"Hot Mess"

For Kevin Gilroy, as an 11-year-old, attending church was a social engagement. St. Luke’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, was a place to see his friends and participate in activities with other youth.

Kevin, along with his fellow confirmation age students, were looking forward to having more time to hang out during confirmation when their pastor had a stroke. This came as a shock for Kevin and the other youth. Over the course of the next year as they waited for their pastor to return, this group of first-year confirmation students and one second-year student were left with little to no instruction. Kevin was given the option of leaving St. Luke’s and attending a different church to ensure he received more comprehensive confirmation instructions before being confirmed. What Kevin didn’t know, nor did anyone else, was that all the parents had given their children the same option, and they all said, "no." St. Luke’s was their home.

Their commitment to each other and St. Luke’s moved the youth leader’s husband so much, that he was willing to restart the confirmation classes as their instructor. Quickly, the group became known as the "Hot Mess Express." For Kevin, this was the first time he took ownership of his faith journey.

As a group, the HME decided to all be confirmed at the same time. This commitment to each other helped Kevin to thrive, learn about his faith, and what that meant for his relationship with God. After 18 months of hard work, Kevin was confirmed the year of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, on Reformation Sunday, along with the rest of the HME by their new pastor.

After being confirmed, Kevin remained an active member of St. Luke’s and the Northeastern Ohio Synod. He was able to participate in the worship services when Bishop Allende visited St. Luke’s during the installation of his new pastor. He helped operate the video equipment to stream weekly services, then proceeded to use that gift to run the projection camera at last year’s synod assembly.

As a young adult, Kevin will begin his third year at Thiel College this coming autumn. He believes being able to take ownership of his own faith journey has given him the stable foundation he will use to continue building on his faith for the rest of his life. He has continued to grow in his faith, and has seen firsthand how being part of the whole church is needed. Without the whole church’s help, Kevin would not have been able to develop a closer relationship with God, be confirmed into this faith, welcome a new pastor, and attend a Lutheran college. Your generous Mission Support makes it possible for the whole church to nurture the faith of young people like Kevin. Thank you for your generous support.

P.S. Out of the 5 confirmation students in Kevin’s class, three of them are attending Lutheran Colleges.