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A new ministry will offer a non-traditional, yet simple take on Christian worship.

On Sunday, Aug. 26, the Union Karate Center will host a contemporary worship service at 8 p.m. called The Gathering.

Jamie Vaughn — owner of Union Karate Center — said he has felt the need for a simple, contemporary, casual dress worship service in Union for a long time, and he hopes The Gathering will fill that need.

Vaughn said he and a friend were discussing such a ministry, and his friend challenged him.

“My friend challenged me and said, ‘Maybe you are the one He’s calling to do it,” Vaughn said. “I’m not a classically trained preacher, and I’m no perfect person by far. I’m just going to put it in God’s hands — a real simple approach to ministry.”

Vaughn said simplicity will be a key element of The Gathering.

“The gospel can be really deep, but it’s also really simple,” Vaughn said. “I think people in church over the years have complicated it. I want to take the complications out of church.”

“Jesus left us with two commands — to love God and love people,” Vaughn said. “That’s the vision for this place.”

Vaughn mentioned that although he has been involved in traditional churches his entire life, he tends to gravitate toward contemporary teachers.

“I look at how Jesus and the disciples did it,” he said. “It was built on relationships and being real. It was organized, but it wasn’t organized religion. The Gathering will be the kind of service where you can relax and don’t have to worry about what everybody is wearing and who is talking about who. I’ve seen it work in other places, and I’ve seen some really strong relationships grow out of that kind of worship.”

“It’s not my job to judge anyone,” Vaughn added. “My whole thing is to have an atmosphere where people can come and not worry about legalism or being judged.”

Vaughn said he scheduled the first service for 8 p.m. so people could even attend in addition to their traditional church if they wanted.

“I’m not setting out to compete with any other church and make someone choose between this and their home church,” he said. “This is more of a supplement to the local churches.”

As for the service itself, Vaughn says he will go back to the basics. People can expect fellowship (relaxing, talking, snacks, etc.), modern, contemporary praise and worship and a simple, straight forward message from the Word. The service is open to anyone and everyone, and Vaughn said they should come with open hearts and open minds.

For more information, look for “The Gathering Union” on Facebook.