#THREE SPRING2016
www.centralvineyard.co.uk
IN THIS ISSUE #THREE SPRING2016
Home A
OF OUR OWN PAGE 08
RE:STORE NORTHAMPTON
THE EVENING SERVICE PAGE 19
PAGE 15
COMING UP AT CENTRAL VINEYARD PAGE 03 WELCOME FROM STEVE & TAMMY PAGE 04 GETTING INVOLVED PAGE 06
02 | CONNECT SPRING 2016
WHO’S WHO PAGE 07 WE ARE 10 PAGE 10 CONNECT GROUPS & HUDDLES PAGE 12
CENTRAL VINEYARD KIDS PAGE 16 THE YARD YOUTH PAGE 17 ROOTED: DAILY RHYTHMS OF BEING WITH GOD, TOGETHER. PAGE 18
COMING UP AT CENTRAL VINEYARD 31
21
20
Evening service pre-launch
10th Birthday Sunday
Street Church
JANUARY Join us at The Good Loaf as we experiment with a new evening service. See page 19 for more.
01
FEBRUARY
New Connect Groups and Huddles start this week. See page 12 for more.
FEBRUARY
Join us as we celebrate our 10th Birthday.
26
FEBRUARY
10th Birthday Party Look out for more information but please put this date in your diary now!
28
FEBRUARY
07
Evening service Launch
Evening service pre-launch
Join us at The Good Loaf as we launch our new evening service. See page 19 for more.
FEBRUARY
MARCH
Street Church is a joint Northampton churches event serving some of the town’s homeless and most vulnerable people. Street Church happens every Sunday as a dropin service from 1.00pm to about 3.15pm at the Salvation Army Church on Tower Street, Northampton. Please speak to Ken Willis for details.
27
MARCH
Easter Sunday
DATE MARK MARX FOR WEEKEND YOUR MAY 20-22 DIARY MORE INFO COMING SOON SPRING 2016 CONNECT | 03
WELCOME TO CENTRAL VINEYARD
A very warm welcome to Central Vineyard church, we are thrilled that you are either visiting us on Sunday or interested in joining us. 04 | CONNECT SPRING 2016
If you are visiting for the first time, please introduce yourself to the Host team. If you would like to get more involved, please visit the Information Point. We are very much looking forward to getting to know you.
Steve & Tammy Gee Lead Pastors
It can be daunting coming to a Sunday service for the first time, so we aim to make your visit as simple and enjoyable as possible by letting you know exactly what is going to happen. Fresh coffee, a selection of teas and other refreshments along with doughnuts and snacks are served from 10.15am in the main lobby of the school. If you have children and youth they can be registered for Vineyard Kids too. The service will start with a time of worship, which lasts for about 20 minutes. Feel free to stand, sing and join in with our worship or you are welcome to sit, relax and enjoy the atmosphere. After worship, the children and youth will go to their groups, at this time there will then be a very short break, during which bowls of chocolates are passed round and our
offering taken. This is then followed by a few announcements, and a chance to hear some news from the life of the church. After this, someone will give a bible-related talk, which is followed by more worship and an opportunity for everyone to respond and receive prayer if they would like to. After the service, please make your way over to the Information Point, where you can chat to some of our team. Ask any questions you might have and discover other helpful information. You’ll also have time to grab another drink from the Refreshments point if you wish.
COMMUNION
............................... Communion is held on the first Sunday of each month. We serve an open table, that means if you’re on a journey towards Jesus, you are very welcome to partake!
SPRING 2016 CONNECT | 05
GETTING INVOLVED There are a few things that we would really encourage you to do in order to feel at home at Central Vineyard, but also to find your place and connect with other people in the church.
01
TURN UP ON SUNDAY The first way you can get involved in the life of Central Vineyard is just turning up to our 10:15am Sunday morning service.
02
03
You can sign up for our next newcomers lunch online. Just ask for details.
Our Connect Groups run on a termly basis and meet as a large group and as smaller Huddles of between 3 and 5 people. See page 12 for more info.
04
05
There are many ways you can give of your time, talents and treasure. Please speak to a member of the Leadership team (page 07) to find out how you can serve.
We want to be a generous people, providing the church with the resources to do things well, whilst also demonstrating God’s generosity outside this church in what we give away. More details on giving can be found at the Information Point.
