News

::This Week @ the Vineyard::

April 29th, 2008


Unsung Heroes
This week we will continue our message series "Unsung Heroes" and discuss Discovering Sacrifice. We'll continue looking at some ordinary people, who, because of their willingness to be used by God, were involved in some extraordinary events.

We hope that you will join us this week and bring a friend!

Click here for directions



Fall '08 Kick Off

This Sunday we collected commitment cards for our Fall '08 Kick Off. (find out more about our Fall Kick Off here.) While we didn't get at the way to our big goal of $40,000, we did get over 70% of the way there, by increasing our pledges to a total of $28,500! Since a number of people were out of town, and others asked if they could make their pledges later, we are going to continue accepting pledges through the end of May.

UPDATE: As of Tuesday, May 6th, we have had an additional $10,000 come in and are now 96% of the way towards our big goal & 55% of the way to our BHAG!  Thanks for praying!

If you have not yet gotten on board with our Fall '08 Kick Off, we hope you'll consider getting involved. Since we are already well on our way to our big goal, it won't take that much more for us to get there!

Think about it this way...if 10 people/families were to contribute $50/month from May to December, and 10 people/families give $100/month over that time, we exceed our big goal! And while some of you may choose to give more, or less, it won't take that much for us to reach our goal!

It's not too late!

Again, if you would like to make a pledge or a donation towards the Fall '08 Kick Off, you can do that online, or on your connection card over the next few Sundays. Please contact the church office if you have any questions. If you would like to give online towards this project, you can do that here.

Thanks to each of you who have made a commitment to what is going on at the Vineyard by giving sacrificially to this project!

Back to One

Beginning on May 25 (Memorial Day Weekend) we will head back to one worship service until the end of August when we'll head back to two. Our summer service will start at 10 am.

Discovering Membership - Vineyard 101 - May 18

Our next membership class, Discovering Membership, will be held on Sunday, May 18, from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm after our second service. Lunch will be provided! If you have been regularly attending the Vineyard for at least two months, we would love for you to attend Discovering Membership.

We do ask that you register if you are coming. You can register on a Sunday morning, or sign up on the website.

The membership class will be held at the Vineyard offices at 222 South Albany Street in Ithaca.
[This class is required before you take any other classes @ the Vineyard]

Discovering Maturity - Vineyard 201 - June 3 & 10

This time around we are adding a new class to into the process, Discovering Maturity - Vineyard 201. Discovering Maturity-Vineyard 201 will be a 2-week class held on June, 3 & 10 from 7pm to 9pm @ the church office on 222 South Albany Street in Ithaca. (Please do not register unless you are able to attend both nights.)

While Vineyard 101 focuses on the importance of membership, Vineyard 201 focuses on building a healthy, growing spiritual life. The four topics we will cover include Time with God's Word, Prayer, Giving & Fellowship.

We do ask that you register if you are coming. You can register on a Sunday morning on your connection car, or sign up on the website.

So, What about 301 & 401?

Since the 201 class will be required before you can take 301...& you'll need to take 301 before 401, we'll be re-introducing Discovering Ministry-Vineyard 301 during our next round of classes (September '08), and Discovering Mission-Vineyard 401 during the following round in January '09. Since some of you have already taken Discovering Ministry, we encourage you to go back & take 201 this time around.

You can find more information about our core classes on our website.

Vineyard Video Contest

We are looking for some aspiring filmmakers! Our hope is to have a video (or two) to use for our fall roll-out in September. We are even giving out prizes for the top videos:
  • First Place: $500
  • Second Place: $200
  • Third Place: $100
Here are some guidelines:
  • Videos should be no more than 3 minutes long
  • Videos should be humorous
  • Videos do not need to be polished or professional
  • Videos should be something you would be comfortable sending to your non-Vineyard friends
  • Videos should be sumitted to the Vineyard office (e-mail or dvd) by August 1, 2008
  • All submitted videos may be used in future promotions
  • Video must promote one of the following events: 1) the upcoming Fall Kick Off Series, 2) the Clam Bake, 3) Kinship Kick-Off.
Since this is the first time we are doing this, guidelines may change. The panel of judges will be named this summer. So if you're interested, but wondering what we are talking about, here are some links with a few ideas: Innovate Conference 2008 (scroll to the festival at the bottom), Boston Vineyard.

