what’s H happening
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Contents p3
Welcome
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Connect
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My Story
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News
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Community Weoley Castle
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Discovery Zone Discipleship
Sozo
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Compassion
Foodbank p20
Trustee of the term
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People
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Activities
welcome
Hi and welcome to the summer edition of What’s happening! There is so much happening in the life of the church it is always a challenge to cram it into each edition! Hopefully we’ve managed to give you a good flavour of all the exciting things God is doing across different groups and communities. The weather forescasters are saying we are in for a hot summer so we hope you enjoy the sunshine, get some rest and are inspired to do great things for God. Enjoy the read...
Connect If you are new to church check out the connect section on pages 4.
Weoley Castle Find out why food is so important to cell community life for Jim & Kerry Cullis.
Discovery Zone Get a chance to meet the buzzard with the buzz! Our feathered Discovery Zone friend answers your questions…
Sozo See how this prayer ministry can help people on a journey to wholeness on page 14.
Compassion A bumper selection of stories from the foodbank team on page 16.
News City pastors update, Nightstop and more...
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connect
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feet. h t o b h t i w n get stuck i edge e h t n o y If you sta ge. d e e h t n o l you’ll fee
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 share some food, hear our story and see how you can be involved. First, pick up a connect card. Pick up a connect card at church from the information desk or the offering basket. Second, fill it in and give it in. Fill in your connect card, tear off the slip and either put it in the post box in the information desk or give it to one of the welcome team. Third, come along. Check the date of the next connect event and come along.
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Connect event dates: 22 May 26 June 24 July 10.30am @ Network House
Tell us about your story? As far back as I can remember, the ‘children’ in the family had always spent the weekend at my grandparents house. We would enjoy the Saturday night, watching the usual ‘Gladiators’ and ‘Surprise Surprise’ before going to bed and off to church in the morning. Due to family differences, we stopped this, and stopped seeing our grandparents completely. This meant, as my parents didn’t actively go to church, we also stopped going.
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my story
LOU’S STORY
ame c e b I e Over tim n to God aw more dr again.
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I don’t think I ever fully stopped believing in God. Although I never prayed regularly or attended church, I always found myself turning to him when I was having a difficult time or really needed someone to turn to. As I got older, my family went through a lot more ups and downs. When my brother was diagnosed with cancer, although I would pray for him and hope God would help him and the rest of the family, I started to have doubts. Why would he do this to someone so young? Why was there such a thing as cancer at all? With every new ‘problem’ in my life, the questioning and doubt only got worse. I would find I always turned back to God, and prayed, just in case he did exist, although doubting it the whole time I did so. When it became my time to have some bad luck, I lost all hope of there being a God. It had seemed as if every member of the family was having their own hard time one after the other. As soon as we got through one problem, another would arise. I didn’t know why God would do that to one family. After one or two problems,
why wouldn’t he ‘cut us some slack’ or prevent anything else bad happening? It was during this time, when I was struggling the most, that I also saw God act the most in my life. One week saw a successful hospital visit, a college result worthy of university acceptance and finishing with me meeting Chris. Although I didn’t know this at the time, this was going to be the start of two new relationships, a new one with Chris and the beginning of a better relationship with God. How did you find out about the church? When Chris told me about his beliefs, and that he went to church, I didn’t find myself jumping straight in. With all the problems being quite recent, I found myself still doubtful and a little confused. I couldn’t explain why I didn’t fully believe in God, or how I felt about Christianity at all. Over time I became more drawn to God again. I started reading my Bible (or tried...the version I had meant every word went in one ear and out the other) and looking at answers to my original doubts. I had attended the Christmas service with Chris and his family, and this just increased my desire to come back. With Chris away at university, I would tag along with him whenever he came back to visit or for the holidays. I was too shy to come along by myself at first, so it took a fair few months for me to meet everyone and become settled. What was it like when you came? From my first visit I could see how close everyone was within the church. It took me a long time to feel confident enough to come on my own, which in hindsight was ridiculous! I don’t know why I was so scared of everyone, as they were all so welcoming and supportive of me. I thought I would stand out as the ‘newbie’ and spend my time there alone and in a corner, but this definitely wasn’t the case. I was introduced to or met
