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.

: Suhail led worship one morning!

: “We come together because we can’t make it alone” David Ruis

: Noel & Dona Isaacs

: “Aslan is on the move…” Ellie Mumford

: Lot’s of prayer ministry.

: Robby Dawkins sharing with our youth.

: Cheryl Bear offers a song.

A Summer Head’s Up

Posted on June 5, 2014June 5, 2014 by Andy Wood

Well, it seems like summer is finally here and our schedule is adjusting accordingly. Our Sunday Gatherings during the summer months are special times because they include all the children throughout the whole service. Because of this, we tend to make sure the overall service is about 1/2 hour shorter (10 – 11:15am instead of 10 – 11:45am). We do this by shortening the sermon and cutting out announcements altogether. June 29 will be our first shortened service without organized kid’s church.

Also, we are going to be having just one main gathering downstairs from now until September. The Upstairs Gathering has been a great addition to our regular gathered life together. We’ve observed tremendous value in it and it provides us with lots of room to grow. However, during the lower attendance summer months, it makes more sense to consolidate into one gathering, then begin again with two gatherings in the Fall. June 8 was our last Upstairs Gathering until the Fall.

Another note about children in services: On June 15th we’re going to be celebrating baptisms during the service. The elementary aged children will be part of this service. There will be kids’s church June 22 – which will be the last kid’s church until the Fall.

Finally, we encourage you to continue to find ways to connect, relax and rejuvenate yourself this summer. If your still making summer plans, consider the Enlive National Vineyard Celebration (they only happen once every 4 years!) in Kitchener, ON. It will be a blast.

VBS is happening from July 1 – 5, make sure you check this out and register now.

Also, we’ll be heading out to the farm a few times this summer (July 27 & August 24). If you’ve never been there before, make it part of your plans!

Taking the Plunge – Baptism

Posted on May 20, 2014May 20, 2014 by Andy Wood

Most of our faith journey is exactly that – a journey. It is the path we walk as we follow Jesus. The early Christians called it “the Way” because they recognized that the path of discipleship was a journey. For most of us, growth happens gradually as we navigate
the twists, turns, ups and downs of our lives. There are, however, punctuated moments and critical junctures along this journey that can play a major role in determining the kind of path we are on and the kind of disciple we are. These events can define our intentions and expose the state of our hearts. Our current series on Peter is designed to explore some of the moments of discipleship Peter faced in his life.

Baptism is one of those moments. One does not slowly become baptized. It is a singular point in one’s history. In fact it’s more than just a moment – it is an act of obedience to anyone who has decided to follow Jesus (often another moment). Jesus, Paul and Peter all had significant things to say about baptism (Mark 16, Romans 6 & 1 Peter 3 respectively). This sacrament which Jesus even participated in himself, is in God’s plans for every one of his children. We explored some of the reasons for baptism and the symbolism behind it in the sermon a few weeks ago (here). Participating in Jesus’ life, death and resurrection are the primary realities demonstrated through baptism. Somehow we can access his post resurrection life now – it can become part of us. This is possible only through his death (which we celebrate during the other primary Christian sacrament of Communion). When we are brought up out of the water, we are cleansed and born into a new community, and are participating with Jesus in his new life! This is why there is often a fresh sense of being filled with the Holy Spirit at the time of baptism.

We are going to have a baptism on Sunday, June 15. If the weather looks good, we’re going to haul the dunk tank out into the Green Space and celebrate together out there after the Sunday gatherings are finished. There will also be a BBQ – yes we know it’s father’s day – but what better day to experience the Father’s love, just like Jesus did at his baptism, than on Father’s day?

If you’ve never been baptized and are a follower of Jesus, we invite you to consider it. Call or contact the office if you’re interested and we’ll be in touch with you.

From Winnipeg to Nepal with Love

Posted on April 26, 2014May 8, 2014 by Andy Wood

Ok WCV – there are many results from our Nepal Fast, but one of them is that we were able to send $1,250 to the Himalayan Region Vineyards to be spent on food for the hungry. The team who was there took all the kids out for a special treat of Momos (a perogy style food filled with buffalo, chicken or vegetables). There were about 15 children – including the boys and girls who live at the church who have been brought in off the street or rescued from pre-child trafficking situations in the mountain villages. They went to a cafeteria run by one of the church people who used to live on the street with her family. With assistance from the Kathmandu Vineyard, she has been able to grow her business into a thriving cafeteria serving the best Momos in Kathmandu (according to everyone at the Vineyard!). Then on Saturday after church the team and a number of leaders from the Kathmandu Vineyard went down to the riverbed where many destitute families live. They are squatters and most barely eke out a living. They prayed for many and handed out bags of food. These two events cost a little over $100. The rest of the money will be spent on buying food for people in various situations over the next month or so. Thanks for giving!

