TESTIMONIES

While our bee hives that help support the ministry head into the off-season as the weather shifts giving us a much needed break from tending the hives, Gathering Table as a ministry continues to run “business as usual” with bi-monthly Pop-Up dinners and team meetings, as the Lord continues to teach us as a ministry team how to share the gospel in our community both with our words and actions within the context of community gathered around local agriculture, with “great patience and careful instruction”.   “Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.” (2 Timothy 4:2)   All the while the Lord continues to provide for all the needs of the ministry according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus. Here are some highlights of God’s faithfulness that reminds us that we can depend fully on him in every aspect of our lives!   Two Years at the Collective 103 Shop The Lord has been faithful since opening the door in September 2024 for the Gathering Table ministry to have a year-round spot in Old Town Clovis, as a way of supporting the ministry through honey and spoon ring sales and to invite the community to upcoming Pop-Up Dinners. The spot at The Collective 103 continues to help support costs of the ministry and we are seeing guests come to the dinners from invitations at the shop!     450 Pounds of Honey Harvested this Year This past week we had our last honey harvest of the year, topping last year’s total of around 400 pounds with a total of 450 pounds this year! Most of the honey is sold at the Collective 103 shop. Thank you Jesus!   18 Bee Hives Going into the Winter After a challenging end of summer for the bee hives battling chalkbrood disease that wiped out around 15-25 percent of our hives, in addition to challenges with mites and the summer heat, God has helped preserve 18 bee hives going into the winter as the weather starts to change this coming week. The real test will be over the next 3-4 weeks to see how many hives make it through the cold. We are praying that at least 15 strong hives make it to Almond pollination in February, which is another way the bee hives help generate funds for supporting the ministry activities.   Ways You Can Support the Ministry There are currently two campaigns on Go Mission for Gathering Table to help the ministry finish out this year strong and head into 2027 with a boost. If you’re interested, you can find more info at the links below. -Bibles for Veterans (campaign end 11/15/26) -Year-Round Presence in Old Town Clovis (campaign ends 12/31/26)   Photos- Honey at the Collective shop; bee yard in Clovis; “frame” of honey and capped brood; our most recent Pop-Dinner in October.

“Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near.” (James 5:7-8) This is a fitting verse for us, not only because of this late season heat wave in the valley where we are all waiting for it to cool off finally!!, but also because it describes the posture that the Lord has kept the Gathering Table ministry in all year long. We are learning to wait on the Lord. A couple recent testimonies:   Bi-Monthly Team Meetings If you’re not familiar with Gathering Table, we are a ministry that, at the moment, primarily hosts pop-up dinners every other month as an outreach to bring the good news of Jesus to our community. (You can read more about them on our page on Go Mission.) During the in between, or “off-months”, we have our team meetings to pray and plan for the next upcoming dinner. This past meeting in September, we we spent about 15 minutes listening individually to the Lord, specifically asking God two questions:   -What does God want to do at this upcoming dinner? -How does God want to use the gifts He has given you at this next dinner?   It’s amazing that when we spend just a little bit of time listening to what God has to say, he not only speaks but guides the entire direction of our lives and in this case the planning of the next dinner. After sharing as a team what each of us heard from the Lord regarding the upcoming dinner, it was evident that God had given us each individually some clear direction for the answers to the two questions we asked. We didn’t leave the team meeting with a burdensome to-do list (which is often the case for ministry planning meetings), but with a clear direction for what God wants to do and how we can partner with what He is already doing. His yoke is easy, and His burden is light. It confirmed to me that the Gathering Table team is not an “event planning committee”, though that is needed at times, but it it a serving ministry to show our community the hands and feet of Jesus in both our words and our actions. We are excited for what God has planned and what He is doing in each of our lives and as a team.   