so many people who were all lovely and took me under their wing. I definitely feel God had guided me through certain situations which ultimately resulted in me coming to this church. I strongly believe that it has been the Vineyard and the people within in which has helped me come back to church and improve my relationship with God the most. Their welcoming nature and the community you become part of when you are here definitely helps you feel at home and comfortable to grow as a Christian. What has changed as you have got to know more about God? I definitely think I have changed a lot as a person since I became a Christian here. I have a much more positive outlook on life now and can handle any problem I face much better. I feel whenever I have anything to worry about, I can pray and ask for guidance. In return God will guide me on the way I should go and watch over me whilst I do so. I have also seen major changes in my life since I have become closer to God. My work life has changed a lot over the last few months. Although some moves have been hard, or seemed a waste of time, I strongly believe I was guided away from certain roles in order to get new ones. Similarly I have seen God make big changes in my life studying. Messages I have had from him have resulted in me realising what I want to do for my career and how to take full advantage of the studying I am doing now. Altogether, as I have got to know more about God, and become closer to him, I feel much better about the life I live and the future I have.
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news John and Barbara lead a cell group that meets in Network House. John “I wanted to serve God as a pastor for many years but it hadn’t been the right time. Over the last 6 months Barbara and I have known God leading us to take a step of faith. I have taken early retirement so I can free up time to serve God in pastoral work in the Church. It’s been exciting to know Gods leading in this stage of our lives. We’ve had a growing conviction that this was right. In the midst of our praying and asking God for his leading, people who don’t know our situation have spoken words from God for us. It’s been confirmed in our conversations with Andrew and Rosie over the last few months as well”
JOHN WILKINS
John is going to be volunteering a few days a week and joining the pastoral team at Church. We’re excited about this development and John is going to work alongside the cell groups in responding to some of the pastoral needs in the Church. “Being there for people in tough times and helping people grow in their faith is what I love to do”. John will be involved in the freedom in Christ course and as well as the follow up course on spiritual foundations. John will also be on hand to help newcomers connect, finding a group and a way to be involved.
“excellent - help ed us develop as a couple and disc uss subjects th at are important” ated time to “it provided us a dedic prompts” talk with some helpful “it helped us to take time out of planning our wedding and actually focus on what marriage is about”
The marriage preparation course is designed for any engaged couple wishing to build a strong and lasting relationship. While based on Christian principles, it is relevant and helpful for any engaged couple with or without a Christian faith or church background. The course consits of 5 sessions: • Communication • Commitment • Resolving conflict • Keeping love alive • Shared values
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The idea is that each session stimulates some good conversations between you as a couple (don’t worry it’s not group therapy!) It helps you consider the importance of commitment, recognize your differences and give you strategies on how to nurture your friendship and keep love alive. It helps you think through your expectations, values and goals as you prepare for marriage.”
Andrew & Rosie McNeil, Phil & Sue James. To register your interest for the next course please email: andrewmcneil@vineyardnetworkhcurch.com
CITY PASTORS
Since Nightstop was featured in our last edition, five families have offered to be host families, and two people have offered to be supporters helping out in the office. However, Nightstop is always looking for host families, youth mentors, volunteer drivers and in particular experienced office staff to take referrals. If you are interested in being part of the office team you will need: • to be available between 2-5pm to deal with referals • to complete a CRB • to attend training sessions on referral systems, call handling, confidentiality and disclosure etc. If you are interested please contact Gary: garywicker@networkfour.org.uk Network Nightstop is a scheme which helps to prevent young people falling into the downward cycle of homelessness - providing a safety net at a moment of great vulnerability. Nightstop provides emergency accommodation for young people between the ages of 16-25 in the homes of colunteer hosts. This is done on a night at a time basis - up to a maximum of 3 nights.