ATTEND OUR NEXT NEWCOMERS’ LUNCH
FIND A PLACE TO SERVE
06 | CONNECT SPRING 2016
GET CONNECTED TO OTHERS
GIVE
WHO’S WHO AT CENTRAL VINEYARD STEVE & TAMMY GEE
PETE & ANYA WILLIS
LEAD PASTORS
ASSOCIATE PASTORS
Oversee: vision & direction, newcomers, teaching, church planting, worship, pastoral care, staff team & ministry resources
Oversee: community life & discipleship, students, communications & Re:store Northampton
SAM RAJAGOPAL
MIKE & KATE ADAMS
ASSISTANT PASTOR
ASSISTANT PASTORS
Oversees: overseas mission, homeless outreach, Re:store Northampton, events & benevolence
Oversee: Vineyard Kids & prayer life
CLUSTER LEADERS Our cluster leaders offer oversight and support to both Connect Group leaders and the various communities within the life of the church.
TOM & ASH NICHOLSON
KEN & ANN WILLIS
PAUL & ESTHER VEAL
ROB & JENNY LAWES
tom.nicholson@centralvineyard.co.uk
kw2282@aol.com
paul.veal@centralvineyard.co.uk
rghlawes@gmail.com
esther.veal@centralvineyard.co.uk
TRUSTEES As a registered charity, Central Vineyard has a board of trustees whose task is to ensure the church remains within the legislative framework for charities.
PHILIP EVANS
STEVE GEE
DAVID TAYLOR
PETE WILLIS
philip.denise@btinternet.com
steve.gee@centralvineyard.co.uk
davidthetays@aol.com
pete.willis@centralvineyard.co.uk
SPRING 2016 CONNECT | 07
OVER THE LAST 10 YEARS WE HAVE GATHERED TO WORSHIP JESUS IN A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT LOCATIONS ACROSS NORTHAMPTON. BUT WHAT WOULD IT LOOK LIKE TO HAVE...
Home A
OF OUR OWN? BY STEVE GEE
IT ALL STARTED IN FEBRUARY 2006 IN THE CINEWORLD CAFE BAR IN SIXFIELDS, WE THEN MOVED TO A COMMUNITY CENTRE IN WEST HUNSBURY BEFORE LANDING AT LEARN TODAY LANGUAGE SCHOOL - IN A FORMER SHOE FACTORY ON LORNE ROAD. After meeting there and seeing it fill up week after week, we moved to the University of Northampton’s Park Campus, starting in Sunley Management Centre, then moving to HLT3 and then the larger HLT1 lecture theatre.
08 | CONNECT SPRING 2016
During this time we felt the need to make more space to develop and grow our kids ministry and as a result we moved next door to All Saints Primary School. There we continued to experience an amazing season of growth with lots of new adults and children being added to the church, which resulted in our final move to Northampton High School in January 2015. It’s been an eventful, if somewhat nomadic 10 years and in all honesty Tammy and I had no inclination we would be making another move so soon and even more surprisingly that it would be to a property we would actually call our own.
I guess one question you could ask is why now? I mean things are going okay where we are right now? We are fairly comfortable at the High School and lets be honest, as far as school halls go its a great place to meet. Why do we even need a building? But you see this building is far more than that and it’s far more than a place to meet on Sunday morning. In fact what we do as a church on a Sunday morning is so tiny in comparison, so while owning this building will benefit us greatly on a Sunday, the real benefit is the opportunity it will offer us the other six days of the week. Now when it comes church buildings, depending on our background, they may effect us in different ways. In many ways it’s easy for new churches like ours to think we don’t need buildings, because after all the church is not the building, church is the people!
While I whole heartily agree with those kind of statements, I do believe there is a biblical perspective in favour of buildings that need to be considered, and whilst I can’t do a full blown theological break down in these few pages I would like share some biblical understanding of what we believe the Lord is saying as we journey towards buying a home of our own. Now you could hypothesis that the first church building started with King David when it says: ‘After the king was settled in his palace and the Lord had given him rest from all his enemies around him, he said to Nathan the prophet, ‘Here I am, living in a palace of cedar, while the ark of God remains in a tent.’ (2 Sam 7:1-2) David sees all that God has given him and mistakenly thinks that God needs the kind of things we need. That somehow God needs a house or a warehouse to dwell in, but as verse 4 goes on to say, ‘…That night the word of the Lord came to Nathan, saying: “Go and tell my servant David,This is what the Lord says: Are you the one to build me a house to dwell in? I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought the Israelites up out of Egypt to this day. I have been moving from place to place with a tent as my dwelling. Wherever I have moved with all the Israelites, did I ever say to any of their rulers whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?” I’m not sure if you have you ever actually thought about that? But God does not actually need a house to dwell.
CONTINUED...
