Are you ready?

Are you ready?The Gathering is quickly approaching! As Gathering planners continue to prepare the programming, we offer this resource to help you in your final preparations. We hope it will provide encouragement in your life in Christ, answers to your last-minute questions, and tips to help you plan.

You can also find a lot of helpful information on the Gathering website: www.lcmsgathering.com • Find Community Life resources and Bible studies at www.lcmsgathering.com/communitylife • Find helpful tips and reminders in the Spur (the Gathering Adult Leader Newsletter) at www.lcmsgathering.com/AdultLeaders • Find the parts of the Gathering Guidebook (to come) at www.lcmsgathering.com/Resources • Download the Gathering app to take Gathering information with you wherever you go: www.lcmsgathering.com/app

We are excited to see you in San Antonio and together celebrate the life we have in God’s love!

I keep seeing all these acronyms and abbreviations... but what do they mean? • CLB – Community Life Builders. They wear yellow shirts, serve Adult Leaders and youth participants, and are walking, talking answer booths. • HBGCC – It’s the abbreviation for the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center. You’ll see this a lot in the Guidebook and on signs around the Gathering. • NYG – National Youth Gathering. • SATX – San Antonio, Texas, the host city of the 2013 LCMS Youth Gathering. • YAV – Young Adult Volunteers. These 19-25 year olds wear orange shirts and serve in various areas throughout the Gathering. • #LiveLoved13 – The official Twitter hashtag for Live Love(d)

Important DatesApril 12 – Hotel deposit dueMay 1– FINAL DAY FOR REGISTRATION • Full payments are due if taking advantage of Express Registration • Final Day for cancellations. Must be IN the Gathering Office BEFORE 4:00pm Central Time on this date. See the Registration page of the Gathering website (www.lcmsgathering.com/Registration) for more details.May 14 – Gathering Webinar: 4th of July & Walking around San Antonio | 1pm EST www.anymeeting.com/lcmsnyg1June 1 – Final day for substitutionsJune 11 – Webinar: Last minute Updates, Reminders, & Questions | 1pm EST www.anymeeting.com/lcmsnyg1Mid-June – The Gathering Office will put a final letter in the mail to all Primary Adult Leaders. The final mailing will include a list of participants for your group, your registration balance, and final details about on-site registration. Groups MUST bring this letter with them to the Gathering in order to pick up wristbands and backpacks.

June 30 – July 1 — Registration (See more information below and online at www.lcmsgathering.com/registration)

July 1 – THE GATHERING BEGINS!!!

Faith and Community Life Preparation Every aspect of the Gathering is centered around the theme Live Love(d) and seeks to help us grow in faith in Christ, in the love Jesus lived for us, and in our response to live love towards others. As you take care of all the nitty-gritty logistical details of preparing for the Gathering, make sure to take care of this most important detail: preparing yourself and your youth for continued growth in our life in Christ.

PrayerPrayer is one of the most powerful tools we have as children of God. In these last weeks before the Gathering, use that tool! Pray for your preparations, for your group as a whole and as individuals, for your Adult Leaders, and for the Gathering planners. Ask for prayers from your congregational leaders and from those who have shown support to your youth throughout your Gathering preparation. Ask your church membership to lift up your congregation participants in prayer.

Pre-Gathering Bible StudiesIf you have not made use of the Pre-Gathering Bible studies provided on the Gathering website (www.lcmsgathering.com/communitylife), be sure to take a look at them. The Gathering Bible Study Team has written three pre-Gathering studies. Use these studies in your Community Groups as you prepare your hearts and minds to encounter the Live Love(d) theme at the Gathering.

• Live Love(d) Introductory study takes a first look at this year’s theme and dives into the question, “What is love?”

• Living Love(d) Together is a 5 or 6-part book study based on Life Together by Dietrich Bonhoeffer

• Packing for the Gathering is a 3-part study to aid participants as they ‘pack’ for the Gathering - and we’re not just talking about what fits in the suitcase.

