Why we call ourselves The Gilgal Project. Based on passages from several books of the Bible.
The name “Gilgal” describes the place where Israel camped immediately after crossing the Jordan River into the promised land, under Joshua’s leadership following Moses’s death. Understanding what happened there reveals seven distinct dimensions that shape what this fellowship is meant to embody.
The first is celebration. After crossing the Jordan on dry ground—water heaped up rather than parted, since this was a river rather than a sea—the Israelites set up twelve stones as a memorial, explicitly so future generations would ask what they meant and hear the story of God’s mighty deliverance. Memorials exist to prompt celebration, and that framing shapes how gathered worship should function: not simply “Sunday school and a worship service,” but a celebration service—an ongoing recognition of what God has done, is doing, and will continue to do, not confined to any single hour of the week.
The second is restoration. Joshua 5 reveals that Israel had neglected circumcision throughout the wilderness years—the physical sign of covenant relationship with God—likely because of the nation’s earlier rebellion when the spies’ report caused the people to refuse entering the land, resulting in 38 additional years of wandering and an entire generation dying in the wilderness. At Gilgal, this generation of adult children finally underwent circumcision, and God declared, “This day I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.” The name Gilgal itself means “wheel” or “roll”—the rolling away of the curse of disobedience. Egypt in Scripture consistently functions as a symbol for sin, so this moment represents forgiveness and restored relationship after prolonged disobedience—a message with direct application to the gospel itself.
The third is obedience. Israel kept Passover at Gilgal exactly as prescribed, and the manna that had sustained them for forty years ceased the very next day, once they began eating the produce of the land God had promised. Scripture records no observance of Passover during the intervening 38 years of wandering—another casualty of the nation’s earlier disobedience. The lesson embedded here is straightforward: doing things God’s way brings sustenance and provision that self-directed effort simply can’t replicate.
The fourth is gathering. Throughout the conquest narrative in Joshua 10, the army repeatedly returns to Gilgal after each campaign—it functioned as a headquarters, a place to receive orders, execute them, and return to debrief and celebrate the outcome before heading out again.
The fifth is discernment, drawn from 1 Samuel 7, where Samuel—priest, prophet, and Israel’s final judge—rode a circuit between several towns including Gilgal to help settle both civil and spiritual matters. From childhood, Samuel demonstrated unusual spiritual sensitivity, hearing God’s voice even when the reigning priest initially missed it. Gilgal functioned as one of the places people came seeking God’s direction through him.
The sixth is worship, seen when Saul offered sacrifices at Gilgal both before and during his anointing as Israel’s first king (1 Samuel 10 and 11)—acts of worship marking pivotal transitions.
The seventh is commitment, drawn from Samuel’s words in 1 Samuel 11:14: “Come, let us go to Gilgal and renew the kingdom there.” Given the tension between Israel’s twelve tribes and the shaky unity behind Saul’s kingship, Samuel’s instinct was to look past the political dimension of the moment and call the nation back to recommitment before God—renewing, or even repairing, what had been established.
Taken together, these seven elements—celebration, restoration, obedience, gathering, discernment, worship, and commitment—describe not simply a place but a way of living, which is why “project” fits better than a conventional church name. A project, in this sense, is an ongoing endeavor rather than a location people visit occasionally; it’s meant to shape how life is lived day to day rather than remaining confined to a building or a single weekly gathering. That includes genuinely valuing Scripture as the authoritative guide for life (rather than substituting personal goodness or works-based religion, a distinction that separates biblical Christianity from many cultic or works-driven systems), genuinely gathering with and being accountable to other believers (since no authentic Christian life functions in isolation—loving Christ inherently means loving his people, however imperfect that people may be), and ultimately recognizing God’s sovereignty over the whole of history and seeking to align with what God is already doing rather than asking God to bless an individually chosen path. The aim, in short, is for this fellowship to embody in daily life exactly what Gilgal represented for Israel: a people continually restored, gathered, obedient, and committed to God’s ongoing work.