To view the slideshow describing the membership proposal from this past Sunday, please click the link below. Keep in mind that the sections on corporate and individual practices are unfinished. Please send any comments, suggestions, or questions you have our way!
Archive for August, 2011
For web, phone or regular mail questions, please send an email to communication@vineyardcentral.com. Mandy or Josh will respond as they are able. A big thank you to Sam for his time serving in this role. He will continue to provide technical support as needed.
The Courtland Ave House Church (that meets at Ben and Mary Ellen’s house) will be hosting an eight week series on Christian Community Development, led by Josh Stoxen. We plan to start Sept 8 with a potluck dinner at 6:30 and then a discussion. We are going to do one a month for 8 months, with the goal of becoming better at reaching out to and helping transform Norwood. Would you have any interest in joining us? Following Sept 8, we will meet the first Thursday of each month.
The 8 principles are relocation, reconciliation, redistribution, church based, listening to the community, wholistic approach, empowerment, and leadership development. Our hope as a HC is to let these principles inform the work we are doing with Upper Millcrest Park, but ideally many different people might find ways to let them inform or initiate meaningful work in our neighborhood.
Childcare will be provided. We will finish no later than 8:30pm.
Let me know if you have any interest– email maryellenmitchell@gmail.com
So what’s the deal with the carrot?
In conjunction with the written proposal (see the prior post on the web site), we wanted to present a picture or symbol through which we all can better understand and discover what it might look like to be a people of God committed to be a parish church with elements of an intentional community in West Norwood.
After giving it some long, hard consideration, the carrot came to us.
Maybe it had something to do with our neighborhood’s overwhelming interest in gardening. Or maybe we were influenced by the popular trend of modeling faith communities after produce (the onion and the apple are already taken). Perhaps it was divinely inspired. Whatever the source, we think it makes sense and helps to describe how the different pieces of our identity not only fit together but are completely reliant on one another for growth and stability.
Consider, for example, the way a carrot grows in the ground. The edible part of the carrot lies underground, hidden from view, but all the time absorbing nutrients and water as it pushes through the soil. The only visible portion is the green leafy stems, which reach up towards the sun, absorb light energy and convert it into essential food for the plant. Though very different in appearance and function, the root and the stems are connected at the core and cannot exist without the health and provision of one another.
Similarly, we are discerning that neither a traditional church model nor an intentional community model can in isolation fully accomplish the work God is calling us into in West Norwood. Instead, we envision a model centrally carried by a core fellowship of covenanted members who commit to the work of the church (through visible practices in the neighborhood). The leadership of VC comes from within this covenanted group with the task of exhorting, encouraging, and holding the membership accountable to practice the things we have said “Yes” to. Outer layers of the “carrot” represent persons in different relationships to our church. As the layers move outwards, the amount of commitment, time, and energy devoted to our church lessens. This is not to suggest “levels” of achievement, but rather clearly defined layers of involvement. Clarity in this area will contribute to the church knowing where persons stand in relation to the church, and give persons a clear pathway to understanding what our community values and how to get involved. We believe that by establishing a clear, healthy organizational structure (good boundaries, with plenty of space to breathe) and by assessing and affirming our individual and corporate giftings, these identities will begin to flourish, and our relationships with God, one another, and the people in our neighborhood will grow both deep and high, just like the carrot. 
In the weeks ahead we hope to delve into more of the particulars of this model, including a closer look at the various “layers” of involvement with covenanted membership at the core (see cross section view of carrot in upper left) as well as possible “branches” of service -as inspired by the visions and missions of our core membership. Throughout these conversations we fully invite you all to share your thoughts and meditations on how the carrot fits. Of course there may be times when the analogy falls flat or we may need to rely on other pictures and metaphors to convey a certain idea. But for now, we like the carrot and hope you do too!
As the people of God, we feel called to be present to the place in which God has planted us. We seek to proclaim and embody the Good News that God has not abandoned us but has come to dwell among us and redeem us. By God’s grace, we seek to be imitators of Christ and live incarnational lives among our neighbors here in Norwood. We are a diverse people, seeking to embody a generous orthodoxy that stands in solidarity with the church historic and global. As we’ve laid out different models for VC over the last several weeks, there seems to be a shared hope to continue being a church in this neighborhood, a church that has a more definitive structure and yet retains an organic and intentional presence in the community.
