Hello Church!

I wanted to send out a reminder that Jill and Josh Stoxen are very close to meeting their son! He’s due in less that two weeks, so be keeping their family in mind and in prayer these last exciting days before his arrival.

Also, I’ll be coordinating a meal share for their family with a fabulous new web organizational tool that Jill told me about. It will take our community meal share superpowers to the next level. Get a preview here. After baby boy arrives I will make a calendar and folks can mark when they can make food and what they plan on making so everyone can see. Gone are the days when lasagna comes 5 days in a row !  Woot!

I will send out another email when baby boy Stoxen arrives, but in the mean time, please let me know if you want to be on the list of people who get to bless this family with food during such a holy time in their lives.

You can reach me via email: elizabeth@bettyhatchettdesign.com or phone: 513.293.1549

gracias,
Elizabeth Hatchett

For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.
A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to harvest.
A time to let die and a time to heal. A time to tear down and a time to build up.
A time to cry and a time to laugh. A time to grieve and a time to dance.
A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones. A time to embrace and a time to turn away.
A time to search and a time to quit searching. A time to keep and a time to throw away.
A time to tear and a time to mend. A time to be quiet and a time to speak.
A time to love and a time to hate. A time for war and a time for peace.
… God has made everything beautiful for its own time. (Ecclesiastes 3.1-9)

An author I admire says that a disciplined person “does what needs to be done when it needs to be done.” Very true. Yet determining exactly what needs to be done often requires wisdom, and wisdom, although freely given by God, comes with its own price-tag. It’s acquisition requires self-abnegation, the deconstruction of pride, a turning away from all expressions of selfishness and inordinate ambition. That’s the first step of the dance. The second step is (re)turning in humility to both God and people as the only viable resource for the kind of wisdom we so desperately need: wisdom that’s marked by purity, peace-making, gentleness, mercy, good deeds and yielding to one another. This kind of wisdom produces what we secretly or openly desire: “a harvest of righteousness.” (James 3.17)

So wisdom is acquired by orienting ourselves in a particular way toward God and the community, and by our community then orienting itself in a particular way to the wider world. Wisdom is, therefore, deeply relational in God’s economy. It is kneaded into us over time by holding fiercely to a specific way of living with each other in full view of God.

Because wisdom is relational, every person holds a piece of it, and only by contributing our various pieces do we gain a larger understanding of what God is doing among us. We offer our various scraps of wisdom when we come together humbly, share truthfully, listen carefully, pray fervently, and reflect deeply on all that emerges. If our scraps are given in this atmosphere of humility, mercy, and deep respect, we slowly begin to see. We discern a larger tapestry, something that transcends the smallness of our individual scraps. We find the Opus Dei, the “work of God,” work that draws us into a richness of life we could never experience singly.

What time is it for Vineyard Central? In what season do we find ourselves? If in fact “God has made everything beautiful for its own time,” then let’s ask God together to show us what this season is all about so that we can participate in the beauty of it. Let’s come together with open hands in a posture of humility. Let’s listen. And let’s take as much time as we need to gain this discernment rather than expect or demand the Spirit of God to be subject to our anxiousness and impatience. (Trying to force God’s hand is an exercise in futility, anyway, so why bother?)

For the welfare of the church, the pastoral council would like to initiate a season of discernment starting with the next festival — February 6. We have no idea how long this season will last, but it will be carried forward by a weekly rhythm of worship together on Sundays. (The exact time of that meeting is still being worked out and will be announced this Sunday, Feb 6. Feel free to contribute your thoughts on this between now and then.)

Furthermore, we’ve asked Tom and Karen Wuest to oversee this time of discernment. The Wuest family is dear to many of us who have been around from the beginning. They played a pivotal role in the earliest years of Vineyard Central’s founding before moving first to Colorado and then to Vancouver, B.C. to pursue God’s calling on their lives. During their time away they held us in their hearts and prayers, and recently they felt called to return, bringing two children (Isaiah and Arbutis) and a wealth of experience in tow. They love us deeply and have experience in guiding churches through the discernment process. We think they’re a great fit and would like to recommend them to the community. We’ve also asked them to draw in others from our community to help with the discernment, so this won’t be a solo effort.

