There’s already lots of church in Cookeville, but some of us still want more church, & some of us want a different kind of church experience. Founded in 2010, Come ToGather wants to be the church we’ve dreamed of—creative and convivial and Christ-centered; inclusive and informal and intimate; experimental and experiential and expansive. We are a "supper church" where our weekly potluck blends into the Lord's Supper.
More than anything, we want to invite all kinds of folks: orthodox or agnostic, seekers & sinners, the unchurched & undecided, regardless of their spiritual history & spiritual self-definition.
We want to be real-world-active & open-minded & open-hearted in a biblical manner. We want to invite Christians whose relationship with Jesus is not diluted by welcoming—& even worshiping & studying with—people from diverse & divergent religious paths.
Come ToGather seeks a style that’s immediate & inspired & down-to-earth in the house-church-love-your-neighbor-without-dogma or church-campfire-in-the-woods kind of way. Although we have a core group of leaders & founders, we’re without a formal hierarchy & welcome everyone to participate in our weekly worship which often works as a kind of “open mic for the soul.” The "open pulpit" allows people to preach informally or share conversationally in a manner the larger service precludes.
Since our inception, we’ve enjoyed study of the scripture as well as poetry & popular culture & some of the ideas found in books by authors affiliated with the loose movement known as the “emergent church,” inspired as we are by the likes of Rachel Held Evans, Rob Bell, Richard Rohr, Jonathan Martin, or Peter Rollins. Occasionally we go contemplative with our version of Lectio Divina.
Come ToGather has met in homes and churches & in spaces on our local college campus. By Fall 2011, we returned to the venue where we began: the fellowship hall at First Presbyterian Church at 20 N. Dixie in heart of Cookeville. A small worship collective, we are not officially a part of First Pres, but there’s some overlap of members & leaders who participate in both. More spiritual than theological, we enjoy meeting each week & discovering what God’s love has in store for us.
Come ToGather has met in homes and churches & in spaces on our local college campus. By Fall 2011, we returned to the venue where we began: the fellowship hall at First Presbyterian Church at 20 N. Dixie in heart of Cookeville. A small worship collective, we are not officially a part of First Pres, but there’s some overlap of members & leaders who participate in both. More spiritual than theological, we enjoy meeting each week & discovering what God’s love has in store for us.
We want to be a singing, dancing, creating, & celebrating kind of community where spiritual gifts & artistic gifts commingle. We want poets, artists, dancers, singers, painters, & more to join with us, to grow & know with us.
Come ToGather wants you to bring your light to share with the larger light that might open us up to larger life. Come ToGather will gather in a circle. We will unashamedly read & study & sing together. And every week, we will gather for a feast to which everyone is invited. We mix dinner with worship--a potluck supper meets the Lord's Supper. On Sunday, the table will be set. I hope to see you there.
