Who Do You Say I Am? – a Challenge

Posted on February 9, 2017March 23, 2017 by Andy Wood

Jesus once asked his disciples this pointed question: “Who do you say I am?” (Mark 8:29) It was, of course, Peter who blurted out the answer: “You are the Christ!” This question can be equally powerful when we ask God for his answer for ourselves and others. He may not blurt out the answer like Peter did, but he will gently and surely lead us to the best answers for ourselves and our community.

We hope you’ve been stirred in this direction through our “Why On Earth: David, calling and the pursuit of God” series. But we want you to be more than stirred! Toward answering this question of calling and identity, we want to end with a practical challenge. From February 12 – 26 we will shine a light on the question of calling with the purpose of gaining more clarity regarding our vocations. It will be a two week prayer challenge during which time we’ll have daily meditations designed to help orient your prayers along the lines we’ve been exploring. We encourage you to team up with one or two other people (others in your Triad, House Group, a mentor, or a friend) and commit to praying for each other along the lines of the daily meditations. The end goal is for everyone involved to have more clarity in their calling so we can more fully live them out.

To help facilitate this we are going to devote most of our normal teaching times on February 12 and 19 to praying for each other. There will be just one service on both these Sundays that will be curated in a way to help us hear from God for each other.

Why:

To gain more clarity on our personal callings so that we can live them out more fully.
To apply what we’ve learned through our series on David.

What:

Two-week Prayer Challenge – praying for clarity in your calling with one or two others.
Asking God the question “who do you say I am?” and listening for his answer in a variety of ways.

When:

We’ll kick it off on Sunday, February 12. On Sunday, February 26 we’ll hear personal stories to encourage each other.

How Should You Prepare?:

Find one or two people and commit to praying for each other during the Prayer Challenge along the lines of the daily meditations.

Membership, OC & AGM

Posted on February 2, 2017February 2, 2017 by Andy Wood

We want to be a community in which nobody gets left out or left behind. This means relationship – lots of relationship! There are many organized venues for encouraging community (think Outer Circle, House Groups, Service opportunities, etc) and there are many organic opportunities (think lunch invitations, parties, farm days, etc). Both are valuable, however what follows concerns the organized variety…

Every year we keep an active membership roster. This is partly because we are required to by the government but it’s also a helpful way of keeping track of everyone who wants to be part of the Vineyard in this way. Currently our formal membership is defined in two ways:

Everyone who is in a Triad in the Outer Circle process. This doesn’t mean you need to come to the gatherings – but it does mean you participate in the process as outlined here.
Anyone else who is doing something similar to what is supposed to happen in Triads (House Groups are the best example of this). People who are doing something similar to the Outer Circle will: 1) intentionally and regularly get together with a small group of people, 2) know and be known by those people, and 3) actively engage in spiritual growth as described in our Core Practices.

You can read more about membership in the Vineyard here.

If you haven’t already done so for 2017, please submit your name to the office if want to be a formal member for 2017 as defined above. Count yourself in!

Our next Annual General Meeting will take place during our next Outer Circle gathering on March 18. Everyone is welcome to come, but only formal members are able to vote on items that require ratification by the membership. This year we’ll be presenting our budget for 2017 and our financial report for 2016, ratifying new Board of Director appointments and some constitutional amendments. We’ll communicate more about each of these items prior to the AGM.

An Invitation to Travel… to the Himalayas!

Posted on January 25, 2017March 28, 2017 by Andy Wood

Here’s a very special invitation for everyone at WCV. September 27 – 30 the Himalayan Region Vineyard is hosting a big conference during which they will be commissioned to be their own Association of Vineyard Churches. This is an exciting and normal part of the growth process for groups of Vineyard churches. This release as their own association won’t change their relationship with us – we will still be family – but it is significant and cause for celebration. Vineyardites from around the world will gather in Siliguri, India (see map below) in what we expect will be the largest gathering of Himalayan Region Vineyard people ever. It will be a big deal. Of course, it would be wonderful to have as many WCVers there as possible – and we want to help make that happen.

