Hi VC’ers

To brighten up Winter I’d like to offer a marriage seminar Saturday, February 4^th from 9am to noon. Let me know if you’re interested by replying to this. Judging by the cheer that went up when I announced this last Sunday, it sounds like we’ll have a lively group.  Bring enough healthy and unhealthy breakfast food to share, and I’ll provide coffee and tea. BYO mug, pen, paper, and Bible. I’m going green: no handouts, no photocopies, no power-point (I don’t know about you but I usually take all the binders and handouts home, mean to reread them, put them on a shelf, and forget about them). I’m working on getting childcare; I’ll let you know when it’s secured (If you have someone else to leave your kids with that would reduce the need/cost; if any of you have good leads for childcare I’d be glad for the input). Suggested donation of $10 per couple to cover heat and childcare.

Peace,

Dave Barr

Our “Intercambio de Idiomas” or “Language Exchange” will begin on Saturday, October 29^th. It will be held here at Su Casa on Saturdays noon until 1 PM. This is an opportunity for native Spanish speakers to practice English and native English speakers to practice Spanish, and is free of charge. Please tell everyone who you think would benefit. Have those interested contact me if they have any questions: 513.761.1588, ext 14.

Please join the Courtland Ave. House Church at Upper Millcrest on October 30th for a celebration of the space, as a thank  you to the neighborhood for allowing us to use it this year. There will be facepainting, pumpkin decorating, free lunch and desserts and a chance to view the long-term plan for the park. The event will be from 12:30 – 2:30

From Molly at Xavier University:

I’m writing to invite you THIS SATURDAY to a big day at the NEXUS Community Garden. From 9AM-1PM on 10/29, we’ll be “Putting NEXUS to Sleep” for the season and completing the “Color Your Block” Community-wide Mural Project (see attached flyer for details). Come for a few minutes or a few hours to see all the great things going on in and around the NEXUS project and lend a hand. We’ll need help adding compost to plots and preparing the garden for winter and all are invited to paint a block or more on the back of McGrath Health & Wellness (1714 Cleneay Ave.). All needed tools and supplies will be provided. Food, drink, and great people will be available.

Many hands make for light work and many minds and hearts make for great community. So, please come on out and contribute!

This Friday, women will be gathering for “bring your own craft and hang out” time!  Meet us from 8pm-10pm at the back entrance to St. E’s. Enter in the orange doors and go up to studio 6 (Juli’s Studio).  I will have stamps and paper available to make cards for those who don’t have a craft project, but you can just come and hang out, too.  Apple cider and snacks will join us as well. Please let anyone who you run into without email access or internet capabilities know about this, too! It is open to all.

Hope to see you there!

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

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.

The discernment team put a lot of thought into the order, seeking to integrate elements of what we have been doing together weekly for months, along with pieces we’ve added in response to strong words we’ve heard (like Dave Barr’s word to practice listening prayer together).  So we hope the order of worship gives space for us to cling to and listen for God speaking to us now and also for us to remember that God has already spoken.

You’ll notice the conversation is included in the order of worship.  The meaning is clear.  Conversation, the  act of listening and speaking thoughtfully, is worship too.

Opening
Call to Worship
Songs
Passing of the Peace
Framing the Conversation
Listening Prayer
Conversation
Eucharist
Closing Song (“Unless the Lord Builds” or “Memory and Hope”)

Each poll has three options:  Yes, (Yes), and No.  The (Yes) option says you’re willing to meet in the space or are ok with the time, but not necessarily passionately for or against.

The first poll is an attempt to answer the question:

“What time will we gather in the season of Pentecost?  Should we continue meeting at 4 pm followed by dinner together?  On the morning at 10 am?  At 11 am? Either morning option, we would follow up with lunch.”

Click on this sentence to follow the link to the poll.

The second poll is an attempt to answer the question:

“Where will we meet in the season of Pentecost? Will we meet upstairs (where a window A/C unit will help deal with the heat from being higher up), or will we meet in the large worship space downstairs?”

Click on this sentence to follow the link to the poll.