Bee Keeping Apprenticeship We just wrapped up the 2026 Bee Keeping Apprenticeship (BKA) that went from May-September, where we hosted a Bible study every other Saturday morning with 3 local veterans, while also starting 3 bee hives together as a fun way to build relationship and community with one another. It’s hard to express all that God did during this time. Each of the men, including me (Jeff), were personally impacted by this time together. As someone who is not a veteran, being around 3 veterans was very eye opening. All 3 have struggled and still do struggle with PTSD in some way or another. I realized after the BKA, that there is a great need in the veteran community for groups like the BKA- hands-on, community-focused interaction, that is BIBLE BASED AND JESUS CENTERED. There are a lot of programs out there that do the first part (activities, community), but not many that are Christ-centered and boldly share that Jesus is the only way any of us will find true healing and peace in this life. As part of the apprenticeship, we got to bless each of the 3 veterans with a unique study Bible to keep, to encourage them to continue diving into God’s word and growing in their relationship with Jesus. If this is something that you would like to donate toward, click here.   Prayer If you would like to partner with us in prayer, please be praying for what comes next for the three veterans who participated in the BKA- that they would find a church community to plug into and take their next steps in following Jesus. One of the men is still on the edge of receiving salvation. Pray over our October 11 Pop-up dinner for the testimonies and the gospel shared to take root in people’s hearts and for lasting connections to be made. And lastly, for vision for Gathering Table for next year. We are starting to seek the Lord for the next steps for the ministry, including doing the BKA again next year, possibly opening it up to men and women as there have been a lot of women expressing interest in it, and finishing writing down the vision for a working farm ministry that temporarily houses and hosts people who feel stuck in life to find hope and purpose in Christ.   Photo highlights of the 2026 BKA with the 3 veterans 

Planting Seeds of the Kingdom of God “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.” (Matthew 13:31-32) We have had the joy so far this year to see God using the Gathering Table ministry to plant seeds of the kingdom of God in the hearts of people in our community, specifically through the bi-monthly Pop-Up dinners and the May-September Bee Keeping Apprenticeship. There is a lot that goes into a seed becoming a tree - water, sunlight, soil, nutrients, etc. The same is true when it comes to the kingdom of God. First, seeds of the kingdom are planted, then they are watered and nourished and cared for as God grows them from seeds to plants, and eventually to full grown trees. And God is the one who makes them grow! “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.” (1 Corinthians 3:6-7) This is both a humbling and an encouraging passage of scripture. First, it reminds us that we cannot do anything without God’s help, provision, love and sustaining power. We are nothing without Him. And second, it is not our job or place to try to make things happen. Instead we simply do the planting and watering of the seeds of the kingdom, with God’s help and guidance, and trust that He will bring the growth of what is planted. So as a ministry, the Lord has given us lots of opportunities this year to plant seeds of the kingdom. We are learning that planting seeds is not a one time thing. Often people need to hear the gospel many times before the Lord brings them to the place of opening up to receive Jesus. We have one person involved through Gathering Table who is on the brink of coming to the Lord. Thank you, Jesus. Another person who God is drawing, I think out of curiosity more than anything else. God is moving. But we are also learning in this ministry that there is another - the enemy- who also is actively planting seeds, as seen in the parable of the weeds in Matthew 13:24-30, sowing seeds of distrust, bitterness and doubt. Whenever you step into sowing seeds of the kingdom of God in people’s lives, the enemy will do everything he can to thwart any kind of spiritual growth from happening that is rooted in Christ. It is a spiritual battle. Sometimes one step forward, two steps back. But our job as God’s children is simply to keep planting the seeds and tending to what is growing, remembering that this is His garden, not ours, and all the glory is due to Him alone.   (We spoke in generalities here about the specific examples of the hearts of people God is moving on through Gathering Table to respect their privacy at the moment. You can partner with what God is doing in their lives by praying that God would bring salvation in Christ to those He is drawing through the Gathering Table ministry, and also that  they would find connection and places to belong in the local church body.)

