Chatting with the Pope – a few thoughts.

Posted on October 12, 2016November 24, 2016 by Andy Wood

Recently the Vineyard International Executive, led by John and Eleanor Mumford, met with His Holiness Pope Francis in a historic moment at the Vatican. This is a continued sign of the increased unity amongst the body of Christ around the world and points towards the way in which God is moving his sovereign hand amongst His church for His glory. Noel Isaacs was part of this contingent. Below are a few of his thoughts and what stood out to him about the meetings and Francis’ responses to a few questions he was asked.

1) Priority of the poor in the gospel

Never forget the poor. You can never understand the gospel without the poor. Jesus came to the poor, the needy, the Sick! We need to understand the poor in order to understand the Gospel. In raising awareness for the poor, you quickly get accused being a Communist. But it is not about Communism or Capitalism, but about the Reign of God (which equals the Kingdom of God). The poor need our attention, our love, and our care – only through them can we understand the Gospel.

Serving two masters:

The Bible says you cannot serve to masters. The problem is not the money in itself, but loosing your heart to the money: “The devil comes through your pocket”. There are three, we might say, main ways in which the devil tries to gain our hearts. The first is money, the second is vanity, the third is pride. When the church thinks she has become rich, that moment is the beginning of her downfall. The true treasure of the Church is not the buildings, not what we might call property, but the Spirit, the poor, our hearts….

It might sound foolish, but there is a poverty of the rich man: It is him who thinks he can save himself with money, who thinks he can have everything through money and possessions, but is never filled and satisfied.

2) What do you think the Holy Spirit is saying to the Church?

It’s all about unity. The Pope had spoken in his liturgy that very morning about the Holy Spirit, partially out of Galatians.

There are three ways we can regard or react to the Holy Spirit:

1) to ignore the Holy Spirit (you stupid Galatians! Galatians 3.1ff), which, according to the holy father is simply stupid (stupido)!!

2) to grieve the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4.30) by not giving him room to work, by keeping him to yourself and stay inward focused.

3) to give Him room to work through us. We should be as a ship with its sails set high to catch the wind (he made a gesture to underline his words by raising his hands).

3) How can we contribute to the unity of the Church and bless the Roman Catholic Church?

Walk forward together and journey together. This implies going forward and being in motion. It involves working in practical ways together, to pray together and for each other and to care for the poor (we might say, do ministry) together.

We serve and minister WITH the poor, not TO the poor. The standard is what we find in Matthew 25. After all, this is how Jesus says that we will be “judged”.

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).

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!

Murals: “Mending” & “Aqua Lungs”

Posted on September 22, 2016October 6, 2016 by Andy Wood

Our new murals are completed! It’s been exciting to watch them unfold over the past few weeks. So many people have come by to have a second (and third and fourth) look and countless others have been impacted by these murals already. What are they thinking? What’s going on for them? I’ve witnessed many people deeply moved as they take it all in – what might God be doing in them?

One of the main objectives of public street art is to create a space for wonder and curiosity – to capture people’s attention and imaginations and to spur dialogue. Already both these murals are doing just that. We are thrilled to receive these gifts and are doubly blessed to have one of our Core Practices, the Arts, expressed in such massive ways. We are creative beings, made in the image of our Creator. Every act of creative expression reflects God in some way.

One theologian said, “It is not the task of Christianity to provide easy answers for every question, but to make us progressively aware of a Mystery. God is not so much the object of our knowledge as the cause of our wonder.” (Kallistos Ware) Our hope is that these works will draw people to the great and loving Mystery and the things he cares about.

Below are some thoughts on each mural, bearing in mind that art is always subjective and that “beauty is in the eyes of the beholder”, as they say. Both murals hold a lot of meaning for the artists as well as us in the Vineyard – but their power also lies in the ineffable beauty, colour, and mystery… things that “words cannot express.”

Mending:

“Mending”, is the apt title of the mural facing the greenspace (and everyone travelling North on Main St). As you can see, it features a strong and beautiful indigenous woman. The Clandestinos, the married artist duo of Shalak Attack and Bruno Smoky who hail from Toronto with roots in South America, dedicated this piece “to strength and resilience of the First Nations Women from across the Americas.” She stands in marked contrast to how women are usually depicted on billboards across our society.

Her bracelets and poncho are adorned with designs and patterns of tribes and First Nations from South, Central and North America, in that order. Bruno says, “Shalak and I spoke with elders here in Winnipeg, and they gave us direction as to what symbolism we should use on her poncho and jewelry. Combining symbolism from the South and North is a beautiful thing – Indigenous people standing together.” Her strength and beauty stands in solidarity with all indigenous peoples.