In the season of Lent, for example, we cleared out significant space in our worship for confession, for relinquishment, and for lament specifically focused on our community life together. At times this was very personal and at other times led to some discomfort and tension in the room. We were trying to ask questions like “Where have we struggled and/or failed to carry God’s desires for our community?” and “What hopes have we carried for VC that seem to have died?” and “What deep lament do we carry, for God, or for ourselves?” We were primarily led every week by the words of David in Psalm 22 that Jesus invoked on the cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

In the season of Easter, an observer will see us specifically giving “Confessions of Hope,” short times of sharing where a VCer will speak out their hopes and desires for our community. We will focus weekly on being led by the words of the poet in Psalm 116, who celebrates that through all circumstances, God is the God who “hears us,” who identifies with us in our pain and gives hope. Easter is the season to focus on resurrection hope beyond and in spite of circumstance

In Pentecost and the season following, we will significantly shorten the “typical” worship gathering elements and focus most of our attention on the important conversations we need to have about the decisions we must make going forward.  In short, we will trust the conversations as a worshipful responsibility too; one that requires a deep hearing of one another along with the courage to speak.  The trust we carry is that the commitment to be with one another in the seasons of Lent and Easter will bear fruit in a deep listening, an honest sharing, and a God-centered commitment to forgive and bear one another’s burdens as we work in conversation together.

The Sunday evening gathering is meant to be a springboard for a variety of other ways to discern. House churches are continuing to meet in this time, morning prayers take place weekday mornings at 7 am at St. Elizabeth’s, other groups meet for Bible studies and regular dinners together, and periodic nights will be scheduled specifically related to be an outgrowth of what is taking place on Sunday evening.

We desire to live our lives and seek God as transparently as possible in our community. Sometimes this gives us feelings of closeness to one another, and other times this introduces tension and frustration with one another. In all emotions, we trust God is at work when we, in vulnerable trust, choose to live life oriented toward Him and toward one another.

Friday 4pm: Check in starts at the convent for overnight guests

6:30 potluck dinner (please post what you are bringing on Facebook so we get an idea of the meal)

7:30pm: Opening prayer service/ reflection/ singing

8:30 social time and dessert (bring some dessert too!)

10pm Quiet time on second and third floors/ first floor remains open for socializing and games/ etc.

Saturday 8:30am: breakfast (anyone is welcome, even if you didn’t spend the night)

9:30am Singing

10am: reflection on scripture

10:30 – 11:25: quiet time throughout the house

11:25- 11:45 break/ transition

11:45- 12:30 small group conversations on the first floor

12:30 -1 break

1ish lunch

2:30 closing worship service

after we finish the convent will remain open. There are no outisde reservations for Saturday night so anyone is welcome to stay on, and even spend another night. we will have an informal dinner of leftovers and pizza. Please consider staying if you have the time!

I thought it might be good to give people the opportunity to help set up and decorate the sanctuary for Sunday since there may several who would enjoy that — we will be setting up the sanctuary on Saturday the 23rd starting at 2pm. I should also mention that those interested in helping Robert cook pancakes for Easter can call him at 513.351.0751

See more info about Easter Sunday.

What is the crosswalk?  It is a vital part of the evening and our discernment process, and will be a time of interactive confession and lament involving a walk around the neighborhood to various sites that signify the memories and hopes (personal and corporate) of the people of Vineyard Central.  The questions of Jesus’ disciples (We had thought?…we had hoped?) we will seek to make ours as a part of our transition into the Easter season.

After the crosswalk, we will assemble in the Upper Room of St. Elizabeth for a time of reflective worship through simple a-capella music and readings from Scripture focused on the Passion of Christ and the events leading up to Jesus’ death on the Cross.  We will be “stripping the cross” of our pieces of cloth during this time and adorning the worship space in black.

Easter Sunday: April 24th

• Worship Gathering @ 10am (in the main Sanctuary of St. Elizabeth)
• Pancake “Brunch” to follow at 12 p.m. (in the Speckled Bird Cafe, bring “fixins” you would like to have with the pancakes to share with others!)

Our hopes are not in vain!  The celebration of God’s redemption and resurrection will involve dedication of children, baptism for those desiring to commit their lives to Jesus, and an opportunity to adorn the same cross we have placed our laments and relinquishments on with beautiful flowers.  We will hear from VCers through poetry and testimony concerning the good God has accomplished in our lives

We apologize for this announcement coming later in the week.  We had said it would come earlier, and we want to be accountable to do what we have said we would do going forward.  Thank you for your patience as we all stumble toward the accountability and grace we need to hold one another as a community!

Hello Vineyard Central community.

Things were a bit confusing toward the end of our gathering on Sunday as several times/persons to contact were mentioned regarding the upcoming weekly discernment times.  To clear up the confusion a bit, we set up a Doodle Poll to decide on a weekly (Sunday) meeting time. Please cast your votes by Wednesday evening — we’ll tally up the results on Thursday and send out a reminder soon after.