You can click on the pictures below to see the photo album view.

: Eating a special treat of Momos with the kids!

: Delivering food bags to those on the riverbed.

: Praying for the blind

: Praying for healing

: The River Bed.

: We gave a food bag to this young girl who lives on the River bed.

The Porn-Free Household

Posted on April 21, 2014April 16, 2014 by Andy Wood

This post is written to parents, but is applicable to any household, with or without children. Let’s get on it people… Do the work and make a plan! There is no household with any kind of internet access that is immune.

Read it here in this excellent post.

Nepali Fast – Isaiah 58

Posted on April 3, 2014April 12, 2014 by Andy Wood

Isaiah 58 Fast

April 13 – 20

In the bible, fasting and prayer usually go together. Fasting isn’t simply about the lack of food, or the lack of anything else for that matter, but rather an intensified focus, or shift in perspective from something temporal to God. It’s about bringing our attention to the Lord in a specific way for a particular time by reducing our dependence on something physical. Our physical hunger reminds us that we are really hungry for God.

It makes sense, then, that fasting and prayer go together. However, it seems that if our lifestyles are not extending grace, mercy and justice in practical ways, our fasting is distasteful to God. Isaiah helps bring clarity to this issue in chapter 58 where he links “true fasting” with feeding the hungry, sharing with the poor, keeping the Sabbath and in general, living justly.

“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: 

to loose the chains of injustice

and untie the cords of the yoke,

to set the oppressed free

and break every yoke?

Is it not to share your food with the hungry

and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter

– when you see the naked,

to clothe them,

and not to turn away

from your own flesh and blood?

Nepali Fast

This fast is an invitation to hold both fasting and care for the hungry together. To that end we invite you to participate in a very practical fast for one week – that is to eat at or below the level of the average Nepali person.

For just about all of us, this will mean eating less – less quantity as well as less variety.

The fast starts Sunday April 13 (with an evening of prayer and worship) and we’ll break the fast on Easter Sunday, April 20.

There are two objectives for this fast:

1) When we consume less, we can give more.

2) When we fast, we draw closer to God.

Consuming Less

Isaiah 58 makes it clear that we are to respond to the “hungry” in our world in practical ways.

God has linked WCV with the Himalayan Region Vineyards in a deep and profound way. Many of our brothers and sisters in this region live on minimal nutritional requirements. We are one body, and Paul admonishes us to “share each other’s burdens” (Gal 6). One way we can do this is to eat at their levels. This will allow us to consume less, while practicing solidarity with them.

Here are some facts and figures concerning the average Nepali that may help frame the conversation:

Canada’s average salary approx. $40,000 ($110 / day)

Nepal’s average salary approx. $1,200 ($3.30 / day)

25% of Nepal’s population live below poverty line of: $1.25 / day. (Nepal Bureau of Statistics)

Major concerns include little or no access to primary health care, education, clean drinking water and sanitation services. Food security and poor nutrition are major concerns, especially in rural areas. (IFAD)

Nepal has one of the highest early childhood mortality rates in the region. 2/3 of Nepali children are severely deprived and just under 40% live in absolute poverty. 50% of children under 5 are stunted and over 2/3 are underweight due to malnutrition. (Unicef)

By embracing their diet, we are in a way embracing our brothers and sisters in Nepal. Eating their food in a way places them in the centre of our tables every day.

Giving More

By spending a week eating at these levels, most of us will have saved money on our grocery bills. Keep track of what you save – or calculate it in whatever way makes sense to you. Then we encourage you to donate it to WCV (mark it for Nepal) and we we will send it to Nepal to be used to feed those who are poor.

If you do not normally spend money getting your food, but have participated in this fast, we encourage you to give what you can to the “First Fruits” basket and the food will be shared at Drop-in.

Drawing Near to God

This fast is not just a clever way to raise money for those in need. It can do something in us and to us. As we turn ourselves towards God in prayer and fasting, we can be transformed. Our prayer is that WCV will draw closer to God as we participate in this “fast that he has chosen”.

Throughout the week we will be having regular stories sent from the School of Justice, who will be in Nepal during this time. They will give us short meditations to help us both understand the plight of the people there as well as God’s heart for them and us!

Preparing

Checklist for preparing for this week:

Put it on your schedules.
We will start the week with an evening of worship & prayer on Sunday, April 13, 7pm.
Do your grocery shopping beforehand (check the ingredients in the recipe in this booklet).
Calculate your normal weekly grocery bill and get ready to donate the savings.