“He divided the sea and led them through; he made the water stand up like a wall. He guided them with the cloud by day and with light from the fire all night.” (Psalm 78:13-14)   If there was one word to sum up what God is doing in the Gathering Table ministry lately, it is:  breakthrough. This is the word I (Jeff) left with after our Pop-Up dinner this past Sunday evening, as my Kristy wife and I reflected on what God was doing during a simple meal that brings people together from all over our community, to share our lives and stories with each other and the hope of Jesus. Here are some highlights, of some things that we see God doing recently in and through this ministry: -first and foremost, the gospel is being preached to the lost. Thank you Jesus! We are seeing God draw the unreached and gospel seeds being planted. -God has blessed us with an amazing team of people to help plan and implement the Pop-Up dinners every other month. We are currently having team meetings on the “off months” between the dinners. -we had our first translated testimony shared at the August dinner. This was spontaneous, as an older lady who speaks Spanish shared her testimony being translated by someone on our team. This could open the door for future bi-lingual outreach through the dinners. -the Bible study with the bee keeping and Veterans is going really well, and I think God might be starting something that may be a lasting ministry outreach to this community of Veterans, where there is a great need for the hope of Jesus. -we were recently blessed with over $1,000 of bee keeping boxes and equipment for free. Yes, this was a crazy unplanned blessing, which opens the door for possible expansion of the bee hives from 20 to around 30 hive next year. God is amazing! This is probably really only scratching the surface of what He is doing. We are humbled, especially in the light of how much of this year has been us being in a posture of waiting on the Lord (read our previous updates on Go Mission for more about that), and now we are seeing God’s hand move in power and wisdom as the ministry is starting to see momentum moving forward. All of the bullets points above are things that we need prayer for covering, guidance and wisdom as we move forward as a ministry. That the lost would continue to hear and receive the message of the Cross, our team would continue to grow and expand, and the Lord’s guidance and protection in general. We encounter some very real spiritual warfare with the dinners, because they are missional and outreach based. The devil doesn’t want the message of the Cross to reach the hearts of the lost. But our God is greater!   Pictures: 1) the table set for the Aug dinner at Papa’s Place in Old Town Clovis 2) we just added honey boxes to each of the bee keeping apprenticeship hives 3-6) highlights from the apprenticeship, we meet every other Saturday morning starting off with a Bible study together in an awesome car shop on the property before we check the hives together 7) a FULL load of bee boxes and equipment that the Lord blessed the ministry with in July.

Spreading the Gospel of Christ “We sent you Timothy, who is our brother and co-worker in God’s service in spreading the gospel of Christ…” (1 Thessalonians 3:2) The work and ministry of Timothy, one of the early church leaders and apprentice of Paul, was to spread the gospel of Christ. And this is still the “work” of the church today, including the Gathering Table ministry. Last month, we had the joy of getting to share this good news (gospel) about Jesus with 10 people during the June Pop-Up Dinner in Old Town Clovis. If you are not familiar with these dinners, we host dinners every other month in our community as a way for the community to come together, share our stories with each other, and ultimately speak the hope of Jesus in the dark, broken, hopeless places. The goal of the dinners is not to just “fill” the table, but to make space for people to come who God might be drawing. It is a lot of fun as we partner with the Holy Spirit in what he is doing in people’s lives. But this is also easier said than done, especially when it requires us to wait on the Lord and not get ahead of him. For whatever reason, we were not seeing very many people sign up for the June dinner. Last year almost every dinner was packed to the limit of 20 people, with most of the dinners having a waitlist if any spots opened up last minute. This “slow down” could be because we had a short pause on the dinners earlier this year (see our previous posts to see why). A week out from the June dinner, we only had 6-7 confirmed guests, which included a few of those helping with the dinners. Our natural urge was to promote, promote, promote and simply fill the table with people. We didn’t want the dinner to “fail” or “flop”! But we were reminded of who the dinners are for - God’s glory and his plans, not our own. Ultimately the dinners are for spreading the gospel, not filling tables. So we sat on it (no pun intended), doing nothing different than our normal promoting of the dinner and trying to keep in step with the Holy Spirit on any personal invites for the dinner. The day of the dinner we had 9 confirmed spots. While it wasn’t the 15-20 we have grown used to, we knew that those coming were who God wanted to be there, so we called it good and set one extra seat for a total of 10 in case there were any last minute guests. Wouldn’t you know, God had a plan for that extra seat! About one hour before the dinner, with everything set and ready, a man walked into the venue, that was closed, thinking the restaurant