We shifted the suggested times a bit to reflect two desires.  The morning time is shifted back to 11 to provide space for one of the leaders should the community lean on that time more heavily.  The afternoon time is shifted forward to 4 in a desire to be hospitable to parents of young children (of which we have many) in our community who need space and energy to devote to the gatherings before their children are needing to transition to bed.  The times on the poll reflect the likely length of our gatherings maximum of 2 1/2 hours), given that we will spend a piece of time in a worship gathering, a piece eating together, and a piece learning and discussing with one another.

Please click on the below link so we can get a good sense of what time would work best for a wide swath of our community. As stated in the poll, your preference will remain anonymous to all but those collecting the results.”

http://doodle.com/acrk7ay7542nf2p6

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.

REFRESHMENTS for Advent Gatherings

Last Sunday night was the start of our four week series of Advent celebrations, leading up to Christmas and birth of our King. Thank you to all our friends and neighbors who made this beautiful time of worship and fellowship possible.

As the Advent season continues, we hope to draw even closer together as a family of Christ. One way you can contribute is by sharing the gift of hospitality through food and drink. Refreshments for the remaining 3 Advent evenings can be light and simple, and should easily be covered by a few willing volunteers ( one person for food, one person for drinks each week.)
Whether you have a talent for baking, coffee brewing, or just the extra time and resources to buy a few pre-made items from the grocery, your gifts will be gladly received and appreciated.

To sign-up (and to ensure that all our ducks are covered), follow this doodle link, type your name to the left, and check the box for the corresponding date and item you are willing to bring.

Blessings and Thanks,
Laura McNeel

(If you have any questions, feel free to drop me a note on Facebook!)

Join us for weekly Advent services every Sunday evening during Advent from 7-8pm (Nov 28 and Dec 5, 12 and 19).  We’ll gather in the “upper room” (studio space on the 2nd floor in back of St. E’s) to share in fellowship, reflection and worship as we prepare our hearts to welcome the Savior.  There will be time in each service geared toward our kids (after which we’ll have loving, responsible adults lined up to share the rest of the hour with them just downstairs from our gathering).  We’ll share in Advent readings and hear from some of the writers in the VC body, and we’ll have extended times of worship for leaning into the holy hush of the season. Coffee and tea will be available (BYOMug to help lower supply costs).  Bring a friend.

Come, thou long expected Jesus.

Please RSVP to mary ellen at maryellenmitchell@gmail.com before November 17 so we can buy supplies and food.

Breakfast (9:00-10:00)
Light breakfast of bagels and coffee, but you supply the fruit, cheese, juice or some other breakfast food.

Worship (10:00-11:15)
We’ll sing “in-the-round,” reflect on scripture, have conversational team teaching led by Joshua Hanauer (+ guest) followed by communion and offering.

Lunch
This, of course, stands or falls on participation. We value living as a community, and to be a part of a community means participation. Let’s lean into it. Bring something for yourself (or family) and a little extra for someone else. If we all offer a sacrifice of love, then there will be a lot of love expressed in what we eat together. (Invite a neighbor!)

Join us Friday evening, 6pm in a celebration of fall! There will be fires, hot chocolate, hot apple cider, and marshmallows for roasting! Everyone bring your favorite “fallish” side, dessert, or drink to share. Also feel free to bring something to burn as a symbol of the changing seasons, or perhaps a pumpkin (or 2 for sharing) to carve.

We are looking forward to spending time with everyone, but more than that we are hoping this will be a more accessible event for our Norwood neighbors that we do not know or maybe just not very well! So please, spread the word invite your neighbors!

much love,

Austin & Sarah King ( and Lincoln too of course)

Breakfast (9:00-10:00)
Terra Nova will supply the coffee and bagels, but you — that’s you specifically, the flesh-and-blood person reading this right now and not some generic other “you” — supply some fruit, cheese, juice or some other breakfast food.

Worship (10:00-11:30)
We’ll worship “in-the-round,” reflect on scripture, have team teaching led by Nathan Myers and Dave Nixon followed by short conversation, share communion, introduce Terra Nova, and both witness & celebrate a baptism.

Lunch
This stands or falls on participation. It can be as good as we want or the reverse. Bring something for yourself (or family) and a little extra for someone else. If we all offer a sacrifice of love, then there will be a lot of love expressed in what we eat together. (Invite a neighbor!)

