THINGS 2 R EMEMBER Gate Name Badges Please wear your name badge to all Gate Sessions. No one will be permitted inside of the Gate Worship Area without a name badge. If you lose your name badge you can buy a replacement for $1.00 in the Gate Store. Also, no one will be allowed to leave the Main Session room after the session has begun except in handcuffs or an ambulance.
Bathroom Breaks During Main Session Bathrooms are located inside of the main session hall. Please do your best to use the restroom before session to minimize distractions. Going to the bathroom in groups will NOT be permitted. Be independent – potty alone.
Prayer Teams The Gate Annual Youth Conference has trained youth and adults who serve on prayer teams. This is a unique opportunity to receive individual prayer during each service. We ask that ONLY prayer team members minister in this way.
Worship Please worship however you feel led and are comfortable with. You are welcome to sit, stand, jump, dance, letdown, etc. There is no one designated way to worship God. We encourage you to simply tune your heart to Christ and to remember that we worship Him in song not for ourselves, but to bring Him glory, honor, and power. 1
Useful TidBits What is in this book anyway? It is our hope that this book will help enhance your experience at The Gate 2013. Inside you will find info about the band and speakers, morning and evening devotionals, information about equipping sessions, a place to take notes, and more. Please bring this book with you to main sessions and equipping sessions.
Livestreaming Do you have friends and family that are not with you at The Gate 2013?!? Do you wish they could experience some of what you are experiencing?!?! Well they can!! Our services are being streamed LIVE on the internet!! Call, text, tweet, and Facebook everyone back home and send them to GateConference.org/live so that they can watch all the main sessions AS THEY HAPPEN!
Gate Store Be sure to visit the Gate Store to purchase your 2013 t-shirts, slap bracelets, Twelve Ounce Jar merchandise, Bibles, books, hats, & more!
MMC Fun Zone We are thankful for Martin Methodist College for partnering with us and sponsoring our Fun Zone this year! The Zone is located in the lobby of the Gate area on the first floor of the Lexington Convention Center. Check out your schedule for Zone hours so you don’t miss out on inflatable games, basketball, 4-square, the Gate Store, the Gate photo and video booths and more!! 2
Mission and Outreach Friday afternoon from 12:30 pm - 4:30 pm
Friday afternoon we will all disperse across Lexington for various mission and outreach projects. The purpose of this outreach is to take the love of Jesus into the city. As God is writing our Story of faith, it is important to remember that all of us are charged with the call of taking the love God has given us and sharing it with others. You may be doing a cleanup project, a building project, playing games with the elderly, sorting food, doing random acts of kindness etc. Regardless of what your “project” is, we are all out as representatives of Jesus Christ and The Gate Annual Youth Conference. Be prayerful in asking God how He might use you as part of the body of Christ during this time. If you don’t have a clue what I’m talking about or where you’re supposed to go on Friday at 12:30 pm, check with your youth pastor for instructions - or if you’re here without a youth group – find a Gate Staff Member and we will answer any questions you may have!
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The Story: Unabridged Speaker: Adam Cannon
Unabridged (meaning): _____________________________________ The Father Who Pursues: ____________________ ____________________ ____________________ ____________________ ____________________ ____________________ ____________________ ____________________ ____________________ ____________________ ____________________ The Spirit Who Empowers: _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ The Son Who Implements: _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ 4
Thursday Night
The Story: Unabridged Devotional by: Adam Cannon
2 Timothy 3:16 “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness” The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines the term “unabridged” as “the most complete of its class: not based on one larger.” Many audio-books are “abridged” to add theatricality to the reader’s performance, simply changing their voice and personality rather than reading the written “he said” or “she said.” There are times, however, when abridging a collection of texts has less practical applications and more convenient ones. Examples might include a would-be-politician quoting his opponent out of context in a negative light, or popular song with foul or offensive language changed or omitted so it can be released to radio or sold to children. An unabridged edition of something is the exact opposite of an abridged edition. Imagine seeing your favorite book turned into a film or television series with no “artistic liberties” from the director. A true-blue, live-action version of your favorite book with nothing added, changed, or taken out. It’s what many fans of cinema and literature want to see but it rarely, if ever, happens. Studios wouldn’t fund it, audiences wouldn’t sit in the theater for a quintrilogy of 5-hour films and the loss of our imagination’s interpretation of the story would kill that “personal touch” that draws us into reading a good book.
