The Gathering church in the Countryside YMCA: Mainville, OH

Interested in seeing God work all over the world? At The Gathering, we are excited to be given the great opportunity to take the gospel to Burundi, East Africa. Being a part of the CITY Movement, we love every opportunity we get to use the platform of the YMCA to exalt Christ and plant churches. Right now, we are sending teams to Burundi each summer and establishing a donation program for orphans. Want to learn more? Interested in joining us?

July 12-23, 2025 Trip

Learn more about the trip.

What is the vision of the YMCA of Burundi?

The Burundi YMCA is committed to exalting Christ by demonstrating the gospel through a weekly feeding program for children and proclaiming the gospel to them through various ministry outreaches.

Their current initiatives are:

building a Christian school to equip the next generation academically and spiritually (Proverbs 16:16)
establishing a Pastoral Training Center for a multipurpose vision of church planting, national office headquarters, and after-school outreach program, including a feeding center.
planting a church to reach people for Christ and help them grow for His glory.

July of 2024, The YMCA of Burundi has invited us to serve alongside them in hosting Youth Camp (children and teens), putting on a city wide soccer tournament for an evangelistic outreach, and ministering through a Pastor’s & Leaders conference. Our 2025 trip will be the second of our three-year partnership with the YMCA of Burundi to see the gospel go forth in East Africa.

How Do I GO?

Consider joining us in July 2025!

We are looking to bring teams of 10-12 people from around the country who love the Lord and His church and who believe in the strategy of planting churches in the YMCA. The various roles we will need consist of teachers, worship leaders, soccer coaches/assistants, friend-makers and servant-hearted followers of Jesus.

Reach out to The CITY Movement at uscitymovement@gmail.com as well as stay current on the details.

How can I get involved in the ongoing care of orphans in Burundi?

The Gathering is partnering with the Burundi Y to establish the Orphans Care Initiative. The statistics from the Ministry of Social Affairs in Burundi shows that there are more than 650,000 orphans, and most of them have lost both parents.

OCI is a financial way to help these orphans live with a family who will care for them. Finances are needed to cover basic needs of one family like food, rent, school kits, transportation and medications if the orphan gets sick. $50 would cover food for the orphans and the families who will be raising them. Your donations will help us give hope to these precious children.