Gather
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A messenger just for our church.

Gather works like Telegram: chats, groups, channels and calls. But only people from our church are here, and the data stays on servers in Frankfurt.

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In open testing now, on Android, Windows, Mac and in the browser.

Gather on a computer: the chat list on the left, the youth group's chat with a flyer on the right
The chat list in Gather on a phone, with folders for youth and church
Gather on a computer and on a phone. The names and chats are examples.

Why we are building Gather

Telegram has held our church together for years, across countries and languages. But Telegram is an open network. Strangers can message our young people, and search shows accounts with indecent pictures. There is nothing we can change about that there.

Gather looks familiar and does what we are used to from Telegram. The difference: only people from the church are here. The church sees every new account straight away and can remove it. Gather comes with safeguarding rules for children and young people. The church decides which of them apply.

More about Gather and the way there

Everything you know from Telegram

Gather looks like Telegram and works the same way. There is nothing new to learn.

  • One to one chats and groups with hundreds
  • Channels for the church's news
  • Calls with sound, video and a shared screen
  • Photos, videos, voice messages and polls
  • Folders, search and saved messages
  • On your phone and your computer, read on both
The Church news channel in dark mode, with an invitation to the harvest festival

Only in Gather

Telegram is made for the whole world. Gather is made for our church. So it does things Telegram never will.

Modules for every church

Each local church switches on the modules it needs. Where they are off, nobody sees them.

The first is MyShare. The treasurer reads in the bank statement, and every payment finds the right member by itself. Camps are charged, and everyone sees their balance and savings plan in the app. Calendar and sign-ups come next.

MyShare on a computer: the treasurer's member list with references and balances
MyShare on a phone: your own balance with your reference and a GiroCode to top up
MyShare: the treasurer's list on the left, your own balance on the right. The names are examples.
A group chat in Norwegian, translated into English by Gather

Every language becomes yours

Our church lives in many countries. When someone writes in Norwegian, Dutch or German, Gather shows the whole chat in English with one tap. The original is one tap away.

The chat list with the small feedback bubble in the corner

Just say what is missing

A small bubble sits on every screen. Tap it and start talking, or type. Gather asks until it is clear what you mean, and passes it on to us. That is how the app gets a little better every week.

Only people from our church
Search finds chats, people and messages, but no strangers. The church sees every new account straight away.
Connected to Telegram
Sign in with Telegram and your chats come along. Groups still on Telegram stay connected.
No phone number
Sign in with a code by email or with Telegram. Your number stays yours.

What is coming next

This is what we are building now. The pictures are drafts, not the finished screens.

Encrypted chats soon

For chats between two people. When you both choose it, the chat no longer goes to Telegram, and only the two of you can read it. Not even whoever runs Gather's servers. Private groups follow.

Draft: a one to one chat with the note that it is end to end encrypted

Calendar soon

The church's dates in one place, matched to your groups. With a reminder beforehand and a feed for your own calendar.

Sign-ups soon

Sign up for camps and events, with places left and a waiting list. Anything you pay shows up in MyShare.

Draft: the calendar on a computer with a week of events
Draft: signing up for a church weekend with places left
The calendar on a computer, signing up on a phone.

Livestream soon

Watch services and events live, on your computer and your phone. If the sound or picture stutters, the feedback button tells the right people straight away.

Draft: a service live on a computer, with a feedback button
Draft: the same service live on a phone

iPhone app soon In the App Store for iPhone and iPad. Until then, use Gather on your iPhone in the browser.

End-to-end encryption soon For chats between two people. When you both choose it, the chat no longer goes to Telegram, and only the two of you can read it, not even whoever runs Gather's servers. Private groups follow.

How to start

  1. Open

    Open Gather in your browser or download the app for Android, Windows or Mac.

  2. Sign in

    With your email address or with Telegram. You are in straight away.

  3. Tell us what is missing

    Every screen has the “Give feedback” bubble. Just type or talk. We read everything.

Open in browser Download the app

Safe and private

No ads, no tracking
Gather shows no ads, uses no analytics services and sells no data.
Servers in Frankfurt
Messages and files are stored encrypted on servers in Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
Protection for children and young people
For example, a rule that adults cannot chat alone with minors. The church decides which rules apply.
Your account is yours
You can delete it at any time, in the app or on the Delete your account page.
Read the privacy policy

Questions?

The help page answers the most common questions about signing in, notifications and devices. For anything else, write to us at hallo@gather.paiss.me.

Go to help About Gather