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Thursday Night
The Story: Unabridged Devotional
Abridging is typically a more popular choice than the unabridged version, especially in a culture built on instant gratification. Even so, The Bible we embrace as the Word of God is unabridged, or, to put it another way, the Scriptures are both complete AND completely useful (2 Tim. 3:16). So then, why do we often treat the Old Testament (that makes up nearly two-thirds of Scripture) like a long-winded fairy tale, outdated concept, dead culture, etc? Few people take time to understand and/or appreciate the depth of lessons taught by Old Testament teaching beyond the Veggie Tales’ version. Take the next few moments to recall favorite verses/stories from the Old Testament, find them in your Bible and read them for yourself. Record the new things you learn by the Holy Spirit and how they point to a soon-coming Jesus. “If you picture the Bible to be a mighty tree and every word a little branch, I have shaken every one of these branches because I wanted to know what it was and what it meant.” -Martin Luther Examples: Adam & Eve (Genesis 2-3), Noah & The Flood (Genesis 6-8), David & Goliath (1 Samuel 17), “Rac, Shac, and Benny” (Daniel 3), (BibleGateway.com for any others) _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ 6
Friday Morning
The Story: Unapologetic Devotional
by: Lorin Pedigo
Noise
Matthew 6:33 (NKJV) “But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all of these things will be added unto you.” Our lives are full of noise. Parents, teachers, friends, TV, Social Media are just a few things creating noise in our lives. Then there is the noise of a busy schedule with friends, youth group, sports teams, and clubs. It seems that there are many things pulling at our lives demanding our attention. So where does God fit into all of this noise? God is there softly speaking to us in the midst of all the noise. It is often times hard to hear from God over all the noise. I have four children and at times they will all talk at once while my wife and I are having a conversation. I cannot hear my wife when they are all talking as well. This is how it is with hearing God, all the other stuff in our lives talking at the same time when God is trying to have a conversation with us. When this happens it becomes difficult to hear from God. How do we fix this issue? We take time away from all the noise. You have arrived at the Gate 2013; all other things can be put on hold for a couple of days. While you are here you can shut out all the other noise in your life and spend some time listening to God. Isaiah 42:9 says, “Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them.” God wants to speak into your life at this conference the things He is going to do in your life, but in order for you to hear those things you must put your listening ears on. 7
Friday Morning
The Story: Unapologetic Devotional
To put on our listening ears you will have to spend time alone with God in prayer and Bible reading; you will need to come to each session expecting that God is going to speak to you and meet you here. Finally, you must shut out all the noise from the world around you so that the outside noise does not drown out the voice of God. This was Jesus’ example to us, as He often took time to be still and listen to His Father. So my challenge for you today is to turn off your cell phones, and the TV, and take time to be still and quiet before God and ask Him to speak to you. You will also be given a time during this morning’s session to be still and quiet before God. While you are being quiet take time to write down the words or pictures that come to your mind as you are being still and listening to God.
