Who are we?
The Gathering Place
Seventh-day Adventists are no strangers to the Isle of Wight as we have been meeting on the island since the late 1800s. As a small Christian group, we have met in a variety of places from conservative clubs to school and church halls. Throughout that time, even though we have been small in numbers, we have sought to be a positive presence in our communities. And now we have moved into our new, permanent home in Lake our plan is to continue to build on this in fresh new ways.
We decided to call the building the “The Gathering Place” for a couple of reasons.
Firstly, it is a nod to when the building was a Co-op supermarket and so a place where locals would meet and greet each other.
Secondly, because we want it to be just that; a place for the whole community to gather. We believe that faith groups can help bring people together – something that is so important for the well-being of our communities.
Finally, it is home to our family of faith. If you too, want to bring positive change in your community, discuss the deeper questions of life, and explore faith and friendship - we would love to meet you. Maybe you can help us to help others; maybe we will help each other!
At The Gathering Place we value;
Community
Humans were not created to be alone, but to thrive in community. Vital community can be found in families, neighbourhoods and amongst friends; all of these are important to us. And as Christians, we believe in the value of the community we experience when we gather as church because faith adds to that experience
Diversity
We come in all sorts of shapes, sizes and colours. We all have our own unique blend of gifts, talents, strengths and weakness. Such differences are to be celebrated and not be the cause of division and strife. Rather, everyone is valuable and adds to the rich tapestry of life.
Kindness
To be truly kind to someone involves acting because they have been heard, understood and empathised with. Our communities have the potential to be transformed with just such kindness.
The Whole Person
In a similar way in which we struggle to thrive alone because we are communal beings, we see value in paying attention to the physical, social, psychological and spiritual aspects that, when working together, see people flourish.
Meet Our Team
Bozidar Prgonjic, Pastor
Mobile: +44 7367356991
What gets me excited?
What do I avoid?
Why is my faith important to me?
Adam Ibrahim
What gets me excited? I have to say Marmite! (Sorry Pastor!). More seriously, my little daughter Grace. Being a parent is the best thing ever, even over distance. I enjoy painting, archery, collecting (allsorts of things!) and vegan cookery.
What do I avoid? Strangely for a doctor (ex GP and now working in Psychiatry) I'm not a very social creature unless I feel comfortable with the people there. I also avoid saying 'no' a bit too much, even when I should!
Why is my faith important to me? Simply it saved my life - as someone with personal experience of mental health issues, it is the one thing that give me hope and purpose when nothing else does. It helps me understand the world and my place in it - that I have value in God's eyes, even if not in mine or someone else's.
Leonita Jones
What gets me excited? A lot of things excite me. For example, a grandkid learning to play a new musical instrument or a phone call from a family member living far away. But nothing excites me more than a seemingly lifeless seed bursting into life days after I’ve sown it. I always think it’s a miracle and when it bears flowers and then fruits - ahh - just wonderful.
What do I avoid? I try to avoid the dentist the best I can. Those needles just make me cringe no matter how small they are. And the sound of that drill!
Why is my faith important to me? Life, with its ups and downs, is not easy. For me, faith is a virtual compass and a support. It makes me see and understand why life in this present world is the way it is. It gives me hope and direction. It helps me get through times of darkness. Without faith I wouldn’t be here.
We are Seventh-Day Adventist Christians.
Adventist Church UK (External Link)
Adventist Church International (External Link)
Adventists around the World
We have 21 million members in 212 countries and areas of the world as recognised by the United Nations .
This means you can hear or see 516 different languages being used – diversity is part of who we are. We operate over 9,000 schools because we believe education is vital. We run 227 hospitals, 133 nursing or retirement homes, 673 clinics and dispensaries because we want to see everyone be as healthy as possible. We have 15 orphanages and children’s homes because family is always important. There are 23 food industries spread around the world because Adventism has always been at the forefront of healthy eating
We are proud to have a humanitarian arm called the Adventist Disaster Relief Agency (ADRA) that has benefited nearly 14 million people in 118 countries including the UK because we believe in justice, compassion and love.
Adventist Disaster & Relief Agency
International Charity founded in 1956
Despite the UK's wealth compared to other countries, in 2018 data produced by the The Social Metrics Commission (SMC) revealed that an estimated 14.3 million people are in poverty in the UK. Of these 8.3 million are working-age adults, 4.6 million are children and 1.3 million are of pension age.
ADRA's "I AM Urban" projects works with grassroots urban community hubs, civil society organisations and faith-based groups to address issues of poverty, inequality and deprivation and the intersectionality between the three that can hinder people in the UK to thrive.
ADRA's "IAMU" projects work with community hubs in the UK. These hubs target local needs. They run food banks, education and wellbeing project, hygiene initiatives, clothing banks, and work with victims of domestic violence.
ADRA's special needs camps are annual events held to provide fun, education and respite for young people and adults with special educational needs and their carers.
