NPO Registration

Finally, after months of waiting, frustration and endless emails I've managed to resubmit The Gathering's Not for Profit Organisation (NPO) application.

Our previous application was knocked back but no one at the Department for Social Development thought to tell us why!So, this time we've used their template for our Constitution (so if they knock it back again I'll be apoplectic annoyed). We also have more than the minimum number of required Officers in the organisation, so it's looking hopeful this time.

According to the website the application should take 28 days, yeah right so we wait with baited breath...

Surprise!

My Saturday began like any other regular Saturday, I'd taken Eli to football practice and after that I was expecting to have a nice quiet breakfast with Paula and my boys.  However, Paula's scheming knows no bounds and I was blissfully unaware of just what she had planned!

As Joel & I arrived at Fred & Max I noticed a lot of cars in the car park but just assumed it was a typically busy Saturday, and there's a gym above the coffee shop so that explained things. However as I approached the venue I saw a few balloons through the window and as I entered I was gobsmacked to see so many people. It took a few moments to realise that they were all there for my 50th!

I didn't think I was that gullible but I guess I'll have to work on paying more attention to what's going on around me!

To The Gathering With Love

Whilst on our recent FTM Roadshow Tour in Blighty we asked if a few friends and supporters would mind to speak to our folk back at The Gathering.

This is the result and it was greatly appreciated by all at The Gathering!

Awesome Sunday

What an awesome time in God's presence at The Gathering this morning!

Paula & I had just got back from holiday so we'd asked our friends Flynn & Sally from Word Of Life to minster to The Gathering and we're incredibly grateful for their faithfulness.

We were blessed because they've just returned from a missions trip to Istanbul and we received the overflow of the blessing they had received on their trip.

Happy 50th

I've always had a fear that one day someone is going to realise I shouldn't be where I am doing the things I am, but I also feel that until they catch up with me I might as well carry on and see what I can get away with.

Part of my plan has been to put this meme into action and I think I might just have pulled it off, but don't tell anyone.

Sadly however, I think JM Barrie was right when he said "All children, except one, grow up". So  this is a big year for me as I turn 50 and have been married for 25 years, and if turning 50 isn't proof of growing up then being married for 25 years definitely is.

Still, I'm not going to stop trying to behave as my inner child wants to, but don't tell anyone!

Happy Days

The corruption of our boys is almost complete as Dean's plan for them to have as misspent a youth as his slowly comes to fruition.

We've had some fun evenings and some great meals out but tonight at The Hungry Monk was fantastic.

We're having a great time away and as ever we're having a lot of fun in Greyton, our happy place!

Topsy Turvy Kingdom

I was stood outside The Gathering's premises recently when this rather nice Bentley pulled in to the service station for fuel. Like everyone else, I stood and admired such a beautiful car but then I stood back and watched the bigger picture unfold.

But first, a bit of context...in South Africa it is against the law to serve yourself at a fuel station, you must be served by one of the attendants. It's a nice touch and the attendants normally go beyond their basic duty and clean your windows and offer to check your oil and water, invariably this leads to a nice tip for the attendants.

Slideshow

We put this short slideshow together for our Renewal of Vows service at St. George's back in July.

The photos start back in 1985 when we started dating and go right through to this year.

We hope you enjoy it.

Silver Wedding Anniversary

We seem to have been celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary for a while now, but then again, why not?! It's quite a milestone and one the world would like to have bet against. We often laugh about the fact that someone (who shall remain nameless) gave us six months when we announced our engagement. 24½ years later we hope they feel differently.

In many respects we always believed we would hit this milestone and carry on way past it, but in other respects we're more than amazed that we've gone the distance so far.

To say that we'd have gotten this far without our faith would be foolish, all honour must go to our Lord for sustaining us!

So we've renewed our vows in St. George's, the church we were married in all those years ago. We've been to Paris for a week to celebrate on our own in style and now we're enjoying some special time at home with our boys, who think we're ancient because none of their friends' parents have been married for anywhere near as long. Oh the joys of being older parents!

Servant Leadership

Here's a thought for all my church leader friends...

At your next leaders or elders meeting, forget the business side of things and rather, give each person a mop, broom, duster etc. and get stuck into cleaning the premises.

If any of your leaders complain or refuse to get stuck in remove them from the leadership team.

You'll be doing yourself and the church a huge favour!

Paris

We've never done this before but thought it would be good to share our September prayerletter on the blog. We hope you enjoy it...

We can’t quite believe that we’re writing this having just celebrated our Silver Anniversary in Paris. We’re feeling incredibly blessed and privileged to have been able to celebrate in such spectacular fashion!

However, there is a story and testimony behind this which we want to share...

