The Gathering

A People and Their City

WELCOME HOME

THE GATHERING IS A FAMILY OF PEOPLE GATHERING TOGETHER OFTEN TO LOVE GOD, LIVE FREE, AND MAKE DISCIPLES – ALL SO THAT WE CAN SEE OUR REGION REBORN.

We’d love to have you join us for our Sunday Gatherings at 9:15AM or 11:00AM at The Fox Theatre in Newton.

GET CONNECTED

Getting connected with us is easy, fun and life-changing.

Our aim is to be a true family, not just a church community. We know that deep down, people aren’t just looking for a church to sit in, they’re looking for a family to belong to. We pursue family by connecting relationally, actively engaging in Sunday Gatherings, serving together, and growing as disciples through Neighborhood Gatherings (small groups).

HERE’S OUR SIMPLE STEPS FOR GETTING CONNECTED.

STEP 1

SUNDAY
GATHERING
SERVICES

SUNDAYS AT 9:15AM or 11:00AM
AT THE FOX THEATRE

HERE’S WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT

We’ll welcome. We’ll laugh. We’ll have coffee. We’ll sing. We’ll preach. We’ll share communion. We’ll reflect. We’ll connect with Jesus. We’ll ponder. We’ll serve.
We’ll worship. We’ll enjoy. We’ll make new friends. We’ll challenge. We’ll pray. We’ll give. We’ll learn. We’ll be family.

Wear whatever you’re most comfortable in. We’re a mixed bunch; you’ll find several in jeans and t-shirts, some in ties, some in dresses, some in camo, a few in jerseys, and the occasional pair of sweats.

STEP 2

JOIN US
FOR
CONNECT

THIS IS A THREE-SESSION MODULE THAT HAPPENS ON THE
FIRST THREE SUNDAYS OF EVERY MONTH AT 10AM AT NORM'S COFFEE BAR.

HERE’S WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT

Discover your purpose and live the life God created you for!
Connect is a three-session introduction designed to connect you to your purpose and place within the life of The Gathering. You'll enjoy a fun brunch as you identify your next steps in God's plan for your life. After Connect, you’ll be invited to join a Neighborhood Gathering and be a part of Team Reborn. Sign up on a Connection Card this Sunday.

STEP 3

CONNECT BY
ACTIVELY
ENGAGING

ACTIVELY ENGAGE WITH SUNDAY GATHERINGS,
TEAM REBORN AND A NEIGHBORHOOD GATHERING.

HERE’S WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT

You can expect to be connected with and loved by a family of people learning how to love Jesus together as we pursue His desire to see our region reborn. You can also expect to be changed as you discover more of God’s great love and purpose for you. In addition, you can expect to grow in your relationship with Jesus as you join Him on His mission to make more disciples.

We were all created by God to make a difference in the lives of other people. And we believe that life only begins to make sense when you start fulfilling that purpose. Team Reborn is made up of all the people who make The Gathering what it is! From preparing communion, welcoming guests, to leading The Gathering Kids, and so many other places in between, God has a place for you where your unique abilities and passions can touch the lives of others. To get connected with Team Reborn, we first invite you to attend and complete Connect.

Following Jesus is a team sport. We need others to help us obey Jesus in real time. Plus, we can all benefit from the love and care we find in a smaller setting. Neighborhood Gatherings are smaller groups that meet together every other week in a leader’s home to enjoy a delicious meal, true friendship, God’s word, prayer, and a lot of encouragement.

Neighborhood Gatherings are designed to connect you relationally with other friends and families (of all generations) at The Gathering, while equipping you to grow together as disciples of Jesus. We like to think of it as dinner parties for disciples.

Discover more about Neighborhood Gathering and get plugged into one by attending Connect.

KIDS + STUDENTS

OUR DESIRE IS TO MAKE DISCIPLES. WE WANT TO SEE KIDS AND STUDENTS GET SAVED, CHANGED AND ON MISSION WITH JESUS.

