I want to make the introductions a little differently tonight.  I want to introduce you to Lisa instead of her to you.  You would have had to be living in a place completely isolated from any media to not have had exposure to Lisa this year – but she has never had any exposure to you.  You probably feel you know her and her heart.  But she does not know yours.  Come to think of it many of you do not know much about each other.  For those of you who may be with us for the first time this week-end you probably know very little about The Gathering.  It’s something of a mystery to you.  That’s how we’ve heard it described.  Something of a mystery.  If you are like the rest of us you are wondering if you are in the right place tonight.  

I’d like you to know from the outset that The Gathering is more than a conference.  It is a community and as I’ve been thinking about it this year I’ve realized it is a community with three characteristics:  it is a community of COMFORT; A community of CHALLENGE; and a community of CHEERING ON. 

WHY COMFORT?:  Many of us experienced loss this year.  For some it was the loss of a father, a friend or even faith in the future.  Some literally lost a fortune.  Some lost face and others lost favor.  All of us lost financially.  Some lost a following and other lost a familiar place.  Most of us could name a loss this year and yet The Gathering has been a source of comfort in the last twelve months to many, many people who have been there for each other in difficult times.  You get to know people better in the lifeboat than you do on the cruise boat.  I’ve heard more stories this year of loss and encouragement than any year I can remember.  Gathering people have extended themselves to each other and countless people across this country and the world.  Even as we are here tonight, June Hunt is broadcasting her radio program live from this hotel and sending a word of encouragement to hundreds of thousands of listeners.  Gordon Robertson reaches millions with comfort and consolation every day.  Paul and Kathy Neff, John and Barb Findley, Steve and Suzie Perry are trusted sources of comfort and encouragement to pastors and Christian workers throughout the country.  Michael and Jacquie Cardone are taking care of thousands of the employees of their company in times of grief and sorrow.  The Clarks in Memphis are comforting the poor.  Roger and Lou Anne DeHaven are a lighthouse for Christ among the sick and blind in Africa.  Scott and Sally Harrison working with crippled children in Kenya, Afghanistan and the Dominican Republic.

WHY CHALLENGE?:  Some of us got stretched beyond our expectations between last year and this.  Marilyn Augur headed off to Africa after going to the Briefing at the conference in Scottsdale.  Did she get stretched in Ethiopia?  You bet.  Just talk with her about it.  Polly Jackson started coming to The Gathering several years ago and realized her additional responsibilities in the foundation were going to unsettle her routine.  It turned out changing her life.  Carolyn Long is headed out to sea with Mercy Ships and Brett Stepelton is working on starting a Christian Community Foundation in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.  J.C. Huizenga thought someone ought to do something about education in Michigan and is one of the leaders in innovative education in the country.  Russ and Julie Johnson are up to their eyeballs in the Classical Christian school movement and you’ll hear this week-end from Bob and Tina Muzikowski who started Chicago’s largest summer sports program.  Steve Friess and his family are stimulating the growth of a depressed area of their city and providing medical care for the disadvantaged.  Paul Schultheis is reaching out to hundreds and hundreds of apartment dwellers through the ministry of Apartment Life. Malcolm Morris is working with faith based organizations all over the world through Living Water to provide water and sanitation to millions of people in developing countries. You cannot hang around with these people for long without sensing the challenge and the stimulation and excitement of accomplishment for the Kingdom.  It’s not one upsmanship but it’s discovering the exuberance of a mission that goes beyond wealth and comfort.

WHY CHEERING ON?:  Did you hear about Paul and Alice Chou taking the initiative to start a Gathering of Asian-American donors?  Their first meeting is next month in Pebble Beach.  John Sage has taken an idea of funding ministry and turned it into a commercially successful venture called Pura Vida Coffee that spins off 100% of the profits to ministry in Latin America.  Jim Oedy created the Mill Youth Stop and the New Hope Christian Community Foundation in Ohio.  Dwight and Jewel Nordstrom are pioneering new forms of missions in a manufacturing business while living in China.  Lee and Lisa Paris are banging away on racial reconciliation and economic development in Mississippi.  Malcolm Morris in Houston has worked for years to provide safe water for millions of people in developing countries and this October is hosting a major conference to help craft the U.S. policy for water development around the world.  David Dalgliesh is building homes and also building networks of pastors across the city of Austin, Texas.   Chuck Stetson is putting the Bible back in public schools through School Ministries and the Bible Literacy Project. Abigail Frederick is networking and engaging young professionals all over San Francisco and the Bay area.  Only God himself knows what the Getsch Family is doing with microenterprise in unheard of places in the world.  Nancy Hansen is networking, being a champion for and making inner city and new, often edgy ministries visible.  Daryl Heald is heading up Generous Giving.  Gene Davis comes home now and then from India with tales of God’s work there.  I could go on and on and yet this gives you some idea of how much we need to be giving each other support, encouragement, assistance, prayer and enthusiasm.  I sit in the middle of this all year long and I see the cheering on that goes on among you all and I marvel at how you keep each other going.  We are not just a community of funders and checkbooks.  We are all the time cheering each other on in the race.

We all need at least one of these this week-end:  comfort, challenge or cheering on.  Let me ask you to turn over your name tag right now.  On the back is the name of someone I want you to pray for this week-end.  Pray they would receive comfort if that is what they are here to get.  For challenge if that is what God has for them.  For others it will be cheering on in the race.  Someone is praying for you as well.  If you see your person in the next fews days you might want to just tell them you are praying for them.  You don’t have to.  But whenever you pray – pray for that one person and we’ll all be praying for each other this week-end.  Because we are a community – of comfort, of challenge and cheering on.

Lisa, I know you’ve been asking if you are in the right place tonight.  Maybe you should have been at home or another appearance opportunity or just taking a break for one night.  Well, you are in the right place tonight and we are in the right place with you.  I want to introduce you to my friends, The Gathering – a community of comfort, of challenge and cheering on.  Come and be with us.