One of my favourite weekends of the year took place on 26 June, as AFCU once again had a military presence at The Gathering, run by Christian Vision for Men.
The Gathering features relevant Bible teaching, great worship, great speakers, life stories, live comedy, cool cars, a 5-a-side tournament, a bar, live music, walking football, huge inflatables, bar games, volleyball, axe throwing, Scalextric, bonfires, and loads more.
It was a fantastic weekend, with 32 men coming along with AFCU, and God was at work, working in so many incredible ways. Here are the accounts of two men’s first experiences of The Gathering with AFCU.
Praise God for the amazing ways He was at work at The Gathering and in the lives of these two men.
The View of the Gathering Newbie – Testimony 1
‘Nathan Blackaby, CEO of CVM, describes The Gathering (TG) as “a vessel to have fun and meet Jesus.”
So why did I attend TG26? First and foremost, because I was invited by my long-time friend and military colleague, Rhett, along with the AFCU team, to see what spending a weekend with a bunch of blokes who had faith—or who were “Just Looking”—was like. I suppose I wanted to answer one simple question: Is this for me?
CVM advertised the event as taking place in “a field near Swindon”—which is exactly what it was. From the main road you could easily have driven past without knowing anything was there. Yet it wasn’t long before that field was awash with tents, caravans, rooftop campers and, for us, two 18×24 military tents alongside the AFCU marquee, which quickly became home for the weekend. That field also became home to around 1,700 blokes.
So what did I find 1,700 men doing for 48 hours in a field, given it was their opportunity to “meet with Jesus”? If I’m honest, I expected people to spend most of the weekend reading the Bible, praying, singing a few hymns, and then repeating the cycle. What I experienced couldn’t have been further from that. Volleyball, five-a-side football, archery, classic cars, inflatable assault courses—how exactly did all of that help anyone meet Jesus?
Over the weekend, I experienced friendship, togetherness, mutual respect, and a genuine desire to bring joy to others on a level I hadn’t encountered before. The guys from AFCU could not have been more welcoming, giving me every opportunity to ask the many questions I had about living a life with Jesus. There was no pressure, no sales pitch, and no making me feel foolish because I didn’t already know the answers—just kindness, understanding and a desire to help me discover them for myself.
As a military analyst who values evidence, an engineer who likes process, and someone who doesn’t naturally take risks, you can imagine how many questions I had.
What I didn’t realise was that my answer wouldn’t come from facts and figures alone, but from what I experienced when 1,700 men gathered in worship under a Big Top marquee in a field near Swindon. The power of their voices, their genuine faith in Jesus and their shared sense of purpose created the most overwhelming feeling of joy and hope I have ever known.
It was at that moment I realised I had just had my first meeting with Jesus.’
My first Gathering at a time I really needed it – Testimony 2
‘What a weekend, and fortunately, it came at a time I really needed it. You see, like most men, my life can often feel like a roller coaster: the highs and lows. Due to a recent accident, it’s been more lows than normal lately. I needed to step back from my usual duties as father, husband and sailor, and get some downtime.
Fortunately, I stumbled across an advert for The Gathering from the AFCU. I’ve been a Christian for around six years but had never been to a Christian festival, and I don’t exactly fit the stereotypical mould you might picture. I instantly pictured 1,000+ men standing in a field singing Kumbaya.
Fortunately for me, The Gathering wasn’t anything like that at all. I booked my ticket and even managed to convince one of my civvy mates to come along. He’s a Christian too, but tonnes of the blokes who went aren’t, and that’s the perfect opportunity to introduce them to Christ. The AFCU has a really strong presence at The Gathering: 30+ members, huge tents, cot beds, and as much meat as you could eat all weekend. All I had to do was turn up, which suits me perfectly. Having a large armed forces presence puts you at ease too; you won’t get bored, but even if you did, there’d be plenty of serving members and veterans around to spin some dits with. I’ve also been pretty skint lately, but the discounted AFCU member ticket price of £50 was an absolute no-brainer, and food only cost £30 for the whole weekend.
Luckily, The Gathering was good, really good. There was proper banter without it feeling sterile or overly PG, and the worship through prayer, singing, and conversation felt organic and spirit-filled. The highlight of the weekend for me was watching so many men give their lives to Christ.
In 2027, I’ll be going to The Gathering again, and I’d encourage you to come too. It’s a weekend of normal blokes with miraculous stories, a time to unwind, reflect on where you’re at spiritually, receive prayer, and recommit yourself to Christ. Book a ticket, bring a friend, and watch the Holy Spirit change lives.’