From Bear Creek to Chicago
My Journey as a Young Adult in the ELCA
By: Ashley Procanyn
Northeastern PA Synod Young Adult Network Representative
November 10, 2025
Young Adults. Two words that can incite either incredible anxiety within the Church or incredible excitement… sometimes a mix of both. This past October, one young adult representative from every synod in the ELCA convened at the Lutheran Center in Chicago for a long weekend, jam-packed with training sessions, fellowship, worship, and the shared mission of envisioning what a “young adult network” might live into.
The ELCA defines young adults as folks within the age range of 18-35, and the larger Young Adult Ministry team focuses on four key questions- whose am I, who am I, why am I, and how am I- in how we as Church engage with young adults. Over the last few years, the Church has made significant efforts in utilizing the gifts that come with intergenerational ministry work, with amendments that create intentional inclusive spaces for young adults on teams across the church body, as well as intentional spaces that are exclusive to young adults, and the young adult experience. I would bet that you’ve most likely encountered some facet of young adult community- perhaps through Lutheran Campus Ministry (LuMin), Lutheran Outdoor Ministry (LOM), Young Adults in Global Mission (YAGM), Abide, the Youth Gathering- which just added a Young Adult Gathering section, or the Gather Network, to name a few opportunities of intersection.
While the spaces for young adults exist, I wouldn’t say that every single young adult in the ELCA has been plugged into these spaces. Perhaps that’s a lack of knowledge about them, perhaps it’s a piece of programming that we’re missing, perhaps it’s a mix, or perhaps it’s something more that we just don’t know yet. That is where the living into this new Young Adult Network comes into play.
Every single synod has a point person to serve as a bridge, a point of connection, and a resource on engaging with young adults, pastors, churches, and their communities.
This “retreat” was the first step of many to build the Network and address an overall lack of community, or sense of disconnect that many young adults feel. And it’s also a space for the young adults that do feel community and connected within the Church to see new spaces where they might find a home.
I am very blessed and excited to serve as the Northeast PA Synod Young Adult Network Representative. My home congregation is St. Paul’s Albrightsville. I grew up in an incredibly intergenerational church, a small community, and what I lacked in a traditional youth group experience, I gained so much in opportunities to serve volunteering. While I loved my experience, as I finished high school and moved out to college, I wanted that community. I didn’t know what it was like to have many friends my age that were also Lutheran. In choosing a university, I wanted a school with a marching band, a school that would challenge me, and a school with a thriving Lutheran campus ministry program. I found that. I didn’t grow up going to summer camp, and in college, I wanted to be a church camp counselor. So, I did that. I served two summers at Bear Creek Camp in our synod, and I served two summers at Rainbow Trail Lutheran Camp in Hillside, CO. To this day, it truly is a gift from God that I am still close with my friends from LuMin, and from camp.
Today, I’m just your local 27-year-old lay person. I don’t work in ministry anymore, and I kind of love bringing that perspective to spaces I engage in. I was recently elected to serve a term with the Committee on Discipline at Churchwide Assembly, and I am one of the co-leads for Gather Lehigh Valley. I have three chocolate labs, my Jeep Wrangler never runs, and I see God most when I’m outside- camping, riding horses, hiking, or watching the sunset next to a roaring fire. I look forward to serving in this role for the next two years and connecting and dreaming with young adults across our synod!
Learn More & Get Involved
Discover how the ELCA is connecting and empowering young adults across the church by visiting the ELCA Young Adult Ministry page, and explore local opportunities through the NEPA Synod’s Gather Lehigh Valley Network
