Our Dream:

At The Gathering we have a dream of continuing a training and outreach center in downtown 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 the 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 desiring true spirituality just like many Christians. Love, and not Warfare (as many Pentecostals taught) was the way to touch their hearts, just as it was for all other people. On this premise we base our outreach towards all people.

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.