North American Youth Congress

During NAYC, attendees may also participate in a program known as SERVE Day (formerly Project 22:39[4]) where students help serve the nearby communities.[8][9] SERVE is held as a collaboration between UPCI Youth Ministries and Reach Out America, the disaster relief arm of the United Pentecostal Church International.[10] SERVE draws inspiration from Matthew 22:39, where Jesus says, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”[11]

In 2015, NAYC was held at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, OK under the theme "Anthem" from August 5 to August 7.[17][18] It drew over 22,000 young people and was the first to be sold out in NAYC history, requiring overflow seating to be provided in the neighboring Cox Convention Center.[9][19] The event brought an estimated $6 million in sales to the city.[18]

NAYC 2017 was held at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, IN with a theme of “This is That" from July 26 to 28, 2017.[21][22][23] This was the first year that NAYC had been held in a football stadium, and the event was attended by over 34,000 youth and young adults.[8][24] During the Friday evening service, a letter to the attendees from the vice president of the United States, Mike Pence, was read by Youth President Michael Ensey.[22][25]

NAYC in 2019 was held at the Dome at America's Center and America’s Center in St. Louis, MO, from July 31 to August 3,[26] under the theme, "Kingdom Come."[27] NAYC 2019 was the largest NAYC to date with around 37,000 young people attending.[2][13] During the event's SERVE Day, attendees filled 2,000 buckets worth $75 each to assist with disaster relief in the area.[4]

In 2021, NAYC, with the theme of "Ascend,"[28] was once again scheduled to be held at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, IN from July 28 to July 30.[29] However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was canceled as an in-person event on March 29, 2021.[16][29][30] As of October 2023, the livestream of the online event has gained over 27,000 views on YouTube and 79,000 views on Facebook.[31][32]

The logo of NAYC 2023, referencing Haggai 2:9.

NAYC 2023, under the theme of "Glory,"[3] was held in St. Louis, MO at The Dome at America's Center with split sessions at the St. Louis Convention Center from July 26 to July 28, 2023.[33] In a statement, the UPCI announced that over 30,000 people had registered for the event since March 10,[3] with the final registration being placed at 33,000.[34][35] Final event attendance was 33,741 attendees.[36] NAYC 2023's SERVE Day involved over 1,500 students[36] preparing 3,000 disaster relief buckets containing items such as toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap, and other hygiene products and cleaning supplies.[14][37][11]