The pastoral council is hopeful for this time. We believe it will be a turning point in this long, beautiful and sometimes confusing and bittersweet journey we’ve had together. I personally hope that someday, years from now, many of us will look back on this time not only with affection but with a sense of awe and gratitude toward the great and beautiful God who is always desirous to give us our daily bread.

Peace to you,
Dave Nixon
(on behalf of the pastoral council)

For those in the VC community and friends who contributed financially to VC in 2010,

There has been an unforeseen delay in getting the end-of-year Donor Statements out the door by the end of January.  I have been having some technical difficulties with the program used to generate the statements.  I’ve been working with a tech support person for the program and hope to have the issue resolved shortly. I apologize for any inconvenience.  The statements will be sent out as soon as possible.  Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Peace, Marissa

Whiz Kids is looking for tutors (especially male) for their rebooted Norwood site at Williams Elementary School.

Contact person: Sandra Kelley, illinikelley@yahoo.com
Start date: Feb 10 training, Feb 17 launch
Commitment: 4:00-5:30 every Thursday until May.
More info: Go to http://www.citygospelmission.com/whizkids.html and click the volunteer button on the right-hand side of the page

The following is from the Norwood City Schools After School Programs (via Joshua Hanauer):

The 21st Century After School Program is asking the community to participate in our fund raiser! As required by the Ohio Department of Education we are required to raise sustainability funding for our after school programs. All of Norwood City School After School Programs are grant funded.  As we face a $100,000.00 dollar decrease in funding for our Middle School Program next year it is critical we raise funds to keep our program vital and effective.

The Kroger Fund raiser will be ongoing as long as the 21st Century After School Program exists. It is easy, and has the potential to raise substantial money for our program. Buy a $5.00 dollar gift card from us, load it before you shop at Kroger or buy gas and we will receive 4% of every purchase! Cards can be purchased from us&nand used at any Kroger in the United States.

Download the form found on the side and return to the Middle School to the attention of the 21st Century After School Program.

The form can be downloaded from this link.

The following was sent in by Ryan Mooney-Bullock.  As many of you are aware, Norwood City Council is considering a modified Prohibited Animals ordinance, “which will allow residents in owner occupied 1 and 2 family residences to keep chickens.”  I’ve posted this message here because of the high likelihood of interest among our church’s members.  Here’s Ryan:

I wanted to share some upcoming classes at the Civic Garden Center with VC’s many homegrown-loving community members. If you have been plotting your chicken flock for the upcoming repeal of Norwood’s anti-chicken ordinance, the first class will provide you with all the info you need to get started!

Chickens: Selecting Breeds, Ordering Chicks and Setting up for a Laying Flock
Wednesday February 9, 6-7:30pm
Instructor: Madeline Dorger, Youth Education Coordinator
Cost: $10 (free for CGC Volunteers)
This class will cover breeds of chickens for the backyard chicken-keeper and tips for ordering from our local hatchery. Madeline will explain how to care for the chicks once you receive them and provide ideas for setting up your small backyard chicken habitat. Participants, if interested, will be able to submit a combined chick order to Mt. Healthy Hatchery.

Maximizing the Small Vegetable Garden, Part 2
Saturday, January 15, 1:30-3:30pm
Instructor: Kate Cook, Urban Farmer
Cost: $10 (free for CGC volunteers). Previous class not required.
This class will expand on the principles discussed in part one (planning concepts and planting techniques to maximize variety and yield). Participants are encouraged to bring their first round garden design ideas to workshop with Kate and the rest of the class. Estimating quantities for seed ordering and soil amendments will also be covered, as well as feeding and watering schedules.

Seed Exchange
Wednesday February 2, 6-7:30pm
Cost: Free
Bring the seeds you have saved from your garden (all kinds welcome) to exchange with other gardeners. Enjoy swapping stories and seeds from your garden with other like-minded folks. Light refreshments will be provided, feel free to bring something to share. Open to all of our CGC friends: teachers, community gardeners, home gardeners, urban farmers, etc!