She goes about her quiet yet important work of mending a heart that is ripped. Shalak and Bruno say “her act of “Mending” is symbolic of the healer, and reconstruction of the broken or missing pieces of our communities.”

Her hat is crowned with a ring of Musk oxen, our metaphor of the kind of community we are called to be. Muskox are known to surround vulnerable members of the herd to protect them against harm – they use their strength in the service of others. The Muskox in this painting represent “the surrounding communities coming together for her protection and everything she stands for.”

With her poncho she enfolds a prairie landscape and a city, both of which give way to the sky. We are all in this together and work toward the healing of our hearts, bodies, societies and even the earth itself. To us, this is a beautiful picture of the heart of God and his restorative work in and through us. Let it be!

Finally, Shalak and Smoky say, “through these symbolic images we wish to give homage to and remember missing and murdered indigenous women. The act of mending is representative of the healing process, the need to face, overcome and heal the social unbalances and inequalities that are present in our societies that all too often hurt the most vulnerable communities.” Hanging at her centre is a pinecone, a symbol of hope. When it experiences the heat of a forest fire, its seeds are released to bear fruit. We can see a future for our people where all the fires of our suffering will bear much fruit. And so we hope. Behind the pine cone are the beaded portions of a pair of moccasins (called vamps) – the symbol of missing and murdered indigenous women, many of whom we have known and still love. In this respect, Mending works together with our Vineyard Memorial Path, a little to the West.

Aqua Lungs

This mural is designed and painted by a collaboration of Toronto based duo, Patrick Thompson and Alexa Hatanaka, collectively known as PA System, and a 17 year old artist from Cape Dorset, Nunavut, Parr Josephee. The Inuit inspired contemporary design is a tribute to Parr’s roots. The human figure in the mural is a self portrait of Parr holding his first fish, which he caught this past summer.

This piece is two large watery lungs that hold humans, animals and a cross section of the earth together, portraying the interconnection between all three. Healing waters surround them. The deep, vibrant colours echo the rich cultures of Canada’s north. Winnipeg is a well known hub of Inuit art, and we are pleased to be part of this.

Patrick said, “when you’re creating a piece of public work, you need to create work that’s going to live with people… It can’t be preachy, but it should talk about something real.” One of the “real” issues people from Parr’s home are facing is the impact seismic testing has on the wildlife living in the waters. Narwhal whales, one of which is depicted in this mural, are particularly susceptible to this testing. When the animals are negatively effected, the people also suffer. This mural is painted to speak to that issue, and to highlight the reality that we are all connected in one way or another. “It negatively affects the people, and it negatively affects all of us down south who have very little connection to the north but when those ties are broken between people, and a way of life, and culture, and food, and history… the potential for disaster is great,” Patrick says.

Parr told me, “I’m so happy to be painting here. I feel good to paint here and have people see my work.”

Of particular note for us in this mural is the theme of water. We have received many dreams, pictures and words over many years about water. It’s amazing that now we have a very “watery” mural painted right on the wall of our building. The fish is also of biblical note!

Nuit Blanche Bike Jam Party:

Both of these murals are part of the Wall-to-Wall mural festival, organized by Synonym Art Consultations. Graffiti Art Programming, NECRC, Manitoba Music are also involved, as are many other funders.

Also, both murals will be on particular display during Nuit Blanche on Oct 1 from 6pm – 9:30 ish. On that evening our parking lot will be transformed into a pop-up party that will include:

Rally point for the annual Rainbow Trout Bike Jam (last year’s bike jam had about 600 bicycles), and for anyone else participating in the Nuit Blanche activities.
Large pop-up stage with music (sponsored by Manitoba Music with 3 amazing acts),
Participatory art project,
Bike tune-ups,
Break dance competition,
Light art installations and a
DJ booth.

It’s gonna be a party! We’re expecting in upwards of 1000 people and bicycles in our parking lot.

The whole event is a family friendly and dry. It will be loud and well lit (there’s a giant disco ball being installed above the DJ booth). Access to the building will be limited to the Flatlanders Studio (porta potties will be provided).

Finally, our very own Flatlanders Studio will be open with the new exhibit called Art Catalogue. Blair is working hard at getting this show up and running. Make sure you come out and see the new LED light system that has just been installed – not to mention some great art!

This seems like a lot – and it is! For us it is all a great opportunity to “work for the good of the city in which I have sent you.” (Jeremiah 29)

October 1, 6pm – 9:30pm ish.