Looking to Get Connected @ the Vineyard?

Two of the quickest paths to serving are on Sunday Mornings and in the church office:

Sunday Morning: We are looking for new people to serve with the ministry teams that help make the Sunday worship gathering a reality. By serving on the greeting, usher, food prep, or set-up teams you will impact hundreds of attenders, meet new people, and have a lot of fun. If you would like to sign up to help a couple of Sunday mornings each month, you can sign up online or on your connection card each Sunday.

Volunteer in the Office: We currently have opportunities for people who could work in the church office for at least 2 hours per week. While there are a variety of opportunities available, we are specifically looking for people to be part of:

  • The First Response Team from 1 pm to 3 pm on Mondays
  • The Thursday Prep Team from 4 pm to 6 pm on Thursdays

If you are interested in helping with either of these opportunities or perhaps others, please contact james@ithacavineyard.com

Sign Up to Serve Online!

We have made it very easy to sign up to serve on Sunday mornings at 8:00 am or 10:15 am Just click on the link below. It will take less than 30 seconds to indicate when and how you will serve for the month of May. You will receive a reminder email the week before you're scheduled. Sign up here!

Upcoming Conferences:

Starting in June, there are many conferences/retreats that some of us will be going to over the summer. It'd be great if you could come along...contact bob@ithacavineyard.com if you are interested, or would like more info.

Transformation Weekend @ the Boston Vineyard
We finally have some information for Transformation weekend! Here it is:

WHAT IS TRANSFORMATION WEEKEND?
Transformation Weekend consists of powerful times of worship, teaching, and prayer. Following each teaching, the participants will work with their sponsors and pray through specific prayers that will be provided.

WHEN IS TRANSFORMATION WEEKEND?
Friday, June 20 (7:00 - 10:00 pm) & Saturday, June 21 (9:00 am - 9:00 pm)
(The Registration Table will open at 6:00 pm and the Sponsors' Meeting will start at 6:30 pm on Friday)

WHERE IS TRANSFORMATION WEEKEND?
Greater Boston Vineyard (Cambridge Site)
170 Rindge Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02140

HOW MUCH DOES TRANSFORMATION WEEKEND COST?
$40/participant (if registered by June 8)
$50/participant (if registered after June 8)
$20/sponsor

WHAT IS INCLUDED IN THE REGISTRATION COST?
Saturday lunch, Saturday dinner, and refreshments throughout the weekend will be served. Materials for the weekend will also be provided. However, lodging is not included in the registration cost, but there are several hotels near the church, including:

Hawthorn Suites
1 Massachusetts Avenue
Arlington, MA 02474
(781) 643-7258
www.hawthorn.com

Hotel Tria
220 Alewife Brook Parkway
Cambridge, MA 02138
(866) 333-TRIA
www.hoteltria.com

WHAT ELSE SHOULD I KNOW?
Each participant is responsible for finding his/her own sponsor. For FAQ about selecting a sponsor, see http://www.bostonvineyard.org/gedownload!/FAQ.pdf?item_id=958183&version_id=958184

HOW DO I REGISTER?
1. Send an e-mail to tw@bostonvineyard.org with the names, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses for both the participant and sponsor.

2. Send a check (payable to "Greater Boston Vineyard" with "TW" on the memo line) to:

ATTN: Transformation Weekend
Greater Boston Vineyard
15 Notre Dame Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02140

Vineyard Eastern Region Conference
The Vineyard will hold their biennial regional conference in the Pocono's. Churches from Maine to Virginia will be there and there will be great worship & speakers for adults, a teen conference, and a youth conference.
Dates: July 8 - 11, 2008
Cost: (Not including food & lodging) Early Registration (Before May 16):
Individual $70 Married Couple $135
Teen $55 Child(ren) $45

Late Registration (After May 16):
Individual $95 Married Couple $160
Teen $80 Child(ren) $70


The Willow Creek Leadership Summit
This is a great conference made up of leaders from the church & the marketplace (speakers page). We'll travel up to the site in Syracuse.
Dates: August 7 & 8
Cost: Depends on how many go...1-9 ($185 each) 10 or more ($145)
For students & faculty, the cost is only $75

 

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