Our Broad Street pastoring initiative is now gathering momentum and we are doing a public launch under the name “City Pastors” on Wednesday 25 May at Birmingham Christian Centre at 8:00pm. With over 64,000 people coming to Broad Street every weekend, City Pastors gives us an invaluable opportunity to be present with them. We have already built up a great reputation with the street wardens, door staff and policing teams and so it seems there is a real grace to pastor this part of our city. We currently have 19 City Pastors from Vineyard, Birmingham Christian Centre and St Johns, and our hope is to expand this team and get more churches involved by training an additional 60 City Pastors in June. This will provide a full working rota covering Friday and Saturday nights from the autumn, with each pastor doing one night, once a month. 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 Christlike presence for anyone on Broad Street from 10:00pm to 3:00am. If that sounds intimidating then don’t worry. We don’t break up fights or get involved in disputes and we are closely supported and in radio contact with the street wardens and police camera team. We currently have ten women and nine men all operating within a safe framework as City Pastors. If you are interested in joining us, send me an email to simon.bateson@vineyardnetworkchurch. com and I’ll send you a link to our online application form. If you just want a chat to find out more, grab me and I’ll be happy to share a few stories.
WEOLEY CASTLE
Weoley Castle cell group started on Pancake Day in 2009 with a few people and lots of pancakes after James & I felt God challenging us to start a new cell in the church. We have always believed that being part of a cell group is important and is a great way to get to know people in the church better and to grow as Christians. Our vision for the group was to have a place where people felt loved and accepted by others, where they could be supported and feel part of a family whilst at the same time being a place where people are challenged and equipped to go deeper in their relationship with God.
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community Food has remained an important part of our group with several shared meals, barbeques and lots of cakes! Alongside this we have seen people grow in their faith and step out of their comfort zones to teach, pray and support one another, especially in times of need. An important part of our evening is our prayer diary in which people can write prayer requests and then these are emailed to the group for people to pray. We have seen many, many prayers answered. We love sharing and spurring one another on in our walk with Jesus and it is great to hear new stories on Tuesday nights of how people have stepped out in their faith. God has certainly been pouring out his blessing on our group and we have seen the group increase in number to around 50 adults and children. Having such a big group can be great with the sense of community that comes with it but it can be difficult for everyone to feel like they’ve had a chance to share and be heard. Recently it was clear that God was encouraging us to do something different. After much prayer and discussion with other members of the group and a number of words and pictures from God, we now split into 3 smaller groups once a month. These groups focus on giving people time and space to share openly, to receive ministry and to encourage each other to grow in our faith. Historically, we are part of the Bournville Community but we felt called to start meeting as a cell on Community Sunday. Our first meeting in January involved worship, prayer and a study of the lost coin which included a treasure hunt for chocolate coins throughout the house before we shared lunch together. It was great to spend time focusing on God as one big family, young and old. In March we explored how we express God’s grace to those around us and practically expressed this by doing gardening and jobs for people in the church. We remain amazed at how God has blessed this group and
the works He has, and is doing through it. Who knows what God has planned for us next but we will endeavour to continue following Him on this exciting journey! We asked our cell group why cell is important to them – here’s what they said: •
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The people – they’re all very friendly and welcoming and the wide variety of ages and personalities works really well. The food’s good too. It’s somewhere where I’ve found it really easy to be myself, where God has really blessed me and enabled me to witness His work in others lives too. Being in cell helped me to feel more part of church and it’s a good place to get to know people. Lovely to get to know people on a deeper level, go into the sermons and talks, pray, reflect. Also the sense of community and real family feel. It is great to be able to have a go at teaching/leading worship – less scary in a small group I feel part of a big family and that I am safe in the knowledge that people care with words and actions. God’s love is demonstrated here through relationships and teaching and being together with fantastic food!!
If you’re not yet part of a cell group then we hope this has encouraged you to find one and get involved!
