Service & Advocacy: Faith in Action

At the Western States Youth Gathering, we'll take a look at how service isn't an add-on to faith; it’s at the heart of who we are as a church. During this part of our time together, we will explore how the ELCA shows up in times of crisis and long-term recovery, with a particular focus on organizations like Global Refuge and partners who walked alongside communities impacted by the 2025 wildfires in Southern California through the Southwest California Synod.

Together, we’ll explore what it means to be called into compassionate action, how advocacy and service are connected, and how our faith moves us beyond sympathy into solidarity.

This learning will lead directly into hands-on response. We will work together to assemble care kits requested by these partner organizations, tangible expressions of care that meet real, current needs. In the months leading up to the Gathering, we’ll put out a call for donations to ELCA congregations across the western states, inviting churches to be part of this collective effort by contributing requested items that can be mailed ahead of time to a host church near California Lutheran University. Using resources from the Lutheran Office of Public Policy, we will also explore how we can take part in our civic life.

This is service rooted in relationship, shaped by listening, and grounded in hope, reminding us that even in the face of devastation or division, God is still at work through the hands and hearts of young people.