The Mending Progression:

(click to enlarge)

Aqua Lungs Progression:

(click to enlarge)

(click to enlarge)

: Patrick, Parr & Alexa

: Shalak & Bruno

Thank You!

Thank you to everyone who was involved in the creation of these murals – specifically the Artists: the Clandestinos, PA System & Parr Josephee, the organizers, specifically Andrew & Chloe from Synonym, Andrew from NECRC and Pat from the Graffiti Gallery. Of course there are many other funders and contributors – this is really a community effort. Thanks to all!

Connect This Fall

Posted on September 1, 2016September 1, 2016 by Andy Wood

This season is one of re-connecting. All sorts of things begin to ramp up again after the summer. Here are a few of them:

Regular length services (10am – 11:45am) begin again on Sept 11. Kid’s church will also begin on this day.
Community Life Sunday is Sept 18. This is a Sunday during which we highlight a number of opportunities to connect in the Vineyard. On this particular Sunday, we’ll also be praying for a number of new leaders.
Welcome Party is Sept 18. These are for newcomers to the Vineyard and are a great opportunities to gather with a few leaders and other newcomers. We gather right after the service for a light lunch together. Contact the office to sign up. Kids are welcome.
The Upstairs Gathering will resume on Sept 25. We will be beginning the first number of Sundays with Prayer Ministry Training during the teaching time.
Connecting Classes start Sept 26. These are a series of 4 classes (Sept 26, Oct 3, Oct 17, Oct 24) that explore WCV’s vision, values and Core Practices. If you want to know more about WCV and if you’re looking for ways to connect, this is for you. Contact the office to sign up. 7 – 9pm.
Volunteer – there are many ways to get involved and volunteer your time and energy this season. Our Sunday gatherings are wonderful, but also need many hands. Sound people, Projectionists, Kids leaders and helpers, Coffee, Greeters, Offering. These are all great ways to build relationships and serve the community in meaningful ways. Contact the office for more information on any of the above opportunities.
House Groups – there are a few new groups beginning this Fall. House Groups are great ways to “do church” on a smaller scale. Watch for details.
Outer Circle – our final gathering of 2016 will be Oct 15.

>> Stay in touch with our weekly newsletter.

New Murals for Winnipeg… and us!

Posted on August 31, 2016September 22, 2016 by Andy Wood

Anyone driving by 782 Main Street these days, will notice some exciting new developments on the South side of our building. We were approached by Synonym, a local art consultation duo, who asked if we would be interested in hosting two murals on the South side of our building. We were intrigued for a number of reasons:

We love beauty and want to be a place that encourages artistic and creative endeavours. We are made in the image and likeness of our Creator, who is the consummate and continual creator.
We want to bring a sense of hope, life and awe to our neighbourhood. God is the source of all these things and we want to work with him wherever we see the Spirit moving.
We want to work for the good of our city. Jeremiah exhorted the ancient Hebrews to “work for the good of the city in which you dwell”. We want to partner with our neighbours and discover the ways God is at work in the lives of those around us.
World class artists painting parts of our story on our walls in a way that is larger and more beautiful than we ever dreamed sure sounds like a God set-up to us!

Symbols are extremely important because of the message and weight they can carry. For this reason, we required that the Elder team (Pastoral and Lay Elders) would give final approval to the mock-ups of the proposed murals. To help the artists understand who we are and what we stand for, we got together with the organizers a number of times and told them some of our stories and shared our deep values and why we’re here. These were great times, and they were moved by what we shared.

After we received the mock-ups, we consulted all kinds of people – artists and non-artists alike, professionals, young, old, indigenous, WCVers and non church goers. While we did seek the input from many of you, we were not able to get to everyone. Thank you for those who did give feedback and reached out to us with comments, questions or concerns. Art is subjective – everyone has an opinion. For this reason we simply wanted to ensure that we nor Jesus were misrepresented in any way. Additionally, we wanted to ensure that our people and the people from our neighbourhood could connect with the proposed murals – that they wouldn’t feel isolated at all. The Elders feel that both murals exceed expectations – in fact, one elder said, “it’s like they’re telling our story on our wall!” Throughout our consultations there were a few cautions that were carefully and prayerfully considered (like ensuring that neighbourhood people don’t feel isolated and that the messaging aligned with our values). We feel right and excited about proceeding.

