Hey WCV family – we’re going to be having a games night on Jan 1, 2021.
We are going to play a game called, “Who Said That?” It’s a Bible trivia game for players to identify the speaker, and for more points, the book, chapter and verse – making it fun for a wide variety of Bible scholarship. It would be great if we could have families sign up as a team so we can create a round-robin play, since it will work best if we have one team facing off against another team for a series of questions and then move on to another two teams, etc.
FAMILY GAME NIGHT
Game: Who (in the Bible) Said That?
Friday, January 1 at 6:30 PM
Zoom link will be shared beforehand.
Register your team (family) to play this fun game and test your Bible chat skills!
We’re excited to be doing Christmas Eve online via Zoom this year. We’ve got some fun for all ages planned. We hope you can join us with your warm drink in hand, a candle ready to be lit, and hearts full of anticipation for the arrival of Jesus!
December 24, 6pm via Zoom.
Watch your email for the link to the Zoom meeting which will be sent out within 48 hours beforehand. If you don’t get emails from WCV, please contact the office to receive the Zoom link.
Vineyard Canada is hosting another National Worship Gathering on December 27th, 11am our time. Various Vineyard churches across the country will participate as we worship, reflect on 2020, and prepare to enter the New Year together. This gathering will be live on Vineyard Canada’s Facebook page as well as well as posted on VC’s Youtube channel.
God is neither confused nor disoriented in these troubled times. If there’s one thing we’ve learned during these last few years it is that God is both faithful and trustworthy. It just might be true that the Holy Spirit is most active in rough times – bringing comfort and strength to the weak and overwhelmed, offering wisdom to those who ask, guiding and nudging, speaking and empowering. God is here – with each of us wherever we are – even right now as you read this. God’s Kingdom is here – at hand – coming – delayed. All of it wrapped up and enacted by feeble hands and knocking knees (Isa 35:3). We’re praying that this reality would be planted deep down in each of our hearts and would produce a rich harvest of hope in due course. We are in this together and God is with us.
Colossians 1:9-12 is a good picture of what the Holy Spirit has been nudging us towards, namely: transformation, connection and activation.
“Since we first heard about you, we’ve kept you always in our prayers that you would receive the perfect knowledge of God’s pleasure over your lives, making you reservoirs of every kind of wisdom and spiritual understanding. We pray that you would walk in the ways of true righteousness, pleasing God in every good thing you do. Then you’ll become fruit-bearing branches, yielding to his life, and maturing in the rich experience of knowing God in his fullness! And we pray that you would be energized with all his explosive power from the realm of his magnificent glory, filling you with great hope.”
– Col 1:9-12 (TPT)
Transformation
The primary calling of being a disciple of Jesus is to become more and more like Him in our thoughts, habits, and actions – learning to be like Him in every way. Paul says, “all the while you will grow as you learn to know God better and better” (Col 1:10). This is a life-long process of maturing into Christlikeness – of living more fully into our image-of-God-ness (Gen 1). This must be kept in the forefront. The paradox here is that when we strive for transformation, it becomes elusive. However, when we focus on Jesus – his life, relationships, thoughts, actions, etc. – we become more like Him. We become like what we worship and we reflect what we worship.
Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did.
1 John 2:6
“When human beings give their heartfelt allegiance to and worship that which is not God, they progressively cease to reflect the image of God. One of the primary laws of human life is that you become like what you worship; what’s more, you reflect what you worship not only to the object itself but also outward to the world around. Those who worship money increasingly define themselves in terms of it and increasingly treat other people as creditors, debtors, partners, or customers rather than as human beings. Those who worship sex define themselves in terms of it (their preferences, their practices, their past histories) and increasingly treat other people as actual or potential sex objects. Those who worship power define themselves in terms of it and treat other people as either collaborators, competitors, or pawns. These and many other forms of idolatry combine in a thousand ways, all of them damaging to the image-bearing quality of the people concerned and of those whose lives they touch.”
N.T. Wright in Surprised by Hope
“You should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ.” Paul in 1 Corinthians 11:1Connection
Being together releases energy. Encouragement happens in community. Covid-19 has restricted relationships and thrust many into survival mode. We’re praying that the varied moments of connection that we do have will be like life-lines that will not just keep us afloat, but actually pull to safety those who feel overwhelmed. This is not a solitary activity. In the Colossian passage above Paul uses a plural “you” (Col 1:9-12). A simple text message to someone can be huge. A phone call, a hand-written note, a hot meal – small gestures like these communicate love and plant seeds of hope. Like Paul, we’re praying that we would all be strengthened with God’s power, have patience to endure, and be filled with energizing joy (selections of Colossians 1:9-12 NLT). The best path to this? Connection.
We are excited by the growth of Home Groups this year. There are also a number of Triads who are meeting regularly and sharing life together and a number of beautiful moments of connection have been catalyzed through CarePortal. These are all parts of the “fruit bearing branches” that comprise WCV. We believe God wants to increase these and actually infuse our community with energy through these growing relationships with each other, and those who are yet to be part of our church!
“So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.”
