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Nepal Sunday

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April 25 marks one year since the first big earthquake rocked Nepal.  The nation was shaken – our friends and family were among the thousands displaced.  This coming Sunday, we are going to look back and see what has been accomplished in the relief, recovery and rebuilding efforts and we will look forward to what still needs to be done.  We are going to host a special screening of a documentary jointly produced by World Vision Canada and Vineyard Canada which features many of our Vineyard people in Nepal.  And, we are going to pray for them as they continue to rebuild their country, their homes and their lives.

After worship and the kids are released, the Upstairs Gathering will join the Downstairs Gathering in the Main sanctuary to watch the documentary.  Here’s a trailer:

Rebuilding Nepal // Trailer from SJ Finlay on Vimeo.

Lent – Becoming Fully Alive

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Today is Ash Wednesday. It marks the beginning of the Lenten season in the Western Christian calendar. These 40 days (excluding Sundays) culminate in the celebration of Jesus’ resurrection on Easter Sunday. Screen Shot 2016-02-10 at 11.09.16 AMLent is about preparation, self examination and meditation on Jesus’ life and suffering. It’s about journeying with him to become like him. It’s about taking up our cross prior to being raised with him.  Before being raised to life on Sunday, Jesus was lifted up on Friday.

Our culture shuns anything that remotely hints of denial. “Why should I have to give up anything?” we ask, if not with words then through how we conduct our lives.  Examining the deep inner contours of our hearts is not something we do naturally – yet it is what followers of Jesus have done for centuries during this season and have found deep life in the process. This, of course, is the point.  Lent is about finding life – finding the true source of life – the very author of life himself.  In Lent we give up other embraces to make room to be more fully be embraced by Jesus.

Screen Shot 2016-02-10 at 11.23.07 AMThis season, you may want to embark on a journey asking the question, “what in my life is crowding out the very source of life?” This is the essence of fasting – another practical marker of Lent.  Jesus wants to bring us to a place of being more fully alive and yet he won’t do it without our partnership.  As we posture ourselves toward him, the Holy Spirit will transform our self-centred lives into new lives of community and justice. Lent prepares us to live worshipful lives of compassion, generosity and all embracing love.  This sounds like a good definition of being fully alive to me – how about you?

 

Here are a few resources that may help you on the journey:

Lent: the road to the Cross  – a booklet prepared by the Vineyard UK.

Pray As You Go – a daily contemplative podcast that leads the listener through a series of meditative prayers and scripture readings.  Each episode is about 10 – 13 minutes long.  You can listen right from their website or subscribe to it via iTunes podcasts.

Lent for Everyone – this is an online devotional created by N.T. Wright.  It includes daily scripture and a well crafted and thoughtful devotion by one of the foremost New Testament scholars of our time.  (You have to sign up to view it)

Living Lent Daily – features prayers, thoughts and more each day to inspire you throughout your Lenten journey. A new article will become available daily throughout Lent.  These are quite short.

Kids Helping Kids – Nepal

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Hey kids and youth (and parents of them too!).  Here is a great little initiative that we are spearheading that is going to build a youth centre in the village of Gatlang in Nepal.  The whole village was destroyed in the earthquakes last Spring.  Many of the people in the Gatlang Vineyard did not own land, so the Earthquake fund has purchased new land for homes to be built on.  One of the plots of land has been set aside for a small building to be built in which children can have a safe warm place to play and for the youth to hang out.  There are a number of other Vineyard churches in Canada who are also contributing to this project.

Jodi will be letting all the children and youth know that they can contribute to this project during the next two Sundays.  Collections will be taken on Sunday, January 31 – so make sure your children and youth remember to bring some donations at that time. Every little bit helps!

nepal final2

A Good Word for a New Year

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Dear WCV,

We wish you all God’s best this holiday season.  May you be filled with peace and joy as we enter 2016 and may you be rooted in his nourishing love in every circumstance.  We are so privileged to serve this amazing community.  God has done so much in and through WCV over the years and we are honoured and humbled for what has gone before us and excited for what’s in store!

