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.

NPO Certificate

Today is an excellent day, as we received a hard copy of The Gathering International's NPO registration.

This means that we can now open a bank account, register as a tax payer with the relevant tax people and apply for S18a tax exemption as a Public Benefit Organisation (PBO).

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.

Greatest Joy

A few years ago I had the joy of chatting about our ministry with a dear friend, who asked me the best question anyone has ever asked of my/our ministry.  He simply asked "What is your greatest joy in ministry?"

My reply was almost instantaneous, and remains the same today.

Quite simply, my greatest joy in ministry is raising others up and releasing them to minister in the Kingdom.

Firewood

It's always an oddly exciting and satisfying event when our firewood is delivered each year. 

We only get our wood once a year, and it supplies our wood burner in winter, which is our only source of heating in our house.

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.

Six Years Later

 

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.