James & Kerry Cullis
Discovery Zone is a constant hive of activity and we want to involve you, as the church family, in the fun that we have. At the beginning of May many of our children will be moving age groups. Our 3 year olds will be moving, or should I say taking off, from Launch Pad to Rockets. Our 5 year olds will be moving from Rockets to Explorers and our year 6s will be starting to transition into youth. The transition will take a few months and will involve helping the 5 year olds settle in the 5-11s. The youth are going to be so blessed by those joining them. We’ll miss them but it’s exciting to see where God takes them in this next phase. Some of you will notice that we have a funky new logo in Discovery Zone. I’d like to thank Chris de Souza for designing it. The hand symbols reflect our vision of: 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)
The Discovery Zone handbook has also been updated and you can log on to the church website to read this. It contains a more indepth look at how and why Discovery Zone functions.
“1,2,3 – God can talk to me” and “God hears what I say - wahey” are two phrases that you may have heard your under 5s saying in the past couple of months. They are very good at shouting and whispering them as well! We’ve been using some fantastic curriculum written by the children’s pastor at Belfast City Vineyard. The children have been learning that they can both talk and listen to God. We’ve had 3 year olds telling us of dreams God has given them, 4 year olds having pictures for each other and many others encountering God in personal ways. From talking to various leaders, many of the children see God talking to them as totally normal. I’m constantly challenged and amazed at how big our God is and how he loves to talk to all his children, whether they are the babies that can’t talk yet or the ones with grey hairs on their heads. It’s been an exciting time and I’m sure there are many more God stories to come – so watch this space. A year or so ago we realized in the 5-11s that the children found it difficult to pray. Some of them didn’t know how to pray and others thought it was really boring. Out of this “Pray and Play” was born. On a week 1 the 5-11s play games and they pray games. Recently this has become a real hit with the children. Nearly every child is now praying aloud and on a weekly basis I have children come up to me with prayer requests. They know that prayer works! In March some of the youth came and led “Play and Pray”, co-ordinated by Beth McNeil. As well as praying and playing they taught the children dance routines as an example of creative worship. A great time was had by all and the youth were fantastic role models to the children.
Making contact:
BUZZ member Recently we’ve had a new team s him. love ody ryb join the 5-11s and eve ched atta y ver is His name is Buzz and he get uld sho we t to Jake Bateson. I though to know Buzz a bit better: Hi Buzz! We’ve missed you the last few weeks, where How long have you been coming along to have you been? Discovery Zone 5-11s? I’ve been on holiday in Brazil, enjoying the sunshine I’ve been there since I was an egg! Or have I?... and the beaches! I’ll be back though, don’t you worry. What do you like most about the 5-11s? What’s your favourite quote? I love how passionate they are for Jesus. It’s always That’s easy – to infinity and beyond…. so friendly!
PRAYER
Why do you come along on a Sunday morning? I like teaching the kids new ways to worship and pray! And of course I get to check up on them!
Praise God for the confi dence and enjoyment the 5-1 1s have found in praying
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Praise God that the un der 5s have started to hear Je sus talk for themselves
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Pray for all the children transitioning into new groups and to youth
What do you like to do when you’re not at church? I’m pretty good at juggling, if that counts. I’ve heard you’ve taken quite a liking to Jake Bateson, why is this? Yeah, he’s great fun. Except when I beat him at table tennis. What is your party trick? Flying around the room and pretending to be Buzz Lightyear!
5-11’s:- zara.llewellyn@vineyardnetworkchurch.com under 5’s:- beki.button@vineyardnetworkchurch.com
POINTS
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discipleship
Sozo SOZO: New Testament Greek verb:
hea To save, make whole, heal, del
iver
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. Over the past year I have been looking at the Sozo Ministry that started in Bill Johnson’s church in Bethel, California in 1998 and has subsequently been adopted by many churches across the world. We’ve had a team of people who have trained over the last few months and we are very excited to be launching this ministry.