Formed is the outgrowth of several friends working together to flesh out a new curriculum for Christlikeness. Together we developed a year long curriculum based around 12 vows, in the form of a prayer book that immerses us in the Psalms and Gospels. Each month is a different module based around a vow that kicks-off with a guest lecturer.

Our first lecturer is Dave Nixon, who will be teaching on Soul-keeping. Please join us for two hours of teaching and discussion around this important subject. You’ll leave with the knowledge and inspiration to develop healthy habits and rhythms in your life. You’ll also be given a pdf of September’s curriculum that includes daily prayers, readings, and reflections on the vow of soul-keeping…. All that and a belly full of home-made tamales (made by our dear neighbor Maria).

All are welcome.

Cost:
$15 (including tamales) …$10 with a student ID

FB Event Page

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)

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.

See photos of the event Here!

Block Party
Tuesday’s, June 22, 2010 Block Party was a HUGE success! Thanks to everyone who came out to show your support and for the prayers from those who had to work. Several people graced our building for the first time and the SOS students did an awesome job serving and interacting with the community. A special thanks to Joshua Hanauer, Kevin Gilles, Matt Dawson, Angela Pancella, Jobe Fathman, Dave Snell, and Christiane Sears for volunteering their time to help with the event. The organizers of SOS have already asked us to partner with them again in 2011. Who knows maybe it will become a yearly tradition?

See photos of this event Here!

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)

cforms contact form by delicious:days

You are invited to an afternoon of FREE entertainment and fun activities for the entire family. 500 hotdogs to be given away! FREE popcorn, snow cones, bottled water, and several games with cool prizes. Kids can jump in the MoonBounce and a DJ will be playing great music. Parents can even register to win a FREE microwave.

For more information, please contact Christiane at Cantwait2surf@hotmail.com

Facebook event page Here.

Bring a packed lunch and join us for some stories and prayers, appropriate for the 0-5 crowd and their caregivers. We will meet in the St. Elizabeth’s Children’s room (entrance off Lincoln). Questions: Mary Ellen Mitchell.

Parents,

Looking for an opportunity to help your kids grow in God? You won’t want to miss this special family event coming here to the Vineyard on October 1!

Your kids will experience tons of fun with a great message, and you’ll probably find yourself singing right along! This is a great event for your kids to invite their friends to.

Mark your calendars and check in to getting free tickets!

See you at VeggieTales Live!

Karen Stefacek
Family Pastor, Vineyard Community Church
513.671.0422  Ext. 162
stefacek@vineyardcincinnati.com

If you’d like to help out by volunteering for any of these events, we can put you in touch.

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Friday June 18, 6-8pm
Grill-Out at the Norwood Community Center, 1810 Courtland.
Free food will be provided.

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Tuesday August 3, 6-8:30pm
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
(Night Out website)

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Vineyard Central’s Family Appreciation Day is this Saturday! Stop by to meet Snoopy and have your picture taken with him. Play games, have your child’s face painted, enjoy some yummy refreshments and socialize with several families in the community. See you on June 5th, from 3pm-5pm!

We could use a few more volunteers. If you are interested in helping with this event, please contact Christiane at Cantwait2surf@hotmail.com. Thanks!

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Join the Healing Center with their Hunger Walk on Monday, May 31!  Your participation will earn food credits for the Healing Center; every dollar raised provides four healthy meals for families in need.  Get more info at healingcentercincinnati.com/hungerwalk/

Date: May 8th, 2010

Time: 11:30 am—3pm

Place: Millcrest Park in Norwood:
1700 Hopkins Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45212

To bring:

• A side dish to share; hamburgers, hotdogs, and drinks will be provided.
• A picture of your mother to share.

Program: On this Mothers Day weekend, mothers here and across the world will be separated from their children and worrying about their chance to make their dreams come true by going to college…all due to the U.S.’s broken immigration system.  Join us as we gather with food, music, and activities to honor mothers and push our Senators to pass Comprehensive Immigration Reform this year!

Don’t forget to Sign Up for the potluck!

Sacred Seasons: An Art Show (link)
at the Speckled Bird Cafe
Friday, April 23, 6:00-9:30pm

This weekend only – Come view the artwork of Laura McNeel and fellowship with folks from the neighborhood. All pieces will be for sale with proceeds going to benefit Laura’s upcoming trip to the Northeast to live and learn the art of organic farming. All are welcome!

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Poetry + Art: A Gathering (link)
at the Speckled Bird Cafe
Sunday, April 25, 7:30-9:30pm

Come and listen to poets Joanna Vance and Nathan Swartzendruber read from their work. Please join us! Superb coffee and other delectables will be provided.
(This event is co-sponsored by the Speckled Bird and 1801 Mills.)

