Spring 2013
Contents p3
Welcome
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Connect
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Students
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Call to men
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Youth
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DZ
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Dalitso Trust
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Sozo
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Crafted
p15
City Pastors
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Cells & Community Healing on the Streets
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Trustee talk
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Get connected
welcome Hi and welcome to our New Year edition of what’s happening. This magazine is one way for you to get to know “what’s happening” in the Vineyard Church. Together, we are a community within the metropolis that is Birmingham. We’re a community of faith, hope and love, where anyone can belong and work out what it means to follow Jesus.
We don’t believe that a church exists for itself. It’s not just a club or a society for the benefit of those involved. Church at its core and at its best exists to make a positive difference in the life of the city by reaching out with love and compassion to those around, one life at a time.
People from all walks of life and all ares of the city make up our church community so we have loads of groups and communities that give everyone a place to belong and a way to make a difference in the lives of others.
It would be impossible to capture all that’s going on in a growing church like ours so we hope this gives you a flavour. Be a part of the story...
Our Sunday services happen at 10.30am and 5.30pm each week and they are a great place to explore and grow in our faith as well as make new friends.
Andrew & Rosie McNeil and Simon & Keely Bateson [Senior Leadership Team]
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connect
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We aim to be a church where anyone can come, feel welcomed and find their way in at their own pace. Our desire is that everyone can experience God’s life and love and find a place to belong. A great way to find out more about the church is to attend a connect event. These happen on a regular basis and are an opportunity to hear our story and see how you can be involved. First, pick up a connect card on a Sunday, from the information wall or the offering basket. Second, fill it in and give it in. Fill in your connect card and then put it in the post box on the information wall by the media desk. Third, come along. You’ll receive an email invitation to the next connect event. These usually happen on the third Sunday of the month. It is a chance to hear about the history and vision of the church and have a chance to ask any questions you might have. We have two ways you can attend a Connect Event:Morning – 10:30 to 11:00am during the sung worship part of the service, on the first floor of Network House.
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Evening – 5:00 to 5:30pm before the service while we serve tea and toast, on the ground floor of Network House. If you have any access issues please let us know by return email and we will make special provision for you.
g new in t e e m t a e r It was g g what the in r a e h d n a people about church is all
Life in Student Ministry is always fast paced. With such a shorter time span to really invest in people, it is imperative as a church that we get stuck in and make sure our students are supported the best they can be whilst they try to live out a life of following God surrounded by the pressures that are embedded within the University culture. It seems like a mammoth task, but as a church we have tried to do this by a variety of means over the previous Uni term. We kicked off by having a number of ‘Fresher Lunches’ after the morning service to create a space to get to meet and make connections with freshers or postgrads that were looking for a church. We have also had a couple of ‘Student Celebrations’ where we came together from across the church to celebrate all that God had been doing in our lives and those around us. We have also had a ‘More than Baked Beans’ event, which was a great time to come and look practically at our finances as students, and to tackle issues around budgeting, but also, to look at how we begin to live a life of radical generosity that the new testament calls us to. Now, though, we are preparing for our annual ‘not-so-weekend-away’, Urban Camp. Last year was entitled ‘Furious Love’ and was all about how God is pursuing us with a passion in every aspect of our lives. It was a great weekend with around 40 students attending in total. This year’s theme is entitled ‘Fearless’ looking at how God has called us to be fearless of the world, and what that means for areas like our prayer life and our evangelism. It should be a great weekend with space for people to encounter our God and get passionate and excited about living out a radical, fearless faith.
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If you have any questions or want to know more about the Student Ministry at Vineyard, please contact James at james.leepickin@vineyardnetworkchurch.com
the call to men THE LAST 10 MONTHS…
MAINTAINING THE MOMENTUM…
First of all on behalf of the team we would like to thank all the men who have supported the morning breakfast and teaching. We can truly say that the last ten months have proved both challenging and rewarding for many of the men at Vineyard. Many have expressed how much they have enjoyed these times together including the breakfast!! The breakfast and fellowship at the beginning of the morning is vitally important and generates the importance of men connecting with one another. The worship, teaching and ministry has helped many of us to find that true place of intimacy with Jesus. What we have found is that men are beginning to commit to each other’s growth and it has created an environment were men can have a laugh! The attendance figures have been very encouraging and reached an overwhelming 67 in February. The numbers in March, June and September averaged 33.
