New Elders – an invitation

Posted on September 21, 2014October 28, 2014 by Andy Wood

We are in the process of prayerfully discerning the expansion of our Elder team. Stephen and Gloria Fligg have been serving on the elder team for a number of years and have recently discerned that their time in this role is at an end. They are excited about serving in other areas in the Vineyard. We’d like to thank them for the insight, wisdom, care and love they’ve so generously given to the whole community as they have diligently served in the capacity of elders. While they’ll be missed on the team, we’re excited about everything God has for them in the future at the Vineyard!

In the Vineyard, Elders function as overseers who tend to the spiritual health and vision of the community. The Elder team, while not always elders in age, are seasoned leaders and followers of Jesus. There are two kinds of elders in Winnipeg Centre Vineyard – Pastoral Elders and Lay Elders. The Lay Elders (Ben & Debra Kelly and Paul & Sherry Ansloos) keep the big picture in mind and prayerfully seek God for direction and counsel regarding all macro matters relating to church-life. The Pastoral Elders (Riegers, Woods, Rademakers & Labuns) also embrace this role with the added responsibility of implementing the daily tasks associated with the macro. While all the current elders are married couples, this is not a requirement for prospective elders, nor is it even preferable.

Lay Elders meet monthly and commit to a 3-year term.

There are four steps in the process of adding new elders to our current team. There are also a number of considerations and requirements for elders.

The New Elder Process is:

Nomination and Discernment (Sept 21 – Oct 27). During this time the community and the elder team nominate those they think are currently functioning as elders (even if they don’t have the position). Prayerfully ask, “who do I naturally look to for counsel, support, care, etc?” Chances are, those are the people who are already functioning as elders. At the same time, the pastors and elders are prayerfully discerning if people qualify and are a good fit for the current team and season of life the church is in (see below for requirements and considerations).
Proposal & Mutual Consideration (Oct 28 – Nov 24). The staff will contact potential new elders and invite them to prayerfully consider. This is a period in which we see if this “seems good to us and the Holy Spirit”.
Prospective Elder Period (Nov 25 – March). This is a three-month period during which prospective elders come to monthly elder meetings and are in communication with staff. At the end of this period it’s determined if it’s a fit. If it is:
Membership Vote (in March). Those who are formal members of WCV (in the Outer Circle or an equivalent) are able to vote on the prospective new elders. If the new elder is ratified, this begins their 3-year term. Bear in mind that this is a vote, not on who should become elders, but on whether those who’ve been identified via the above process are the right decision for the Vineyard at this time.

Requirements for Elders are:

Biblical requirements for Eldership (1 Timothy 3, Titus 1)
Walking out and dialoguing with our 15 Core Practices. Of particular note are: Devotion to Jesus (elders should be devoted to their walk with God), Circles of Sharing (a hallmark of eldership is hospitality) and Generosity (elders should be tithing to the local church).
A good fit with the current team and the season the Vineyard is in. While there are many people who generally qualify as elders, the staff and current elders must prayerfully discern who is the best fit for right now. What skills and gift mix will best suit the team already? This is not a popularity contest – it is a serious process to discern who God has prepared and gifted to serve the whole community at this time.

The nomination period is now closed. Please continue to pray for wisdom and direction as we build our leadership team.

Here is our current Elder team (click on the pictures to see names):

: Beckie & Andy Wood

: Paul & Sherry Ansloos

: Debra Kelly

: Jodi & Mike Labun

: Violet (& John) Rademaker

Grace for Brats

Posted on August 23, 2014September 2, 2014 by Andy Wood

A funny video about Zacchaeus and grace based on “Grace: we just don’t get it” by The Skit guys.

Changing Tracks – a reflection on Enlive

Posted on August 19, 2014September 2, 2014 by Andy Wood

A reflection on the recent Canadian Vineyard’s National Celebration by Natasha Boone.

I remember the alarm seeming more obnoxious than usual that morning. Or perhaps I should say that night, as, when the beep-beep-beep of the alarm sounded, our room was still enclosed in night’s deep darkness. We stumbled around at the ungodly hour of 3:45am, in order to catch our early-bird flight out to Kitchener ON.

(The irony of getting up at an ungodly hour in order to catch a flight out to Enlive Vineyard family camp, where we would worship God with many other fellow Vineyardites was not lost on us).

Considering the time of day and likewise having a wiggly 14 month old sitting on our respective laps dropping Cheerios both over us and the person sitting next to us, we did alright.

So we arrive in Toronto, grab our luggage, stuff some food into Jude (14 month old of a wiggly disposition) and set out to Kitchener (about an hour commute). It is about half an hour into the drive and I suddenly had the thought ‘the playpen is missing’. Now, I do not know where this thought came from, as Sean was the one who took care to load the luggage into the car at the rental office. But the thought came floating into my brain, as if sent from above.