What both artist duos have come up with is amazing. We believe these public works of art will have far-reaching impact and will hold the keys to many encounters with the God who loves, creates, and is always ready to bring hope to those who are open to receive. We think they will woo and arrest people (in a good way!) In the end, we are a Kingdom people and we are always looking for those places and times when his Kingdom of love and justice breaks in. We think these murals will provide the backdrop for many Kingdom break-ins! To us, it’s obvious the Spirit is at work here! And, while this didn’t influence our decision at all, these murals are a gift.

You will be seeing the progress of both murals over the next 2 weeks. We’ll keep you in suspense regarding the final products (so don’t ask to see the mock-ups). Watch for more details (like how these murals will be part of the Wall-to-Wall mural festival and highlighted during Nuit Blanche on Oct 1)!

6 Month Financial Update

Posted on July 21, 2016July 21, 2016 by Andy Wood

A few years ago we began sharing our financial situation in the bulletin on a weekly basis as opposed to once a year at our Financial Info Nights. This was a direct response to an increased desire from WCVers to be “in the know” and to “own the financial situation of the church.” This letter is written in that same open spirit. We hope this information will help us carry our financial situation together as a whole church, each person taking ownership without manipulation.
As always, we hold this situation in prayer and ultimately look to God for provision and wisdom. We feel writing this update is part of that. Ultimately, this situation is not in the BOD’s, Pastoral or Lay Elder’s nor even the congregation’s hands. It is firmly in God’s hands – we’re simply trying to be obedient to our part.

“Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.” Psalm 20:7

Here’s the 6-month situation as of June 30:

The current deficit of $36,702 compares to $14,595 in 2015. This deficit includes the $13,280 buffer surplus that we used to cushion the shortfall and needs to be replenished. This deficit is alarming given that it is only mid-year and so high.

There are two reasons the significant deficit this year:

Our regular offerings are down and in line with the income shortfall (other sources of income, like rentals, are not down). Our donations for June were at a 3-year low and the trend from the past few months is down.
Our expenses to operate are increasing with no option but to pay.

As your Staff and Board we consider this situation to be unprecedented enough to make some recommendations that may help immediately. We ask you to prayerfully consider responding.

Here are a few ways to respond:

Review your current giving level and year-to-date totals. If you have a shortfall please consider topping-up immediately.
If you haven’t already done so, consider signing up for pre-authorized withdrawals. This helps tremendously with cash-flow.
Consider increasing your giving level.
Pray for God’s provision of our financial needs. We rely on His supernatural provision at all times but sometimes forget to thank Him in times of plenty and continue asking for His help in times of scarcity.

We continue to believe that WCVers have the potential to meet all our annual budget needs. Whatever your interpretations are about tithing (10% to the local church – be generous in every situation – or something in between), the call to us as followers of Jesus is to be generous and the call to us as a local community of believers is to hold our local needs up in prayer and practice. Again, we trust in the Lord, not in finances (or horses or chariots!). He will see us through this, but not without forming us a little more into Christ’s likeness first. As leaders, we will continue to manage well and communicate info as relevant. Thanks for walking with us through this – thanks for your support – and thanks for your prayerful consideration of this letter!

Prayerfully & Thankfully,

Your Staff and Board of Directors

Healing in the Waves – a story from the Women’s retreat

Posted on July 18, 2016July 18, 2016 by Andy Wood

This is a submission from Janet Blatz:

I love the water. I love sitting on the beach watching the waves form with such great gusto and roll in to meet the sand and then disappear like a whisper. Watching the waves come and then go over and over makes my soul very happy and at peace. However leading up to the Ladies retreat my soul felt like it wasn’t watching the waves from the shoreline but instead it was being crashed by the endless waves in the middle of the ocean; waves of stress, waves of worries and waves of grief and I felt like I was drowning. Just like waves in an ocean, these waves of thoughts and emotions at times had more power than other times but the impact of them still can tire a person over time.

It was for this reason I was looking forward to the retreat – I thought maybe a change of setting and schedule could bring relief and rest to a tired soul. The soothing of the soul didn’t come from resting in nature like I thought. It came in when I found myself painting during a session; it came when I was prayed for during the Saturday prayer time; it came while swimming in the lake late one night.

Has my soul been totally healed? No. I was reminded over the weekend that my circumstances may not ever change, however, if I change my focus from trying survive the waves (or even question why I am facing those waves) to the Creator of the waves, healing will happen. Letting go of old ways of dealing with stress, of worrying, of grieving is hard but trying to continue to embrace for the impact of those waves again and again is harder. When I choose to seek the Creator, instead of embracing for the next wave, a little part of my soul finds itself on the shoreline, sitting and watching the waves that once caused so much pain and anguish, slowly roll in and disappears without disturbing the peace.

~ Janet