The Gathering Team and some interested in our Saturday night service met to discuss its future and make a recommendation to the Elder board. It was a difficult task because we all want to see it go, but at this time, we don't have the people in place to do it. So, we have set a goal of praying and preparing for a possible launch sometime after this coming church activity year ends next June.

    The idea for The Gathering started as a way to make room for people to worship at Elim. A few started dreaming of the possibilities and asked the Elder Board for permission to explore the idea. A dozen or so people came together to explore the idea of worship and discern what God has said it is and where we had freedom to try different things.

    From this group sprang another that was dubbed the Creative Team. This team planned The Gathering with the charter to create a worship service that glorified God in fresh, new ways for Elim. We chose the name “Gathering” as it was used by the New Testament church to describe their worship times.

    Our first service overflowed the round tables we had set up for seating. The music was energetic and the homemade unleavened bread tasted like a sugar cookie. We added videos, a drama for Easter, and encouraged active participation. We had food before and after and quickly people were making plans for continuing the fellowship late into the night.

    We knew that a Saturday night service would open worship to some who could not attend on Sunday morning. Here the every other weekend schedule made it difficult to gain traction and attendance fell off. Still, there were encouraging signs even in low attendance when viewed against a hot summer evening.

    We chose to dip our toes into the water as a test because we did not want to launch a weekly service without counting the cost. Not surprisingly, we found that it is a lot of work. Sunday morning services seem to just happen, but when you break it down and try to replicate it on another night, there is a lot to it. After several months of Gatherings we knew the necessary commitment and that we fell short in manpower. Time however marched on and preparations for Fall are upon us. If we don't host The Gathering beginning in September then we need to plan for two services on Sunday mornings.

    It has been great to see our people, young and old, anxious to try something different. We saw new people leading us in worship. We saw a new generation take ownership and a lot of people doing a lot of work enthusiastically.

    So, I am disappointed, but I can't stay there. There's too much to do seeking God's will and His timing for The Gathering. And, there' are three more Gatherings in August. Join us at these great times of worship and then join us as we pray and build our capability through the year.

    Lastly, thank you to everyone who has served and participated. It is great to be a part of this family.

For the team,

Dan Amos

Saturday, August 1st at Family Camp
Saturday, August 15th at Elim
Saturday, August 29th at Elim