Sure enough, the playpen was not in the car.

With the car (eventually) turned around, we silently headed back to the airport. It was discouraging, as we thought that we had been going the right way (to Kitchener) with all the gear that we needed, when in fact, we had been driving for at least half an hour without something that we really needed – Jude’s playpen.

So long story short, we got back the airport, Sean re-traced his steps to the luggage pick-up area, and retrieved our neglected playpen from the nearly empty carousel. We got back on the (now familiar) road and were on our way again, a little dis-heartened, but glad to be moving forward.

So why tell you these details about getting up early, flying to Kitchener with wiggly baby in tow, driving for a bit, realizing that we missed a piece of luggage and so turning around, retrieving said luggage and getting back on track?

Because sometimes it is okay to acknowledge that something vital has been forgotten and steps are need to be taken to go back and ‘get’ that which was left behind.

Cheryl Bear offers a song.

One of the highlights of the Enlive Vineyard Family camp was hearing the guest speaker Cheryl Bear, a woman from the Nadleh Whut’en First Nation in British Columbia, who, alongside her husband, Randy Barnetson, happens to also pastor a Foursquare church in Vancouver. As the Vineyard movement, we have done a lot of things well. Generally speaking, we have followed God’s voice and been submissive to his leading. As Ms. Bear pointed out in her talk, however, we have not given due honour to the Native peoples and culture in our midst. We have not been adequately inclusive and inviting. And this, along with a detailed and thought-provoking teaching on First Nation’s culture itself, is what Ms. Bear brought to the table.

It quieted the room, as conviction usually does.

I, for one, don’t like realizing that I have to do a u-turn. Or, as Ms. Bear, so eloquently said in reference to how the Vineyard movement in general has excluded First Nations (as well as women and Francophones, but that mention came later, during a speech by David and Anita Ruis) “it is ok to change tracks’.

It is okay to change tracks. Much like the realization that the playpen was left on the carousel, waiting to get picked up, it is ok, if not imperative, to turn back and get what is needed. What is missed.

The Vineyard movement needs the First Nations. Women are needed. Francophones are needed. All these, along with who the Vineyard movement is currently being comprised of, are needed.

It is okay to change tracks. It is necessary to go back and get that playpen.

Thoughts from Enlive – Vineyard National Celebration

Posted on August 19, 2014August 20, 2014 by Andy Wood

At the end of July, the tribe gathered. Vineyard people from east to west and north to south, from all across our nation came together in what felt like a family reunion (without any of the weird uncle, or the bickering aunt stuff). It was an amazing time of worship, connection, fun, teaching, encouragement and challenge. There were 21 people (ranging in age from 14 months to, well, we won’t say) from WCV who made the trek.

Below are some of the highlights from our organized times together (not to mention paint-ball, pulled pork and water balloons):
Robby Dawkins (Vineyard pastor from Chicago), spoke passionately about healing. He walked us through a powerful time of praying for the sick – many were healed, many were better than before, and others were the same but felt loved. It was great. “We have authority to heal!”

Cheryl Bear (pastor, musician, theologian from Vancouver) shared profoundly on First Nations inclusion in the Vineyard and First Nations ministry issues. Go here for a reflection on this element by Natasha Boone. Cheryl spoke eloquently offering both challenge and explanation towards inclusion of the marginalized voices among us. It was great that her strong voice was heard because the Holy Spirit was certainly speaking through her. “Hope involves work!”

David and Anita Ruis (WCV church planters) were installed as National Team Leaders of Vineyard Canada. They shared their hearts, and encouraged us to “hold on to the centre”. They laid out a track that they and the rest of the National Team feel is the direction God’s calling us as we move into the future. They called us as a movement in Canada to:

“hit the deck in prayer and unplug our prophetic ear”
re-align our hearts for optimal obedience to the Holy Spirit
re-shape the way we think so that we can move forward
re-engage with the international Vineyard family, especially the American Vineyard Family (not that we’ve been disengaged but it seems like now is a time to deepen relationship) “We come together because we can’t make it alone”
listen to the voices of the marginalized – particularly First Nations, those who are poor, Francophones and youth. “The voices of the marginalized must have a voice in the conversation”

Ellie Mumford (Mumford and Son’s mom and the co-director of the Vineyards in the UK and Ireland) roused us saying, “brothers and sisters in the Canadian Vineyard, in my humble opinion Aslan is on the move…!” and that “this is supposed to be fun!” – and it was.

Additionally, Andy led two workshops and Suhail spoke about our very own School of Justice and Noel & Dona shared on the Himalayan Region Vineyards! It truly was a rich time. The next one will be in 2018 in Alberta.