SPRING 2016 CONNECT | 09
Home A
OF OUR OWN
As the Psalmist says ‘Praise be to his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory’ (Ps 72:19) and when Solomon does build the Temple, this is what he says: ‘But will God really dwell on earth? The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built!’ (1 Kings 8:27). The truth is not even the highest heaven can contain God, much less a building, so as we continue this journey it is important to say from the start that “God does not need a building!” But as we read on, here is what it say “Now then, tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty says: I took you from the pasture and from following the flock to be ruler over my people Israel. I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make your name great, like the names of the greatest men of the earth. And I will provide a place for my people Israel and will plant them so that they can have a home of their own and no longer be disturbed. Wicked people will not oppress them anymore, as they did at the beginning and have done ever since the time I appointed leaders over my people Israel. I will also give you rest from all your enemies. ‘The Lord declares to you that the Lord himself will establish a house for you: When your days are over and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.’ (2 Samuel 7: 8 -13) Now I realise there is a lot of wonderful prophetic kingdom imagery in here and also that it highlights the coming of Solomon and ultimately Jesus and how this Kingdom that was promised to David is being established now amongst us. 10 | CONNECT SPRING 2016
But there are some really practical points that we can learn from this passage too. Primarily from that fact that when God answers him he makes it really clear its not David who is going to build God a house, but it’s God who is going to provide his people with a home. I think this is really important for us to understand, it is God giving us a home, not us giving him one. A home we call ‘church’ that provides; safety and shelter for all people, that provides a platform where leaders lead his people, where people are trained and sent out. It’s a place that provides rest, where young and old can prosper and together we can extend His blessing and kingdom rule in our town. We see this building as a vibrant Hub of activity in the heart of Northampton, that will seek to serve and bring transformation to everyone we meet. Throughout the week we envisage this building will be an ideal home for all that we do to benefit those in our community, where we will continue to reach some of Northampton’s most vulnerable people. There we will continue to distribute food via the Food Bank, create drop in spaces for those looking for support, run our cookery programme in a fully equipped kitchen and come alongside people through our various training programmes. We believe this home of our own, that God is providing is a helpful tool in the next phase of our journey and a platform from where we really join Him in the renewal of all things to bring communities to life!
IF YOU HAVE ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS, OR WOULD LIKE TO GIVE TO OUR BUILDING FUND, PLEASE SPEAK TO STEVE GEE OR VISIT: BUILDING.CENTRALVINEYARD.CO.UK
WE ARE On Sunday 21st February, we will be celebrating our 10th Birthday. We’ve come a long way from our first meeting in a cinema cafe!
Please joining us on Sunday 21st February as we celebrate all that God has done and as we look to the next 10 years.
10
2004
FEB 2006
MAR 2007
Steve & Tammy sell their home and move to Northampton and start to gathering the first Small Group.
Sunday services launch at the Cineworld Cafe
Move to Camp Hill Community Centre
MAR 2010
2009
SEPT 2008
Move to Park Campus and after 26 months out grow every room available to us
The Northampton Food Bank starts in Sam’s spare bedroom
Move to a Learn Today Language School, start gather students and the first Student Small group begins
JULY 2012
OCT 2012
JAN 2013
Moved the Food Bank & Church Office into the Hub on Freehold Street
Re:store Northampton is born and goes on to open 10 Food bank distribution point in churches all over Northampton.
FEB 2016
FEB 2015
JAN 2014
Move to Northampton High School
Hub expands in to the unit next door
10TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION
Move to All Saints School
SPRING 2016 CONNECT | 11
CONNECT GROUPS & HUDDLES CONNECT GROUPS & HUDDLES are the heartbeat of our community, where you can develop meaningful relationships with other people at your own pace. The groups of 8-12 adults meet within people’s homes or social venues across the town for 3 months at a time, with an ‘open month’ in between. During the open months (January, May and September) there are other activities or short training courses available for the whole church, called ‘Equip’. At this time we also relaunch the connect groups, allowing an opportunity for everyone to sign-up to the connect groups, making them very accessible to anyone who has not been part of a group previously.
From 2016, we have incorporated HUDDLES into the community based connect groups. These are small, same-sex groups of 3-5 people where more personal relationships can develop. This is the core of peer-based discipleship, where we can challenge, support and encourage one another, through prayer and accountability. The connect groups meet fortnightly as a whole group, and then on the alternate weeks, will meet in huddles formed out of members of the group.