was opened, and asked if he could have a glass of water (we typically do these dinners “after hours” or during days when the venue or restaurant is closed to the public). I told him sure I’d be happy to, remembering Jesus’s words of ”I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink” (Matthew 25:35), where he spoke of showing kindness and mercy to those in need. As we talked, it quickly became apparent that this man was likely homeless or in between homes, and that it was not his first time asking for water at this venue. (That’s another story) It became quite clear to me that the one extra seat at the table was for this man. No surprise that the theme for this dinner and the context in which the people’s stories and the gospel that would be shared was “belonging.” And here came in a man who likely felt like he didn’t belong, yet God ordained a seat at the table for him. What a beautiful picture of the gospel of Christ! That Jesus became a man and died for us who were outcasts because of our sin that separated us from our holy God, so that we can now belong to God as sons and daughters, co-heirs with Christ of his glorious kingdom. “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21) The message for that man that night, and the good news for all of us, is that Jesus took our place on the Cross for the payment of our sins, so that we might be given the right-standing (righteousness) with God that he purchased for us in Christ. There is nothing we have to do to earn it, we just receive God’s beautiful gift of grace by faith. In Christ, we belong to God. That is the gospel! The good news that we get the privilege of spreading at each of these Pop-Up Dinners. Next time we hope to share about the bee keeping apprenticeship and what God is doing there! Thank you for your prayers and support.

"Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin..." (Matthew 6:28) Photos: Local yellow Canola wildflower; The first day of the BKA setting up 3 bee hives together; first harvest of honey of the year being sold at the Collective 103 shop in Old Town Clovis to support the ministry; Gathering Table's 20 bee hives at our main yard in Clovis. Have you ever stopped and taken a look at the wildflowers in our area? When you start keeping bees you start noticing all the wildflowers. With all the spring rain we've gotten, it has been an incredible year for wildflowers. Right now the yellow Canola wildflower is blooming in the valley, which is an excellent pollen and nectar source for bees (nectar is what bees use to make honey btw). In this passage in Matthew 6, Jesus is pointing our attention to how God provides for all of our needs. If he provides for the birds and the wildflowers in nature, as stated in verses 25-32, how much more will he provide for his children? Instead, we are not to worry about getting our needs met, but seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and trust that he will take care of the rest. "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." (Matthew 6:33-34) Both individually and as a ministry, we have to continuously surrender our needs to the Lord. Really, I believe this is a way of life for the Christian in general. And each time we do this and focus our attention on seeking God first (His will, His desires, His plans, His purposes, His heart) before ourselves and our own needs, something funny happens... God provides for our needs as well. I (Jeff) have seen this to be true in my own life over and over, and also in the Gathering Table ministry, over and over. One testimony of seeing God's faithfulness this year with Gathering Table, is when we stepped out in faith to do the Bee Keeping Apprenticeship (BKA), before having a location lined up yet. We felt like God confirmed the direction of opening up the apprenticeship to veterans and first responders by partnering with an organization called Hives for Heros. This is a great organization that connects bee keepers with our nation's heroes, many of whom battle with trauma and PTSD. They have found that working with bees can help alleviate the trauma. As great of a mission as this is, we know they are missing the key to finding true healing - Jesus. For it is "by his wounds that we are healed." (Isaiah 53:5) Our plan was to invite 3-5 men into meeting regularly through the summer to learn bee keeping hands-on while also doing a Bible study together each time we meet to learn about what the Bible says about agriculture and farming as a way to discover Jesus together. We opened up the apprenticeship and had 3 men sign up... still before having a location set. This was "seeking first his kingdom and his righteousness", trusting that he will provide for our needs as a ministry, which one of the biggest needs at the time was a location for the BKA, as we are currently not able to do the apprenticeship at our main bee yard in Clovis. Well, as we shared in our last update, God did provide a location. It is actually the perfect spot for what we are doing in the BKA with 3 bee hives. It even has a really cool car shop on the property that we are using to do the Bible study portion of our meetups. The apprenticeship launched in May and started off great. We are excited to see what God has in store! What is an area or need in your life that God is asking you to surrender for his purposes? And how can you trust him to meet your needs as you seek first his kingdom and his righteousness? We should all take heart the encouragement that Jesus gives us in Matthew 6: "Consider the lilies of the field"... "Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?"

