About Us

History

What started out as a chance encounter in the early spring of 1987 became the impetus for a Christian Ministry called The Gathering Place.

 

While doing a hospital visit in April of 1987 in Lancaster, PA Bob and Melanie Lewis met a young man named "Al". All they knew of Al is that he had been attending Narcotics Anonymous meetings and he had been hospitalized with a respiratory problem. As they visited Al, they learned that his problem was a strange type of pneumonia called Pnuemocystic Carinii Pneumonia (PCP). Finding out days later that PCP was what many people being diagnosed with this new disease called AIDS were dying from. And yes, Al was dying as well. At that time there were no effective medications. At the same time God was connecting hearts. The Lewis' became friends, maybe even adopted family for Al. Having Al at their dinner table or sitting around the Christmas tree with their three early teenage children became normal. Within the next 8 months Al also introduced Bob & Melanie to twelve other people he knew who were also HIV infected, including Al's sister, and so the journey continued.

 

Over the next few years both Bob and Melanie left the comforts of eight hour work days and weekly pay checks and joined the rank of millions before them, depending on Faith in God for their provision.

 

By 1994 The Gathering Place had moved into a 8000+ square foot building that helped meet the ever growing needs of the 100+ clients they were now serving. The building included offices for five fulltime staff, a fully equipped food bank, counseling rooms. a room for volunteer work, a 200 seat chapel, and a warehouse to store donated furiture and food bank stock. This building also allowed The Gathering Place to bless fledging ministries to get started by providing free office space. The building has become a light on a hill for our community and another example of God's faithful provision/

 
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