There is a big change coming for The Gathering, and it came with surprise and unexpected speed!

We received notice about two weeks ago that the Tippecanoe County Historical Association will no longer be available to us as of the beginning of September. In the meantime, our friend Mary Buckley, owner of Bistro 501, has offered us the use of the Bistro Atrium at the Lahr Hotel. This is the space that she used as a market for a couple of years and then closed. We are blessed with her generosity, and she’s being very helpful in working out the details.

If you’ve not seen this iconic historical space, it is amazing! There will be challenges, of course. But it’s a beautiful space! It is a brightly lit open-air atrium. The acoustics are very challenging for our music team. But at a meeting Wednesday, the music team members looked and figured some ways to compensate. It’s a work in progress, but we will work it out.

We are so grateful that we have a new space on such short notice. God is good! Some say that ‘”whenever you move a church, you lose a portion of your attendance.” I realize that, of course, but I don’t believe this is going to happen for us. The new space on this iconic restaurant street, I believe, will be a curiosity and draw more people to look at us. Once we get going and start spreading the word, the appeal of this location coupled with how “‘we do church differently” will speak to people. Some who are looking for a new church home will hear about this new option. During the interim, we should share with our families and friends to give us a try at 11 o’clock every Sunday.

So tell your friends! For all of you who’ve been coming to TCHA up until now, remember that in two weeks, the end of August, we will be making the move and having our debut service in the Bistro Atrium. Let’s view this as a wonderful blessing and a challenge to build the body of Christ in a new place. I am energized and enthused for the challenge! I hope you are too.