Our Mission: Why We're Here "Gathering people around local agriculture to share life, embody the hospitality of the gospel, and discover Jesus.” In our last post, we shared that as a ministry this year, Gathering Table has been in a time of waiting on the Lord. For anyone who has waited on the Lord can attest, it is not easy... in our flesh, we want to run ahead, doing things in our own strength and with our own ideas... but, as it says in Isaiah 40, those who wait on the Lord will "soar on wings like eagles." This has required us (myself, Kristy and our team) to surrender our own timelines and plans to the Lord. It even required us to surrender words and language we have been using for the past few years to describe the vision and mission of Gathering Table. We are excited to share in this post that we are beginning to see the Lord answers prayers that we have been waiting on Him for. 1) Vision Strategy Meetings - We have finished a four session meetings where we met with a handful of people we know and trust, including our pastor, to really prayerfully take an honest look at the Gathering Table ministry. The statement above, our "why" as a ministry, is one of the outcomes of those meetings. What was eye opening to me, is that the Lord reminded us that "gathering people around agriculture" is a key part of the DNA of this ministry. We are excited to share more from those meetings in the coming months. What came out of those is going to help shape the ministry in the foreseeable future. 2) Bee Keeping Apprenticeship - We found a location for the apprenticeship! Thank you Jesus. Next Saturday morning, May 16, we will be launching the bee keeping apprenticeship with me (Jeff) and three men from our community who are all veterans. It is going to be a lot of fun as they get to learn about keeping (we will be starting 3 bee hives together). Each time we meet, before opening the hives, we will be spending about an hour doing a Bible study together.  3) Pop-Up Dinners - On the same day, May 16, in the afternoon, we will be having a team meeting with a group of people who are interested in helping plan upcoming Pop-Up Dinners. One of the things that came out of the vision strategy meetings is that discipleship is a major driver of the Gathering Table ministry. Kristy and I are looking forward to helping the team each grow in using the spiritual gifts that God has given them to bless the church and reach our community.  The Lord is moving... please keep praying, it is both waiting on the Lord and warfare in the spiritual realm through prayer. Thank you for all your prayers and support, both financially and through encouragement.    Photos: Recent pics from our bee hives that support the ministry through the Hive Sponsors. We are planning to do 3 splits from the hives for the bee keeping apprenticeship.