Here’s a blessing we pray for us all now – you can pray it too!:

“May God make your year a happy one!  Not by shielding you from all sorrows and pain, but by strengthening you to bear it, as it comes; not by making your path easy, but by making you sturdy to travel any path; not by taking hardships from you, but by taking fear from your heart; not by granting you unbroken sunshine, but by keeping your face bright, even in the shadows; not by making your life always pleasant, but by showing you when people and their causes need you most, and by making you anxious to be there to help. God’s love, peace, hope and joy to you for the year ahead.”

With love and gratitude – the Pastoral Elders.

Pastoral Elders 2015

John, Violet, Nathan, Jodi & Andy (and Chewy – the hairy one)

 

 

 

School of Justice Info Night

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We are hosting a public information night for anyone who is interested in finding out more about the Vineyard School of Justice and about our upcoming school (Oct. 2015 – Apr. 2016).

We’ll share the who, what, where, why, and how of the school, have former and current students share their experiences, and facilitate a time of questions and answers.

Vineyard School of JusticeTea, coffee, and baked goods will also be available on a payment-by-donation basis with proceeds going toward future student sponsorships.  All are invited!

Thursday, March 26, 7pm at 782 Main St.

Where’s the Fruit? – series feedback

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We began our current series by referencing Isaiah 27:2-3.

“In that day,
    sing about the fruitful vineyard.
3 I, the Lord, will watch over it,
    watering it carefully.
Day and night I will watch so no one can harm it.”

Our intentions were to revisit who we are, explore the characteristics that mark us, and call us to embrace our identity that God has set for us.  We’ve heard from a number of people sharing personally what it was about the Vineyard which initially drew them to this worshipping community.  We’ve also explored a number of distinctive characteristics that, like a good tattoo, mark all Vineyard communities around the world.  Of course, our ultimate intention is to bear good fruit – that is, to be a people who are indelibly marked by Jesus, and a community that invites others to this same reality.

We’re wondering what you’ve taken from this series.  What has stood out to you?  What have you learned?  What has God done in your life as a result of this “A Fruitful Vineyard” series?  Please take a moment to respond via the survey below.  It’s only one page and can take as much or as little time as you want.  Alternatively, you can use the comment section below which is publicly viewable.

Thanks!

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A Fruitful Vineyard – winter series

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As the pastoral staff and elders have been praying and seeking direction for the coming year, we’ve been drawn to the idea of knowing who we are and who we’ve been called to be as a Vineyard family.  It’s important to tend the roots of a plant if you want to produce good fruit.  So, we’re going to be taking the beginning part of this year to explore not only our history but the soil in which we’ve been planted.  We’ll ask:

  • What is a Vineyard?
  • What are the particular distinguishing features of the Vineyard?
  • What shape of church has God called us to be?
  • What role are we to play in the body of Christ?
  • And, what is our particular calling as Winnipeg Centre Vineyard?

We’ll explore all these questions and hopefully posture us to continue to grow into the kind of people God would like to visit!  In the end, we want to be a Vineyard that is fruitful – one that both encounters God in real and tangible ways, and extends this awareness and reality to those around us.

Isaiah 27:2, 3 & 6

“In that day,
    sing about the fruitful vineyard.

I, the Lord, will watch over it,
    watering it carefully.
Day and night I will watch so no one can harm it….

The time is coming when Jacob’s descendants will take root.
    Israel will bud and blossom
    and fill the whole earth with fruit!

Let this be said of us!

Screen Shot 2015-01-07 at 12.03.49 PM

 

Prayer Challenge – Day 30!

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The End (or is it just the beginning?)

Congratulations, you’ve made it to day 30! Take a moment and reflect on what has happened during the past month. Go over your notes. What have you learned about God and his vision for you, for the city, for WCV, for your friends and family? Where has your heart been moved? Pay attention to those times, days and situations in which you felt moved. God was probably speaking through those circumstances.

The Challenge:

The challenge for today is to share what God’s done in your life through this Prayer Challenge with someone. You can write it down and send it to the office or talk with a friend – it doesn’t matter as long as you somehow verbalize what has happened.

3 times a day 30 days

Prayer Challenge – Day 29

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 Advent: the appearing

Today is the first day of the Advent season – the four weeks leading up to the celebration of Jesus’ birth. It’s an acknowledgement of Jesus’ incarnation – his coming – his appearing in human form. This is a wondrous mystery. The Advent season orients us to receive this mystery. It also beckons us to see Jesus’ appearing in the present world around us. At the same time it also points us towards his final appearing when he comes again.

