Help Needed in the New Year

As we plan for the new year we can see that we are in need of a few new volunteers for our Sunday morning gatherings. If you would like to give to the community in this way we’d love to have some new faces join our serving rotation in 2019!

Please prayerfully consider the following roles:

(*Orientation will be provided for all roles, some will have additional training.)

Sound Board Technicians: 1 volunteer needed-This job requires an niche for music and an early morning (8:15am) arrival. *Additional training will be provided.

Ushers: 2 volunteers needed – A simple but important responsibility on a Sunday morning. The lead usher coordinates passing the offering baskets, fills out our Sunday morning tally (head count), receives newcomer registrations and locks up the offering after it has been collected. *Women are welcome!

Projectionists: 1 volunteer needed – The projectionist should arrive by 9:15am to make sure all music, power points & slides are in order. *Additional training will be provided.

Communion: 1 volunteer needed- Communion preparation requires a 9:15am arrival to fill the cups and break the bread. There is space for creativity in this role with how the table is set & prepared. Post service clean up takes approximately 15 minutes.

Help Needed in the New Year

As we plan for the new year we can see that we are in need of a few new volunteers for our Sunday morning gatherings. If you would like to give to the community in this way we’d love to have some new faces join our serving rotation in 2019!

Please prayerfully consider the following roles.

MAIN GATHERING NEEDS: *Orientation will be provided for all roles, some will have additional training.

Sound Board Technicians: 1 -This job requires an niche for music and an early morning (8:15am) arrival. *Additional training will be provided.

Ushers: 2 – A simple but important responsibility on a Sunday morning. The lead usher coordinates passing the offering baskets, fills out our Sunday morning tally (head count), receives newcomer registrations and locks up the offering after it has been collected. *Women are welcome!

Projectionists: 1 – The projectionist should arrive by 9:15am to make sure all music, power points & slides are in order. *Additional training will be provided.

Communion: 1 – Communion preparation requires a 9:15am arrival to fill the cups and break the bread. There is space for creativity in this role with how the table is set & prepared. Post service clean up takes approximately 15 minutes.

2 Gatherings – 1 Church

The Upstairs Gathering rebooted this past week.  Until Advent it will be in a season of experimenting with a more liturgical flavour.  In the past few years there has been quite a bit of community jam for exploring the gifts of the contemplative life – good things have been happening. The Men’s retreat and the Schools of Spiritual Direction are prime examples of people connecting with God in deeper and more intentional ways. This focus for the Upstairs Gathering is another way we can continue to explore this as a community. While liturgy and contemplation are not the same, they can mutually reinforce each other. What we pray, the words we sing, the importance we place on certain elements of our gatherings – these all form us
whether we realize it or not.

In this experiment, we want to intentionally and carefully infuse our gathering with elements that are rooted in scripture, part of the historical understanding of what it means to follow Jesus, and central to Christian worship. It’s not that downstairs is devoid of any of these elements – it’s not!  We just want to use the Upstairs Gathering as a venue to intentionally explore these things with a little more attention to detail than we may be used to.  For example, each week we will have a specific prayer to lead us through a process of affirming what we believe and a specific prayer of confession in order to ready ourselves to receive communion. This central act of Christian worship has a sacramental power that is very rich if given time and space to do what it should in us. Ultimately, we want to place ourselves in the best possible position to both worship God and be formed, transformed and renewed by him.

The prayers that are used upstairs have been compiled from a wide variety of sources (scripture, Book of Common Prayer, early Christian creeds, ancient prayers, etc). and have been modified to suit modern sensibilities… in other words, they’ve been “Vineyardized”. We will tweak them as we go along.  There will still be a condensed sermon on the same topic as the Downstairs Gathering, and we’ll always make room for discussion, interaction and group dialogue.  Also, there is always coffee served right after the kid’s are released!

In the end, we’re one church with two gatherings.  Feel free to try it out – and then let us know what you think. Bear in mind we don’t really want to know whether you like it or not – as if church were some kind of product to be consumed. Rather, let us know if it helps you to encounter Jesus – enhances your worship – opens up space for God to do something in you. In the end it’s all about worshiping God regardless of form and irrespective of our preferences!

 

Connect This Fall

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.

 

Christmas Eve Service

Every Christmas Eve, as other families across the world gather around a Christmas tree, we, as a church body, gather together to celebrate Christ’s birth. We remember and celebrate The One who Came by singing Christmas carols and lighting the last advent candle. This service is a candle lit service, where every family is welcome, and everyone will get their own individual candle.

We encourage you to come and celebrate with us as one body. But if you can’t make it, take a step back from the busyness of Christmas and remember the One, Jesus Christ, who came down as an infant child to dwell with us.

The service will be on Thursday, December 24th, 2015, 6:00 – 7 p.m.