“But those who wait on the LORDShall renew their strength;They shall mount up with wings like eagles,They shall run and not be weary,They shall walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31) It is interesting to look at the different translations of the Hebrew word qāvâ in Isaiah 40:31 - which all point to waiting (NKJ), hoping (NIV) and trusting (NLT) in the Lord. Gathering Table so far this year has been in a time of waiting on the Lord for him to move. On the surface it may seem that things have come to a stand still - no Pop-Up dinners on the calendar as of yet for the year and the location for the 2nd year of doing the bee keeping apprenticeship that starts in May still being up in the air. Yet Isaiah 40:31 reminds us that God is working even as we wait. As one explanation of the word qāvâ explains it like a strand of rope being twisted and stretched into just the right tension, until it is ready for use. That is what it feels like right now, that as we wait on the Lord, the ministry is being twisted and stretched and prepared for the things God has planned. Like a tension that is being readied to be released to launch. What does this mean practically? Here are a few things we are waiting on the Lord for that you can be praying with us about, before we move into some of the things God has planned for Gathering Table this year. Land or property in the Clovis area for doing the bee keeping apprenticeship with Hives for Heros. We are praying for God to open the door for someone who has the space to let us use from May-September. We have some possibilities in the works, nothing nailed down yet though. While we wait, we have stepped out in faith and started inviting guys into the apprenticeship, with already two veterans who have said yes! You can find more details about the apprenticeship here: https://www.gatheringtablefarms.com/2026apprenticeship Gathering Table team meeting to plan out the pop-up dinners for this year. We are in the process of scheduling the planning meeting in the next few weeks hopefully. This has taken longer than we hoped for, BUT as we have been waiting on the Lord, God has brought quite a few unexpected people who have expressed interest in getting involved in the dinners this year! We have found that some of the most impactful discipleship happens within the planning team. We are excited to see what God has in store. Lastly, we are waiting on the Lord for ideas on how to connect local agriculture with the dinners and the ministry as a whole. During some recent vision strategy meetings with some dear friends, the Lord reminded us that gathering people around local agriculture is a part of the DNA of this ministry. We are planning another meeting soon to discuss practical ideas, be praying the Lord reveals his plans to us. We look forward to updating next time on God’s answers to these things. Thank you for your prayers and faithful support. The photos below are some recent movement and activity of our bee hives that help support the ministry of Gathering Table and the bee keeping apprenticeship. Blessings, Jeff and Kristy    

Rolling into 2026 in Quietness and Confidence "This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: Only in returning to me and resting in me will you be saved. In quietness and confidence is your strength." (Isaiah 30:15, emphasis added)   This past weekend, I (Jeff) drove my 1978 Chevy truck (aka "The Bee Truck") out to check up on our bee hives. As I approached along the dirt path, I noticed  a good size puddle ahead from the recent rains. There was no way around the puddle, so I had to drive through it. My first thought was one of hesitation, wondering if the puddle might be too deep to pass through. But I figured the dually tires could probably handle it, and I proceeded ahead. To my delight, I was able to pass through the water with ease, allowing me to check the bee hives. This brief off-roading experience reminded me of God's faithfulness over the past year. We recently sent out an "End of the Year Recap" (see images below) to those supporting Gathering Table, specifically through our hive sponsorships. One of our answered prayers last year was being able to purchase new tires for The Bee Truck. Gathering Table uses the Bee Truck for a variety of needs, including transporting chairs, table sections and supplies for the Pop-Up Dinners, and moving and checking the bee hives that help support the ministry. A couple of the tires on the truck were getting pretty bare, and about halfway through the year, I was starting to limit how far I drove the truck. It was becoming an urgent need.  We decided to make the need known to our supporters as a Campaign on the GoMission.Church platform. God answered our prayers for new tires when someone generously told us they would like to donate $700 toward purchasing new tires. They also had a person at a local tire shop that could give a good deal. We knew this amount was likely enough to replace 4 of the 6 tires. We wondered if it might be worth spending a little more to go ahead and replace all 6 tires, but at the time the ministry did not have the extra funds for this purpose. So we prayed. From the time of the donation and when the appointment with the tire shop was set about a week later, God miraculously provided $240 leaving only a difference of $140 to replace all 6 tires! We had that amount available in the budget for Gathering Table and we were able to get all 6 tires replaced. This is one of the testimonies of God's faithfulness that we have seen in being a part of the Gathering Table ministry over the past year. It is a reminder as we move through the "puddles" ahead in 2026, that God will make a way. For in quietness and confidence is our strength when we place our trust in Him. 

