Gather

On Tuesday, registration opened for IF:Gathering 2016.  The event is held live in Austin, Texas, but it is simulcast into IF:Locals that are hosted by women desiring to disciple.  How long did it take for the 2,000 spots in Austin to sell out?

4 minutes.

FOUR MINUTES!

That's crazy!  Why are so many women wanting to be involved in this?  What in the world is IF?

Here's my story, in brief:

In January 2014, my mom started telling me that I needed to come to a conference at her church, 2 hours away.  It was a simulcast and she just felt like I really needed to come, and to bring 2 of my girlfriends along. "It's called IF", she said.

"If what?" I asked.

"If God is real, then what?" she answered.

"I still don't get it." 

"I'm not entirely sure, either, but Ann Voskamp and Jen Hatmaker are speaking."

"OK, I'm in," I relented and then convinced my friends, Kerin and Jen, to come along.  "It's free and a night away at my parents' house." 

Kerin agreed.  Jen said she shouldn't.  Then she called the morning I was leaving and said, "I need to come.  Is it too late?"

The 3 of us had a great weekend and I came back with this awakening inside me.  I had to dive deeper into this.  I needed to be involved but had no idea what that looked like.  When women at church who knew I had went to it asked me how it was, I answered that I wanted to host one the following year if they did it again.

They did.  I did.  26 women in my area showed up and I spent the weekend in tears at God's goodness.

Gather.  Equip.  Unleash.  That's the motto of IF:Gathering.  Gather women together to equip them before unleashing them into their communities to make disciples.

I can't tell you how many friendships have formed out of this.  I can't begin to describe the awakening I've seen in women I know.  They are suddenly walking around with this hunger to be in their Bibles, mentoring younger women, sharing the Gospel with people around them.  It's beautiful.  It's the Church in action.

When we start to break down the barriers of denominations and culture and race, we start to get a glimpse of Heaven.  I attend a Baptist church.  My pastor was raised Christian Reformed and his wife is pretty charismatic.  I did not grow up Baptist.  Tim and I are more Spirit-led now than we've ever been.  It can be very frustrating to drive around our small town and see way more churches than I think there needs to be, all because of small differences, most being man-made. 

I think that is why I love IF:Gathering.  They love church and are for the church.  If you are not a part of a church, then they encourage you to get into one.  It's important to them.  Yet, they know that together we need to be the Church. Talk about and respect the differences, but stop letting it divide us from working together to spread the Gospel.  It's not the Baptists vs. the Lutherans vs. the Catholics vs. the Methodists vs. non-denominationals vs. the Wesleyans vs. the Pentecostals.

Gather.  Equip.  Unleash.

If you would like to attend an IF:Local in your area, check out ifgathering.com and search for one in your area.  If the closest one is 2 hours away - go anyways.  It's worth it!  Or, pray about hosting one in your own home or church if there is not one close to you already.  You won't regret it!