As we have listened to God and to each other over these last several months, we feel confident in proposing a parish church model for VC that also incorporates elements of both the house church model and the intentional community model. The hallmark of a parish church model is a pastoral commitment to shepherd the people of a specific geographical location. Everyone within that boundary is seen as part of the church’s parish, regardless of their commitment to the church. For VC, this would mean an intentional commitment to caring for the people of Norwood, especially those within the immediate vicinity of St. Elizabeth.
Regular, smaller gatherings of us will be vital to the continued growth and discipleship that house churches at their best provide. These smaller gatherings can be based on geographical proximity, life stage, interest or missional cause. Distinct layers of commitment to the church will allow for clarity, more of a sense of ownership, and the pursuit of a more intentional life together. Each layer will invite people to a deeper commitment to God, each other, and the work of God in this place. Membership in the church will be possible without committing to all aspects of intentional community. Specific practices and covenants will be drawn up to give substance and distinction to these commitments. Further marks of this model are as follows:
A parish model of church would seek to cultivate our relationships with God by
-rooting ourselves in God’s faithfulness and love, seen most fully in Christ and His redemption
-regularly coming together as the gathered body of Christ for worship, prayer and fellowship
-taking seriously the call to proclaim and embody God’s love and justice
-committing to intentional practices of individual and corporate devotion
A parish model of church would seek to cultivate our relationships with our neighbors by
-committing to intentional practices of community presence and neighborly love
-providing a weekly gathering for worship that is accessible to them
-offering pastoral care and other services throughout the week that empower and encourage
-partnering with them in local activities, organizations and initiatives
A parish model of church would seek to cultivate the lives of its members by
-providing preaching, teaching and pastoral care that exhorts, equips, and encourages
-providing teaching and shepherding for children and youth
-coordinating opportunities for small group fellowship and discipleship
-committing to intentional practices of fellowship and accountability
Membership in this parish model would
-be centered around a covenant commitment
-be reviewed on a yearly basis
-include a commitment to mutual accountability with other covenant members
Leadership in this parish model
-would come from covenant members exercising their God-given talents and abilities
-would ultimately rest with a body of elders who represent covenant members
-may include a paid pastor and additional staff positions
The building in this parish model would
-be a visible and tangible hub of the church’s work in the community
-function as both a spiritual hospital and a launching pad for ministry out in the community
-get used throughout the week for various activities that serve the community
A message from Steve & Becky Novotni:
One-bedroom apartment available for immediate occupancy.
Large, one-bedroom apartment across the street from St. E’s. Hardwood floors, ceiling fans, streetside porch overlooking Mills Ave. and tiled kitchen. Updated bath and kitchen last year. Heat, water and laundry included. $500/month with 1-year lease. Shorter terms available. Contact Steve and Becky Novotni at stevenovotni@gmail.com
Thanks,
The Novotnis
The following was sent in by Mary Ellen:
As some people probably already know, the Courtland Ave House Church (that meets at Ben and Mary Ellen’s house) has been working since February with the city of Norwood to get improvements done to Upper Millcrest Park. This Thursday August 11 we are having a community meeting at the Community Center (the big brick building behind St. Elizabeth’s). It will be from 7-9 and is a vital part of moving forward toward a master plan for the space. We have hopes that the mayor will be there, and are working towards asking the city to allocate money for this project. Please come if you can, even for part of the meeting.
For those participating in the Discernment Process:
This upcoming Sunday, we will share a skeleton outline of how Vineyard Central will structure ourselves going forward. This is a clear work in progress; the next stages of our Conversation together will focus on Membership, Leadership, and Neighborhood, which will put “flesh on the bones” of the outline.
The outline will be presented as a way of simplifying the process for all of us. We are moving from all things being up in the air towards more clarity, more detail, and a working model. We hope this will be a breath of fresh air for those who have faithfully been present at each stage in the process. This will also be an invitation for those who have stood on the sidelines to come and observe what we have decided thus far; listening deeply and quietly for a sustained period of time before volunteering a perspective.
The process thus far has been one of mutual respect, a growth in trust and love from participants, an affirmation of the important and beautiful ways we have functioned as community so far, and an opportunity to set a stake in the ground describing specific, concrete desires for Vineyard Central that we can be accountable to as a local church body.