All newsletters

Gathered in His Name 2027: this one feels different

Hi friend,
​
I booked this like 6 months ago. It is written. There’s no going back. Now we need to sell some seats and make it possible 🫣 So let me tell you what the Lord has laid on my heart for our next in-person gathering. Who knows, maybe He will put His finger on it and we’ll get to hang out in sunny Florida.
​
How we got here . . .
​
It all started months ago with a lot of prayer and discussion. Our last event cost us about $100K out of pocket, so to say we don’t make these decisions lightly is an understatement. Booking an event means making financial commitments long before we know whether the seats will sell. The hotel rooms, meeting spaces, equipment, travel—all of it comes with a promise to pay. It’s a pretty tangible picture of a leap of faith. We prayed. We discussed. We debated. And then we leapt.
​
Choosing Orlando, FL was no accident. I’ve been watching events closely for some time, and one thing has become really clear: it is getting harder for families to justify the cost of travel, hotels, food, and tickets for something that lasts a day or two. I felt that choosing a destination where families could build a vacation around the gathering might make the expense make sense in a completely different way.
​
The truth is, most of us don’t want to be just a ticket number holding a seat. We are looking for meaningful connection—and that’s something large events often struggle to do well. We chose our hotel with this exact vision in mind. It is honestly a dream setup for families: plenty to do, places to gather, and nowhere you have to go. Right on site there is a Starbucks (you’re welcome), a Chick-fil-A (also you’re welcome), and the hotel is attached to a mall, giving you lots of opportunities to meet, sit, and actually enjoy the space between sessions. We are also dedicating time for families to meet one another with a really unique breakout experience that feels completely different: Family Speed Dating. These are decisions that we discussed at length and prayed over, and each one was made with intentionality and purpose.
This isn’t a homeschool conference
​
Gathered in His Name isn’t really about homeschooling at all. It is a gathering of families who come together to be encouraged, to fellowship with one another, to worship, to pray, and to seek His face. And this year, the word I keep hearing is Equip.
​
Jonathan and I feel a sense of urgency we can’t ignore. Time is short. This isn’t the season to grow complacent or distracted. It is a time to prepare. All over the world, God is raising up His people to get ready, to press in, to be set apart and holy. We may be scattered, but we are not alone. There is something powerful about coming together with others who share that same sense of purpose and remembering that.
​
We are calling the burning ones. We are calling the ones who are weary, tired, and feel alone. We are calling the ones who are looking for more. If your family needs to reconnect and realign . . . this is for you.
​
Truthfully, I can’t give you a polished session description for every session—and I don't really want to. I have a hazy idea of where we're going. I know the Lord wants to impart something to those who gather. I know it will be a time of ministry and equipping. Beyond that, I want to leave room for the Spirit to lead.
​
Because I believe the timing of this event is not an accident: Pentecost Sunday is the very next day.
​
We are believing in faith that the Lord wants to move. We are asking that He will pour His Spirit out and that His presence will meet us in a new way. We are asking for families to be refreshed, relationships to be restored, and God’s healing hand to touch all who are weary and heavy laden.
​
I don’t want to pressure you into coming. There are early bird prices, a graduation ceremony, and all the bullet points of a typical event promotion. But to me, those are the details—not the reason we're gathering. If you feel the Spirit stirring, you can learn more below. And if it is not possible this year, we would love it if you could pray with us for God to continue to guide our steps as we plan an event where we are simply stewards of a stage that belongs entirely to Him.
P.S. In considerably less serious news . . . we launched some new products. 😂
​
Our newest Modular Math unit is Percents! This unit is a more advanced topic, which means that Foundations does not start at Kindergarten but rather at a Grade 4 equivalency! You can learn more and snag it now here: https://gatherroundhomeschool.com/pages/percents
​
Ready to Read 4: On the Savannah has a fresh new update! It’s still the same reading program you know and love, now with some fun refreshed elements and combined into just one student book: https://gatherroundhomeschool.com/products/ready-to-read-4-print
​
Texas has officially joined our journey across the United States! Explore the history, people, and events that helped shape the Lone Star State: https://gatherroundhomeschool.com/pages/texas
​