Recipe – Dal Baht

Plain Rice (Bhat)

2 cups rice (Basmati or Long grain preferred)

4 cups water.

Lentils (Dal)

1½ cups lentil (any kind), 4 to 5 cups of water, ½ tsp turmeric, 1 tsp minced garlic, 6 tbsp butter, 3/4 cup sliced onions, 2 chillies, salt to taste.
Wash lentils and soak lentil for 10 minutes – drain.
Add lentils to fresh water and bring to a boil.
Add all spices.
Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 20 – 30 mins (until lentils are soft).
Fry the onions, chilies and garlic in the butter & stir into the simmering lentils.

“On This Rock” Visual Art

Posted on April 1, 2014November 21, 2014 by Andy Wood

We’ve been exploring points along Peter’s discipleship journey for the past few months (and we’ll continue for the next number of months). The audio recordings are posted here. Along the way, we’ve commissioned various artists – both visual and performance – to share their interpretations of what they’re learning. It’s like looking at the subject through a different set of eyes. The artists among us can help us see a new way. It’s been really fantastic – thanks to all the artists who have participated in a variety of media – from writing songs and poems to performing raps and dances. Here are the visual representations at this point in the journey (click on any pic to view a full size):

: “A Fisher of Men” by Julia Denkdirwas (Matthew 4:19)

: “Don’t You Care?” by Natasha Boone (Mark 4:38)

: “I Am a Sinful Man” by Rachel Hogeveen (Luke 5:8)

: “Who Do You Say I Am?” by Sheri Lewis (Matthew 16:15)

: “You Are the Messiah” by Krista Heide (Matthew 16:16)

Key Take-Aways from Vision Night

Posted on March 12, 2014March 12, 2014 by Andy Wood

Introduction:

We had a great time on Monday, Feb 24 exploring some particular ways we’ve grown this past year as a community. We heard stories of some compelling fruit in a number of people’s lives. We also looked at the financial fruit we’ve tasted these past few years.

The apostle John said, it’s for the Father’s glory that we bear fruit (15:8). Good fruit comes from good trees planted in a healthy environment. In order to see more growth, we must tend the roots. To that end, we asked, “What are the environmental factors that produce good fruit?” What contributed to the fruit we experienced in WCV this past year?

Some of the answers to these questions are noted below. The first section looks at our financial situation. The second section documents the roots that were identified in the stories the 8 individuals who shared stories of fruit in their lives this past year.

Financial Commentary – 2013

1) We have a very generous church, with many people giving to WCV.

2) The growth in giving at WCV has been very significant over the last 4 years. In the last 4 years (since 2009) giving has risen from $335,000 to $428,000, an increase of 93,000 or 28%. This is a result of many things including increased attendance, growth in gifts from outside the church, as well as increased giving from some regular attenders of WCV.

3) Giving in 2013 was at a record level – giving of $428,000 in 2013 represented a $48,0000 increase over the $380,000 given in 2012. This is a one-year increase in giving of approximately 13%, which is very significant and positive.

4) The nature of the giving in WCV is that much of it comes in December. In 2013 $72,000 was received in December. While this is a normal occurrence, it does strain the monthly cash-flow of the church since expenses need to be paid throughout the year. The result of this back-end loaded income is that it can be very challenging to manage the monthly cash flow and expenses of the church.

Financial Commentary – Budget 2014

1) In 2013 gifts to the church from generous people outside our congregation totalled $50,0000. For 2014 we are budgeting this number to go down, since we have been made aware that $10,000 that was received last year will not be coming this year. We also know of some one-time gifts from regular attenders of WCV that will not reoccur this year. These facts have made us re-examine our budget for 2014 with the decision to decrease the budget slightly by 4%. So we are budgeting income and expenses for 2014 at $412,000.

It is important to note that a $412,000 budget is still a significant number and will actually require an increase in giving from the congregation to make up for the reduction of giving from outside individuals.

2) Reducing the budget in 2014 to $412,000 will require a reduction in spending by the church of $16,000 compared to 2013. This is difficult to accomplish because we have very little flexibility in our budget. The biggest items in the budget are the 30% fund (donations to Nepal, missionaries, the poor etc.) which totalled $120,000 in 2013, payroll which was approximately $200,000 in 2013 and utilities $50,000. All other line items in the budget are relatively small in comparison to these 3 large categories.