We want to lead our young people into a real and dynamic relationship with Jesus, where they thrive in His love and the unique purposes He created them for.

Our awesome team of trained volunteers work hard to ensure that while you’re loving church, your kids will be loving church too! Every Sunday The Gathering Kids team creates a fun and engaging worship experience in a safe, clean and loving environment.

We have five separate age-based environments so that we can engage your child at his or her level: Nursery, 2’s & 3’s, Pre-K/K (4 – Kindergarten), 1st & 2nd Grade, and 3rd – 6th Grade.

We would be honored to have your child join us at The Gathering Kids. We hope that you visit us soon!

We love students! And we’re convinced that young people can be true disciples of Jesus. We want to see them get saved by Jesus, continue to be changed by Jesus, and join Jesus on His mission to make more disciples.

Youth Gathering is designed to connect students relationally together in a fun, safe and loving environment, while challenging and equipping them to grow together as disciples of Jesus. Your student will enjoy delicious food, biblical teaching, relational connections, while receiving opportunities to grow and lead.

Youth Gathering meets every Sunday evening at 6PM. For more information, and to get your student connected, simply email us at hello@apeopleandtheircity.com

Leadership

BRANDON ECK

LEAD PASTOR/ELDER

Brandon and his wife Rachel were married in 2007, and have two hilarious sons who light up their lives. In July of 2013, Brandon and Rachel were led by God back to Newton (Brandon’s home town) to plant The Gathering. As Lead Pastor, Brandon also serves as a Founding Elder. His responsibilities are to lead and cast vision. Rachel also leads and serves The Gathering’s Kids.

Email Brandon:
brandon.eck@apeopleandtheircity.com

GREG NOLL

EXECUTIVE PASTOR/ELDER

After serving together on staff at Christ Fellowship Church in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, Greg and Cynthia returned to Kansas in 2015 to join The Gathering. Greg serves as one of The Gathering’s Founding Elders and as its Executive Pastor. His vocational experiences also include 8 years as a missionary and 10 years as an attorney serving families across the country.

Email Greg:
greg.noll@apeopleandtheircity.com

KRISTI WEAVER

KIDS MINISTRY DIRECTOR

Kristi Weaver and her family have been a part of The Gathering from the very beginning, when it was just a dream beginning to take shape. Kristi serves as The Gathering's Kids Ministry Director overseeing our amazing volunteers and ensuring that our kids experience a loving, fun, safe, and engaging worship environment as they grow as disciples of Jesus.

Email Kristi:
kristi.weaver@apeopleandtheircity.com

STEVE SIZEMORE

ELDER

With over 35 years of vocational ministry experience, Steve serves as one of The Gathering’s Founding Elders. In addition, Steve has a heart for serving pastors, ministry leaders, and their teams through coaching and training. His experience includes 23 years serving in Youth With a Mission, and 14 years in pastoral work (5 years at LifeMission Church – Olathe, KS), church planting, and professional coaching.

ABOUT US

God has given The Gathering an enormous vision, coupled with a life-changing mission.

Our vision and mission go hand in hand. One can’t be done without the other. We believe that our vision is what God wants to see happen through The Gathering, while our mission includes the action-steps He’s given us to take to see the vision come to pass.

OUR VISION

Region Reborn: Every Community Renewed By Jesus

The Gathering was started in the heart of Newton, Kansas with a vision and passion to see Newton and our Region Reborn. We desire to be uniquely different and passionately real. We are a place where diversity is encouraged and, most importantly, a place where people are accepted and loved unconditionally! We love our city, our region, and all the people in them! We are more than a building, more than a style, and more than religion. We're a church family committed to transforming the forgotten people and neighborhoods of our towns with the love and message of Jesus. Together, we're having the time of our lives and we would love for you to join us!"

OUR MISSION

Love God. Live Free. Make Disciples.