1 Thessalonians 5:11
Activation
We believe this next year God will lead us into reaffirming who we are and why we are placed at 782 Main St. We don’t want to just do the same old things, but just a little better. There are new expressions of who we are that are going to find fresh legs in this next season. We want to find ways to notice the inner leadings of the Holy Spirit that will result in life and joy – not just another thing to do in an already busy life.
“Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.”
Hebrews 10:24-25
As we lean into Jesus, we will be transformed. As we lean into each other, we will be energized and encouraged. As we follow the Spirit’s promptings we will be led outside of ourselves in service of others. Let hope be planted! Let your kingdom come!
We will continue to postpone in-person gatherings for the month of December.
WCV will continue to stream on Facebook Live every Sunday at 10am.
We will have measures in place to connect with our community folks who drop in on Sundays and are without technological means.
We encourage all House Groups to meet online. Please contact Andrew if you need assistance setting up a virtual meeting.
The office will remain open – please make appointments in advance if there is a need to physically drop by. All worship teams, speakers, and volunteers involved in creating virtual services are still permitted to use the building.
Stay connected (but safe) and see you online Sunday!
Wait a minute… We’re talking about Advent and Christmas already?! Wasn’t it just yesterday we were walking around in sandals? In this year of incredible disruptions, we now find ourselves at the front end of the season of Advent. Of all the things we don’t know, one thing we know for sure is that this season won’t be like any of the other Christmases we’ve experienced. Yet, the core reason we celebrate remains unchanged. The challenge is to find ways to root ourselves in the beauty of the CHRISTmas season while living in the times we do.
What does it mean for us to wait for the Messiah in this season with many of our regular traditions stripped back? There will be no huge parties, no group celebrations or traditional fanfare and, most likely, no large extended family gatherings. That’s a lot of “no”s! What does it look like for us to say “yes” to Jesus and still prepare to celebrate his coming in a time like this? This year our guiding idea for Advent is “Getting Ready to Celebrate”.
Each Sunday there will be a theme leading us in progression to Christmas Eve – all aimed at helping us get ready to celebrate Jesus’ coming and presence among us: Invitation > Preparation > Waiting > Arrival. Along with each Sunday’s theme there will be an “engagement activity”. These will be fun and simple opportunities to explore the topic in a practical and creative way. Advent packages explaining these activities will be delivered before advent to every household with a child or youth – but this does’t preclude others from participating. As everyone does participate in the activity, we’re encouraging us all to take pictures and post to our Facebook or Instagram using the hashtag: #WCVadvent2020. Instructions will be given online every Sunday morning.
A Ham for everyone: Sadly, we’re not going to be able to gather together as we have in years past to enjoy each other’s company at our annual feast. However… we have purchased a whole hog-load of hams (say that fast 10 times!) and we’d like everyone in WCV to get one. The idea is simple: to bless everyone in the community and provide opportunities for connection. We are going to package up the hams along with some extra supplies for our Christmas Eve service this year. You can watch for these deliveries mid December.
Speaking of Christmas Eve, we’re working on plans and will update you as they are firmed up.
Lastly, if find yourself struggling this season, please don’t do so alone… reach out to your Home Group leader, a member of the Leadership Team, Andy at the office, or a trusted friend. If you know of someone who could use some extra groceries, please contact the office and we can make arrangements to share some food (we will give you an extra ham and you can add to it to make a meal). We are here to help.
In the next two days (Nov 27-28) someone will be delivering an Advent Engagement Package to your door! So glad that deliveries are A-okay during Covid! We hope that this will be a fun way for our whole community to engage in Advent activities as we prepare together, while we’re apart.
The theme for this year is ‘Getting Ready for a Party’. We want to engage in all the activities that you normally do as you anticipate gathering together, except that our focus is preparing for Jesus’ arrival. You can expect to engage in some party planning activities throughout the season.
We hope that you’ll enter into the spirit of the season and enjoy the activities that we’ve put together for you. Please post your pictures on FB or Insta with the hashtag #WCVadvent2020
At our upcoming AGM (Nov 30 at 7pm) we will be recommending the following people for the Leadership Team as either Lay Elders or members of the Board. We asked each of them to share (in 3-4 mins) a little about themselves, what they love about WCV and why they’re excited to serve in this position.
Cornelius & Tania Martens – Lay EldersChristy Chan – Lay ElderLois & Lindsay Ward – Lay EldersSara Epp – BOD
We are excited to announce that we have hired a new Kids and Youth Ministries Director. After receiving quite a number of applications and conducting interviews with a few very strong candidates, the hiring team felt a strong sense that Lani Wiens was the right choice for us. She brings with her a wealth of experience in both kids and youth ministry, is creative and is ready to go! We are excited to welcome her to the team, and to the community. You’ll be hearing more from her in the coming weeks but in the meantime below is a little bio.
Welcome Lani!
Lani Weins
Hi, I’m Lani Wiens. Kelly and I left our organic farm in Saskatchewan and moved to Winnipeg on my birthday, Aug 24 of this year (we still own the farm but that’s another story). We’re following God’s invitation to start a new ministry called Firerunner under the supervision and in partnership with Multiply through the Trek program, so we’ve been ‘upstairs’ every day for the last two months. The building feels very much like home. One of our fellow Trek participants posted your ad in our group chat and I felt like it might just be for me. I’ve been involved with children and youth ministry for close to 30 years in one way or another.
