The Vine - A Year in Review

This year has been absolutely amazing at The Vine.  Here is a brief recap with video at the end:

January through May
After the announcement about God’s call to plant The Vine, we spent the next several months preparing Parkview and Desert Springs for our transition, selling our homes, and raising support for this church planting vision. Through this time we saw the Lord provide in so many different ways. He used these blessings to affirm this calling and mission. We are thankful for the partnership we have enjoyed with so many friends, loved ones, and our various church families.

June
Throughout the early summer we spent a lot of time getting moved into our homes, finding and starting part-time jobs throughout Madison, and engaging people interested in joining our church core in the early days of our church plant. Our “non-church” jobs afforded us some amazing opportunities to build relationships with those outside the church that we are hoping to reach with the Gospel. Missional living is a key aspect of our church’s mission and something we are excited about living out within our own spheres of influence.

July through August
In July we held several socials intended to cast a vision for those interested in joining The Vine Church on mission. God brought forward many students and young families who resonated deeply with the dream of discipling people from the point of unbeliever to minister and missionary for the sake of advancing God’s kingdom on earth. On July 25 we had our first Sunday gathering at the Warner Park Recreation Center and have since started meeting one mile east of the state capital at Lapham Elementary School.

September
In September we launched our City Groups. We presently have 3 groups with about 30 people meeting weekly throughout the city. It is in these groups where we live out the vision of Gospel, Community, and Mission within the context of relationships. These groups are not only places where we encourage one another to grow in grace, but where we challenge one another to live out the great commission by sharing the love of Christ with others.

October through December
Now that the basic structures of our church are in place the elder team has begun laying the groundwork for our strategy of mission mobilization and leadership development. This includes developing church membership and a clear process for developing leaders. These plans include a more focused engagement with students at the University of Wisconsin, the planting of a new church within the next few years, and the beginning of an orphan care / church planting ministry among unreached people groups in unreached areas.

Music by Page CXVI.