Gather By The Bay: Finding Faith, Fellowship, and Joy

The following blog post was contributed by Robbie Spofford, co-leader of Gather By the Bay.

Gather by the Bay is the young adult group of the East Central Synod of Wisconsin, and is connected with the ELCA’s Gather Network. The group was a recipient of a courageous grant from the Doing A New Thing Fund — we give thanks for the ministry of these young adults, and for YOUR support of the DaNT Fund through your mission support dollars!

Gather by the Bay sought to bridge and form a community of young adults–often enduring change, transition, and uncertainty–around east-central Wisconsin. The Doing a New Thing fund from the East-Central Synod of Wisconsin made it possible for our group to cover food and entertainment expenses to create opportunities for many young adults to gather openly–whether they’re active in a religious community or curious about what that might be like–without feeling like they had to commit.

On one weeknight this past Spring, about eight young adults explored the building of Calvary Lutheran Church in Green Bay for a scavenger hunt while enjoying food and fellowship together. For many, this was the first time all week the attendees had interacted with other peers in-person, as most participants have day jobs that are 100% remote. Even though about half were young adults that had never met each other before, they embraced this community and the opportunity to be open and vulnerable in their faith. An impromptu closing prayer was led by someone who, in their own words, “hadn’t done faith much,” but discovered the amazing support of the group. When the prayer was opened to the group for prayers of thanks or worry, there was no shortage of petitions or Amens, and those who were strangers only a few hours before exchanged numbers and offered shoulders of support to those searching for friends to journey alongside.

From nights out to eat, pray, and converse at The Rite Place in Bellevue and The Depot in Green Bay, to a Green Bay Blizzard’s game at the Resch Center in Ashwaubenon, and to an evening exploring Voyager Park in DePere, the Holy Spirit has been the strongest in our rediscovery of the child-like joys we all have deep inside of us. Unfamiliar faces, unfamiliar structures, or unfamiliar traditions are no match for the deep desires of young adults–and all of God’s children–to simply be present with and support each other with joy like a fountain, love like an ocean, and peace like a river.

Gather by the Bay has given all of us young adults the ability to take a breath in the trust of peers in a safe, faithful, and authentically affirming community, knowing that financial expenses for a night or two each quarter don’t have to be a part of the calculus of community. We have learned that while it takes some, it does not take a lot of effort to do this. The Holy Spirit is present in and around us in Green Bay, we’re grateful for the support of the East-Central Synod of Wisconsin and the Doing a New Thing Fund, and we are excited for what God has planned for us in the near future. Many thanks and peace be with you all!

- Robbie Spofford