Momentum is the impetus to go forward; from a christian perspective we go forward not in our own strength but in the strength that God gives. Men’s gatherings come and go, they start up, slow down and then for no apparent reason fade into the background of church life. If we are to maintain the momentum then our gatherings must be built upon the leading and the work of the Holy Spirit. In the coming year we will be continuing to partner with God to achieve certain aims and goals that will help us continue to be the men God has called us to be. In an article I read recently someone said ‘I believe all of us [men] have a call for greatness which comes from God…’ Wherever we are in our journey of faith, God wills men both individually and corporately to gain momentum by going forward towards our destiny in Christ. In the coming year we pray that our coming together will help us all to appropriate God’s will for our lives and to enter in to all that He has for us. We can achieve as men, we can conquer as men; we can as the apostle Paul clearly affirms in Philippians ‘…do all things through Christ who strengthens me’. John Wilkins
MEET THE TEAM….
James Cullis
John Spafford
Adam Bigenll
Dave Seaton
Tony Bunker
p9 John Wilkins
Last term saw exciting changes in youth where we transitioned into three cells rather than having one big group. Young people have varying needs and challenges so by making these changes we hope to support them more effectively and provide groups tailored to their age and stage. With the increase in the number of cells we saw an expansion of the team. We are thrilled with all that they have done so far and look forward to their relationships with the young people continuing to grow. We are also excited to announce a development in the youth leadership. Zara’s role has changed and she is now our Youth & Children’s Pastor. Zara has been involved with the team for the last few months and her passion to develop and oversee the youth has grown significantly. As a leadership team we feel this is a natural progression for her and believe this is God’s timing.
youth will run wholeheartedly towards God instead of walk away and that justice will rise up within them to make a difference in our city, nation and world.” Youth is going to continue to meet in cells on the Sunday evening of week one and two. Then once a month, usually on the third Friday, we are going to meet together for “Friday Night Live”. The first hour will be spent together with fun, worship and time in huddles. Huddles are small, same sex groups of different aged young people. This small environment will give the opportunity for friendships to build across the age groups. The second hour will be spent in cells with the older two groups continuing their tough questions series. Our youth are a wonderful and gifted group who are passionate to serve God and make a difference where they are. They face many challenges along the way so please continue to pray for them and thank God for all they bring to our church family.
Zara: “I am thrilled to be taking on this role and am excited to see all that God has in store for our young people. I desire that our
Upcoming events Network Camp Fri 8 – Sat 9 February
Dreaming The Impossible: Fri 3 – Mon 6 May
Please see our website for all youth cell dates and more info on events.
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Jesus calls us to heal the sick, raise the dead and do even greater things than He did. So often we make following Jesus purely about following his moral code and forget about all the exciting and supernatural things that God wants to do in us and through us. In Discovery Zone we want to inspire a generation to live wholeheartedly for Jesus, both in how they conduct their lives and in what God does through them. We currently have around eighty 0-11s here at Vineyard and what a blessing they are. Every Sunday morning, with the exception of when we have an all age service, the children have Discovery Zone which runs throughout the service. In the morning there are six different age appropriate groups: • Parent and Baby Room: 0-18 months – S3 • LaunchPad: 18 months- 3 years – S1 • Rockets: 3 – 5 years – F3 • Explorers: 5-7 years – unit 3, 186 Barford St • GForce: 7-9 years – unit 3, 186 Barford St • Voyagers: 9-11 years – unit 3, 186 Barford St
Discovery Zone is the children’s ministry at Vineyard Network Church. As a church we believe that children are the church of today as well as the church of tomorrow and therefore they play an important role in the life of the church. The vision of Discovery Zone is: Putting Jesus first (Point up) Getting to know God better together (Thumbs up)
Showing our friends how to live God’s way (Open hands)
Living a life full of God’s power (Jazz hands)
those who are aged 5-11 on a Sunday night too. This will run in parallel with the weeks of youth cell, so will be available on a week 1 and week 2 and not on a week 3. This is an exciting new development for us and we look forward to seeing what God is going to do. Discovery Zone will run from 6pm after worship to the end of the service and the 5-11s will be together in one group. They will be located in S1, the LaunchPad room. If you want to get involved in this fantastic ministry come and find me on a Sunday.
