Join us for a weekend of worship, fellowship, and theology. Conference sessions will explore practical guidance for living out your faith in the home, the church, and the world. There will be time for fellowship with other young adults from across the country, and opportunities to worship together during Matins, Vespers, and the Divine Service on Sunday. Register by November 1st for an early bird discount!
Bulletin Announcement:In the World, but Not of the World - January 15-17, 2027 YA Conference: Join us for a weekend of worship, fellowship, and theology. Designed for young adults (18-35), the conference will explore practical guidance for living out your faith in the home, the church, and the world. Register by November 1st for an early bird discount! Faith Lutheran Church, 1620 Pinehurst Rd, Dunedin, FL https://faithdunedin.org/young-adults/ScheduleThe conference doors open on Friday, January 15th at 5pm. It concludes with the Divine Service on Sunday, January 17th. Dinner will be provided on Friday, and meals will also be provided on Saturday. The tentative schedule with session descriptions is further below.Who is this conference for? This conference is for Christian young adults, single or married, ages 18 to 35. The conference is not designed for parents to bring children, but lap babies are welcome! There is an unstaffed nursery adjacent to the conference hall.Do I need to be Lutheran to attend? No, but if you're not, we highly recommend you consider it!Are airports nearby? Faith Lutheran Church is within 20-30 minutes of St. Pete/Clearwater International Airport and Tampa International Airport.Where will I stay? There is a list of recommended hotels below, but there are many other options in the area. Wherever you choose to book, keep in mind that January is tourist season in Florida. Consider booking sooner rather than later.Hotels:Howard Johnson by Wyndham Clearwater/Dunedin https://www.wyndhamhotels.com/hojo/clearwater-florida/howard-johnson-clearwater-dunedin/rooms-ratesHoliday Inn Express & Suites Clearwater North/Dunedin https://www.ihg.com/holidayinnexpress/hotels/us/en/dunedin/ddnfl/hoteldetailSonesta Suites Clearwater https://www.sonesta.com/sonesta-simply-suites/fl/clearwater/sonesta-simply-suites-clearwater
Rev. Andy Sorenson, a 2012 graduate of Concordia St. Louis, came into the ministry after a twenty-two year career as an officer in the U.S. Coast Guard. Part of his time in the government included working to get the Department of Homeland Security started and working in a college environment as the Chief Information Officer at the Coast Guard Academy. A lifelong member of the LCMS, he worked briefly as a missionary in Alaska prior to entering seminary. He has served Faith Lutheran Church, Dunedin, FL since 2017. He and his wife have three adult children.
Rev. Roberto Rojas has served at Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church since his graduation from Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, in 2014. During his studies at the seminary, he participated in a year-long exchange program in the Westfield House in Cambridge, England, and also in the Seminário Concórdia in São Leopoldo, Río Grande do Sul, Brazil. He and his beautiful wife, Erica, are happily married and have four children.
Rev. Andrew Apple attended Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, where he completed both the Specific Ministry Pastor and General Pastoral Certification courses of study. He was ordained in 2019. Pastor Apple is a second-career pastor and a convert to Lutheranism from Evangelicalism, having previously served as a pastor in a non-denominational church. His journey into Lutheranism has given him a deep appreciation for the riches of God’s grace in Christ, the comfort of the Sacraments, and the clear confession of the Gospel found in the Lutheran Confessions. Pastor Apple and his wife, Renaann, have been married for twenty years and are blessed with three sons.
Rev. Luke Onken has served as the Campus Pastor at Mayer Lutheran Middle and High School in Mayer, Minnesota, since graduating from Concordia Seminary, St. Louis in 2024. His love for the topic of vocation has led to his passion for guiding high school students in their lives. Rev. Onken is engaged to be married this upcoming June to his wonderful fiancée, Nicole.
Doors will open for registration at 5:00pm on Friday. For those who cannot make it on Friday evening, the registration table will be available again at 8:30am on Saturday morning.
Also, while not noted below, most sessions will be followed by a break.
Living joyfully as a Christian is about learning to be "salt and light" in a tasteless and dark world that is actively seeking to eliminate joy. In this session, learn how to live in the freedom won by Christ, even amid oppression and tyranny from the secular authorities.
Light breakfast foods will be available following Matins.
Aside from the doctrine of justification, the doctrine of vocation is perhaps the biggest hallmark of Lutheran theology. In his 1535 Commentary on Galatians, Martin Luther laid out the Two Kinds of Righteousness, illuminating how baptismal identity intersects vocational identity. This session explores this dynamic and its practical implications for Christian vocational life.
Discipline in the Christian life is not a path to earning God’s favor, but a fruit of faith shaped by grace. This session will explore sanctified living through repentance, prayer, self-control, and faithful habits, while considering the Third Use of the Law as a guide for Christian living, always resting in Christ’s forgiveness and the comfort of the Gospel.
We’ve never been more connected, yet we’re increasingly lonely. So what makes someone a true friend, why is friendship so hard to make and keep, and what does God say about it? This presentation explores loyalty, honesty, correction, sacrifice, good and bad friendships, and how the people around us shape who we become, before answering the big question: how do you make real, godly friends in an age of isolation?
The LCMS and its Confessions are an inheritance from the fathers in the faith. They are a birthright that the evil one would like to see sold for a bowl of stew. In this session, learn how to help fight against the spirit of the age in home congregations and preserve a faithful heritage for posterity.
Location TBD; not included in conference cost.
Early bird registration is available until November 1st. Registration includes dinner Friday, and light breakfast and full lunch and dinner Saturday.
Age should be between 18 and 35 at the time of the conference.
Dinner will be provided on Friday the 15th. A light breakfast and full lunch and dinner will be provided on Saturday the 16th. If you have any allergies or dietary restrictions, please list them below. We will contact you if we are unable to accommodate.
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