Ginger Carlton has spent the past year preparing the youth group she leads in Katy for something that’s akin to an olympics of faith and service.

The nationwide Evangelical Lutheran Church in America’s Youth Gathering only happens once every three years — and Carlton and the teens she guides did not want to miss it.

“They’ve been looking forward to this ever since they were in junior high,” Carlton said.

The last event was held in Detroit. Three years before that, the gathering was in New Orleans. Each time, high schoolers from the U.S. and overseas come together for a week of prayer, music, service and fellowship.

This year, Carlton’s group does not have to travel far. The gathering is coming to Houston. More than 30,000 students are expected to attend the event, which starts Monday and continues through July 1.

Carlton leads teens at Living Word Lutheran Church in Katy. This summer 23 students will accompany her at the conference, including her 16-year-old daughter Lauren, who will be a junior next year.

“My church friends and I have been talking about this for a while,” Lauren said. “We’re really excited about going into the community and meeting new people, making bonds. I’m just excited about the whole experience.”

More Information For information on the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America’s Youth Gathering , visit www.elca.org/YouthGathering.

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To prepare for the event, the teens at Living Word completed a year-long curriculum created by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, one of the largest Christian denominations in the U.S. with more than 3.5 million members in more than 9,300 congregations.

They met twice a month to discuss a range of topics, including homelessness, mental health, immigration, healthy relationships and social justice.

“We tie it all back to the Bible,” Carlton said.

Her students have also created a covenant for their time in the gathering. Their pledge is to “have an open heart, an open mind and open ears.”

Across the Caribbean, teens at Reconciliation Lutheran Church in Puerto Rico made a similar vow. Their mandate was to respects others.

“We’re trying to open our minds and hearts so God can make his way to us,” the youth group’s leader Jafet Carreras said.

Ariana Torres, one of the students in Puerto Rico, looks forward to seeing Houston for the first time. “It’s going to be a life-changing experience,” she said.

Another student from her group, Alondra Quiñines, can’t wait to hear the music. “That’s something that really touches me,” she said. “It’s one of the ways that I connect with God.”

This will be the first time that any of the Puerto Rican students attending the event will see Houston, and for some, it will be a first time to fly.

“Seeing all of those people praying, blessing and singing together is going to be truly wonderful,” said student Jonathan Pagán said.

One of the adult leaders of the group, Kheyla Estrada, attended past gathering events. “It’s the most impressive expression of faith,” she said.

That’s part of the event’s goal, program director Molly Beck Dean said.

She explained that attending the gathering is a milestone for the teens. “It’s a rite of passage,” she said. “These kids have been excited about this for a long time. They bring a lot of energy to a city.”

Soon, the city will see an army of teens volunteering around town, wearing bright orange T-shirts, Dean said.

She hopes their enthusiasm is infectious for Houstonians. “They’ll probably get some random hugs and high-fives from the kids,” she said.

Dean attended her first gathering at age 17. “It was a really transformative time for me,” she said.

Dean had considered a career in youth ministry before the event. “The gathering was one of those things that really solidified everything for me,” she said. “It’s not often that, as an adult, you get to go back to an experience that was informative to you.”

Students come from all over to attend, she said. They are exposed to different perspectives, students and adults from various backgrounds.

“For a lot of the kids, this will be their first time on a plane or their first time in a major city,” Dean said. “What does Houston hold as a new experience?”

Part of the goal is to put thoughts and beliefs to the test. Teens may find themselves questioning what they’ve been taught, debating issues or learning how someone else lives and thinks.

“How can you grow from that?” Dean asks. “It’s often during challenging times that we experience the most growth as people.”

Afterall, the theme of the gathering this year is “This Changes Everything.”

Carlton is preparing her students to get out of their comfort zone. She likes that the theme is vague.

“You have to discover what your ‘this’ is,” she said. “Are you going to find your passion, your purpose, your calling, your community? For each kid, their ‘this’ is different. What’s there that’s really going to change your heart and your mind?”

She said that one day of the conference students will spend with their synod, gathering with their bishop for worship and meeting others in the group.

Another day is devoted to service. Groups of 10,000 teens a day will embark into Houston for community service projects.

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has partnered with local organizations to create hundreds of volunteer projects.

There is also a day on the schedule for the “Community Life” event at NRG stadium, where all the students gather for games and activities, as well as Bible study and prayer.

Each night, participants meet for a mass gathering at NRG Stadium. The line-up includes inspirational speakers, house bands and top Christian recording artists.

Speakers from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America include presiding bishop Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton, executive director of the domestic mission Rev. Stephen P. Bouman and pastor and author Nadia Bolz-Weber.

Michael Rinehart, bishop of the Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast Synod for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, expects the 30,000 students to make a positive impact on Houston.

“They will experience this beautiful, diverse and thriving city — and the city will experience them,” he said.

Rinehart said the volunteering element of the gathering is particularly significant.

“When people serve, when they give of themselves, something happens inside,” he said. “We get turned inside out. We become other-focused. Reinforce this with prayer, Bible study, song, hope, love and joy, and you have an unbeatable combination.”

Rinehart attended the Gathering for the first time as a high school student in 1976 in New Orleans.

“It had a profound effect on my life,” he said.

He explained that the teens are not tourists. “They are learning to make a difference in the world in some small way,” he said.