With the growth of the evening service and therefore more children attending, we have decided to start Discovery Zone for zara.llewellyn@vineyardnetworkchurch.com
The Dalitso Trust was set up in 2001 after Tom and Ali Husbands’ first visit to Malawi in 1999. In January 2002 Tom and Ali returned to Malawi to work full time. The work has included agricultural projects, adult literacy classes, health training, HIV/ AIDS teaching, youth work, mum’s and pre-schoolers support and teaching and training pastors. Dalitso is a christian ministry enabling Malawians to help themselves working with a laser focus to equip the rural church. 2007 saw a major strategic shift in Dalitso’s work investing in a rural base to live and work among the people we feel called to serve. 42 acres of land in Malingunde (a 45 minute drive south west from Lilongwe) were purchased. The vision is to build a resource centre to operate from to equip the local rural community. With over 10 years experience of working in Malawi the Trust has established a core focus of 3 main areas of work:
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Pioneering Education Play and Parenting Skills
Mentoring and Equipping Local Leaders
Healthy Families Creating Healthy Villages
Holistic health taught to one family at a time - carried out by local volunteers we train. The volunteers educate and transform people socially, mentally, spiritually and physically.
Providing classes, group and one to one tutoring to equip and train local christian leaders.
Modelling and teaching under 6s educational play, to local parents and their children.
Vineyard Network Church has had links with Tom and Ali Husbands for many years. The first of these links was with Bill Dixon who first took them out to Malawi with him. Bill, as many of you will know, is a retired Pastor and has over 10 years experience of bible teaching in Malawi. He has written 5 courses specifically for The Dalitso Trust under the title of ‘Follow Me’ which is used as the syllabus to teach Church pastors for ‘Dalitso Leaders’. We are delighted as a church to support with long term relationship and financial help. Simon and Keely Bateson have regularly visited providing support and encouragement with their gifts in pastoral and team based care. In 2007 Nick and Fiona Harding visited Tom and Ali in Malawi to research healthcare. Their heart was to deliver a sustainable health program that created independency in local populations and this lea to the formation of ‘Dalitso Health’ again under the Dalitso Trust banner. Using simple lessons taught by local Malawians, we are seeing transformation of villages, delivering healthy homes and healthy communities.
Nick and Fiona caught up with Tom and Ali Tom and Ali, you previously lived in Sidcup before moving to Malawi in 2002. How have you ended up here in Birmingham? Our first short term trip to Malawi in 1999 was with Bill Dixon who we met just the week before we left through a mutual friend who was travelling with him. For the last 7 years different members of VNC have visited Malawi regularly and we have built relationships with a number of people here. In April 2011 God made it clear to us that a move to England was the next step for our family. Our vision was always to develop something that could be run without us and we believe that we are at the transitioning time now. Tom is still running the Trust - it is just our location that has changed. What are your family’s hopes and goals while you are here? We are seeking to be more a part of the VNC family; to build relationships; to be resourced; to grow spiritually; for the children to get a good education. The overriding element in all of these is that we want to grow as individuals and as a family in our relationship with God. Jack, Joel and Grace have never lived in England so everything is completely new, from simple things like knowing how to walk on a pavement to making new friends in a strange country. Both of us have not lived here for 10 years and in that time a lot has changed and in many ways it feels like starting a
new in a strange country too. That is why we felt it was crucial to be part of a loving community whilst our family goes through this process. How are the team in Malingunde and what is their focus at the moment? The team are an amazing resource and we feel privileged to work with them. Chippo has been managing the team on a day to day basis for the last year with Tom’s oversight and input. Whilst the team initially felt daunted at the prospect of us not being in the country they were encouraged that they had been equipped and resourced for exactly this season and that they were ready. For both of us it has been a real privilege to see the vision come to pass from a seed that was sown in 1999. Tom is now making quarterly visits. Is there anything you would like to say to VNC? We would value prayers as we go through the process of re-entry and settling. We would also love people to introduce themselves to us all.