If you have questions, feel free to contact Ryan at rbullock@civicgardencenter.org. You can register for classes on our website.

In the last post, The Artist’s Way, I proposed that the “artistic temperament” (as it’s defined by the Enneagram) was the dominant corporate personality of Vineyard Central. Having had a few weeks to reflect more on that thesis, I’m as convinced as ever that it’s true.

Here’s a very brief summary of what I said. As a church we’ve collected creatives, dreamers, non-traditionalists, and (most significantly) individualists. Artistic types, before they mature, have a deep need to stand out, to be seen as special, as unique, as not like others. To join in with others is to forfeit the uniqueness they privately desire.

Here’s a case in point. In the first years of VC’s planting, I vigorously encouraged our artists to write worship songs, and I made ample (and almost exclusive) room for them to be played in our public worship. Although so many deeply worshipful songs came from that time, I realize now that my desire to see our songs played had a shadow side to it that was driven, at least in part, by fear. I wanted so much to avoid what I considered the “Wall Mart” songs of the Vineyard that were regularly released by Vineyard Music Group in southern California. I mean, if we played and sang what all the other Vineyards were using, then how in the world were we different? And if we weren’t different, then how could we be special? Of course, there’s nothing intrinsically wrong with writing our own music — to the contrary, it should be encouraged! — but the invitation to offer creative gifts should issue from a positive stance rather than a fear of being “just like everyone else.”  Likewise, there’s nothing fundamentally wrong with being different … unless it stems from the very groundless reason of being different only for the sake of being different.

I also mentioned in the last post that, as a group, artists are mostly introverted (they need time alone to do creative work), weak in organization (they think in broad strokes, not fine detail), weaker in follow-through (they get bored quickly and want to move on), and suspicious of growth / success (a sure sign that you’ve sold out). There are exceptions to these generalizations, of course, but the overall pattern holds.

So my question was this: How does a larger group whose persona is unorthodox, individualistic, introverted, unorganized and afraid of success move toward God’s vision of creating communities and growing communities? I suggested some ways forward, but I certainly don’t have the final word on the matter, nor am I meant to. The answers lie in the community, and if we’re to overcome the liabilities of the Artist’s Way, then the community needs to contribute to the discussion. At the same time, we need to act, not get mired down in some protracted discussion. One way you can help is to email constructive thoughts you have to pastor@vineyardcentral.com. I’ll forward these to the pastoral council and they’ll become a part of our discussions for 2011. In suggesting ways we can move forward as a community, please also state how you’d like to contribute to that.

Here are some of the things I’ll be working to complete — by myself and with others — by the end of the first quarter of 2011:

• establishing a clear orientation process for newcomers
• launching an ongoing orientation group
• stating clearly what it means to be a member / stakeholder within our community
• having a weekly “bird’s eye” communication of the “good things God is doing among us”
• launching 2 more house churches
• conducting monthly encouragement and coaching times for our house church leaders
• concluding the work of the St. E’s Exploration Team (S.E.E.)
• presenting S.E.E.’s work to the community

Thanks to those who gave public and private feedback to my last post. Your comments were helpful, eye-opening, challenging and needed. I appreciate the time you gave to read it and write back. Keep it coming. Simply be loving, take responsibility for what you can, and think how you can join into the redemptive work that God hold out to us in 2011.

Peace to you,
Dave

The following announcement is from Dave Nixon:

Happy New Year! Let’s come together this first Sunday of 2011 to signal our desire to live and work as a worshiping community in Norwood and beyond!

PLACE ::
The back of St. E’s, where we celebrated Advent

BREAKFAST ::
9-10 a.m. Bagels and coffee provided. You bring the rest: fruits, cheeses, etc.

WORSHIP ::
• singing
• liturgy & response
• teaching (Matt Dawson & Dave Nixon
• communion

Following our time together there won’t be a potluck lunch. (Put that excess cooking energy into breakfast.) Practice hospitality afterward by inviting someone into your home.