There will be limited travel subsidies available to help get WCVers there. If you’ve always wanted to go to the Himalayas, perhaps this is an opportunity that would work of you! If you are interested in going and if you would need a subsidy please contact the office. Amounts of subsidies will be determined later but please note they will only cover a portion of the travel.

Depending on interest from the group, we may add on a trip to Kathmandu after the conference in Siliguri.

Himalayan Vineyard’s AVC (Association of Vineyard Churches) Release Gathering
September 27 – 30, 2017
Siliguri, India

Contact the Office.

A New Year Celebration – stomping on snake heads and other reasons to party

Posted on December 28, 2016January 2, 2017 by Andy Wood

I came across this painting by Sister Grace Remington a few years ago while doing research for a sermon. I can’t recall what the sermon was on but this painting has stayed with me, lingering in my inbox. It moved me then and it still moves me now. I find myself in it – perhaps you will too.

Painting by Sister Grace Remington, OCSO Sisters of the Mississippi Abbey in Dubuque, Iowa

This painting speaks with a simple eloquence of the hope that Christmas points to. But more than that it speaks to me of my condition as a descendant of Eve – as one who has been infected by the serpent’s venom – as one who has been tripped up too many times by the cunning temptations hung before me like plump juicy fruit (pears by the look of it in this rendition – I love pears…). It reminds me that the rebellion of my ancient biblical ancestors lives in me too.

This painting also speaks to me of another reality I’m learning to live into. It calls me to recall my position and identity within God’s family. The snake has bitten my foot (“bruised” as the Hebrew puts it). It hurts and the venom is deadly. However, the head of that very same snake has been struck (again, bruised) by the baby in that womb. The prophecy spoken to the serpent in Genesis 3 has been fulfilled in the coming of Jesus (he will bruise your head, you will bruise his heel). In other words, the snake will go down fighting, but he will go down (technically he already has, but that’s for another post). This picture is pregnant with this promise. It beckons me to live up to this hope and to allow my life to be infused and transformed by it.

This is worth celebrating. Not the shallow kind of celebration that denies the difficult parts of my reality, but the authentic and genuine praise that erupts from the throats of worshippers who have tasted of freedom and are longing for more! The kind of deep celebration that happens when the one stuck in pain and loneliness feels hope communicated to them through the loving embrace of community. It’s the joyful tears of forgiveness, and the melodies that well up from within when the sweet tastes of hope and freedom replace the bitter flavours of sin. We have reason for hope and we have reason to celebrate!

Jesus has come. Jesus is with us. Jesus has the last word (and the word after that too).

Let’s party.

This Sunday, January 1, 2017. 10am.

P.S. We will start on time (as usual) – don’t miss out by being late.

Do you want to Grow this Year?

Posted on December 28, 2016January 25, 2017 by Andy Wood

Admittedly, this is a bit of a redundant question. Of course the right answer to the question is, “yes, I want to grow this year!” Yet conditions for growth require more than a willingness on our part – even if that willingness is full of passion. Perhaps this is why growth is often difficult to see, even though most of us readily admit we want it.

God is creative. Ever since he spoke the world into being and ever since he bent down and formed the first humans out of the dirt and breathed into them, he has been creating. Astronomers understand that the universe is continuously expanding outward – as if the life-giving power of God’s words “Let there be…” haven’t stopped forming. Creation is ongoing, generating new expanses of space, but also newness in us, should we choose to allow it. For followers of Jesus, this creative energy is moulding us into being more like him – restoring our image of God-ness. This is a deep and beautiful task and it is the setting, the backdrop, and the reason we engage in the Outer Circle process each year.

Imagine, getting together regularly with 2 or 3 other people and sharing three areas of growth God has invited you into for the year. Imagine being honest about your strengths and allowing God to fill you with his laughter and delight. Picture yourself being prayed for as you posture yourself in deliberate and intentional ways to be formed into Jesus’ likeness. What growth might be visible in a year from now if you stuck with it? What might you see formed in those 2 or 3 friends? What if you tracked your friend’s journeys in specific ways? What might the Holy Spirit do in you and in them if given the chance?

Do you really want to grow this year? You might want to consider forming a Triad and being part of the Outer Circle process for 2017. Our first gathering is on Saturday, January 14, 5:30pm – 8pm.

