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.

Standing With Standing Rock

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

by Jessica, Amanda & Chloe

Two weeks ago the three of us loaded up some camping gear and drove down to Standing Rock Sioux Nation. We went. Sixteen hours of driving (round-trip) provided ample time to talk about why. Why were we going? Why now? Why this?

Our church has recently journeyed through a sermon series on dreams and calling. I think it has challenged most of us to jump into the things we feel we were made for. This particular action felt like this to all of us. It came from within us. Though we each held different thoughts and motives, we all agreed that we were following our hearts, and it was beautiful to have the chance to affirm that in one another. The week prior to leaving, the topic of the sermon was discerning our dreams through asking three simple questions. Do I want it? Should I want it? And can I do it? This was a good metric for guiding our preparation.

The desire was there. We all wanted to go. As soon as one of us said, “Hey. . . want to go to Standing Rock?” the “yes” echoed.

But – should we? The Manitoba Energy and Justice Coalition held a meeting to discuss how Winnipeggers could support Standing Rock. We attended and found ourselves moved by so much of what we heard that night. We asked the question, “is it helpful for us to go?” and we were told yes. We were told to go, or to come, and to stand in prayer together, with the people of Standing Rock. This settled our spirits, aligned with our motives and gave practical information about what to expect.

And, finally, can we? Another yes. It worked for our families. They were willing to let us step into the unknown a bit because we all agreed that this was important and our hearts were moved to be a part of it. We were willing to take a risk. Usually standing up to power involves some kind of risk, and though we felt our risk was minimal, it was still a concern.

At the border we were met with a smile and asked why we were going to Standing Rock. Chloe answered brilliantly. “There are people crying out and we are going to listen.”

Yes. We were going to listen.

This idea was expounded on as we walked the ground, watched the people and participated in ceremony. During an impromptu interview with CBC, Amanda answered that question again by saying, “Sometimes we judge before we know. I want to know before I judge. I want to see with my eyes and to hear with my ears so I can speak what I’ve seen and heard at home.”

Jessica’s response was similar. “I am here to put my feet where my heart is. So often I care about a place. I talk about it, I pray about it, I learn about it. But it isn’t that often that I get to go.”

This time we did. We put our feet on the ground. We added our tobacco offerings to the fire, our voices to the song and our coats to the collection. We touched the elders. We listened to the youth. We passed the pipe. We bore witness. That is what we did.

And now we are home wondering what it means here.

We know that Indigenous people have been abused and oppressed throughout history. It is our knowing that moved us to go. But knowing isn’t enough. Justice happens when wrongs are made right and we hope to be people who find ways to help that happen. At this moment in history, it seems that the call for us is to show up and to listen. The indigenous voice is rising. People are standing up, they are standing together, they are saying enough. We don’t want to miss it – or to get in the way of it.

We want to hear the rising.

So each of us in our own way will aim to show up, to quiet ourselves, to lean in and to listen. And when we can, we will do what is asked of us. That is what we did at Standing Rock and we can do that here, too.

Our kids @ WCV…

Posted on October 24, 2016 by Jodi Labun

God is our Redeemer. We’ve been looking at Joseph’s life and how God redeemed his life in amazing ways. He can work through our difficult situations and redeem them!

What a joy to be with the kids upstairs @ WCV; to see their smiles and feel their energy.

Matthew 19:14 “God’s kingdom is made up of people like these.” – Jesus

Why On Earth?

Posted on October 6, 2016October 13, 2016 by Andy Wood

We’re embarking on a new series entitled, “Why On Earth?: David, calling and the pursuit of God”. No matter where we are in life we all need to grapple with the big questions like: Why on earth am I here? What’s my calling? What kind of person has God called me to become? And, how can I figure it out or get more clarity on it?

These are some of the questions we’re going to be exploring together as we look to David’s life for some guidance. We’ll let his story be our guide in this process of pursuing God’s will for our lives – of gaining clarity on some of those big questions. We’ll trace the ups and downs of his failures and successes and glean what we can to apply to our 21st century lives. We are also going to be looking to a few others along the way who will help us contextualize God’s invitations for us today. In particular, the 16th century’s St. Teresa of Avila and her “Interior Castle” and the “7 Stages” of our own Vineyard founder, John Wimber.

: St. Teresa of Avila (1515 – 1582)

: John Wimber (1934 – 1997)

Our hope is that through this series, God would clarify his calling for each of us, and encourage us on our journeys as we follow Jesus throughout our lives. For some of us, it will be a journey of self discovery. For others, we’ll gain new insights on our calling as we already understand it. Ultimately, as we see God’s heart for David, we’ll be able to also see his heart for us and those around us. Fredrick Buechner stumbled upon some wisdom when he wrote, “the place God calls you is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.” (in Wishful Thinking: a theological ABC). We pray that each person in WCV would find that sweet spot, and that we’d be a people “after God’s heart” (1 Sam 13:14, Acts 13:22).

Celebration Sunday

Posted on September 29, 2016September 29, 2016 by WCV Administrator

Coming up soon is our Celebration Sunday on Thanksgiving weekend, October 9th, 2016! This is a special service where we gather all together and dedicate the whole morning to worship. Our kids will get to join us too! (There won’t be kids church for this Sunday).

John 4:23 “Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.” (NIV)

Dancing, drumming, singing, flag waving, contemplation, prayer, etc. is all welcome! Join us!

Men’s Getaway – Reflection & Survey

Posted on September 28, 2016October 12, 2016 by John Rademaker

The 2016 Men’s Lake Getaway has come and gone. The takeaways from it all still loom large with most who attended. To wit, Darnell O’Cheek’s wet cloths were returned to him recently together with the memory of jumping into the lake immediately on his arrival. Getting back to his nature roots Friday evening was a huge throwback for Darnell even if he had to leave early Saturday because he was sick.

Certainly, No Man Was An Island on the weekend. There were just too many of us (65) to hide. The camaraderie and friendships were quite strong and we all got to know new people. Together with perfect weather and the activities, we all had a blast topped with excellent food (thanks Peter). Another great steak dinner to remember.

The focus on the topic was inspiring with Rick Hill leading the way. The discussion groups revealed a lot about ourselves. The worship was tops. Everyone pitched in and made it easy to pull off.

For the record, so we all are reminded, the stories of Jonathan and his armour bearer who had his back invigorated us to compare the benefits of those relationships to our lives. Where are we vulnerable and how can friends make us strong? Eccles. 4:9-12 was the biblical challenge to connect at a much deeper level to find the strength that we all crave.

We want to challenge all the guys who were there, and those who couldn’t make it, to become connected with the whole vibe of what a Men’s Group could possibly become for all of us. We don’t have a complete sense of what that could look like. And we don’t want just a few leaders pushing ahead on anything more than we have now. Anything that could or might develop throughout the year needs to be organically driven by need for all of us.

Don’t we need each other all the time? Could we not craft some kind of “GUYS at WCV ” focus and build some events around a desire to stay connected and stay off the Islands of our lives?

Thank you to all those who completed our survey!

Winnipeg Centre Vineyard

Worship . Community . Justice

Front Page

Our kids @ WCV…

Celebration Sunday