Our Dream:
At The Gathering we have a dream of continuing
a training and outreach center in donwtown Salem
on
the famous heritage trail - also known as the Red
Line. 1 million people walk along this trail every
year. Locals and visitors from far away places
see this location daily.
The Vault is our location on the Red Line. Last
year with the help of a grant from the Foursquare
Foundation we established this location as a training
and outreach center, as well as the location for
The Gathering to meet for services.
The prime location gives us a high overhead, but
allows us opportunity to reach tens of thousands
of people each year, who would normally not enter
the doors of a church.
The Uniqueness of Salem:
Salem is called Witch City. It
is a center for Halloween activities, and sponsors
an event called Haunted Happenings which runs for
the entire month of October. These two dynamics
help create Salem which 1,000,000 tourists visit
each year.
In the 1970's the rise of Halloween as a major
Holiday, and the revival of Witchcraft through Neo-Paganism
(see Pastor Phil's paper "Witches
are Real People Too") were combined with
the business smarts of Bif Michaud's Witch Museum,
and Lori Cabot's Charisma as a local Witch to create
the draw we have toward Salem today. Our history
of the 1692-1693 Witchtrials made Salem a fertile
location for Halloween events.
What Brought us Here:
With the goal in mind to plant a church in Salem,
MA. Two families from Southern California, and a
few friends moved from North San Diego County to
the North Shore of Boston.
After Studying Neo-Paganism for the purpose of
desiring to share the Gospel with Witches, and
similarly-minded
occultists Pastor Phil Wyman discovered something
which changed his approach to reaching people.
Witches
and other Neo-Pagans were not dark individuals
to be feared, but real people desirinng true spirituality
just like ourselves. Love, and not Warfare (as
many Pentecostals taught) was the way to reach
them,
just as it was for all other people. On this premise
we base our outreach.
We do not impose, or attempt to force our beliefs
on anyone. We openly dialogue and discuss our
faith
with all who are open to talk with us. We utilize
creative means to share God's love, and we open
our
doors to all faiths.
The Vault at 217 Essex Street is an old bank, and
it is our dream to make this a safe place for all
people,
and a place where true spirituality can be pursued
without the trappings of a strict, and legalistic
organized religion.
