Happy Christmas

St Andrew's, Oxshott

Despite Paula's best attempt to scupper our UK trip by throwing herself down a hill, I did at least manage to keep one engagement.

On Sunday I had the joy & privilege of preaching at St Andrew's in Oxshott, one of our partner churches.

Mammoth Event

We've noticed that The Gathering's weekly Soup Kitchen has been getting a bit busier week on week in the last few months, and last night's Soup Kitchen was quite a mammoth event.

For the last year, numbers had been dropping, though there remained a significant core of regulars and we were still regularly feeding well over 100 people, but the quantity of soup we were making each week had dropped down from 200 litres to somewhere between 70 to 100 litres a week, with the occasional Soup Kitchen dragging on for a while until the last of the soup had gone.

Soup Kitchen 10th Birthday

Last night we celebrated the 10th birthday of The Gathering's weekly Soup Kitchen which began on 14 May 2015.

What is truly remarkable over the ten years is how the Soup Kitchen has grown and how in all that time we have only missed seven or eight, and only three of which were during Covid lockdowns.

72 Boxes Of Blessings

What a joy and a blessing it was to get a call from my dear friend Shaddie asking if we would like a pallet load of peanut pastes.

It's been a long time since The Gathering was able to bless our Soup Kitchen regulars and others with these amazing & delicious packets of goodness, so Soup Kitchen this coming week will be excellent! And I'm sure that it will be busier than normal as word spreads that we have these pastes.

Happy Place

It's Thursday, so I'm in my happy place as I make the soup for The Gathering's weekly Soup Kitchen this evening.

I also got to test out the new barber's chair we bought so that Remi no longer needs to bend down to do his haircutting. The poor lad is serving his heart out giving amazing haircuts to our Soup Kitchen regulars, but all the while doing his back in because we didn't have a proper chair.

How Big Is Your Church?

Well, there is a question that frustrates and annoys me in equal measure, and yet it remains the most persistent question we get asked by Christians when they learn that we are pastors leading a local church.

The Gathering International

Today is a day of good news!

The Gathering International is now registered as a Non Profit Organisation (NPO) with the Department of Social Development (DSD), as a Community Development project.

Fuad

Last night's Soup Kitchen was as chilled as ever, especially as Remi was once again with us offering free haircuts to those that wanted one.

The evening was also brightened up by the visit of Fuad!

We've not seen Fuad for quite a while, so it was great to catch up with him again, and it was a joy to be able to bless him with a haircut as well as soup.

Dogs Of The Gathering

Whilst we were away over Christmas we got to spend a very happy hour with some good friends, chatting about life and having a laugh. I was struck by their new dog, a rescue from the local animal shelter. She's called Rosie and apparently has bitten everyone who has attempted to stroke her, including the local policeman.

Thursdays At The Gathering

Thursdays are Soup Kitchen days at The Gathering, and so today, alongside making 100 litres of soup, I've also finally gotten around to creating a dedicated home for our yogurt pot donations, and then sorted them all out into correct stacks with matching lids, which is a tedious and time consuming task!

Too Cramped

The Gathering's Soup Kitchen continues to do some sterling work in terms of serving the neediest and most vulnerable in the community, but also building bridges with folk who need that little bit more in terms of support & care, and it's a real privilege to be able to serve through the church.

Bin Pickers

 

Life

We're in the countdown for our trip to Blighty, and life just seems to get busier & busier.

In the midst of preparing for our trip, we're still juggling life and having to make some plans for the future, especially regarding my health.

We're really excited to be coming back to Blighty for a month, it means we'll miss a month of winter here, but most importantly, it means we'll get to spend time with Eli, having not seen him for over 18 months!

Haircuts

It's amazing the difference a good haircut can make one feel about one's self.

Making Soup

Making the soup for The Gathering's weekly Soup Kitchen is (and has been for a long time) my happy place.

I really enjoy every aspect of it, and love the fact that I can pretty much switch off and just let the process unfold.

Macassar Soup Kitchens

The Gathering has been supporting two local Soup Kitchens in nearby Macassar for over two years now, and we've built up a great relationship with Beatty and Mercia who run them from their homes.

So at least once a month I get the joy of delivering a load of food to each of them, and I have to say that it is a real privilege and a blessing to be working with them, supporting them and providing for them.

Festive Soup Kitchen 2

We were thoroughly blessed at our first Festive Soup Kitchen on Thursday, as Joel came along to photograph the event for us.

As ever, his photographs are truly stunning and he perfectly captured the heart and essence of The Gathering's Soup Kitchen.

Festive Soup Kitchen

Things are getting exciting at The Gathering as we prepare for our three festive Soup Kitchens, beginning tomorrow.

We'll be serving 200 litres of home made Pea & Ham Soup. As well as serving our regulars with the usual packet of instant noodles, each recipient will receive a yummy home baked cookie, and the school age kids will each get a goodie bag containing a few school supplies together with a some sweets.

Fetching Water

The story of The Gathering's weekly Soup Kitchen is a long and varied one, and over the eight years that we've been running it, we have had some interesting issues and obstacles to deal with and overcome.

Today's particular obstacle was perhaps the strangest to overcome... 

The water in Firgrove had been off since 6pm the previous night and it still wasn't on at 11am when I needed 100 litres of water to get ready making the soup.