By then you should have identified your 3 areas of strength (Grace received) and 3 areas of growth for the coming year (Grace needed) and have made a plan. If this doesn’t make sense to you, read more here.

Contact the office to sign up. The Outer Circle is one way to be a member in the Vineyard. For more on membership go here.

For more detailed explanation of the Outer Circle process go here.

Coming Home – Christmas Greetings

Posted on December 22, 2016December 28, 2016 by Andy Wood

We’d like to take this opportunity to wish everyone in the WCV community a merry Christmas. It’s amazing that we’re here again – another revolution around the sun and on the eve of another new year.

Throughout this Advent season we’ve been exploring the gospel of John and the idea of homecoming. We hope you’ve enjoyed using the “Heart has a Home” booklets. Please let us know if they’re helpful.

We’ve been praying for a deeper understanding of the events we celebrate at Christmas, primarily the incarnation – God becoming fully human in the form of one of us. It’s quite astonishing that God would make his home among us as one of us. It’s even more astonishing that he would take up residence in a young woman’s uterus for 9 months and would subject himself to the beautiful mess of the birthing process, in an animal stable no less! That he would live as a son of a carpenter in a backwater region of the Roman empire and that he would learn to talk, walk, laugh, cry – all the experiences that make us human, are all signs of the depth to which he came to live with us as one of us. This is God making his home among us and it’s simply astounding.

However, our reflections haven’t centred only on events that happened 2,000 years ago, as amazing as they were. We’ve also looked for his coming in our daily lives in the present. In all our comings and goings we’ve been listening for his whispers, trying to perceive his fingerprints, and opening ourselves to his presence with us. The hope of Christmas is, in part, that the incarnation continues today and that he makes his home amongst those who welcome him.

And finally, we’ve been looking with anticipation to the final homecoming when Jesus, who is the Lord of all creation, comes to take his rightful place once again. John paints a grand picture of heaven and earth coming together again at last as he records the angel’s ecstatic shout, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them…” (Rev 21:3). This is our ultimate hope – that our home will be with God. Jesus made a way, we experience it now in part, and we long for it’s fulfilment in the age to come. This is not a disembodied hope in a vague afterlife. It’s is real life grounded in a renewed earth with fully alive renewed bodies and pure hearts. Jesus models the way for us. Paul calls him the “first of a great harvest” (1 Cor 15:20-23). What happened to Jesus, will happen to those who are at home with him. This is our great hope, which is stirred as we look to Jesus’ birth, made real as we experience the Father’s loving presence through the Spirit today, and is fanned into flame like a warm crackling fire in the hearth as we look to the final day of Jesus’ final return home.

Wherever you are, and whatever your situation is this Christmas, we pray these realities will give you strength and a tangible hope for today. Merry Christmas!

Christmas Scheduling:

Christmas Eve service:

Dec 24, 6pm – 7pm.
We will worship together and will end with a candlelight celebration.

Christmas Day Sunday Gathering:

Dec 25, 10am – 11:15am

Celebration Sunday:

Jan 1, 10am – 11:45am
We’re going to enter 2017 worshipping together! We’ve also got a few interesting prayer exercises we’ll do together. Come prepared and expectant.

Office Hours:

Normal office hours are Mon – Thur 9am – 4pm.
For the week between Christmas and New Years the office will be open Wed, Dec 28, 9am – 3pm.

Year-end Giving:

If you are planning on making a year-end financial contribution to WCV we need to receive all funds by Dec 31, 2016. Post-dated cheques, or other contributions, received in 2017 will only be applied to 2016 if:

The cheque is dated for 2016 and is mailed and Canada Post has processed and stamped the envelop in 2016, or
You have contacted Lillian by Dec 31, 2016, and stated your intention to contribute towards 2016. You can call her at (204) 582-2900 x15 (leave a message), or email.

In both cases cheques must be dated for 2016. If we receive a gift in 2017 (even if the cheque is post-dated) and neither the above conditions are met, we will not be able to apply the gift towards 2016.

Thank you!

