Acts 2:1 “When the day [of WSYG] came, they were all together in one place.”
The Western States Youth Gathering will be an event for the youth across the western states to reunite with one-another, revive their faith, and rejoice as one people of God. Just like the people at Pentecost were able to find each other in one place, our youth will find each other at Western States. One of the ways we’ll do this is during Main Stage! An outdoor, all group gathering featuring speakers, music, interactive moments, and so much more.
The question we’ll explore during our Main Stages session is: How did we all get here? What has happened in the last 5 years, 3 years, 1 year that has led us to coming together?
During the Main Stage sessions, as we explore who we are and how we got here, we will explore who might have been at Pentecost and how they got there. Some of the people we’ll explore are:
Peter – Matthew 4:18-20, 16:15-20
Peter was called off a boat to follow Jesus to fish for people instead of fish. He was able to drop everything to follow his calling. Despite almost drowning when Jesus walked on water, he was later given the “keys to the kingdom” by Jesus himself. He was so confident in his relationship with Jesus, that he was preaching to the crowd at Pentecost.
How has Jesus been calling us to our participation at WSYG?
Women at the Tomb – Matthew 28: 1-10
Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, Salome, Joanna and other women (depending on who you ask) were all the first the witness the resurrection of Jesus. In a time when Jesus’ followers were all scared of what would come next, Jesus trusted these women and revealed the truth to them, knowing they could handle it and spread the message to others. Because of their faithfulness, the joy of the resurrection was widespread, leading to the connections made at Pentecost.
How has God trusted you to make connections at WSYG?
The People on the Road to Emmaus – Luke 24:13-35
After the crucifixion of Jesus, people were unsure of what would come next. Two of them were walking to their next destination (Emmaus) when a stranger approached them and they chatted with him about Jesus’ story all 7 miles to where they were going. Later, after Jesus broke bread with them, they realized that they had been walking with Jesus all along! This certainly changed how they spoke with the people they met at Pentecost!
Who have you walked with on your journey to WSYG that might have been Jesus?