The Gathering
At St. Paul's
Celebrating and participating in God's Renewal of all things
through Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit
Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
~ Mark 1:14-15 ESV
What does the reign of God look like in North Kitsap?
The Kingdom of God is more than a place ... it is the reign and rule of God on earth ... the reign of God is Jesus Christ. As the church we live transformed lives as witnesses to the inbreaking of His Kingdom.
The Gathering is a people both called in and sent out to bear witness to the good news of the reign and rule of Jesus Christ. We are called in to community for fellowship, worship, and equipping. We are called out to serve our neighbor in the community where we live and work, especially to the marginalized, the voiceless, and the oppressed.
The prophet Isaiah describes a vision of God's reign ...a new Heaven and a new Earth ... a vision where the infant and the elderly are cared for and where all human labor is good and fruitful.
“For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth ...
No more shall there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not fill out his days ...
They shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit." ~Isaiah 65:17-25 ESV
The Gathering is a worshipping community dedicated to Isaiah's vision of God's wholeness for the world. We seek to live our lives in and for our community as witnesses to the reign of God. By practicing regular rhythms of prayer and service we daily seek to answer the question - what does the reign of God look like in North Kitsap?
Footnotes: The Isaiah vision comments are reflections from reading
Raymond Fung, The Isaiah Vision: An Ecumenical Strategy for Congregational Evangelism (Eugene, OR: World Council of Churches, 1992). This text is also inspired by the wit and wisdom of Dr. George Hunsberger, (retired) Professor of Missiology at Western Theological Seminary in Holland, MI.