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The Story: Unapologetic Speaker: Lorin Pedigo
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The Story: Uncompromising
Speaker: Kourtney Brownlow
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Friday Night
The Story: Uncompromising Devotional by: Kourtney Brownlow Compromise: to reach a middle ground, sell out, or meet halfway All our lives we are taught to compromise. I have an older brother and growing up we, like most siblings, were taught, almost excessively, “to share”. Sometimes I think that’s a word that parents just use to keep us from fighting. I mean, do we really need to “share” everything? For instance, one year when I was about 8 years old I received a Ken doll for Christmas (for you fellas out there that may not know, a Ken doll is the male version of Barbie). Now, I was really excited to receive this Ken doll. In fact, all I wanted to do was play with my Ken doll and Barbies. However, my brother, who must have been around 10 at the time, also wanted to play with my Barbies (I guess my presents were much cooler than his that Christmas). I don’t remember the exact details of what happened next, but I’m sure some sort of argument ensued which resulted in my parents telling us to share and reach some sort of compromise regarding my playing with my Barbies and involving my brother in such an activity. I would like to say that everything from this point forward went wonderfully. We reached a middle ground, met halfway, played with the Barbies with no arguing or fighting and we all lived happier ever after. But NO! That is NOT what happened. As tragic as this sounds and without revealing too many details in order to protect the identities of those involved…this play date ended with KEN’S FEET BEING AMPUTATED and my Christmas ruined. Oh the sob story my brother told of Ken’s shoes not fitting and “he was just trying to help”, was a likely tale, and as true as it may have been the FACT still remained: THIS COMPROMISE left my heart and Ken’s feet maimed. 11
Now, what is the moral of this story? I’m not exactly sure there is one. The point I’d like to make, however, is though compromise is something that in a lot of areas of our lives is likely a good idea for settling disputes or playing nice, in our spiritual journey, this is a slippery slope. You see, we are to be steadfast in our beliefs, and align our lives with the word and promises of God laid out in Scripture. In Romans 12:2 the Scriptures tell us to not conform to the world, don’t compromise our beliefs and what we know is right just to go along with what everyone else is doing. God wants us to stand firm. God desires us to never compromise what we know is right in order to fit in, or not offend anyone. Being a Christian is hard. If everyone told you that it was going to be easy and that your life would be flawless if you dedicate your life to Christ then they did you a great disservice. Following Christ is a life of sacrifice – a commitment to seeking out holiness. It involves living a life where we are trying to get our heartbeat to match God the Father. It’s not an easy task -- it’s a daily journey that must be guided by prayer, worship, accountability, and a desire to ever grow in your faith. Are you ready to live an Uncompromising life in Jesus Christ? ________ Take a moment to think about some areas where you have easily compromised your faith in the past. What can you do differently to see that this doesn’t happen? _____________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ Is there a person in your life who could hold you accountable? What will it take to ensure this happens? _________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ Take a moment and write a prayer to God asking Him to help you live an uncompromising life of faith. __________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ 12 ___________________________________________________________
Saturday Morning
The Story Unfiltered Devotional by: Adam Cannon
Matthew 4:4 “But He(Jesus) answered, ‘It is written, “’Man shall not live by bread alone, but by EVERY word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (emphasis added) “Our business is to present the Christian faith clothed in modern terms, not to propagate modern thought clothed in Christian terms... Confusion here is fatal.” Here, J.I. Packer speaks to a generation of Christians living in a time that appears different from ours, but in all actuality is exactly the same. Our mission today is the same as it was then, which is the same as it was the day Christ told His disciples to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20, emphasis added) You’ll notice that there’s a common collision between people of religion and people of Faith. People of Faith are those who accept, believe and put into practice the words of Scripture in their totality. People of religion choose what they want to accept, believe and put into practice from Scripture based on their preferences and surrounding culture. Another name for “people of religion” are “cherry pickers:” those who would rather create God in their image than be transformed to reflect more of God’s actual nature. This is the evidence of pride and the lack of repentance.
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Saturday Morning
The Story: Unfiltered Devotional
The collision happens when a person of religion has their pride or un-repentance challenged by the statement or stance of a person of Faith. We, as persons of Faith, are not only called by God to share the truth with persons of religion, but we are commanded to! Jesus is, and forever will be, our perfect example of sharing faith with people of religion. He did so perfectly in His culture, which was a culture of economy, fishing and even sexual immorality. His followers included former fishermen, tax collectors and prostitutes. Some He sought out, others were drawn to Him, but all were presented with Scripture’s truth. The truth He shared was SO unpopular that He was killed for it. Before taking a “Pro” or “Anti” stance on any of today’s major issues, seek to find what God has to say about them and stand with Him! As you look into these topics, record your findings and continue to pray for these issues.
Hot Issues (& Scriptural References): Romance Before Marriage (Song of Solomon 8:4), Homosexuality (Genesis 2:24<repeated by Christ>), Abortion (Psalm 139:13-16), Politics (1 Timothy 2:1-4, Romans 13:1) _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ 14
The Story: Unfiltered Speaker: Adam Cannon
“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession (some translations read “ “a peculiar people”), that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of the darkness into His marvelous light.”-1 Peter 2:9 (ESV) “But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.” -2 Peter 2:1-3 (ESV) “But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.” -1 Peter 3:15-16 (ESV) Notes: ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ 15
Sr. High Equipping Sessions: These Equipping Sessions are broken down into TRACKS. These Tracks are geared toward different areas of the Christian life and will appeal to each person depending on where you are along your spiritual journey. Please be prayerful of which TRACK you choose. You will remain in the same location for each of the 3-sessions included in your track. The speakers will change with breaks in between.