How Jesus Took the Little We Had to Do Something Great Photos: 17 guests from the community gathered around the table at the Winter Wonderland Pop-Up Dinner in Old Town Clovis this past weekend; the two men who were part of the bee keeping apprenticeship this year, bravely standing in front of the hive last month without bee suits! (they had just taken their suits off) As we reflect on the year, we can see how God took the little that we had to offer him and used it to do beyond what we could imagine or think. As we prayed for God’s direction for Gathering Table earlier this year, I (Jeff) was challenged by the story of Jesus multiplying the fives loaves of bread and two fish to feed over 5,000 people. What struck me as I read this passage, was how the disciples first had to give up the little they had to Jesus.   16 Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.” 17 “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered. 18 “Bring them here to me,” he said. (Matthew 14:16-18)   In our eyes, it doesn’t seem like much, likely their meal (or someone else's meal) for the evening. What’s one meal? And it’s safe to say it wasn’t a life or death decision for them. BUT they still had to give it up, and trust Jesus to do whatever he wanted with it. If they had held onto what they had, they would’ve only fed themselves. And more importantly, they would’ve missed out on Jesus displaying his glory as the Bread of Life by feeding thousands of people. In a similar way, it felt what we had to offer God as a ministry this year was very little and yet costly at the same time. For some context, Kristy and I had just had our third child together last December. So everything about the year ahead seemed more daunting than usual, especially as we began to plan five Pop-Up Dinners for the year while anticipating juggling a newborn at some of those dinners. In addition, I felt like it was God’s timing to make a first small step in the direction for us to combine ministry and farming by doing our first year of a Beekeeping Apprenticeship, where we would disciple a couple young men by reading passages of scripture together while they learned the basics of bee keeping. While this wouldn’t be a huge commitment, it would require us giving of some of our free time (which usually consists of juggling our three littles) to meet with these men a couple of times a month over about 6 months. God was asking us to give him the little we had, so that he could multiply it into something beyond anything we could accomplish on our own. So we did. We gave to God our time and our comforts. We stepped out into our simple plan of hosting Pop-Up Dinners every other month this year and doing the 6-month long bee keeping apprenticeship. Like the disciples in this story, it wasn’t life or death for us, but it was still challenging to give God the little we had to offer.   So where is the multiplying? How did and is God using the little we have given to him this year? 1. He is multiplying faithfulness in me and Kristy. We have labored this year to continue to be faithful with what we have been given. It has been a labor prompted by love, especially this year with a newborn. God is working in us, as we learn to trust and wait on him. 2. He is multiplying our team! We had the privilege this year to partner with 3 young ladies in planning and leading the Pop-Up Dinners. It has been such a joy to learn to follow Jesus together and learn from each other, as He continues to lead this ministry. 3. He is multiplying his kingdom. God is always at work, and his word never returns void. As we are being faithful in sowing seeds of the Gospel at these dinners, we are seeing God’s kingdom sprout up like a seedling that is starting to bear lasting fruit – unbelievers being challenged by testimonies of God working in people’s lives and being drawn closer to Jesus; new believers finding connection and discipleship; people taking their next steps in following Jesus.   It has been so much fun this year seeing God multiply our efforts, and we are excited to see where God takes Gathering Table next year. As we begin to plan and dream into 2026, we can anticipate that once again Jesus will ask us to give to him the little we have in our hands. And we can trust that he will be faithful to do the work of multiplying what we give him for the glory of his name and his kingdom. Not to us, Lord, not to us, but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness. (Psalm 115:1)

"God, What Are You Doing?" Reflections on the October Pop-Up Dinner Photos (below) - Behind the scenes from the October dinner, from loading up the truck, setting up the table in the "Breezeway" of Old Town Clovis, to making the final touches to the table as guests begin to arrive. I (Jeff) found myself during our Pop-Up Dinner last month, continually asking "God, what are you doing?" It seemed God was doing something as we began to sit down together around the table, but I wasn't quite sure what it was. The Pop-Up Dinners that we host as a ministry every other month are so different from each other. For instance, the previous dinner in August was a very lively group of guests, with all kinds of God-ordained connections being made around the table. It was crazy! And, this dinner in October, was no exception... it was different from all the rest of