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Let’s Meet Snoopy: June 5^th, 3pm-5pm

We are excited to have a special guest with us. Arrangements have been made for the world’s most popular beagle, Snoopy, to visit our church and spend time with families in the community. Admission is free, but there will face painting, games, food and drinks available with proceeds going to the restoration of St. E’s.

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VC Block Party: June 22^nd, 1:30 – 3:30pm

You are cordially invited to an afternoon of FREE entertainment and fun activities for the entire family. 500 hotdogs to be given away! FREE popcorn, snow cones, bottled water, and several games with cool prizes. Kids can jump in the MoonBounce and a DJ will be playing great music. Parents can even register to win a FREE microwave.

We’re looking for a few more volunteers. If you are interested in helping with either of these last two events, please contact Christiane at Cantwait2surf@hotmail.com

Easter Service – We’ll gather at 10am on Easter morning for a celebration of resurrection, with the added joy of welcoming new young lives into our church family in a time of child dedication. Childcare will be provided up to age 8. Plan to join us afterward for a memorable Easter potluck.

Easter Potluck – As of Monday morning, we only have a few folks signed up to bring something to the potluck. Please remember to add your contribution to the list. It’s quick and easy.

Church Decorating – Volunteers are needed to help prepare St. E’s for Easter. We will be meeting at 3 pm on Saturday, April 3rd. If you are able we would love for you to bring cut or potted flowers. Plan on spending a couple hours working together to create a beautiful space that adds to the joy of our celebration. If you can help, please email gatherings@vineyardcentral.com to let us know you’ll be coming.

See the original post here.

This is something where everyone can participate … everyone gets to play. Those who like to cook can cook. Those who don’t cook can stop at Kroger and pick something up that’s inexpensive. Kids can bake brownies or cookies. Folks can help set up the table, and clean up afterward. And we all get to enjoy food and family and friends together on a very special day.

So we’re asking that you think about how you can contribute. What can you bring to the table to share? There’s a list for signing up so we can get a picture of how things are coming together. We’d like to have a full table at this event. There are suggestions below if you’re not sure what to bring. Please take a moment to look it over and consider your contribution, then click on this link and let us know what you’re thinking.

• Meat (bake a ham or a roast or some chicken … bring a bucket of chicken … get cold cuts from Kroger … etc)
• Casserole (make something your family enjoys … meat or vegetarian … a pasta dish perhaps … etc)
• Side (green beans, corn, broccoli, some other vegetable or potato, potato salad from Kroger, baked beans … etc)
• Salad (put one together or get a bag salad and dump in a bowl)
• Bread (bake or buy)
• Dessert (bake or buy)
• Beverage (make a jug of tea or lemonade, pick up some bottled water, or just bring a pitcher you can put some water in … etc)

And we’ll also need a clean up crew. So please, check out the link and join the party!

This was a message from Jody Nixon

A few of us are inspired to co-ordinate a Seder meal for our whole community on Good Friday, April 2nd at about 6:00 p.m., a little over 2 weeks away.  But, as you may know, VC has a very lean support staff and no financial resources to do such a thing at this time.  So, to do it, we would need to know if the VC housechurches are interested enough in this to make specific contributions of money and energy (detailed below).  We’re writing to give you a sense of what we’re envisioning and to get an Up or Down vote this week.  We recognize this is a lot of detail all at once, but if this is going to happen, we need your housechurch to read these details and respond.  So, check out the following rough plan and let Stephen JohnsonGrove know by Thursday 3/18 whether or not your housechurch is whole-heartedly on board and is able to contribute the specific things requested below.  It’d be helpful if y’all caucused as a housechurch and came to some consensus and then just one spokesperson from each housechurch got back to Stephen, so he’s not getting mixed signals.  If most or all say Yes, we’ll go for it.  If not, no sweat—maybe we’ll try again next year (its sorta last minute, we realize).  Here’s the scoop:

First, in case you were wondering, a Seder meal is a Jewish traditional celebration of Passover, a mixture of liturgy, worship, and eating.  You can read more about a Christian version of this here.

