Emilie Ogle and her family are happy to announce the arrival of Nicholas William Shefer, who was born this past Wednesday, July 21 around 10:00 AM – eight pounds, two ounces. Emily and the baby are now home from the hospital and are doing well.

If you would like to bless the family by preparing them a meal  - or in some other way – please contact Becky Novotni at: rebeccabliss@yahoo.com. Meals are specifically needed on Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays during the second half of August and beyond. Thank you so much for your support!

Norwood Police Officer Matt Boettcher sent in the following reminder:

Tuesday August 3, 6-9 pm
National Night Out.  Norwood Community Center, 1810 Courtland
Encouraging any and all children to attend.  The kids will get to meet police/fire personnel, view equipment, food/drinks, games, and activities.

Cincinnati Zoo Presentation (with animals) @ 6pm
Bike Rodeo (to teach kids bike safety — each child will get a free helmet to keep. bring your own bike.)

(Night Out website)

Emilie Ogle is getting closer to having her baby! If you are interested in being of support by cooking a meal for the Ogle/Oster household, please contact Becky Novotni at rebeccabliss@yahoo.com so that she can start coordinating the meals in advance of the little one’s arrival. Thanks for supporting Emilie and her family.

Vineyard Central is welcoming Don Whitaker from Step Up Prison Mentoring for an evening of training. Together we will learn what it takes to create of positive mentoring relationship with someone at the River City Correctional Center in Camp Washington. In order to attend the training, please send Joshua Hanauer an email (joshuahanauer@me.com) and he will send you a volunteer application and provide further details.

When: July 29th from 5-8 pm
Where: St Es

Light snacks/refreshments provided.

link to step up’s website: http://www.jobsplusnetwork.org/jmla/stepup.html

The pastoral council would like to assemble a list of members who would be willing to sit down with newcomers (over a meal) and get them oriented to who and what Vineyard Central is.  If you would like to volunteer, the PC will provide you with a small packet of information and 4-5 talking points to cover the history, values, and mission of VC.

Your name will be put in a rotation to host newcomers as they appear and show interest in our church.

cforms contact form by delicious:days

The penultimate session of Conversations on Following Jesus, led by Dave Nixon and hosted at The Speckled Bird Café, will occur this Sunday night, July 18, 6-8 p.m. This has been a rich and challenging series. Even if you haven’t been coming, you’re still welcome to join us for this Sunday’s topic, The Least, The Last, The Lost, led by Angela Pancella. Our final gathering (for now) will be on Sunday, August 8.

July “Pray and Play” children’s activity and story time will be Tuesday July 13 and Tuesday July 27 from 11:30-1pm. We will meet in the Children’s room of St. Elizabeth. Bring a packed lunch if you would like to share in lunch time. Pray and Play is targeted at the 0-5 age group, and their care givers.

Vineyard Central would like to recognize two new faces in our community. Laura Menze and Natasha Beljin, we extend a warm welcome to you!  To get in contact with these new members, reach out here. Continue reading…

A brief look back at some past events.

Omelette Sunday
Hearth House Church hosted an Omelette Breakfast Sunday, June 20th, 2010 at the Speckled Bird as a way of showing hospitality and encouraging community. Donations given raised money to purchase fruit trees that will be planted in the community of West Norwood. They plan to continue hosting future events, so stay tuned. There will be more omelettes, baked goods, and gourmet coffee to come.

Continue reading…

What: Alaict (As Long As It’s Called Today, Heb 3:13)
Who: Women of VC and surrounding community (It does not matter where you are spiritually or in your disciplines, only a desire to seek and respond to God through prayer and scripture.)
When: Wednesdays 7:00-8:30PM,  (If you are interested and this time does not work for you, let us know as we would love to connect with you.)
Where: 4505 Carter Ave., above the Speckled Bird
Questions: communication@vineyardcentral.com Continue reading…

VC Community!  Our first “Town Hall” meeting of 2010 will be held on Saturday, July 10, at 6pm, in St. Elizabeth’s.

Join us there for a quick rundown of what the Pastoral Council has been working on in the following areas:

• finances
• building
• house churches / hospitality (structure)
• neighborhood

This should take approximately 90 minutes to 2 hours.  Please come with any questions related to these topics.  If you have a pressing question that doesn’t fit in this meeting, send them this way.

There’s still time to cast your vote on the naming of these events!  (survey is not scientific)

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Over the past year, as VC has worked towards firmer structures of leadership and accountability, we have also been increasingly aware of the need to address the building structure, St. Elizabeth’s. In May, Ben Eilerman, a member of the community and an architect, filed (along with Sam Hatchett)  a grant proposal to the Greater Cincinnati Energy Commission that could be used to make the building more energy efficient. They are pleased to announce that Vineyard Central was chosen as the recipient of up to $15,000 in matching funds. Currently Ben and David Thompson are attending sessions to become energy inspectors, and Ben is attending regular meetings to allow VC to take full advantage of the grant monies. There are a number of limitations on the grant, however, and a new exploratory commission has been formed to assess long term strategies for building maintenance as well as best uses for this money. The grant is structured to provide a 15-20% subsidy to the total cost the energy efficiency upgrades so in the next couple of months, VC will need to raise matching money or in-kind donations to receive the entire grant. More info will be coming, but we will need the help and financial support of all who use and love the St. E’s space to make this opportunity a reality.