The Challenge:

Where will you perceive Jesus today? Ask God to open your eyes to his presence in your life and in the lives of those around you. As you pause throughout your day, reflect, and look for his hand at work, his face reflected, his heart expressed.

3 times a day 30 days

Prayer Challenge – Day 28

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 Healing

Healing does double duty. It is both a sign pointing towards the Kingdom of God, and it is also part of its in-breaking reality. When healing happens, whether physically or any other kind of healing, it points to the day when Jesus will return at which time there will be no more tears and no more pain. It’s a sign pointing us forward. At the same time it is also part of the reality to which it points. In other words, when healing happens, God’s Kingdom comes in the here and now!

If that’s not enough good news, followers of Jesus are commissioned and given authority to heal the sick.

What Jesus did, we get to do!

The Challenge:

As you go about your day, keep your eyes and ears open to those around you who are sick. They may be friends, family members, colleagues, or complete strangers. As someone tells you that they are feeling unwell or sick, take it as God’s invitation to pray for them. Be brave and ask Jesus to heal their body and bring his kingdom to them, right then and there.

“Go and announce to them that the Kingdom of Heaven is near.  Heal the sick…” Matthew 10:7-8

3 times a day 30 days

Prayer Challenge – Day 27

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A Call to Prayer: relationships

Is there one person with whom you can’t seem to get along? Of course there is – we all have someone like that in our lives! Jesus came to restore relationship, not only with our creator but also with each other (and creation too). The first thing that happened when sin entered the world was a severance of relationship. Adam and Eve were ashamed and had to hide themselves from each other and they also tried to hide from God. There was a relational breakdown that occurred.

The Challenge:

Today, pray for healthy relationships in your life. Pray for breakthrough in your most difficult relationship. Also, pray for the relationships in WCV. Pray for strengthened marriages, healthy mentoring relationships and positive healing friendships across economic, cultural, and generational lines.

“Healthy relationships are the best medicine.” Adrian Jacobs

3 times a day 30 days

Prayer Challenge – Day 26

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Gratitude

As we near the end of this prayer challenge, I’d like to encourage us in the direction of thanksgiving. Here are a few wise words from well respected Vineyard worship leader and liturgist, Dan Wilt:

“Christ helps us attain, maintain, and retain a thankful heart.

Expressing thanks is often viewed by the culture as simply one component of a fulfilled life. For the Christian, however, our capacity to express gratefulness to God and to others, through our thoughts, statements, and actions, is central to our emotional and physical health. It is the new way to be human.

Some say that learning a new habit or virtue means you fake it until you make it. As a Christian, we do it until we become it.

We don’t need grateful feelings to lead the way. Our practiced attitude of gratefulness leads us into a new set of emotions that become the norm as our second nature of gratefulness (in all things) overtakes our first nature of self-fixation and complaint.

Thankful people see God at work everywhere and triumph over every manner of soul-sickness.“

The Challenge:

Today, find something to be grateful for, and then find some way to express it. Not only that, but throughout your day look for opportunities for gratitude and give thanks in the moment.

3 times a day 30 days

Prayer Challenge – Day 25

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A Call to Prayer: leadership

If Aliens were to land and say “take us to your leader”, we’d have to point them to Jesus. He is the chief shepherd; the head of the church. He is our leader. However, his leadership is exercised through humans. Every organization and organism needs visionary, servant-hearted leadership. In WCV, leadership is expressed in many ways, from the pastoral and elder teams to house group leaders – from the worship and prayer oversight teams to the Flatlanders leadership team – and in many other ways.

The Challenge:

Today, let’s pray for all those who lead in WCV. Please pray for the pastoral team and for the elders as they look to include new people. Pray for all the ways leadership functions in our body, whether there is a title associated with it or not. Also, pray for the holes in our leadership. For example, as we look at our team we see a need for a youth pastor. As we look at the expanding numbers of kid’s, there will be a greater need for leadership among them as well. Also, pray for leadership among those who are poor.

“Dear brothers and sisters, pray for us.” (Paul and his team to the church in Thessalonica) 1 Thes 5:25

3 times a day 30 days