The focus of Sozo is to break the lies and heal the wounds in our lives. It is a time of interacting with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and the main aim is to get to the root of the problems and issues that hinder our walk with God. It then gives us tools for life so that we can allow God to reach places of hurt for healing and restoration. If you are in this church and in a small group and would like a Sozo appointment, then you can pick up a flyer from the Info Area at the back of church or contact the church office for more details. Please also feel free to speak to any of the team if you would like to know more. Keely Bateson
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d e v a
Meet the team
S
Wendy Slater
“My testimony to the work of the Holy Spirit through the ministry of Sozo has been a fresh revelation of the Father’s love and acceptance. It has helped me to come into a new place of freedom through this effective and loving ministry.”
“What I love about Sozo is that it takes the emphasis and responsibility off the ministry team to “fix” the person and have all the answers. Instead, it encourages the person seeking ministry to hear from God for themselves. Although this may sound scary, ultimately it’s better because the whole session is gentle but very powerful - when you hear from God directly it changes things in a way you never get when someone else hears Sue God on your behalf.”
Gaynor & Townley McNeil
“It is amazing to see how the Holy Spirit reveals the heart’s wounds and lies that people have believed and lived by. We have seen people healed through forgiveness and turning away from these lies as they accept personal revelation of Gods truth to set them free in a non-threatening, sensitive environment.”
aled “Sozo for me is awesome because it allows the Holy Spirit to come and restore broken hearted people by meeting with each person in a unique and individual way.” Rosie Sen
Phil & Sue James
“I’d never heard of Sozo until it was discussed at a prayer event. So when I decided to go along I was a little apprehensive. I needn’t have worried. The whole time was very relaxed and at no time was I put under any pressure. God was there in an amazing way and He revealed the things he wanted me to deal with - some things I wasn’t even aware of myself! I would recommend it to anyone.” Phil
“If we are honest with God and ourselves, we all have longstanding problems. Sozo helps us to deal with these issues by allowing Jesus to fully take control of our lives.” John
“Life’s experiences shout John & Barbara so loud in our lives that Wilkins unwittingly we use them to form our view of God. Sozo helped me to see God as God, not hindered by my life experiences.” Barbara
FOODBANK Double Blessing Foodbank not only blesses people in a time of crisis, but also blesses the fantastic agencies in our city, who can provide a specific service such as accommodation, but not food or toiletries, which their clients are often initially so in need of.
Some of the agencies Foodbank have supported Birmingham and Solihull Women’s Aid CAP Restore Shelter Save the Children Stillwaters Pregnancy Crisis Centre St Thomas Centre Calthorpe School St John’s Sparkbrook Network 4 Probation Chandos School
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Vineyard Network Church Salvation Army The Bridge RSVP Red Cross Home Start Soho Children’s Centre Ashram Housing Citizens Advice Bureau Police Community Support officers West Midlands Vulnerable Police Unit Birmingham Council
compassion Here are testimonies of two other churches our Foodbank has inspired:
Paul Flavel - Australia
‘After witnessing how effective the foodbank program has been in communicating the good news of Jesus to those in need in Birmingham, we have been working for some time to set up a similar program here in Melbourne. Thank you Vineyard for providing the inspiration and expertise that has helped to put our God on display here in Australia! Foodbank is now a global ministry of yours!’
Paul and the staff team after purchasing their first Foodbank bags to demonstrate to their church how the project works at their lauch in March 2011.
Coventry Vineyard Easter Food Boxes given to a charity that helps house homeless people
Vicki Sutton - Coventry Vineyard: ‘Coventry Vineyard got interested in Foodbank after hearing about foodbank at Vineyard Network Church. We were looking for a way to make a difference in our community and this seemed like a great way to do it. The difficulty we then faced was where to go from there. A short while later, we had a phone call from your church to say that there was a lady in
Coventry who desperately needed food, but had been referred to the foodbank at your church as they did not know where else to get the food. We were able to help, and as a result, set up our own emergency supplies service, which has regular referrals of up to 10 foodboxes a week. Now our next venture is joining with 6 other churches in Coventry to supply foodboxes on a much larger scale. (We have just heard that there are 350 Libyan students in Coventry University who have had their funding cut and many could need help with food. That is on top of all the other people who are regularly referred).’
grab a bag... fill a bag... give a bag... grab a bag...fill a bag... give a bag... grab a bag...
compassion When asked what I would like for my 40th birthday I realised that I ‘have so much’ compared to many here in our city who ‘have so little’. I asked family and friends if they would consider filling a ‘Foodbank’ bag to celebrate, my goal ‘40 bags for my 40th’. I have been blessed with nearly 60! Thank you all so much (you know who you are). sion lebrate a special occa If you would like to ce be uld wo odbank’, we by donating to ‘Fo d an s’ tag g ‘ba you with delighted to provide r you t lec ref to t ou give ‘thank you cards’ to special occasion.