Love God: God wants to know us personally. He loves us and wants a relationship with us. Together, we aim to love God back as we trust in, commit to and rely upon Jesus above all else. Matthew 22:37-38

Live Free: God wants to set us free from our yesterdays so that we’re free to live for Him today. Together, we pursue the love, truth and power of Jesus so that we may live lives of freedom. John 8:32

Make Disciples: God calls us to be and make disciples of Jesus. Together, we live on mission to lead others to love God, live free and become disciples who make disciples. Matthew 28:18-20

The Gathering is a non-denominational church that’s relationally connected and affiliated with a network of like-minded churches through ARC Churches (The Association of Related Churches) and LINC (Linked International Network of Churches)

GODS WORD

Obeying, reading, studying, sharing, memorizing, praying, speaking, teaching, preaching, etc.

RELATIONSHIPS

Loving God and others through intentional relational environments.

SALVATION

Receiving new life, forgiveness and purpose through Jesus.

CHANGE

Becoming everything that God has intended us to be.

MISSION

Joining Jesus on His mission.

REST

Maintaining a healthy pace and rhythm with intentional spiritual, physical and emotional rest.

GOD

God the Father is the creator and sustainer of all things, and He created the universe in love. He created man in His own image for relationship and called man back to Himself through Jesus after man sinned and fell away from God.

JESUS

Jesus Christ is eternally God. He was together with the Father and the Holy Spirit from the beginning, and through Him all things were made. He stepped into human history as the Messiah about 2000 years ago. He was born from a virgin, lived sinlessly, died as a substitute for all those who believe in Him, and physically came back to life. He is Lord of all. We believe He is now exalted and seated in heaven as our high-priest and intercessor.

THE HOLY SPIRIT

The Holy Spirit is God, the Lord and giver of life, who was active in the Old Testament and given to the Church in fullness at Pentecost (Acts 2). He empowers believers for service and witness, cleanses man from the old nature and changes us to be like Jesus.

THE BIBLE

We believe that the Old and New Testament are the inspired and perfect revelation of God’s truth. The Bible cannot be added to, subtracted from or superseded in any way. They are the final say for faith, truth, and life. We believe they were and are currently breathed by God through the Holy Spirit.

SIN NATURE

We believe that apart from God, all humans are depraved and unable to fix their sin problem.

SALVATION

We believe that salvation is a free gift from God, which is only granted through the blood of Jesus. Through faith in Jesus, including His death and resurrection, our sin is forgiven and we become a new creation with Christ’s very nature living inside of our lives. Christ’s atoning death on the cross paid the penalty for the sins of the whole world, but its benefits are only applicable to those who repent, trust in, commit to, and rely upon Jesus.

SPRIITUAL GIFTS

We believe that all spiritual gifts are to be functioning in God’s church today, just as they were in the early church.

THE CHURCH

We believe the local church is God’s prized bride, and it is made up of all those who have received salvation through Jesus. We believe that the church is to meet regularly and relationally. We believe the church is and always was intended to be a movement that grows and multiplies, as believers live each day for the purpose of loving God, sharing Jesus, and making more disciples.

BAPTISM & COMMUNION

We follow Jesus by being fully immersed in water through baptism in the name of the Father, son, and Holy Spirit. We also obey Jesus by taking communion regularly. These two ordinances help us to remember that we live brand new lives through Jesus’ atoning death on the cross.

THE END & NEW BEGINNING

We look forward to the day that Jesus physically returns to this Earth. His final judgment will decide the eternal status of both the believers and the unbelievers, determined by their relationship to Jesus Christ. We affirm with the Bible that those who oppose relationship with Jesus and have rejected Him as Lord and Savior will live eternally separated from Him in hell, while those who love Jesus and accept Him as their Lord and Savior will live eternally with God in the new heaven and new earth. 

GIVE

YOUR GENEROSITY MAKES A DIFFERENCE!

We’re convinced that our city and region can be radically transformed through the love, generosity, and disciple-making that Jesus wants to pour out through His people. Your giving supports and fuels our vision to see Our Region Reborn: Every Community Renewed By Jesus.