Who We Are

The Gathering Place Mission was founded on February 28, 2005 on property owned by Bobby Sharp. The same property on which we continue to operate today. In its earliest years it operated as a church where local ministers offered sermons on Thursday nights and Sunday mornings. When Mr. Sharp became ill in 2011, his daughter Donna Darnell intended to clean the property up and sell it. But God had a different plan! Donna’s eyes were opened to the problem of homelessness in our community. First, meals started to be served by volunteers from around Georgetown and the Emmaus Kitchen became a fixture for the hungry in Georgetown. Then clothes began to be donated. A washer & dryer soon followed. And by autumn work was well under way to transform the buildings into a homeless shelter.

In the beginning there was only a community kitchen and men’s shelter. We expanded to include a women’s shelter in 2018 and a cold shelter in 2021-2022. And then we made a big leap in November 2022 by purchasing the property on which we’ve operated. Although the Sharp & Darnell families no longer own the property nor participate in the management of Gathering Place, their efforts birthing & building it will always be remembered.

Twelve years have now passed since it began serving as a shelter. We have grown each & every year since 2011, even during the pandemic. And we have big plans for the future to expand our availability and opportunity to serve Georgetown, Scott County and the surrounding region through the love of God.