Hello Vineyard Central brothers and sisters,

We’re on the brink here of the third movement of our Discernment time: Pentecost and following. We’ve had an eye on this time since we began the Discernment period. In a number of ways, as we’ve communicated before, the seasons of Lent and Easter served as preparation over a longer term for the specific conversations we will be having in the season of Pentecost.

We have met weekly, and engaged in rhythms of song, prayer, listening, and Sabbath rest together in our Sunday gatherings.
We have eaten together, sharing a common table that has deepened our conversations with one another and begun to be a space for interaction with others in our neighborhood.
In the season of Lent, we practiced the spiritual disciplines of lament and relinquishment; of at least beginning to sort through the way we feel about VC, about our personal lives and stories as a part of VC’s story.
In the season of Easter, we practiced the spiritual disciplines of proclaiming hope, of seeking to speak out a variety of hopes; hopes that we feel have been dead, hopes of healthy aspects of our community we desire to continue, and hopes that we can organize around a meaningful sense of unity together

As we stated earlier in this process and continually throughout, the weekly commitment to being with one another is not something we take for granted. It has had a leavening effect on us (we hope), opening up space in our relationships where tension and mistrust may have had a negative effect if we had intense conversations right off the bat. Those who have faithfully gathered in this season so far are now more prepared to speak with more courage, to hear with more depth, and to pray with more desperation. If you are reading this, and you have not participated in the process so far, waiting for the conversation time when we finally “talked about what mattered,” you are encouraged to (and will be reminded to) commit to a disciplined period of silence and listening in the larger public forms of our conversation for a period of several weeks as you engage with a process that has been going for a long time now.

We must not take the gift of gathering together for granted, and need to protect the process and God’s work among those who have gathered.

Over the next two (or three) weeks, depending on how the conversation progresses, we will begin our conversation with the opportunity to
1) Offer very concrete, very specific affirmations of where we see health in Vineyard Central, and
2) Offer very concrete, very specific sharing of where our community is compromised, is dysfunctional
In response to these two things, your response might be: “But I thought we addressed these issues in Lent and Easter?” We did, to a degree, but we spoke in broader contours, in more general statements as we tried to embrace the process. The next several Sundays, we’re encouraging one another to be systematically, rigorously specific with our thoughts. This is no hoping for what could be, or general lament for what has not been. It is a commitment to specifically affirm specific aspects we see as healthy in the present, and it is a commitment to specifically state specific dysfunctions or sickness we observe in the present. Do you hear the word specific?  

The seasons of Lent and Easter served as opportunities to deal with these issues in a more general, broad categories kind of way. The season of Pentecost offers us the challenge now to be courageous, to be truthful, to be transparent, to deal with what is without hemming and hawing around. Because if our community is compromised, and if we desire healing and hope, we cannot afford to fail to deal clearly with what is.

We cannot afford to maintain where we are at right now.

So, we hear the words of God proclaimed to us as God proclaimed them to Joshua when he was faced with the giant task of following Moses as the leader of Israel. He felt inadequate, afraid, struggling to hope and trust. God said,

“Be strong and very courageous… Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”

The following is from Joshua Stoxen:

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.

Good Friday Service: April 22nd

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!

A few announcements regarding our upcoming Easter celebration:

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.

Hi friends! On April 4 we’ll be gathering together to celebrate Easter Sunday. A big part of that celebration is the lunch we’ll share. It’s a pot luck, which means everyone gets to bring something to share and we all get to enjoy a delicious meal together … and it’s a surprise as to what we’ll be having, depending on what folks decide to bring : )

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