Outer Circle 2017 – Posturing for Growth

Posted on December 1, 2016December 1, 2016 by Andy Wood

Our goal is growth. We want to grow into a rich fertile field that produces a lot of Kingdom fruit. Ok, ok – so that’s a little vague and is a little heavy with “Christian-ese”! Let me spell it out like this:

Jesus, in his 3 years on earth, was involved in a number of groups, each with unique strengths and purposes.

He had a group of 12 close disciples who lived with him, observed what he did, and ultimately participated in the establishment of the church. From among those 12 he had 3 who were especially close and were privy to a number of personal and intimate moments with Jesus. He could share things with them, he couldn’t with the group. It’s also clear that he had many more than just 12 people who followed him. There were a number of women (which was quite counter cultural for the time), and others who were impacted and attracted by who he was and what he did. Finally (for our purposes here at least), Jesus had a mission field – a target group he was aiming to impact.

We can think of WCV in a similar way. We have some structures set up to help encourage everyone to be involved in at least one of these levels.

The Triads in the Outer Circle process are designed to be an incubator for growth for 2 to 4 people – kind of like Peter, James and John with Jesus. They provide a venue to be involved in specific and real areas of other member’s lives. Triads are reminded to keep track of each other, pray for each other, and support each other in the particular areas God is celebrating in each person for the year, as well as the ways he’s inviting growth for the coming year for each member of the Triad.

House Groups are also quite intimate, but meet different needs than the Triads in the Outer Circle process. They are more like Jesus’ 12 disciples – great opportunities to develop community, to share needs and joys, to learn and worship together, and to provide safe places to practice many of the skills and gifts we want to see developed in our church (praying for each other, worshipping authentically, practically supporting each other, and leadership development, to name just a few).

Both the Triads in the Outer Circle Process and House Groups provide opportunities for people in WCV go beyond just meeting together on a Sunday morning (which are essential but can only accomplish so much). They are invitations to friendship where we can regularly and honestly connect with each other. For both the goal is to provide a place for spiritual growth in the context of community. Of course there are other ways this can happen outside of WCV’s structure – and we encourage that too!

Jesus also had crowds of followers (until he ended up on the cross, but that’s another story and is also where this metaphor breaks down a bit… ). These crowds provided many opportunities for the Kingdom to advance and for Jesus to pursue his mission. Our Sunday gatherings and our weekly Drop-ins are great spots for this kind of activity. They have advantages of feeling part of something bigger, preaching the gospel and instruction, public celebration, worship, etc.

And finally, we have our mission field. Our goal is to create a opportunities for growth at every sphere of interaction. We want to cultivate a rich environment for each person who calls WCV home to grow in their relationship with God and with each other – and we want to grow to see more people come to know Jesus in real and life-changing ways.

Because of their emphasis on personal growth and discipleship, we’ve identified the first two areas, Triads in the Outer Circle, and House Groups as a requirement for membership in WCV (Outer Circle or a Similar Group – like a House Group).

For those who are looking to be part of a Triad in the Outer Circle process for 2017, now is the time to be preparing for it. Go here, or grab a booklet from the info table for more.

Invitation to Pray – Invitation to Grow

Posted on December 1, 2016December 15, 2016 by Andy Wood

2016 Budget: $441,580
Offerings to date: $369, 842
What we still need for December: $71, 738

These, simply, are the numbers regarding our current 2016 financial reality. While they are, in one way, our current situation, there is another reality at work behind these numbers. That is the simple truth that God provides and always has provided for us. This should induce hope and faith, and dispel panic and worry. It should not, however, cause us to become complacent. The staff and Board of Directors diligently and prayerfully set budgets and keep track of expenses and income throughout the year, and each year around this time we are reminded of our dependence on God. This annual reminder of our reliance on him in this way has changed us for the better – it’s formed us. Yes, we all need to be diligent and faithful in our giving (thank you for that), but ultimately, it comes from him.

With that in mind we’d like to invite you to join us in holding our collective financial situation up to the Lord, knowing that as we do so, he hears us, provides for us and changes us. The Staff, Pastoral and Lay Elders and the Board of Directors have been fasting and praying on Tuesdays. You are invited to join us!

