The Design of the Gathering

It is 5 steps. So...Step #1:
Everyone will prioritize their “Interest Area.” That means using an Assessment Tool for discerning your passions and gifts, congregational assets, local neighborhood needs and sense of call during the registration process:
_Art & Culture
_Housing
_Literacy
_Health & Wellness
_Wealth & Poverty
_The Environment

Step #2 After using the Assessment Tool and registration, you will receive your “Interest Area” assignment. You will get ready to come through lots of different activities in your own congregation and neighborhood.
Choose from a menu of activities or think of your own so you come to New Orleans with basic knowledge about:
_Your assigned Interest Area
_Your own neighborhood
_Your own congregation
_Yourself

Step 3 Everyone will enter their “Interest Area” by rotating through three days of compassionate justice.
That means serving is more than hands-on help. (That is only one part!) Compassionate justice includes studying scripture, praying, knowing the world around us, actively helping and truly caring about others.
Compassionate Justice is less about what we “want to do” and more about accompanying people – God’s Work, Our Hands. We have three days designed for you focusing on:
_ JESUS
_JUSTICE
_JAZZ

Step Four: Reflection
Each day at the Gathering you will be filled with new things to think about. You might disagree with things you hear, you might have your heart stirred in ways you didn’t expect, you might figure out more about who God created you to be... Whatever happens, we know you’ll need to de-brief!
Throughout the day in your Interest Area and each evening in your congregational group we encourage you to reflect: ponder, talk, listen and pray.
Reflection is an essential part of compassionate justice.

Step Five: Go and do likewise!
The Gathering isn’t over when you leave New Orleans. Actually in many ways it is just starting. Think of the Gathering as the metaphor for serving, not the destination.
Now you get to use your new ideas and deepening faith to discover your own neighborhood.
How will you live out compassionate justice at home, at school, at work, at church...?
The Gathering is really more of a sending!

Let this be an opportunity for questions to form in your heads and start listing them on this site!

Here's to your ministry today...

In His grip,

J.C.