Make The Salt Water Fresh

This morning it was Paula's turn to share the word and minister to The Gathering and what a great job she did!

Paula spoke about the River of God using Ezekiel 47:1-12 as her main text. We all felt like we'd been served up a full banquet as she faithfully expounded the Word and opened up the simple mystery for us.

I particularly loved the point about salt water becoming fresh water, something that is impossible for man but effortless for God.

The word was followed by a powerful time of ministry which picked up on the word and a prophecy shared earlier in our gathering.

God was clearly moving and speaking to us as a church and we're thankful for his presence!

Half A Lifetime

2016 has been a great year so far, and to be honest it just keeps on getting better and better!

It was prophesied in The Gathering early in 2016 that this year would be a "year of blessings" and this has certainly been our experience and we're deeply grateful to God for the blessings poured out in our lives.

Today marks another major blessing for me as I've been married for exactly half my life today.

Happy Place

It's great to be back in my happy place making soup on a Thursday morning for our Soup Kitchen later this evening.

Today's soup is a butternut, carrot, tomato and beef sausage offering and so far it's tasting delicious, even if I say so myself.

We've been blessed by a family who have been providing the soup for the last few months and we're thankful for the blessing that they were. However, we felt it was time to take control again and reclaim the Soup Kitchen as an outreach of The Gathering.

I hadn't realised just how much I had missed making the soup until today!

Partner Schmartner

As we approach our Silver Wedding Anniversary next month I'm going to post some thoughts, reflections and anecdotes about marriage...

Back in the day when I was still a practicing social worker for the local government in Blighty, it was deemed politically incorrect to refer to one's wife or husband as wife or husband. Rather, we were encouraged to be more inclusive and refer to our wife or husband as our partner.

Greatest Joy Pt 2

A while ago I posted about my Greatest Joy in ministry which is quite simply releasing others into ministry.

This morning at The Gathering we had the utter joy and privilege of hearing Errol preach for the first time. Errol was excellent. He'd been incredibly dilligent in his preparation, he'd spent ages reading the scriptures and delving into commentaries and he dealt with a "curved ball" (to quote Errol) with aplomb.

Errol recently graduated from college with a law degree (LL.B) so he's more than capable of doing the necessary research, and then seeing an argument/point through to its logical conclusion and we weren't disappointed this morning at The Gathering!

Also on Saturday Linda was sharing testimony at a women's event organised by a local counselling service as part of their Women's Month Celebrations. It was a great joy to release Linda into this and we just know that she was a genuine blessing to some very hurting women.

Short Fingered Vulgarian

I know little of American politics and if I'm honest I have little interest.

However, in Donal Trump I find myself unusually drawn to the pending US Presidential Elections, if only because he's actually quite entertaining, albeit in the same way that the 1974 film The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is.

Soup Kitchen

There was such a happy vibe at our soup kitchen last night. Maybe it was because Paula got to join us for a change, though I suspect that it was because it felt like a warm Spring evening which just encouraged guys to hang around a bit longer and chill together.

Either way it made for a pleasant and fun evening serving our regular friends.

The soup went down a storm and everyone left sated and very happy.

Thank you for the blessings Lord!

Hillsong Leaders Network

Yesterday we had the privilege of attending the Hillsong Leadership Network Open House. We always find these times very inspiring and uplifting. In fact, they're so full and packed that to quote Steve Penny (yesterday's speaker) we just feel the need to "sneak off to our cave" afterwards to digest all that was said.

We really value the input and support we receive from Hillsong, we know some local churches are threatened by them but their fear is baseless. How can anyone be threatened by a church that uses the tagline: "Championing you & your local church"?!?

Baby Saver

On our recent Roadshow trip to Blighty we showed a couple of pictures of the Helderberg Baby Saver but we didn't get a chance to explain exactly what it is or why it's needed in the community.

The Baby Saver is on the side of Choices, a crisis pregnancy counselling service run by the local churches in the Helderberg. The Baby Saver itself is on the side of the building, away from any CCTV or other forms of surveillance, so mothers that need to give their babies away can do so anonymously.

Greatest Joy

On our travels we often meet folk who try to assume a role of authority over us or speak in to our lives, as if somehow they have a right to, when the reality is they simply don't. Not only do they not have that right, but most simply don't have a clue as to what it is they're actually trying to do, even if they are well meaning.

However, every once in a while you get to meet someone who truly is a mentor and truly does have the skill of asking the right questions in the right way and of drawing out the best in you.

We had the privilege of spending time in the UK with Paul, one of Paula's former bosses. He now runs a mentoring network and is in the process of establishing a brilliant ministry called Chapel House.

Anyway, in the midst of our precious time with Paul & Jane, Paul asked a very simple question: "What is your greatest joy in your ministry?"