks, drinks, Sunday offering, and any souvenirs or extras (like snacks/drinks) during our trip to the zoo
- Clean, non-marking runners for in the gym
- Bible and something to take notes with
- Personal items (like toiletries and pjs)
- Walking shoes or runners for outdoor games and the zoo
- Summer clothing
- Hat, sunglasses, sunscreen
- Water bottle
- Musical instruments and/or games (optional)
NOTE: Bedding, pillows, face cloths, and bath towels are provided by the university, so there is no need to bring these items.
Yes! Our chaplain, Central Regional Pastor David Haberstock, will be writing and recording a sermon that all congregations are welcome to use. It will be available on the Lutheran Church-Canada website under “resources”. Watch our social media for the link when it’s ready!
We’re having a Zoom for you! On June 4 at 12:30pm Pacific, all registered 7+1 leaders are invited to join some of the planning committee to get info and ask questions. Watch your email for the link!