Lehi People
Micro-newspaper builds connections in Lehi neighborhood
Megan Wallgren | Lehi Free Press
For the past three years, Lehi resident Matthew Sederberg has been quietly building community one printed page at a time through The Gathering, a micro-newspaper focused entirely on the stories of his neighborhood in the Cedar Hollow area of Lehi.
Sederberg launched The Gathering three years ago, initially publishing monthly before settling into a quarterly schedule. Working as a paperboy for the Deseret News as a child, Sederberg developed a lifelong fascination with local news.
After COVID-19, Sederberg found himself working from home in his basement, surrounded by neighbors who he rarely had an opportunity to connect with. “I feel there is a real dearth of neighborhood news,” Sederberg said. “Social media filled that gap for a while, but people have gotten burned out on that and there’s less sharing now.”
That disconnect sparked the idea for The Gathering as a way to get to know and preserve the stories of the people in the neighborhood.
“I was surrounded by all of these amazing people and had no real avenue to talk to them and hear their stories. I thought I was wasting the opportunity to learn their stories,” he said.
Sederberg wrote the entire first issue himself. After publishing his first issue, Sederberg started knocking on people’s doors and giving them a newspaper and chatting with them, leading to more stories.
As the idea grew, Sederberg involved others in the process. The Gathering now has five or six contributors per edition, including a neighbor who creates a comic strip. Sederberg keeps a spreadsheet of neighborhood families with a goal of featuring at least one person from each household. So far, he’s featured 98 percent of them.
With a circulation of about 150 copies, the paper is printed through an online service and written and distributed entirely by volunteers. Printing costs are covered by a local Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ward, but all writing, editing and distribution is unpaid.
The newspaper has highlighted student athletes, neighbors with disabilities, families, missionaries writing from around the world and everyday residents whose stories might otherwise remain unknown. Sederberg says telling these stories helps break down barriers and makes it easier for neighbors to connect.
“There’s often hesitation to pry,” he said. “But once someone’s story is shared, it opens the door for conversation.”
Because the paper is so small and local, readers often know nearly everyone featured or want to get to know them. Sederberg says he’s been surprised by how eager people are to share their stories when asked.
Sederberg, who owns a software company, knows how hard it can be for someone new to the area to feel a sense of belonging. He believes The Gathering can serve as a model for fostering connection in a city that has changed dramatically over the past 25 years.
“Lehi has so much vibrancy and untapped goodwill,” he said. “I think it’s a shame if someone lives here and doesn’t feel that goodness. I wish more neighborhoods had something like this, especially for people who don’t automatically feel connected through church or school.”
Through The Gathering, Sederberg is helping neighbors see one another not just as familiar faces, but as people with stories worth sharing.