3) To achieve $16,000 in savings, we are reducing ministry/miscellaneous budgets by a total of $8,000 (this is made up of reductions to youth, breathe, sound, travel, miscellaneous expense), and payroll by $8,000 (representing a 5% decrease to pastoral staff). Cuts to the budget are not pleasant and if we had an easy or obvious place to cut that would not be felt we would do that, but the plain facts are that all expenses in the church represent important and worthy items, so any cuts to the budget will be painful. Our hope and prayer is that our income in 2014 will surpass the budget and that any cuts will be made up at year-end. If we do achieve a surplus in 2014 our first priority will be to repay the pastoral staff to make up for any lost income as a result of this budget cut.

4) The economic demographics of WCV are such that only a portion of the people carries the majority of the giving. We encourage everyone with the financial ability to participate fully in supporting the costs & ministry of the church.

5) Pre-authorized withdrawals for giving are very important for our cash-flow and management. We see a double benefit in doing this. First we can predict the cash income. Second it becomes a discipline that minimizes the risk of forgetfulness. We urge everyone to use this method of giving. You download a pre-authorized withdrawal form here, fill it out and place it in the offering bucket.

Financial Summary

It is important to keep the right perspective when we are thinking about the budget for 2014. This course of action (cutting the budget) is not the result of a lack of generosity within the church. The facts (numbers) speak for themselves – giving is at a record level in the church and increased by a record level in 2013. The main issue we are faced with is how to maintain a balanced budget when there are so many needs and corresponding expenses within the church. Right now we are feeling that we are not in a position to increase the budget this year, given that the budget has increased so much over the last few years, in particular this past year 2013 and in light of the fact that we are projecting gifts from the outside to go down. So this will be a bit of a different year, with a focus on belt tightening and expense management. But let’s not be discouraged – we don’t think anyone would be surprised if 2014 was our best financial year yet. You never know what is in store…..

Personal Stories of Fruit and Root:

We had 8 people share stories of growth in their lives this past year. Listed below are the roots that were identified as significant contributing factors in each of these stories. If you’re interested in hearing the actual stories, the audio is posted here.

Andrew Chan – The Upstairs Gathering. The time and attention artists give to their art gives back to the viewer. The team who ran the Upstairs Gathering in the Fall. Creativity. The ability to envision something different. Time and attention.

Krista Heide – Study, reading and online resources. Giving space for something to grow. Teamwork generates more energy towards creativity. The Outer Circle.

Elias Rieger – People at the Kathmandu Vineyard put a lot of work into the youth trip. The giving of WCV towards the youth – fundraiser & funds budget. Funds budget (the 30%). Practical service. Wrestled through what they saw – lots of processing. Money towards Youth leadership (Jodi now administers all 3 youth groups – grown from one group).

Stephanie Martens – People giving to her and her girls in a variety of creative ways. Sticking with each other, knowing each other, knowing each other’s history. There are gifts in the dessert. Practicing excruciating vulnerability.

Naila Janzen – Persevering through the hard times instead of running away. Faithfully adapting, learning and rolling with the ups and downs of life.

Angela Falk – The Outer Circle process and her triad. The fruit in other people’s lives fertilizes the roots of others. The rich and fertile soil of WCV’s relationships. House Group. Knowing we will never be forsaken. Circles of sharing. Community.

Gord Holmstrom – Community, care and Flatlanders. People taking time to be with, love and live with him. Perseverance in school and staying clean.

Andy Wood – The faithful giving of WCV towards helping the Kathmandu Vineyard pay off their building. Just paid it off – frees up finances to re-boot the Mobile Bible School in the Himalayan Region.

In Conclusion:

In summary we want to say thank-you to all of the faithful servants who give so much in every way to the church. This is a wonderful, vibrant growing community that is spreading the gospel and advancing the kingdom of God both locally and abroad. There are so many good things happening here…. way too many to list. Lets press on into 2014 with a sense of expectancy and with trust that the Lord will meet all of our needs, as he always has.

The Staff and Board of Directors

The audio of the evening is posted here.

Lent – a Season of Preparing for More

Posted on March 11, 2014March 11, 2014 by Andy Wood

On March 5, we entered the season of Lent. A season, 40 days leading up to Easter, that the church has historically observed as a time of preparation. A time to prepare hearts, bodies and lives for the life that’s made available through Jesus’ resurrection. Lent is only helpful if it points us towards resurrection. Giving up for Lent is only useful if it points us to all that God has for us. Dying to ourselves is only a good thing if the Holy Spirit can come afterwards and bring us to life. This short video is a great reminder that God is not about scarcity and that Lent is intended to help us prepare for more, not less.

You may want to check out these resources:

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.

Have you used any of these resources? Let us know how they were helpful in the comment section below!