Detroit 2015: Everyone Please Take a Breath

It was with some dismay and a bit of disappointment that I’ve been reading the ongoing comments and conversation in blogs and on Facebook about the City of Detroit as the site of the 2015 ELCA Youth Gathering.  I know that the news about the legal bankruptcy of the City of Detroit is very big news, and the implications for the city and those who live in it are immense.  But to be honest, at this point in the game, it’s really not helpful, or even appropriate for those of us who are invested in the ELCA Youth Gathering to begin the ‘sky is falling’ mantras.

I have been very involved in the Gathering since I took my first congregational group to the event in San Antonio in 1988.  I have served on several different leadership teams over the years, and in 2012 was blessed to be the co-team…