Pastor Eric is the Associate Pastor at Foothills Lutheran in Calgary, and has been involved with youth gatherings since before he was a youth (no comment on how long it’s been since then—but he’s been to a NYG in Waterloo before), is on two gathering committees, and was the main speaker at the 2022 NYG. Originally from Kitchener, he’s a CREW Ministries alum, has a music degree from Concordia Edmonton, and was ordained at Foothills in 2015. Campus outreach, youth ministry, and music have been some of his greatest joys there. He enjoys playing board games with his lovely wife Kayla, teaching his twins, Wesley and Wren, about the toaster goblin and baseball, and he knows some real bad dad jokes.

Pastor Glenn serves Peace Lutheran Church in Winnipeg, and has been on the National Youth Gathering committee in some form since 2012, when he came to Winnipeg from Michigan. His first experience with LCC gatherings was the 2007 NYG in Ottawa (I AM) when he was a vicar at Immanuel Lutheran in Lethbridge. That was also where he met his wife, Andrea, and they have been married for 15 years and have three (sometimes) lovely children; Micah, Ivy, and Jonah. He is thankful that his wife continues to support his commitment to youth gatherings, and looks forward to one day seeing his children as participants, and maybe even meeting their future spouses there…many, many years from now!

Meet our Registrar, Gail Haeussler: she’s been involved in youth work since 1984, and her first NYG was Belong & Believe + Believe & Belong in Edmonton in 2010. She grew up at Historic St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Kitchener and is now a member at Zion Lutheran Church and Christian School in Prince George. She’s the Regional Manager of eLearning at Northern Health Authority, director of a handbell choir, a certified trainer for coaching, and enjoys reading and puzzles, as well as knitting, crocheting, and cross-stitch.

Meet committee member Amanda Hastings! Amanda is a prairie girl through and through! Born and raised in southern Alberta, she’s traded the Chinooks for the rolling fields where the Roughriders play. Amanda is continually humbled by her two children while she and her husband learn greatly from them…come find her to see what YouTube trend she’s currently being subjected to! In addition to Jesus and her family, Amanda has a great love for coffee, the colour purple, and owls- life is best when you can combine all of them! Amanda has been working as a deacon (Director of Parish Services) for longer than some NYG attendees have been alive, and serves at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church – Regina, SK. She is currently practicing her hydrating abilities to get ready for the hot summer weather in Waterloo!

Meet Michelle Heumann, the committee member behind our social media! Her first youth gathering was the 2004 NYG in Brandon, and she’s been involved ever since. The Lutheran community had a big impact on her life, and not much makes her happier than sharing that with others. When she’s not busy organizing youth retreats, she finds other things to organize instead, but gatherings are her favourite. Michelle lives in Calgary, where she’s a youth leader at Foothills Lutheran Church, a freelance editor (The Canadian Lutheran is one of her clients), and co-chair of the IMPACT Youth Gathering. She loves quality time with friends, walking by the ocean, reading books, watching baseball, and perfectly steeped tea. She’s excited to be on the NYG committee for the second time, and will be the stage manager for the awesome UNBREAKABLE main session team. If you’ve never been to a gathering before, she would really like you to come and be part of the community!

Meet committee member Rhonda Kelman, from Coquitlam, BC. She grew up in Edmonton, but loves the West Coast where she lives now. She is a member of Walnut Grove Lutheran Church where Pastor James Paulgaard is her pastor. Right now she is involved with the Young Adults ministry at the church. Sharing God’s love has always been a passion for hers and encouraging others to do the same! Currently she teaches Kindergarten and Grade 1 at Hope Lutheran Christian school and loves being part of a joy-filled, caring community who are equipping children to impact the world for Christ’s glory. When she isn’t teaching, she loves to go on road trips, hang out with friends, play board games, and her newest hobby is quilting! Rhonda is very excited to be at UNBREAKABLE next summer and is planning to live in flip-flops and wear lots of sunscreen while she is there! She can’t wait to see what God has in store for the next NYG!

Meet committee member Tony Marchand! He’s from Kitchener and attends Faith Lutheran Church where Pastor Warren Hamp is his pastor. He has been involved with youth since 1990 and attended his first youth gathering in 1995 in Three Hills, Alberta. He was on the planning committee for the 2010 and 2013 NYGs, the chair for the 2016 NYG, and co-chair for the 2019 NYG. The NYGs are such an important event for all the LCC youth in Canada and he strongly encourages them to attend as many NYGs as possible in their teenage years, and perhaps someday be that youth leader who takes their youth to the next NYG.

Meet committee member Kayla Moffett! She is Edmonton-born and proud of it. She loves youth, playing piano, and planning out fun activities. She’s an amazing puzzler and loves her fiddle leaf fig tree. She’s a mother to twin three-year-old toddlers who you will see running around the gathering. When Kayla isn’t at home dealing with the chaos, she’s working as a research chemist at the University of Calgary. And she’s married to Pastor Eric…pray for her.

Meet our 2025 Chaplain, Pastor Paul Roggow! He’s the Associate Pastor at Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Kitchener, ON (pictured with some youth from the church), husband to Jackie, and Dad to 5 of the best children (who put up with his bad dad jokes). He says he’s looking forward to being the chaplain for NYG 2025 right in his backyard, and even more he’s longing for our King Jesus to return to make everything sad untrue and to make all things new!

Meet committee member Nathan Vaughan! He is from Winnipeg and is a member of Peace Lutheran Church where Pastor Glenn Worcester is his pastor. Nathan is a computer science student at the University of Manitoba. In his free time, he enjoys playing chess and exploring the wonders of astronomy. His first youth gathering was in 2022, where he attended as an iBod and served on the committee as the youth representative. IN NOT OF had a huge impact on him, and he is thrilled to be on the planning committee again as we look towards all God has in store for us in Waterloo!