Gifts of hope: - Fiona Harding Foodbank moving forward - widen the tent pegs! We have much to celebrate with the amazing generosity of our church, over 2000 foodbank bags have been filled since the project began in 2008. Every bag is a simple and yet extremely practical way to show the love of our Lord Jesus whom we love so much. Due to the success of ‘Foodbank’ and as a growing number of organisations are hearing about us, we are receiving weekly requests for bags and ongoing support from agencies in the city.
set up their own ‘Foodbank’ and adopt one (or more) of the organisations we support, as well as supporting links of their own. We have a starter pack of information and templates to help support churches who may be interested in setting up their own ‘Foodbank’.
“word is spreading fast across the city!” Sadly we are having to say no as we have committed to meet the needs of a set number of groups and want to prioritise bags to them first. Even Women’s Aid have recently asked us to double the amount of bags we provide them with which at this time isn’t possible.
The need is great and as most charities find, you can’t meet all of the need all of the time. My prayer is that we as a church can be creative in finding ways to fill more bags - that God will also ‘enlarge the tent pegs’ and other churches or groups in Birmingham will come on board and
FYI
Through positive feedbank from our agencies, we have changed the name of our Indian meal bags to Asian. Tesco no longer deliver ‘dried onions’ to their online customers, so we are now providing dried onions at the Foodbank table - please help yourself to a box to add to your Caribbean and Asian bags.
grab a bag... fill a bag... give a bag... grab a bag...fill a bag... give a bag... grab a
Quotes from women at Birmingham and Solihull Womens Aid who have received our Food Bags. All names have been changed to protect identity. “My kids and I loved the food bags. The staff let us come down to the kitchen and choose which we wanted. We had 2 meal bags, a breakfast bag and a household bag. It was like shopping without having to pay which is great when you have no money. We knew then that we would be ok in the refuge because everyone wanted to do as much as they could to help us settle in….” Anna, 26 and two children 4 and 6
“I was not allowed to eat more than a cheese sandwich and a packet of crisps each day when I lived with my husband because he said I was fat and that I would get fatter if I ate anything. He also said that he would not waste his money on buying me food. When I came to the refuge I was given some bags of food from Vineyard Church as I did not have any money to go shopping, I felt overwhelmed, I couldn’t believe that people that don’t even know me cared more about me than my husband. Thank you so much…” Zara, 18 “Coming into the refuge was really hard for me and my children because we were sad about having to leave our home and all our friends and family. In the end I had no choice, we were not safe there. As a mother I was worried about how I would manage to take care of my children. In the first few weeks at the refuge I had no money, so the staff supported me in many ways. I was also given Food Bags throughout this time. It meant I was able
grab a bag... fill a bag... give a bag... grab a
to provide good meals for my children. I sometimes felt I had failed as a parent but soon realised with the support of staff and the kindness of others that I hadn’t and that sometimes we all need a little help. I hope I can do the same for someone one day. Thank you….” Deborah, 32 and three children aged 2, 6 and 9
Quotes from some of the children…. “Thank you, I liked the little coco pops best and I made the box into a little telephone…” Marcus, 6
“My mum cried a bit because she thought she would not be able to take care of me and my little brother but I told her to cheer up because the refuge is nice and the staff gave us some food bags so we would get through this. We cooked some rice and fish together and she felt better and we enjoyed our meal…” Levi, 12 Harvest Festival donations for foodbank from Bournville Junior school
How long have you served as a trustee? I have been a trustee for over 8 years, having joined the church when I moved from London in January 1994. What is the role of the trustees from your perspective? We are here to provide the legal responsibility for the church and act as a sounding board for changes in the church. However we fully recognise the spiritual leadership of the church remains with the senior leadership team and wider Council members. What line of work are you in and how does your background and experience impact your work as a trustee? I am a solicitor working at Wragge & Co LLP specialising in commercial property matters. I help bring a legal input on trustees matters and also take the meeting minutes! What’s the best bit about being a trustee? I enjoy helping behind the scenes to make sure that the church can be run so that it fulfils its vision and objectives. How can we be sure the money we give is wisely used? What are the safeguards? As trustees our main role is to make sure that the money is looked after and spent in accordance with the church’s charitable status. We set the budget each year against likely income and this is reviewed at each month’s trustee meeting.
