On a Friday night in Patchogue, a village on Suffolk County's South Shore, the sidewalks are packed — restaurants spilling over, bars buzzing, a downtown very much alive with young people. But Lutheran Church of Our Savior in Patchogue wasn't seeing those same young people in worship. Young adults in their 20s and 30s were part of the wider community — so how could the congregation include them, too? When Pastor Claire Repsholdt started at the church, she went out into town and asked young adults directly: what do you want from a faith community, and what keeps you coming back? That inquiry spawned Gather Long Island, a network of people from all over Nassau and Suffolk County asking questions about their faith together.

In this six-minute Faces of Faith video, members share what keeps them coming back: seeing other young adults in the room, finding a space that affirms who they are, and belonging to a community that meets them wherever they are — karaoke night, a backyard barbecue, or a deep conversation about faith. Pastor Repsholdt's charge to the wider church is simple and direct: go out, and ask young people what they want, from young people themselves.

Watch the episode. | Download the discussion guide.