Track #1: An Introduction • Christianity 101: This session will explore the importance of personal worship, prayer, and reading the Bible in order to grow stronger and deeper in your faith. • Spiritual Gifts: Every believer has access to spiritual gifts. God has given each of us talents – but he has also given us gifts. This session will introduce you to the different gifts and their role in your life and the life of the church. • Sharing Your Story: Part of being a Christian is being a witness. This session will be a hands-on session on what it means to have a testimony and some creative ways to share it with your friends and family.
Track #2: A Deeper Walk • Sharing Your Story: Part of being a Christian is being a witness. This session will be a hands-on session on what it means to live your life as a witness and using your story to lead other people into a new or deeper relationship with God. 16
• Praying for Others: God has called us to bear one another’s burdens. It is one thing to tell someone that you are “praying for them”, it’s another to actually do it. This session will be a combination of teaching you how to pray for other as well as a practical hands-on approach where you will learn to pray for others. • A Light in the Darkness: Calling ourselves Christians is automatically setting ourselves apart from the rest of the world. Sometimes, however, from the outside looking in people may not notice many differences. This session will cover how to be “in” the world but not “of” the world – and being relevant examples for Christ in our everyday lives.
Track #3: Learning to Lead • From Reading to Studying: It’s one thing to read the Bible – it’s another to study the Scriptures. This session will discuss what that means as well as give you practical ways to take your Bible reading to the next level. • From Prayer to Intercession: This session takes prayer to a deeper level than ever before. Intercession is more about others than ourselves and is more than just saying a few prayers. This session covers learning to be in the presence of God and becoming a person of prayer. • From Following to Leading: We are all followers of Jesus. However, God is in need of some leaders in this generation. This is a session on Godly leadership and how God is calling us to raise up as leaders for His Kingdom.
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Jr. High Ministry A Journey Through the Parables When: Saturday 1:30 pm – 4:30 pm Where: Gate Main Session Hall Who: 6th – 8th graders Join us for an incredible journey through the Parables of Jesus as we continue to dive deep into The Story of God! We will open with a large group session at 1:30 pm in the main session hall and then break into our small groups. As small groups you will journey to different locations for some interactive and creative learning sessions about the parables. You can expect snacks, games, Bible study, and a few other surprises. We will dismiss from our small groups at 4:30 pm. You don’t want to miss it!
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Youth Leader/Volunteer Roundtable Discussions When: Saturday 2:30 pm – 4:00 pm Where: Meet at the entrance to the MMC fun zone. Is there something in your youth ministry that is really on your mind? An area of ministry where you could really use insight and prayer from other leaders? Join other leaders/youth volunteers for this moderated roundtable discussion. Youth Ministry is one of the most rewarding, yet challenging jobs in the world – let this be a reminder you are not alone. Oh… and there will also be caffeine and snacks involved.
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Equipping Session 1
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Equipping Session 2
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Equipping Session 3
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Additional Notes
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The Story: Undeniable Speaker: Lorin Pedigo
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Saturday Night
The Story: Undeniable Devotional by: Lorin Pedigo Lo, I am with you!
Matthew 28:20b “And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” My parent’s nickname for me has been Lo for as long as I can remember. As I was growing up and someone read this verse from the King James Version of the Bible, I would laugh as it said my name. However, as I put my faith in Christ and began to grow in my faith, I stopped laughing as much, and started listening. I was 14 when God called me into fulltime Christian Ministry. Obviously, this set me far apart from my peers. To say I was an outcast is a true understatement. I never went on a date in High School; I spent most of my days being made fun of, and simply wishing that the day would end. There were times that I wished God had not called me or commissioned me to work for His Kingdom. The truth is I could not get away from it. No matter how hard the days were, nor how strange I may have felt, God was reminding me of one thing. “Lo, I am with you always.” As you journey back into your normal life having had a great experience at the Gate Conference, and being touched by a very real, very powerful, and very loving God, the world you are returning too has not changed. In fact all the problems you left behind to come here will greet you when you get home. But here is the difference: now you know that God is with you.