For more information visit dalitsotrust.org
sozo
Our church has always been passionate about helping people on their journey towards wholeness. We want people to have life transforming experiences that help them know more of God’s love and enable them to live life to the full, in healthy relationship with God and one another. A Sozo appointment facilitates a time of listening and responding to God, aiming to get to the root of problems and issues that hinder our walk with God. Meet Ann Wolf - one of our Sozo Team members: I have worked with Sozo now for 5 or more years and what I love about it more than anything else is that it facilitates the removal of any barriers that cause people to feel they are not connected to or don’t hear God - and time and time again, I have seen the awesome miracle of people coming to real connection with the Father who loves them. How awesome is the love of God! We have an enemy and his strategy is to create lies and wound our hearts particularly when we are young so that we can have a very marred picture of Father God. Sozo is a very gentle, yet incisive ministry that empowers the individual to identify the lies and wounds and release truth and people find themselves touched in a very real, deep
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way by the powerful love of God. Personally, I have had a few sozos. I often find God has a way of drawing attention to something in my life that He is putting a finger on through other people. I was recently talking to a friend of long standing who had experienced a breakdown in a very important working relationship. Her pastor suggested that it might be worthwhile exploring a pattern in her life of ‘bad endings’. As my friend recounted this to me the Holy Spirit said to me ‘You too Ann’. I too had a history of ‘bad endings’ in my life. So I booked in for another sozo, knowing that was true. Very gently God led me on a journey into my heart which exposed the lies, judgements and inner vows which were the roots producing the fruit of ‘bad endings’. So I know that ‘bad endings’ for
me is history and is no longer going to be a part of my life. God has healed so many areas of my life through the ministry of Sozo and I don’t expect that I have had my last one! But I know I want to become more and more the real me and God has without question used Sozo in a major way to release healing.
Zara Llewellyn In May of last year I went to the World Prayer Assembly in Indonesia. I went to learn as Indonesia have a massive prayer revival going on amongst their children. But God had other ideas.... The way people emotionally responded to God really struck me. People would weep over horrendous situations going on in the world and yet know with joy that God was faithful, that He was their Dad and it was all in His hands. I wanted to have the same degree of emotional freedom and security that they had but I knew that I wasn’t in that place. So, I prayed “God whatever you want me to deal with to bring me to that place please bring up.” I got back to England and life appeared to fall apart, I started uncontrollably crying and I just couldn’t cope, but I knew deep down that however much pain I felt God was answering my prayer and in the end it would be good. So I went for a Sozo. God showed me how I had never forgiven my Dad for walking out of the family when I was a baby
and how that led to emotional suppression, a lack of understanding of God as my Father and a lack of acceptance of both God and my Dad’s love. I forgave my Dad and afterwards wrote a letter to him telling him so and telling him I loved him, something I had never done and never realised was wrong. He’s not a Christian and our relationship has never been amazing. But since my Sozo, things have been unbelievably different, life changing in fact. I now have a great relationship with my Dad and I know God loves me. That brings me such security and I have a new freedom and expression of my emotions. There may be pain in the night but joy really does comes in the morning. So, if you’re thinking about having a Sozo go for it. I was apprehensive beforehand but that was completely unnecessary. It was a safe, loving and accepting place where wise people facilitated me hearing from God.
I have the privilege of leading the Sozo team and am very excited at all that God is doing in people’s lives. If you are in a cell group in our church and would like a Sozo appointment then please pick up a form from the information area or chat to me for more details.
Keely Bateson
Church office 0121 622 1230 keely.bateson@ vineyardnetworkchurch.com
crafted What’s Crafted? Crafted is a compassion ministry in Vineyard Network Church which began in September 2011. This ministry is exclusively for women. In groups of two, we run a craft activity for two hours, once a month, in refuge accommodation. This is built on relationships already established with Birmingham and Solihull Women’s Aid. As part of our partnership there is commitment to provide domestic violence training for the Crafted team and a further six women from VNC completed a days training in May 2012. During the Autumn term we have been able to go to three refuges on Friday mornings 11am until 1pm, most months. What’s next? We would like to provide Crafted sessions to a fourth refuge on a Wednesday morning and have been invited to partner with another women’s organisation on a Wednesday. It is likely that further opportunities will arise on other days but these can only happen if volunteers are available. What’s your part? Everybody reading this article can pray for the Crafted team - that we would continue to build good relationships with all the women we meet and that we would be an expression of God’s love. If you are a woman who has a desire to reach out and demonstrate God’s concern and compassion using your creative skills, then Crafted is for you. We have discovered that for some of the women who have just arrived at the refuge, Crafted has created a safe space for them to connect with others. The activities suit all abilities and all equipment and training is provided. It is helpful but not essential for you to have your own transport. Requirements in addition to attending the training include quarterly planning meetings and a CRB check.