Kelly and I have six kids (4 boys and 2 girls), our oldest is married and presented us with our first grandbaby earlier this year. The two youngest (and our dog) are with us and the other three are in Saskatoon, Montreal and Hepburn. We are looking forward to getting to know you and serve you. We like swimming in the creative stream through music, writing, storytelling, fabric, paint, renovating things, decorating things and general mayhem. We’re always up for a good board game, too.
We would like to address and clarify what the latest C19 regulations means for our Sunday gatherings and Home Groups.
Sunday gatherings will continue as scheduled. These in-person gatherings have been vital in connecting us to our neighborhood community and we wish to continue these meaningful relationships to the extent possible. With the reduced allowable gathering size to 15% of capacity, we encourage those who have the means for online participation to enjoy our services from home.
Home Groups may be affected by the latest health orders. Per Manitoba Health, the reading of the orders indicate that for small ‘Bible study’ groups, the private gathering rules would apply.
Current private gathering guidelines are to be respected even when using 782 Main as the venue.
For WCV Home Groups, this means :
No gatherings of more than 5 persons for Home Groups will be permitted at 782 Main, effective immediately until further notice.
We will still be allowing the use of our building to those groups whom find it a challenge to comply with current distancing guidelines when hosting HG at home even with the reduced gathering size.
With any gathering at WCV, the following additional policies must be adhered to:
Masks must be worn at all times;
Sanitize your hands upon entry;
Check in using contract tracing record in the foyer;
Seat yourself/your household a minimum of 2 meters from another person/household.
Please do not attend any in-person meeting if: You are sick, have been exposed to Covid-19, have a family member who displays symptoms, or have travelled recently.
If you are unsure about your symptoms, please refer to the province’s screening tool.
Each gathering is also being simultaneously livestreamed via our Facebook page.
You all know that a few months ago we closed Flatlanders Inn. This ministry had just celebrated 13 years of being officially open – you can add a few more years if you count the dreaming and couch surfing stages. So much life, support and goodness happened in those walls for the over 130 people who called Flatlanders home over the years.
Once the decision to close Flatlanders was made, we determined to ensure the heart and vision would remain in some fashion. In one sense, this isn’t ours to make happen. We know that the good work that was wrought into many who called Flatlanders home won’t quickly fade. However, for those who never had the privilege to live in or be part of the community in some way, we wanted to make a way for you to share in the goodness of the work of God that occurred over the past 13+ years. To that end, a book has been created – pictures and recipes gathered, stories collected and values shared all to help mark what was. The result is “Flatlanders Inn: from beginning to end”, produced by Amanda Leighton. It is anchored in the values that guided the community along with various reflections and stories.
Grab a warm drink and settle in for a good read – and celebrate a good work of God (click on the link below).
The Annual General Meeting will be Monday November 30, 7pm at 782 Main St and online. Please note the date change.
Our purpose here is to bring you up to speed on some important developments in WCV. A few of these changes have been in the works for a few years, other reports are simply what we do on a yearly basis. Our main purpose isn’t so much to inform you with reports, but rather to inspire you about our future together. There are a few shifts in leadership that more accurately reflect the season we are in.
For those who wish to attend remotely, an online meeting invitation will be sent to all current members on our mailing list. Please note that you must register by acquiring a ticket via the emailed invitation as we must have a proper record of attendance. You can watch for this email as we get closer to Nov 30.
You’ll notice that we postponed the date of the AGM from Oct 19 to Nov 30. This was for a few reasons:
Because of the need to have a robust forum for remote participation we needed a little more time to fine-tune our new audio and video set-up.
We want to ensure maximum participation. Even though we originally published the date on Sept 24 it has become clear to us that we need to do a better job at promoting it.
We want to synchronize our Prayer and Fasting with our AGM. We are praying this will be a time of God imparting his guidance and vision to us. We’ll explore this and more at our AGM. Here is more info on our time of Fasting and Prayer.
The Leadership team (Pastoral & Lay Elders & BOD) have been praying and fasting for a few weeks now and we’d like to invite you to join us.
We have a sense that God will give us some keys in this season and we want to be diligent and faithful to seek God’s heart in this way. One of the benefits of fasting is that it is a spiritual exercise that forms us. In other words, as we fast, we are changed. This is in addition to whatever developments come about that drew us to fast in the first place!
Isaiah 58 has come up a few times in prayer recently… but not necessarily the part of the passage that is normally looked at for advice on fasting (which is all still good and relevant). The part of the chapter that seems to be highlighted to us is a promise of guidance, rebuilding and new life. This is what we’re bringing before God.
“I will always show you where to go…” “you’ll use the old rubble of past lives for something new… restore old ruins… rebuild the foundations…” Isaiah 58
We are fasting every Monday until Advent. If you can, please join us in some way. There are many ways to fast. See the link below for a booklet that gives some practical advice.
This time of Fasting and Prayer will lead to our AGM which is November 30.
