North Palm Beach / Florida / United States
The Gathering USA is a ministry of evangelism, discipleship and mission opportunities for men. The Gathering was begun by Dr. John Tolson in 1978. Alarmed by the lack of spiritual direction men were providing for their families and the alarmingly low number of men attending church, John develped an appealing and effective way to reach men for Christ by mobilizing Christian men to invite their friends to a non-threatening outreach event in a secular setting. Typically 500 to 2000 men would attend, including business, professional and government leaders in the community. The Gathering was officially formed in 1987 in Orlando, Florida, when Larry Kreider came on board as President. Laymen from a number of cities were trained to setup and run a Gathering of Men in their own city. The Gathering has worked closely with local churches and encouraged men to get involved in the church of their choice. www.thegathering.org Gathering/USA Palm Beach County In 1989, a group of men met with John Tolson and Larry Kreider to consider developing an affiliate of The Gathering/USA in Palm Beach County They decided there was a need to develop a ministry to men and in the Fall 1989, the first event was held: an Outreach Breakfast with Pat Williams, November 9. The ministry continued to grow, but the Steering Committee believed more could be accomplished with a full time director. In 1998, Bob Schuemann who was part the initial group of men was selected for that role. Advisory Committee: John Bryan, Keith Collier, Terry Eve, Mike Ford, David Gregg, James Hair, and Rev. Emmanuel Jenkins. For 21 years, The Gathering has sponsored Mens Outreach Breakfasts. An evangelical event to reach men in Palm Beach County. Our next breakfast is September 23 with Michael Franzese, as our speaker. In February, 2010 700 men attended our Breakfast...Joe Ehrmann was our speaker.