If you want to know more or get involved pick up a flyer from the info area or Seanna: 07725 552509 contact Seanna:
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danielandseanna@ntlworld.com
city pastors You could sum up being a City Pastor as a “friendly face, a listening ear and a caring heart”. We aim to be a helpful, supportive and Christ-like presence for anyone we meet on the street. City Pastors is a project involving volunteers from local churches working together with other night time services to ensure everyone who visits Broad Street or Southside encounters a safe vibrant environment. We operate around these core values:• We provide a helpful, supportive and Christlike presence on the street • We are an expression of a united church in the city of Birmingham • We work in partnership with existing services and agencies • We treat everyone we meet with care and respect We’ve just finished training our fourth generation of City Pastors which means we now draw volunteers from ten different churches across Birmingham.* In November, a team of eleven City Pastors spent a training day with Julia Chance the Southside Bid Manager and her warden team. We also received additional diversity training from Steph Keeble, the Director of Birmingham LGBT Community Trust and had an overview of Hate Crime from West Midlands Police.
The day concluded with an orientation walk around Southside and a trip to Steel House Lane Police Station to meet the camera operators and get an update on local street policing plus a close up of the custody suite. We now have four pastors out on Broad Street every Friday and Saturday night from 10:00pm until 2:30am and two pastors in Southside on a Saturday night. If you are interested in joining our team, please send an email to: citypastors@gmail.com and we’ll send you a link to our online application form. If you just want a chat to find out more, grab me on a Sunday and I’ll be happy to share a few stories. You can follow our pastors on Twitter: @citypastors Simon Bateson – on behalf of City Pastors Steering Team.
Southside BID district embracing Hurst Street, The Arcadian, Chinatown and Gay Village
*Vineyard Network Church, Birmingham Christian Centre, St Johns Harborne, Riverside, St Nicholas Church Kings Norton, B1, Selly Oak Elim, St Davids Shenley Fields, St Martins in the p19 Bullring, Oasis Church Lee Bank.
cells & community
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Community Sunday On the 4th Sunday in each month we have Community Sunday. The goal is to give space in our diary for us all to express church in our local communities. We do this through our cell groups coming together to host social events, community church with lunches, projects that serve others, family activities, prayer gatherings and many more expressions of God’s love in action. Our vision is to touch every area of our city with new cell groups and cell communities. Community events are great to invite friends to and are a unique way to make a difference. We have communities in all these areas:B Bournville
Br Broad Street
F Four Oaks
N Northfield
P Perry Common
Se Selly Oak
So Solihull
W Weoley Castle
Cell groups Cell groups are core to our church vision as they help us live out what Jesus said. They are an ideal place to discover more of what it practically means to follow Jesus. Meals together, serving one another, growing in our faith and being Christ to the people we meet all helps create a sense of community with a purpose.
the world. He is the one we follow as we learn to serve our friends and neighbours. All our cells are open and love to welcome new people. Feel free to call, e-mail or visit a group near to you. Alternatively ask our Sunday Welcome Team to introduce you to our cell leaders.
All of our groups have a slightly different flavour but the same values run through all of them: We want to live life with Jesus at the centre not the edge.
Everyone needs a place to belong, a community within their wider community. We want to become everything God has destined us for, in work, relationships, and in all of life. That process of growth is central to our groups. We know that Jesus led by example in serving others and showing God’s love to
cell groups across the city
healing on the streets Healing on the Streets (HOTS) is a prayer outreach initiative, which began in Coleraine, Ireland, out of Causeway Coast Vineyard Church, in 2005. It has been described as “….a gentle, non-confrontational way of connecting with people on the streets of our cities and introducing them to Jesus.” (Mark Marx, Founder of HOTS, Causeway Coast Vineyard) It requires approximately 6 chairs for individuals to come to, so they can receive prayer, flyers to hand out, and a large banner with the word ‘healing’ on it……. But – most important of all – it needs the presence and power of Jesus in order to touch and change people’s lives!! We really are completely dependant on God to bring people to us who He wants to touch, but also to fill everyone on the team with wisdom and His power to heal. As this is all done outside, we rely on God to influence the weather. In all the time we have been doing HOTS we have never had to cancel because of rain; often we have the best weather of that week!!