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To those who give regularly what would you say? Thanks! Without regular giving it would be impossbile to run the church or have the resource we need to run the projects and programmes that we love to do to engage with our communities.
trustee of the term
HILARY RUSHBY
activites Sunday Services Co-ordinators oversee serving teams and make sure services run smoothly. Host Team set up, welcome, greeting, stewarding and clearing up after services. Hospitality Team prepare and serve refreshments to make people feel at home. Gavin & Ruth Page 07855 965671 Keely Bateson 0121 622 1230 keely.bateson@vineyardnetworkchurch.com Tech Team set up and run PA system and operate song words and visual media during worship services. Mike McMaster 07720 558103 Foodbank Desk Receiving, checking and storing foodbank bags that are brought in by members of the congregation before services. Fiona Harding 0121 458 1460
Prayer underpins all our activities through our termly ‘week of prayer’ and other events. Simon Bateson 0121 622 1230 simon.bateson@vineyardnetworkchurch.com We have a prayer room at Network House open on certain Fridays. See website for details Claire Woolnough 07916 572506 Discipleship Foundations Courses look at the basics of Christian faith (eg. Freedom in Christ, Discipleship) for a number of weeks during the Sunday morning services. Simon Bateson 0121 622 1230 simon.bateson@vineyardnetworkchurch.com Values Courses look at why we do things the way we do (‘Why Cell’) and help train people for leadership (‘Growing Leaders’). Simon Bateson 0121 622 1230 simon.bateson@vineyardnetworkchurch.com
Compassion As followers of Jesus, we aim to reach out and serve the poor and broken in society, sharing God’s message of love with compassion and generosity. A big part of this is to care and share with the poor.
Lifeskills offers short courses aimed at helping people with practical life issues (eg. anxiety, budgeting).
Foodbank bags - if you know people who would benefit from receiving a foodbank bag please contact:
Healing on the Streets Every third Saturday of the month a team of people go out onto the streets to show God’s love by praying for people who need healing.
Sarah Wicker 0121 622 1230 sarah.wicker@vineyardnetworkchurch.com
Andrew McNeil 0121 622 1230 andrew.mcneil@vineyardnetworkchurch.com
Jackie Tearle 07960 705824 Sandra Eagle 07525 482064
Worship and Prayer Worship We use music to help people draw closer to God. We want our worship to be relevant and contemporary, without losing sight of our core worship value: intimacy with the Father.
Mission Malawi A number of teams have been out to work in partnership with Dalitso Trust – a charity working in central Malawi to provide development, education, training and primary healthcare.
