Starting this Sunday, June 12, and throughout the season of Pentecost, we will be meeting in the “upper room” studio at the back of St. E’s, and we will be meeting at 10am. These changes are in keeping with what many of you indicated as you as your preferences on the two polls sent out a couple weeks ago. Hope to see you Sunday!

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!

The following announcement is from Angie Ferrell:

For the second year, VC will include a dedication and baptism service in our Easter worship gathering on Sunday, April 24th.  These celebrations of new life in the church Body and new life in Christ are a natural extension of our celebration of Christ’s resurrection.  This is open to families with new family members they wish to dedicate or baptize into the VC faith community, as well as to older kids and adults who are interested in being baptized as a step in their personal faith journey.

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 children 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.

A special liturgy has been authored for this VC service, and will include time for each family to share briefly about those being dedicated and baptized.

If you are interested in participating, please e-mail Angie Ferrell at aaferrell@yahoo.com no later than Friday, April 8. Include whether dedication or baptism is desired and the person’s name.  Those desiring baptism will be connected to some of the leaders from within VC, who will provide spiritual guidance and support toward this milestone in your faith journey.

The following announcement is from Nathan Myers:

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

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.

The larger context for this post is our weekly Advent gatherings leading up to Christmas.  The following is a message from Laura McNeel:

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!)

The Advent season is upon us (a week away) and, for most of us, this sacred time of year can often creep up undetected and slip by without catching our eye.  This year, we want to create space to pause and press in, and to experience Advent as a family.  Together.

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.

The newly formed Courtland Ave. house church would like to invite folks to join us for an advent wreath making activity in Studio E: Thursday November 18 6:30- 8:30 pm. We will provide dinner. This activity is kid friendly and free.

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

Hearth House Church Ready to Birth
By the end of November Hearth will become 2 distinct house churches. One group will realign itself with Hearth’s original focus on hospitality. The second group will continue to meet as a worshiping community to explore its mission. Start-ups and re-starts are an great time to roll up your sleeves and get involved. Likely meeting times for both churches will continue to be Tuesday evening from 6:30-8:30. (We’ll solidify that soon and get the word out.) If you’re looking to join a house church, please know that our doors are open.

New: Spencer Avenue House Church
Starting Thursday evening, Nov. 11, Joshua & Maurie Hanauer will serve as hosts for the new Spencer Avenue HC. Newcomers and oldcomers are welcome. Start time will be 8:00 p.m. (They need to get their kids settled first.) Directions and contact info will follow in the “comment section” for this announcement on the VC website. If you have questions you can post them there as well.

New: Courtland Avenue House Church
Starting Thursday evening, Nov. 11, Ben and Mary Ellen Eilerman will serve as hosts for the new Courtland Avenue HC, led by Daniel & Laura (Tucker) Tegge. Start time will be 6:30 p.m. If you’re interested in joining this group, please contact Dave Nixon directly or leave a comment for this announcement on the VC website.

First of all, remember to set your clocks back 1 hour this Saturday night! Wouldn’t want you to find an empty house when you arrive.

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!)

Our monthly festival will be this coming Sunday October 3 from 9 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., hosted primarily by the Terra Nova House Church.

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!)

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)

cforms contact form by delicious:days

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