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Saturday Night
The Story: Undeniable Devotional
When we rely on the promise that God is with us and lives in us, there is nothing we cannot make it through. Life will not always be easy, it will be messy and full of changes, some we like and some we dislike. The one constant you can count on is that God will be with you through it all, directing you each step of the way. What you have to remember is to be faithful in the little, so that He can be faithful in the much. Here are the little things to be faithful in: daily reading of Scripture, daily prayer, daily worship, and surrounding yourself with people who can encourage you in your journey of faith. Also be faithful when God gives you an opportunity to be witnesses, no matter how small, insignificant or even difficult it may seem to you, do it. As you are faithful in these little things, God will be more faithful and you will be more aware of His presence in your life. Take time to write out your personal plan of action for being faithful in the little and how you can daily remember that God is with you. Then find someone whom you trust to lovingly hold you accountable to living out this plan, and both of you sign it together as a covenant of faithfulness to God. _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ 26
Sunday Morning Devotional
by: Kourtney Brownlow
ROMANS 12: 1-2 (The Message) So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you. We have spent the past few days immersed in a culture that is all about Jesus. We have listened to speakers talk about Jesus, we have sung songs of praise to Jesus, we have gotten on our faces and cried out to Jesus, heck…we have even gone out into the city of Lexington in Jesus’ name and served other people. We are consumed by Him right now! We are overwhelmed by Him. The problem is, however, that even though we are all about some Jesus right now, the world around us is not. You may have changed inside and out in these past few days as God has been working miracles in your life; unfortunately, the world you are going home to may not have had those same experiences while you were gone. You see, while your eyes are fixed on Jesus right now…your friends at home have their eyes fixed on something else: a boyfriend, a girlfriend, a sport, themselves. I am not trying to talk bad about your friends or family because they may be amazing Christians – but as you have been here immersed in a Jesus atmosphere – they have
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been back home living in the everyday world. Why is that bad? We can follow Jesus in an everyday world, we have to, right?!?! Absolutely!! The problem is, however, there is great power in the world, power that drags us down and distracts us to take those eyes that are fixed on Jesus right now, and have us focus on something else. Before we know it, that passion and fire for God that we are feeling right now burns a little less, and we settle back into the routine of our lives. Jesus is still important to us, but he quickly transforms in our minds from the King of the Earth, the Lord of our Lives, the Prince of Peace, Alpha and Omega, to…well…our homeboy, our BFF. I hate to be the one to break it to you, but Jesus is not your BFF. He’s the creator of heaven and earth, the redeemer of your soul. Don’t fall back into your old ways when you get home. The power of God in you that transformed your life this week is alive and real. A God that, if sought after with passion and perseverance, will continue to develop you and mold you into a mighty man or woman of God. Don’t lose sight of that. Don’t, as it says in Romans, become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what He wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you. Take a moment and write down some goals and a plan of action to keep you on track as you return home. What is it going to take to continue to move forward in your relationship with God instead of becoming stagnant in your faith? _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ 28
InterGenerational
Service
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The Story
Reflections
What were your expectations coming into The Gate 2013? ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ What are 3 significant things that you feel God did in your life while you were at The Gate 2013? ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ What specific difference do you want this experience to have in your life as you prepare to leave? ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ What did you give up to God this week, that you never plan on taking back? ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________
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Did you feel God calling you this week? In what way? What do you plan on doing with that call? ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________
The Story
Reflections
What are some spiritual goals you have for yourself as you head home? _________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ Write a letter to yourself about where you want to be in your life and spiritual walk this time next year. Keep this book somewhere, and pull it out throughout the year to read and see where you are. ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________
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Thank You Thank you for making this youth conference AMAZING! We would love your written testimonies, blogs, pictures, and videos. Not to mention your constructive criticism on how to make 2014 even better!
How To Contact Us Kourtney Brownlow, Director of Gate Conference Phone: 615.851.9192 Email: kbrownlow@AldersgateRenewal.org
How To Stay Connected Facebook: /GateYouthConference Twitter: @GateConference Website: GateConference.org
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