the dinners. Unique in its own. If you're not familiar with the Gathering Table Pop-Up Dinners, it is a table that seats between 10-20 people and brings people together from all different walks of life, including from different parts of the city, different jobs, backgrounds, and so on, to hear each other's stories. The goal is to build empathy among each other, and the purpose of these dinners is for the gospel to be boldly shared in a way that is natural - by sharing what Jesus has done in our lives. About a week after the October dinner, we met as a team to debrief and to share about what we have seen God doing through these dinners this year. What was cool is that by sharing collectively, our perspective of what he was doing was much bigger. Things that I didn't see, someone else did. For example, one person on our team shared about her best friend who came to the October dinner. She shared that her friend came to the dinner expressing that she didn't want to share her stories with a bunch of strangers, and yet she ended up doing just that. We learned that it was a big deal for her to share part of her story that night. And that there had been tension between her and her friend recently, and that it seemed after the dinner that the tension was gone. We also learned that one of the people who came to the dinner was not a believer, and that God was moving on her heart that night as she heard all the testimonies of God's goodness and mercy in real life stories.  As we shared as a team of what we saw God doing, it became evident that God is always at work - he is never just doing one thing. The theme for the October dinner was "forgiveness". Many of the people at the dinner shared heart-breaking stories of being hurt or wronged by others. And at the end, we got to share the Good News of the gospel, that though we all fall short of the glory of God - sinners who have wronged God by disobeying his commands and law - that God sent his Son Jesus so that we can be forgiven. And because God has forgiven us, we can forgive others and find freedom in our relationships with others that can be found no where else. God is always at work - he is never just doing one thing. I was challenged personally after this dinner, to more and more have a posture of always asking, "God, what are you doing?" To always have one ear tuned to heaven. (I have a long ways to go to be walking in this!) And also, that our perspective grows so much more when we share with each other what we see God doing. You can be praying with us over the Pop-Up Dinners, especially for our team of people who have been helping Kristy and I lead this ministry. Our next dinner is planned for early December in Old Town Clovis. Pray that the Lord would bring who he wants to be at that dinner, and that he would help us to see and partner with what He is doing. If you are interested in coming to one of our upcoming Pop-Up Dinners, please feel free to check out our website and Reserve a Seat. It would be great to have you join us at the table to hear one another's stories, and see what God is doing through this ministry.

Divine Appointments at Pop-Up Dinners in Our Community We never know what to expect at the Pop-Up dinners that we host every other month in our community. The table that seats between 10-20 people brings people together from all different walks of life, including from different parts of the city, different jobs, backgrounds, and so on, to hear each other's stories. So when two "strangers" who come to one of the dinners "happen" to know each from some walk of life, we always take careful note: What might God be doing here. But when we see this happening across the board (or in this case, across the table) we pay extra close attention to these divine appointments. "Divine appointments" - When God brings two or more people together, who may or may not already know each other, to accomplish His purposes in and through their lives. Our most recent Pop-Up Dinner in August in Old Town Clovis was FILLED with divine appointments. It was crazy! You couldn't miss it. Someone sat down at the table next to a co-worker, neither of whom knew they were coming to the dinner. Another person sat down next to a family friend, again, neither of whom knew they were coming. Multiple people at the table shared a common burden that God has been stirring in their hearts. There were multiple ties and connections between jobs, ministries and common interests. There were so many connections between the 18 people around the table that we lost count. God is amazing! The question ringing the next day after the dinner was what are we going to do with that - all of these the divine appointments. God was clearly at work, so how can we participate in what He is doing? You can be praying with us about this. Pray that God would continue to move in this way at these dinners. Pray that people would respond to the work He is doing and reach out to each other to make connections beyond the dinners. Pray that He would get the glory, and ultimately people would be drawn closer to Jesus. If you are interested in coming to one of our upcoming Pop-Up Dinners, please feel free to check out our website and Reserve a Seat. It would be great to have you join us at the table to hear one another's stories, and see what God is doing through this ministry.