Last Gather Event Held

Ninety-one people from 24 Christian Reformed classes (regional groupings of churches) gathered in Des Moines, Iowa, last week for the tenth and final Gather event. 

“I like to think of Gather as a movement,” said Elaine May, project manager for Gather, as the event came to a close. “So while this marked the end of the 10 Gather events, I am hopeful that momentum is building and the spirit behind this initiative will continue to flow into new events and activities going forward.” 

Gather launched in April 2024 with the idea of bringing together Christian Reformed leaders from across North America in the spirit of fellowship, encouragement, and renewal. At each event approximately five classes were invited to send 10-15 people to attend, including pastors, elders, deacons, Sunday school teachers, worship leaders, and other members of CRC congregations. (Note: At Gather Des Moines attendance was opened, as well, to people who might have missed their classis’ Gather event but had heard good things and wanted to participate.)

“Together we celebrated how God is working in our communities, learned from each other, and came away inspired,” said May. 

Through facilitated storytelling in small groups, Gather participants used the Emmaus-road journey of Luke 24 as a way to discuss their own congregations. They shared where their own hopes had been left unfulfilled, and where God had shown up in unexpected ways. 

“I saw the Holy Spirit at work throughout Gather,” a participant from Gather Chicago shared. “I have wondered about the life in churches across the denomination coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic. We saw the Lord at work through very hard times yet never doubted his faithfulness. Our time together celebrated how God is busy in the kingdom.”

“I did not know what to expect when I came, but the sharing of what other churches are doing or have done on different things in the past was great,” a participant from Gather Niagara added. “Hearing what God is doing now and where the Holy Spirit is leading us in the future has been just amazing to be a part of.”

Nearly 600 people in total attended the Gather events. A full report of the findings from Gather is being compiled and will be shared later in 2025.

While participants at each event shared their own stories with each other, a series of videos was also created for people unable to attend, highlighting a few examples of the types of ministry happening in CRC congregations. A short summary of highlights follows; visit crcna.org/Gather to watch the videos. 

• In 2015, the Reformed Church in America and the Christian Reformed Church in North America collaborated to plant Hesed Community Church, a new kind of church in a disinvested neighborhood in Detroit, Mich. 
• Following God's lead, Pastor Marcelo Viana started Amber Church in Winnipeg, Man., and invited recent Brazilian immigrants into his home for worship. As the church grew, he and his wife soon recognized they would need a larger facility. God led them to Covenant CRC in Winnipeg, and through a partnership of faith they were able to rent a chapel from a Christian school.
• Christian Reformed churches in British Columbia have long modeled the warm welcome of Jesus for the newest members of their communities. Through collaboration and the cofunding of a chaplain and refugee support mobilizer position, they are effectively responding to the deepest needs of refugees and newcomers. 
• Williams Lake is a remote community about 525 km (326 mi.) north of Vancouver, B.C. In this town of nearly 11,000 people, Cariboo CRC has become a beacon of welcome, light, and support to people in the community. 
• The Loving Church in Tucson, Ariz., is a Korean and English-speaking church of about 40 members. The church offers food, clothing, showers, haircuts, and Christ-centered fellowship to dozens of unhoused people each week. 
• Twenty-five years ago, Fairlawn CRC in Whitinsville, Mass., started a daytime Bible study for women, inviting them to gather, share their lives, and deepen their faith in Christ. Today that Bible study continues to thrive and has proven to be a blessing to both the church and the surrounding community. 
• CRCNA church planters in Florida gathered recently for a backyard barbeque in Port St. Lucie to share food along with ideas and encouragement. From Orlando to Miami, CRC church planters are reaching out to Creole- and Spanish-speaking communities and finding a warm reception in multicultural communities throughout the state.
• For decades, Lawndale CRC has been a steadfast beacon of love and light on Chicago's west side. Recently Eric Crawford joined Jim Wolff to coshepherd the community now known as Lawndale Lighthouse CRC. 
• Four CRC churches in Classis Quinte wanted programming for their high school youth but felt that they couldn’t provide it as individual congregations. They joined together to start Clarington Youth.
• In 2015 the Sebastia family left Venezuela for the United States, leaving behind a comfortable and successful life in the music industry. Clinging to their faith, they leaned on the gifts God had given them to plant a CRC outreach called Carismah Church in Katy, Tex. Today music continues to be a key part of Carismah's ministry. 
• Begun in 1967 as a handful of students sharing worship, occasional meals, and Bible study, Geneva Campus Church in Madison, Wis., has grown into an intergenerational congregation serving the campus, the city, and the world.
• Founded by Dutch-speaking immigrants to Canada 65 years ago, Hebron CRC in Whitby, Ont., is drawing on its immigrant experience as it ministers to Mandarin-speaking newcomers to Canada. With two worship services (one in Mandarin and one in English), a combined children's ministry, and mutual fellowship, the congregation is learning what it means to be part of God's diverse and unified family. 

Since 2014 a group of pastors in Tucson, Ariz., have been meeting for breakfast once a week to talk about their shared commitment to church planting and community outreach. God is using them to build his kingdom across Tucson.