Behind Gather Box
The cat is out of the bag! I have shared with you the ministry I feel like God has birthed in my heart. If you missed it, you can start here. Gather Box is an idea God gave me to help women reach women with the Gospel. As we launch Gather Box, I want to share in a few posts where this came from, what it is, and who is and can be involved.
I am a pastor’s wife and have had the privilege of doing ministry alongside many incredible women. Some of my favorite times in church are small group Bible studies because in those small groups I can get to know women better. I love to hear their stories and watch God work in their lives. I have facilitated Bible studies in small groups and have loved the relationships that have formed through those times together.
Several months ago, God kept giving me names of specific ladies to pray for. I kept those names on a card in my Bible until I felt like God told me to invite them to my house. I sensed he was wanting us to do a Bible study in my home this time. It was through that study that a group of former strangers, or perhaps acquaintances, became friends and prayer partners. I remember one lady commenting on how she had never felt so free to share in a group before. This led me to question why that might be the case. The Holy Spirit was the one who knit us together and was working in us. Could the environment have anything to do with our transparency? Not because it was MY house in particular, but it made me question whether the comfort of a home changed our comfort level with each other.
I thought through the Scriptures where Jesus brought ministry into homes. He was eating in a home when the lady with the alabaster box came in to worship him. Jesus told Zacchaeus that he was going to meet him at his home to minister to him, a hated member of society. Jesus was in a home teaching and doing ministry when four friends showed up with their crippled friend for healing. He spent time teaching and fellowshipping in Mary and Martha’s home and built a strong friendship with them and their brother, Lazarus. Homes were a place where Jesus could often be found reaching and connecting with people.
With these things in mind, I began to think of how we can leverage our homes to do ministry. Let me be clear, this ministry shouldn’t take the place of a local church or Bible study in church, but Gather Box should prompt us to think of our homes differently. Our homes are a place where ministry can take place. Not only that, our homes are a place where miracles can take place! I will never forget sitting in my living room with a group of ladies as we prayed that God would bring dead marriages to life and celebrating when we saw Him at work. That is a miracle! Your home can also be used as a refuge and house of prayer for people in your community.
That is where Gather Box was birthed. Nothing in my own brain could have come up with such an idea. God is so good to let me in on where He is at work. Gather Box is a fun tool to get women started in using their homes for ministry. My hope is that women will invite ladies to come into their homes to meet Jesus. How incredible that He would let any of us be a part of that!
Join us in this mission to reach women and ultimately families with the Gospel. www.gatherboxministry.com