Following a training event in Birmingham, in 2008, Vineyard Network Church started doing HOTS at the notorious Pigeon Park in Birmingham City Centre, directly outside the Anglican Cathedral. During this time, we have really had a revelation of God’s compassion and seen the Lord move in the most remarkable ways, especially amongst the young people that ‘hang out’ in the park every weekend. Here are just a few stories: *A couple of years ago we prayed for a young man who had recently been given the devastating news that the persistent cough he had was lung cancer, and because it had been detected at a very advanced state, there was nothing that could be done for him medically. He was given weeks to live. We prayed for him and looked out for him the next time we were out but didn’t see him. In July his brother approached us and told us he was alive and when seen by the consultant oncologist, told that the tumour had shrunk so dramatically, it was small enough for it to be removed completely. He was at home having chemotherapy to prepare for the operation ! * At the beginning of the year we prayed with ‘S’ who had hurt his ankle in a skate-boarding accident. After praying 2 or 3 times, he informed us that his ankle felt 70% better and he thought the swelling had reduced. He was asking us LOTS of really good questions about Jesus. We then prayed for his friend who suffers with childhood arthritis. We prayed with her and felt led to explain
that she was ‘knitted together in her mother’s womb’……and ‘perfectly made’ by God (Psalm 139). The pain went in her right leg. Then, after we prayed some more, the pain went in her left leg too!! * In April we prayed for a girl who’d damaged her knee playing cricket (‘B’). We’d spotted her across the park, hobbling on crutches. We’d approached her and asked her if she wanted prayer. At the time, nothing appeared to change. However, the following month she found us, and informed us that she’d been healed!!........ It turns out that TWO days after we’d prayed, she got out of bed, bent down to pick something up off the floor and realised she could bend her knee and it was absolutely fine!!..... What was REALLY encouraging was that she immediately put it down to the fact that we had prayed for her!!! * Much more recently we prayed with ‘S’ from Latvia who had broken her leg during a fall. Despite the bone being mended, she was still experiencing a lot of pain. Although she knew very little English, and we knew NO Latvian, she was clearly moved by the Lord’s presence as we prayed His peace and blessing over her, and afterwards, when we asked her to try walking, she said it was “better”. Sandra Eagle: sandraeagle@o2.co.uk Jackie Tearle: tearle264@hotmail.co.uk
the future We currently have between 6-10 regular team members, from different churches in Birmingham/West Midlands coming out to pray on the streets, on the third Saturday of every month, and the Lord is really blessing the sense of unity which exists between the team members. However, we are currently praying for more individuals to come and help us: As people on the streets are meeting Jesus, some of them (especially some of the resident young people) are beginning to express an interest in Him, and even a desire to follow Him. This being the case, we are praying through the practicalities of beginning to disciple individuals who are – largely – unchurched. Starbucks, Victoria Square is the place we have generally gone to after HOTS to share testimonies or perhaps do a small bible study and/ or answer questions. We are praying for individuals with a heart for young people, who would like to get involved in this side of the ministry. Also, we would love to have more people on the team who would love to learn to pray for the sick, in the power of the Holy Spirit, the way that Jesus taught His first disciples. We are not super spiritual , our team simply consists of people who are compassionate towards those who are in pain and hurting!!