The Gathering Bible Study Team is also preparing a special Bible study on Communion to aid you in preparing your group to receive the Lord’s Supper at the Gathering worship service on Thursday morning, July 4. This study is both a reminder for life-long Lutherans and an excellent resource for those unchurched or marginally churched youth in your group. This resource will be available late spring.

You can download all of these studies from the Gathering website at www.lcmsgathering.com/communitylife.

Commissioning ServiceConsider doing a commissioning for youth participants and Adult Leaders as part of a worship service, special service, or in another congregational setting. This is a great way to involve the entire congregation in your Gathering preparations and provide an opportunity for the congregation to pray for your youth and adults attending the Gathering. A special commissioning service written for this Gathering will be available for download on the Gathering website in late spring at www.lcmsgathering.com/communitylife.

Medical NeedsGathering planners take seriously the comfort and medical care of Gathering participants. Please be sure to have the conversation with parents about any medical needs your participants may have. Also, make sure you have good directions to care for any Adult Leaders’ needs.

Medical Release FormsThe Gathering has provided a template to use for a medical consent and liability release form. This form is not collected by the Gathering registration office, but must be brought to the Gathering. We strongly recommend that one copy of the form stay with the participant at all times and that one Adult Leader always has a copy of the form for each participant. Print off the forms at www.lcmsgathering.com/registration.

Pharmacy LocationsMake sure you are aware of any prescription drug needs. Find a list of downtown drug stores and Wal-Mart’s at www.lcmsgathering.com/resources or consult Google Maps or another map program.

The Gathering HelpLine NumberThe HelpLine is available 24 hours a day from noon on June 29 until noon on July 6. The HelpLine provides immediate information about events, program times, or other needs participants may have at the Gathering. In the event of a medical emergency, please contact the HelpLine after immediate safety steps have been taken to connect to other Gathering resources for you and your group.

The HelpLine number will be available nearer to the Gathering. At your final meeting, please have each participant with a cell phone program the number into their contacts. The number will also be printed on participant wristbands and in the Gathering Guidebook.

Community Group SupportThe Gathering provides a network of support to Adult Leaders and youth while at the Gathering. In times of emergency or extreme difficulties, please contact the HelpLine or a Community Life Builder (CLB). You will be connected to Gathering resources such as the Gathering Crisis Intervention Team. This team of caring individuals is trained in counseling and crisis response. Also, CLBs are there to support you, pray with you, or provide a listening ear.

Health InsuranceThe Gathering expects each participant provide their own health insurance. This ensures the well-being of each participant in the unlikely event of a medical issue at the Gathering. If a youth or adult participant does not have regular health insurance, the provider of your church’s liability insurance or church worker’s health insurance may offer “trip insurance” or “short-term health insurance” for these participants. There are a number of reputable companies, including Lutheran Trust (www.lutherantrust.com), who can provide this type of insurance coverage.

Secondary Insurance InformationRegistrants are covered by a very limited accident and medical insurance policy that provides reimbursement up to a minimal dollar amount for emergency medical expenses incurred as a result of purely accidental injuries sustained while at the Gathering. This coverage is secondary to all other personal insurance coverage available to the participant and will make payment only if such other insurance is not adequate to cover the medical expenses resulting from an accidental injury sustained while at the Gathering.

First Aid Information First aid stations will be located at the Convention Center and Alamodome. Specific locations will be announced closer to the Gathering.

Participants in need of medical treatment for injury or illness while at a hotel should contact their Adult Leader, hotel Community Life Builder (CLB), or hotel staff to determine the location of the nearest medical facility. Participants are reminded to carry a copy of their medical release form at all times.

Until Next Time...Gathering planners thank you for managing all the details and logistics that go into your travel. We continue to hear from past Adult Leaders and planners how great of value of every ounce of preparation is towards a successful Gathering experience. Don’t be afraid to delegate responsibilities to other Adult Leaders or youth participants. And always, keep connected God through His Word of promise and through prayer.

Next Chapter: Community Group Tips: What to Bring and Do