Nick Harding 0121 458 1460 Andy Winmill 07590 046 193 Andrew McNeil 0121 622 1230
Nick & Fiona Harding 0121 458 1460 Simon Bateson 0121 622 1230 simon.bateson@vineyardnetworkchurch.com
people Cell groups Small groups are very much the heart of the church - we call our small groups “cells”. These are smaller gatherings, meeting in people’s homes during the week. They are the perfect setting to meet with friends, a place of support and encouragement and a place to know and be known. We encourage everyone to settle in a cell group because it stimulates our relationship with Jesus and with other people. All cell groups vary and we encourage you to try and find one that suits you. During a typical evening you might worship together, pray for each other and have a time of sharing or teaching. All of the groups have an “open door” policy and welcome visitors. This allows you to find the group that best suits you, even though it may not necessarily be the closest to where you live. For further information about cell groups see the website and the cell flyer on the info desk. Cell communities Cell Communities are gatherings of small groups working together to organise additional events and social activities on or around Community Sunday on the fourth weekend of each month. We aim to make a difference by worshipping together, building friendships and serving our communities. Visitors are always welcome and each Community has its own programme of events. For more details, contact the people below or see the website. Bournville Area Cell Community Nick & Fiona Harding 0121 458 1460 Northfield Cell Community Steve & Jackie Philpott 0121 628 1532 Perry Common Missional Community Sam & Hannah Miller, 0121 382 3414 Joel & Mel Goodlet, 0121 382 4364 Andy & Emma Winmill, 0121 605 1663
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Youth We aim to help young people find space to make friends, learn more about Jesus, serve the church and live in the reality of the kingdom of God. Youth (11-14) meets after worship on the 3rd Sunday morning in each month. Youth Cell (11-18) exists to help young people grow in their faith and build relationships: (Meets Friday evenings at Network House every two weeks). Davina Clavering 07900 563785 Mike McMaster 07720 558103 Students Students are an integral part of the church community, meeting regularly at church services as well as being involved in cell groups, communities and other activities. Keely Bateson 0121 622 1230 keely.bateson@vineyardnetworkchurch.com Women’s ministry We have termly events specifically for women to get together. Rosie McNeil 0121 622 1230 rosie.mcneil@vineyardnetworkchurch.com Men’s ministry Termly events specifically for men to get together. Tom Bird 07595 941745 City Pastors A friendly supportive face for visitors to Broad Street. Simon Bateson 0121 622 1230 simon.batesonl@vineyardnetworkchurch.com
Kids In partnership with parents and carers, we aim to invest in children, to lovingly disciple them, pray for them and to facilitate them being and doing church as they follow Jesus. Discovery Zone Groups meet during the morning service on the first three Sundays in each month. All children’s and youth leaders are subject to child protection procedures including a CRB check. Age groupings are approximate. Parent & Baby Room (0 - 18 months) Launch Pad (18 months – 3 yrs) Rockets (3 – 4 yrs) Beki Button - Discovery Zone 0-5’s co-ordinator becki.button@vineyardnetworkchurch.com Explorers (5 - 6 yrs) G Force (7 – 8 yrs) Voyagers (9 – 11 yrs) Zara Llewellyn – Discovery Zone pastor 07754 035471 zara.llewellyn@vineyardnetworkchurch.com Network House Network House is available for hire by external groups and organisations for training, conferences and other events. If you are interested or want more information please contact Rosie McNeil. Rosie McNeil 0121 622 1230 rosiel@networkhousebirmingham.com
Families As a church we support families at times of dedications and baptisms, marriages and funerals and also through a variety of regular courses. Marriage Preparation Course. This course is for engaged couples and newly weds who want to develop foundations for a healthy marriage that will last a lifetime. Rosie McNeil 0121 622 1230 rosiel@networkhousebirmingham.com Phil & Sue James Dedications. If you are interested in having your child dedicated please contact the church office. Andrew & Rosie McNeil 0121 622 1230 andrew.mcneil@vineyardnetworkchurch.com Lifestyle A variety of events which help to develop and build friendships. Netball meets regularly on Monday evenings at Selly Park Technology College sports hall. Jo Bullock 07984 593491 Network Vibe organises social events helping friendships develop across the church. Davina Clavering 07900 563785 Jo Bullock 07984 593491
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sundays Our church is fun and down to earth, the kind of place where anyone can explore spirituality and feel at home.
You can grab a coffee, meet some new friends and discover what a faith community is all about.
So why not pop in and see for We meet at 10.30am and 6.30pm on the first three Sundays of every month at yourself? Network House in the city centre.
Network House 174-178 Barford Street Birmingham B5 7EP
0121 622 1230 info@vineyardnetworkchurch.com