This call to prayer and fasting is not a manipulative attempt to get WCVers to “dig deeper”. Far from it! It is a call to lay our cares before the “Lord of the harvest” – to offer our concerns and cares up to him – and as we do so, we are changed. We become more reliant on him. We become more trusting in his provision. Gratitude is stirred in us for the ways he does provide for us collectively. The exciting opportunity is that we are changed in the process!

Will you join us?

Nepal Recovery – Be Strong, Build Strong

Posted on November 24, 2016November 24, 2016 by Andy Wood

Jeff Leighton and I recently had the privilege to travel to Nepal to be with our Himalayan Region Vineyard family. The purpose of my trip was twofold: 1) to report on the earthquake recovery and rebuilding efforts, and 2) to be together and celebrate God’s goodness and presence in a conference right at the epicentre of the first earthquake.

Here are two videos, that are well worth the watch.

The Himalayan Region Vineyards are just getting to the finishing stages of the main rebuilding and recovery effort. The team has been tireless and has done an amazing job at responding to needs in appropriate ways. It’s quite amazing what’s been accomplished in the past 18 months. This video gives a brief overview of the work (also detailed below) and offers four 2 minute stories of recovery.

The village of Nareshwahr, in the District of Gorkha was host to two big events in the past 18 months – it was the epicentre of the first earthquake and it was the host to 500 guests from across the Himalayan Region Vineyards who converged to celebrate God’s goodness, and look to the future together. It was a significant undertaking, many people travelling days and spending up to one month’s salary just to get there – just to be together. It was also a significant in that it marked the end of the recovery phase right at the earthquake’s epicentre. Mountains were moved once more. You’ll get an inside look at some of the sights and sounds of our powerful time together in this video:

An overview of the Relief, Recovery and Rebuilding efforts since April 2015:

424 Homes Built or Subsidized.

54 – Provided 100% material & construction.
40 – Provided 100% of materials.
150 – Subsidized 25 – 50% of materials.
180 – Subsidized 5 – 15% of materials.
Subsidies were determined based on need.

Over 217 lots cleared

Cleared of rubble in preparation for rebuilding.

9 Church Buildings Constructed.

2 other church buildings subsidized (providing building materials the congregation couldn’t afford – non-Vineyard friend communities).

Started or Upgraded 36 Businesses

For the urban poor in Kathmandu. This was the creative response to the housing crisis in central Kathmandu where there are no affordable safe houses. These businesses will increase the capacity of our people there to secure more affordable housing for themselves.

Bikka Land Purchased

11 families in a high mountain village now have land who were previously squatting on government land. They are low caste, and didn’t have anywhere to rebuild their homes.

Kids Helping Kids

Completed one Children’s Playground, one more is planned.
Funded by some Canadian Vineyard Kids!

Supplies

Recently, distributed over 217 sleeping bags.
Throughout the past 18 months over 7,400 rice bags delivered.
360 Tarps, 50 tents, 60 pots, pans and various and sundries numbering in the 100’s.
600 Blankets.

Medical

Health and hygiene packets have been designed, packaged and delivered all over the region. Special attention has been given to packages designed specifically for women.
5 medical outreaches including minor operations and treatment of illness’ to over 2,000 people.
19 People provided with hospital care.

Road Built

5 km (3 mile) road built to the epicentre village where we have a church.

Pastoral Care

Trauma counselling has been a huge part of the pastoral work across the region. Our team has been nothing short of amazing in the amount of care and healing they have brought to body, soul, mind and spirit. The toll on our care givers has been great, but the fruit is overwhelming.

Gathered 500 people from all over the Himalayas to celebrate the goodness of God at the Gorkha conference.

Over 35% of all funds used to date have gone to families and people outside of our church communities – to our “neighbours”.

44 People have been baptized in the earthquake zone.

Over 21,000 people impacted through the HRV efforts in over 30 Villages in 12 Districts.

There is one more major need – rebuilding the condemned buildings of the Kathmandu Vineyard – the main hub for the Himalayan Region Vineyard Churches. Demolition will begin in January. Stay tuned for more information and opportunities to be involved.

Winnipeg Centre Vineyard

Worship . Community . Justice

Author: Andy Wood