Nervous? Excited? Frantic? Unsure? Ready?
All of the Above?

Dear Adult Leaders:

Are you ready for the Youth Gathering? Whether your answer is YES or NOT YET or I THINK SO, you are not alone. The Gathering is a HUGE event that takes a lot of planning not only on the part of the ELCA Gathering Team but by adult leaders all across the country. So, again I say, you are not alone! Breathe! It will all be ok! :-)

Here are your weekly updates for the 2018 ELCA Youth Gathering. Check out each of the BOLD categories below for more information.

  1. Final Confirmation Letters: Each congregation will have a "Final Confirmation Letter" uploaded to their registration account online by early-June. Look for an email and Facebook updates from The Gathering. This letter will include a lot of final details to help you with your final preparations. To find this letter simply log into your Gathering account and scroll all the way to the bottom. The final letter will be downloadable there.
  2. Forms, Forms Forms: There are several participant forms that are REQUIRED for all those attending The Gathering. Congregations need to bring a Participant Release Agreement and Medical and Emergency form for every youth and adult participant. The forms are available HERE. The Gathering does not collect these forms, but you must be able to provide them to Gathering leadership, including volunteers, upon request. For easy access from a smartphone, primary adult leaders are encouraged to save these forms electronically through services such as Dropbox, Google Drive, or another cloud storage service. We also suggest making copies of all documents and leaving a set with your church.
  3. Riding the Synod Bus? Info Needed!: Per my email on Sunday we need information on what your plans are for Wednesday. Please email me by TOMORROW, Friday, June 1 with your group's plans.
  4. Dinner for Tuesday, June 26: Dinner is being offered from 6pm-8pm at our host hotel, the DoubleTree Houston/Greenway Plaza and the cost is $18.00 per person, all inclusive. All groups are welcome regardless of which hotel you are staying at. To learn more about logistics, the menu, payments AND to make reservations for your group, visit the website at https://tinyurl.com/scswdinner. The deadline to sign-up is Thursday, June 7.
  5. Helpful Links: This is a repeat from last week but there is a TON of information on the Gathering website that will help you in planning the who, what, where, when of the Gathering. Click on the links below to learn more and to help you be ready for the Gathering:
Remember, if you are collecting books for the Blast off For Books campaign and are riding the synod bus you may bring your books to Bethel Lutheran in Madison on Saturday morning, June 23 from 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Need Airport Transportation?
TMS Shuttles
The Gathering is working with TMS to help provide shuttles for congregations to get from their airport to their hotel when you arrive in Houston, and then back to the airport when the Gathering ends. The shuttles will cost $20 per person each way ($40 round trip). Sign up extended to JUNE 1!
Email:  ELCAYG2018@tms.com.

And finally...some helpful wisdom:
Reminder that I am currently out of town through Monday, June 4. If you need help in my absence, an out of office response is set on my email with contact options for questions and information.

Thank you for all you are doing to help your youth get ready for the Gathering. The excitement is building!

Jason Xiong
Synod Coordinator - 2018 ELCA Youth Gathering
South-Central Synod of Wisconsin
scsw.elcayg@gmail.com
(608) 381-2861 - Cell
2018 ELCA Youth Gathering
"This Changes Everything"