If you would like to find out more about our Connect Groups or Huddles, please speak to Pete & Anya Willis or visit: www.centralvineyard.co.uk/community pete.willis@centralvineyard.co.uk anya.willis@centralvineyard.co.uk
12 | CONNECT SPRING 2016
SPRING TERM CONNECT GROUPS COMMUNITY GROUPS Tom & Ash Nicholson St. James Wednesday at 8pm
Thea Pitchers & Pete Stiles Little Billing Monday at 7pm
JD & Maddie Duncan
David & Felicia Westwood
Charlotte & Kelvin Yarker
Hackleton Monday at 8pm
Moulton Thursday at 8pm
Rob & Jenny Lawes
Colin Sims & Laura Holman
Brixworth Thursday at 7pm
Abington Tuesday at 7.30pm
Gabor, Lea, Sam & Charly
Kingsthorpe Wednesday at 8pm
Kingsthorpe Tuesday at 7pm
Ken & Ann Willis
Paul & Esther Veal
West Hunsbury Tuesday at 7.30pm
Duston Tuesday at 8pm
ACTIVITY GROUPS In addition to community based groups, there is a range of activity groups that gather around an interest, community or life-stage. These are a great opportunity to build friendships through doing something together, but do not have the same level of discipleship or pastoral support as community based connect groups. Mens Breakfast
Still (contemplative prayer)
Vineyard Kids (Age 7-11yrs)
Various Monthly Kay Jones & Jill Harrison
Abington John & Cathy Leathersich Sunday 4-6pm (fortnightly)
Midweek Mini’s
Worship Community
Various Hannah Osborne Friday at 1pm (fortnightly)
Various Monthly Steve & Tammy Gee
CV Youth (Age 11-16yrs)
The Good Loaf Marcus Miller Saturday at 8am (fortnightly)
Encounter (Prayer & Worship) East Hunsbury Dan & Suzanna Storey Thursday at 8pm
Kids Ministry Community
Hunsbury Les & Shan Goodridge Sunday 4-6pm
Abington Monthly Mike & Kate Adams
SPRING 2016 CONNECT | 13
DO JUSTICE LOVE MERCY WALK HUMBLY Re:store Northampton is the compassion ministry of Central Vineyard, established as a separate charity for various reasons in 2013, it is still our greatest collective opportunity to be the hands, feet and heart of our church in this town.
The HUB is open twice a week (Tue & Thu 11-1) to welcome in people from all walks of life, to have a chat, something to eat and for those in crisis, to collect a free parcel of food and essentials. Most weeks we see around 40 adults, some with children, who have no-where else to turn, and really value someone to listen to them and accept them as they are. We would love to be open for more sessions, and in particular develop a family-friendly session, but this is dependent on resources, funding and volunteers.
www.restorenorthampton.org.uk 14 | CONNECT SPRING 2016
A community has emerged out of the HUB, which enabled us to share the Alpha course in 2015, and through this year we hope to share more of God’s love and grace with them, through an informal connect group. Some individuals have shared that their interaction with us has challenged their pre-conceptions of the church, and are amazed by the love and support they have experienced, with our team offering to pray with them through some difficult circumstances. Our weekly email update enables the whole church to support this in prayer. We have always desired to give a hand-up not just a hand-out, so during this year we will continue to offer courses that build skills, confidence and community, including CAP Money budgeting course and the ‘grow your own’ 4 week teaching sessions at the Allotment. In 2016 we will be offering sessions that will help develop other lifeskills, such as cookery, home improvements and sewing, as well as some recreational activities to build self-esteem and develop relationships. We are so excited to launch the COOK programme in January 2016, where individuals can learn how to plan a menu, shop on a budget, cook from scratch and use store-cupboard ingredients. All participants will have the chance to complete a Level 1 Food Hygiene Certificate which could also start them on the pathway to employment. As part of each session, a meal will be prepared that can then be shared by anyone coming into the HUB that day.