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trustee talk
We believe that God has called us to develop a large and generous church that makes a difference in our city. We do this through a growing network of groups and communities as well as developing services and ministries that reach the people of this region. The Vineyard Church doesn’t receive any funding from outside organisations or agencies so we are able to function purely because of the generosity of the people in the church. It’s the giving of those in the church that enables us to do things well. We get to demonstrate God’s goodness by serving those in our city and beyond. To fulfill our vision, our resources are spent in six main categories. These are worship services, community care and outreach, training and discipleship, leadership, support costs and governance. This term we’ve been able to see the expansion of City Pastors into Southside district of the city. We’ve also given generously to the work of Christian Solidarity Worldwide (human rights and support for the Persecuted Church). We’ve invested in new equipment for the Sunday worship teams. We’ve also helped resource church planting and church
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Vineyard Network Church Birmingham is a registered charity and so has a board of trustees that volunteer their time and wisdom to serve the church. If you have any questions about church governance you can contact them at any time. Our trustees are:- Phil James, Hilary Dougall, Ian Rogers, Bill Dixon, Mike McMaster
Phil James
Hilary Dougall
Bill Dixon
Ian Rogers
Mike McMaster
Andrew McNeil
development in the UK through our giving to Vineyard Churches. We’ve also been able to respond to local families in a time of crisis. That’s just a flavour of what your giving enables. Ultimately we see the wise use of money as an act of worship to God. The bible shows that how we priorities our finances is an indication of what is going on inside our hearts. By supporting God’s purposes expressed through his church we forge a heart connection with His work and that work thrives.
staff changes
Ellie Buck
For more information about giving to church pick up a financial partnership flyer on a Sunday.
Our current finance administrator Ellie Buck wil be leaving us at the end of february on her journey to university. We want to say a huge thank you to Ellie for being such a fantastic part of the staff team and send her off with our love and blessings. We want to say a warm welcome to Matthew Smith who is training with Ellie. Matthew will take over the role of finance administrator from March.
Matthew Smitth
activities City Pastors is an initiative involving volunteers from local churches working in partnership with the Broad Street Business Improvement District to ensure that Broad Street is a safe, vibrant environment for everyone who visits.
Every month a team of people go out onto the streets to show God’s love by praying for people who need healing. The team is led by Jackie Tearle and can be found outside Birmingham Cathedral on the third Saturday in each month from 1-3.30pm.
Simon Bateson
Jackie Tearle Sandra Eagle
We aim to help young people find space to make friends, learn more about Jesus, serve the church and live the reality of the Kingdom of God.
Zara Llewellyn
FOODBANK The focus of Sozo is to break the lies and heal the wounds in our lives. If you are in this church and in a small group and would like a Sozo appointment then do pick up a flyer. Keely Bateson
Vineyard Bible Institue (VBI) is an accredited Bible study programme. The next course is ‘Introduction to Biblical Interpretation’. Contact Adam Pipe for more details.
Foodbank reaches out to serve those in need by providing a bag of provisions in a time of crisis. Every bag has a card inside with a simple message from the church to express something of God’s love. Fiona Harding Sarah Wicker
Dalitso Trust works in partnership with rural villages in Malawi with its team based in Malingunde.
DZ meets during the morning service. Age groupings are: Parent & Baby (0-18m) Launch Pad (18m - 3) Rockets (3-4) Explorers (5-6) G Force (7-8) Voyagers (9-11) Zara Llewellyn
We run Network House Birmingham as a social enterprise conference centre, employing and training people in events and conference skills. Talk to Rosie or Bethany if you are interested in finding out more. www.networkhousebirmingham.com
Adam Pipe
Simon Bateson
Rosie McNeil
Network Netball meets regularly on Monday evenings at Selly Park Technology College sports hall from 8pm.
Jo Bullock
Crafted is a compassion ministry it is exclusively for women and in groups of two we run a Craft activity for two hours, once a month, in refuge accommodation. Seanna Lassetter
Where we meet p23
get connected There are many ways you can connect with the church:Through Sundays: morning or evening services are a great way to experience the vibrancy of worship and ministry
Connect Events: if you are new and want to find out more, we hold regular connect events during a Sunday morning service – fill in a connect card and we’ll be in touch
Through cells: the place to make friends and build community
Through communities: experience the synergy of cells working together to make a difference
Through facebook: join our facebook group vineyard network church birmingham
Through the web: download the latest Sunday talks and keep up to date Through e-bulletins: make sure we have your email on our database and you’ll receive a nice (short) reminder of key events
Through What’s Happening: you are reading it! You can also read this magazine online on our website Through text-alerts: if you are on a Sunday serving team and we have your mobile number, you’ll get a nice text reminder to let you know when you are next on
www.vineyardnetworkchurch.com