Second, we’re envisioning housechurches spread out in circles on the floor of St. E’s on picnic blankets and old pillows/cushions.  There’s a couple reasons for this.  One, its fun and relaxed when you eat food sitting on the floor—that’s why kids do it all the time!  Two, haven’t you read how Jesus “reclined at the table” with his disciples?  Three, setting up housechurches in circles will create an ideal time for housechurches to extend hospitality to folks new to VC or just not connected to a housechurch yet.  And it’ll be an ideal way for new folks to test out a housechurch—sharing a worshipful yet laid back meal. To create this vibe, each housechurch would need to bring:

• As many picnic blankets and old cushions/pillows as they may need for all their members plus two extra for any guests that might need a spot.
• Plates, cups, and flatware for yourselves and an extra set or two for guests.
• Two candles and a lighter or matches.
• simple sign with the name of your housechurch.
• Someone from your housechurch that can come 45 min. early to help set up the space (clear chairs, layout your blankets & whatnot).

We will also have a table or two set-up for folks that are not comfortable or able to sit on the floor.
During a seder meal, eating of special foods is interspersed with readings and prayers focused on the themes of Exodus, freedom, and deliverance.  The liturgy will be printed out for everyone (its called a ‘haggadah‘).  We think it’d work best for one team of people (please volunteer if you’re interested) to prepare all the special Seder foods for everyone. To make this work, we would need each housechurch to contribute $50-$75 (depending on the size of the housechurch) to purchase all the foods and copy the haggadah for everyone. NOTE: we’re keeping this non-alcoholic, so there will be grape juice, not wine.

After the liturgy concludes, we’ll keep eating—just in the form of one of our good ol’ potlucks (the Seder foods will be a good start but probably not enough to fill you up).  So, we also need 1-2 people from each housechurch to bring a dish to share.

Finally, we’ll need some individuals to sign up to be on the clean-up crew.

So, that’s the idea. As you see, we’re asking a fair amount of each housechurch, so we want to make clear we’re offering this as an option. If it feels like too much to take on or your housechurch just isn’t all that into it, that’s cool—no one will be offended, we promise. But if you’re all in, that’s great. Either way, let Stephen (stephen.johnsongrove@gmail.com) know by this Thursday, March 18. Also, if you individually would like to be on the team of people preparing the Seder foods for everyone or on the clean-up crew, please let Stephen know as well.

P.S.  I just realized I said nothing about kids.  They are not only welcome, they are an essential part of any good seder meal.  The Jews take seriously the several times God commands them, “And you shall tell your children how I delivered you…” So, yes, bring your kids!

Thanks and peace,
Bethany Rogers (worship co-ordinator), Joshua Hanauer (outreach pastor), & Stephen JohnsonGrove (rabble-rouser)

Girls, I’ve got a treat for you! Lots of you are familiar with Beth Moore. If you’re not, Beth is a gifted speaker and writer who is known for her ability to get to the heart of the Scriptures and tell you in plain, every day language just exactly what it means to you. And she does it in a “Girl, I gotta-tell-ya-because-I-love-ya” kind of way. Beth is passionate about the life-transforming power of God, and her messages are straight from God’s Word.

Two Mondays in March (8th and 15th) I’m hosting a women’s bible teaching get together from 3:30 – 5:45 pm at 1801 Mills. Free childcare will also be available for those who register. (We have limited space, so sign up asap).

The video series is called Loving Well, based on I John, Chapter 4. The premise is that you can’t properly love others until you’ve been loved well by God first. Beth hits home the point that as Christians, we are called to especially love those who are difficult to love, and that God wants to provide the key to doing just that.

If you would like to attend, please email Christiane Sears at Cantwait2surf@hotmail.com by Sunday, March 7, 2010 to reserve your spot. To watch a sample of the video series and to listen to testimonials, go here.

And, check the Facebook Event page!

We are in need of 2 people who would be willing to greet and welcome visitors before the service. We’ve identified this as an important way we can live up to our goal of showing hospitality to newcomers. Please email if you’re able to volunteer to be one of these people. Thanks in advance!

Questions? Send ‘em to gatherings@vineyardcentral.com

For parents who wish to dedicate or baptize their new family member/s:  The VC family is representative of many different faith traditions, and within those traditions there are different rites or ceremonies by which parents express their desire to raise their child in the knowledge of Christ.  Both dedication and baptism are symbolic ways of committing our children to the Lord and of invoking our faith community’s support to that end.

For children and adults with a desire to be baptized, we follow the 1st century church tradition of baptism by submersion and will have our “baptismal pool” available.

If you are interested in participating, please e-mail Angie Ferrell at aaferrell@yahoo.com.  Include who is being dedicated or baptized and which it is.  Also, anyone who would like to be a part of a small team of folks to coordinate this effort, please contact me.  More information will be forthcoming.