JECT PTON PRO NORTHAM A RE:STORE
BBC Good Food Survey revealed in 2015 that if you know how to cook 5 meals from scratch you’re doing better than half the population! So this is a great way to share basic skills, get to know new people, many of whom will be vulnerable adults who have fallen on hard times, and make a long-lasting difference to the lives of whole families across the town. We’ll be running Thursday daytimes, so please keep us in your prayers and let us know if you want to be involved in future sessions. Having a ‘home of our own’ with Central Vineyard, within the town centre will really facilitate all of these ministries and enable us to do so much more. We know that there will be some challenges, and we have a way to go yet, but God is before us and he is opening up new opportunities all the time, so we are excited! Please continue to pray for Re:store, as it often seems like a battle ground, and we need to always be rooted in God’s grace and love, covered by His protection, and listening to His voice. For more information on how you can get involved, please speak to Anya Willis e: anya@restorenorthampton.org.uk
SPRING 2016 CONNECT | 15
We believe that children are a vital part of our church and therefore we want them to be actively involved in worship, reading the Bible, prayer, ministry, serving, giving and sharing God’s heart for the poor and those that don’t yet know Jesus. Each week we create a fun and exciting place for both the children and the team! Our team run children’s groups on Sunday morning for children aged 18 months - 11 years and and then every other Sunday afternoon there is a connect group for key stage 2 children. These are high quality, fun, interactive sessions which help the children and the leaders get to know Jesus better, and explore the amazing things He invites us to do. 16 | CONNECT SPRING 2016
We aim to lovingly disciple the children and pray that they will grow in their walk with Jesus – loving Him with all their hearts and following Him every day. If you are looking for a church and have children, then we would love you all to join us. There is also Connect Group for 7s to 11s every other Sunday during term time, email kids@centralvineyard.co.uk for more details
Our youth age group is for those in Year 7 upwards. We have a passion for building up young people who will worship God through the good times and the bad and who are excited about having a relationship with Jesus. The Yard is for those who desire to study their Bibles, pray and see things happen, and who have a heart to reach out to the community in which they live. Our youth get together in different environments throughout the month, firstly they gather every Sunday morning during the service, then most Sunday afternoons for the youth
Connect Group. They have plenty of time to hang out, play games, learn more about Jesus and pray for one another. We are serious about having lots of fun but also serious about passionately following Jesus.
SPRING 2016 CONNECT | 13 17
Daily rhythms of being with God, together.
Rooted, a daily rhythm of word, worship and prayer that we can do together! This autumn why not sign up to Rooted and everyday you’ll get some resources that will help you live a life deeply rooted and in rhythm with God. Rooted is a resource created to encourage you to live life with God and with others and our desire is it will help us develop a rhythm of being with God, together as a whole church family.
It’s a community based devotional Rooted works best when you’re living these rhythms with other people, so encourage those in your Connect Group, Huddles or friends to sign up with you.
What are the rhythms? MORNING
MIDDAY
EVENING
GREET THE DAY GOD MADE.
PREPARE TO BE INTERRUPTED.
STOP TO THINK.
Possibly works best with a cup of tea. You’ll receive daily reading and prayer. What is God saying and what are you going to do about it today?
At 12pm each day we stop wherever we are, and whatever we’re doing, to say the Lord’s prayer.
Switch the TV off and ask God a few things. What do I have to be thankful for today? Where did I experience God today? How could I have responded differently to the day?
18||CONNECT CONNECT SPRING 2016 18
SIGN UP AT ROOTED.ORG.UK
the EVENING
SERVICE at Central Vineyard
On Sunday 28th February, shortly after celebrating our 10th birthday as a church, we will be launching an evening service at The Good Loaf at 6pm. A team of people have come together, and have committed to 6-months of seeing whether ‘the experiment’ will work! There’s a few things we’re praying for as a church. One of which is that we would see 50 people find faith and hope in Jesus this year. We believe that the Evening Service will have a part to play in that – the same church, with the same DNA, expressing itself slightly differently in a different type of environment.
Please pray for us as we prepare to launch these evening services – that we would have the time and energy to do it, that we would trust God wholeheartedly with everything, that He would be glorified, that young leaders will grow and that people will find and re-discover relationship with God. For more information or if you’re interested in being part of the team of people committing to the Evening Services, please come and speak to us!
TOM & ASHLEIGH NICHOLSON tom.nicholson@centralvineyard.co.uk
We also pray that the team who have so willingly committed to 6 monthsworth of extra Sunday commitments gels together and grows together as our church explores what discipleship is, and how it might look for us – that relationship is more important than programme. We believe this creates a platform to help raise another generation of leaders – to take on new Connect Groups, explore their gifts and talents, and embrace a lot of new faces with the aim of being ‘disciples that make disciples’. SPRING 2016 CONNECT | 19
YOU CAN KEEP UP-TO-DATE WITH ALL THAT IS GOING ON AT CENTRAL VINEYARD IN THE FOLLOWING WAYS: FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA TWITTER @centralvineyard
FACEBOOK /centralvineyard
INSTAGRAM /centralvineyard
SIGN-UP TO EMAIL NEWS ALERTS Give us your email address at the Information Point and we’ll add you to our mailing list. We won’t spam you, we promise!
VISIT MYCENTRALVINEYARD.COM Once we have your email address, you will be able to log in to www.mycentralvineyard.com. There, you can update your contact details, sign-up to our Connect Groups and events and even view your giving history.
OFFICE ADDRESS Central Vineyard Hub Unit G3, Nene Enterprise Centre Freehold Street | Northampton NN2 6EF
t 01604 211321 e info@centralvineyard.co.uk
Central Vineyard Northampton is a registered charity number: 1128417