VCNP Leadership Monthly for November, 2007
Brian's Corner
Dear Leader,This is a very exciting time around here at the Vineyard because we are actually beginning construction of our new buildings! The next 16 months or so are going to be exciting and memorable times as we watch these buildings go up! What do these buildings represent? They represent people. They are about us being able to reach, minister to, and invest in more people. These buildings represent changed lives! I ran across an interesting article from a guy named Todd Rhoades a few months ago. In it, he talks about how the church needs to be a little more like Wal-Mart. I am including his article below. I think you will enjoy the article, and I think it is a good reminder about what our church family is all about. At the end of the article, Todd has included some excellent, thought provoking questions. I hope you read them and think about them. Have a great week. See you this weekend! Love Maybe the Church Should Become a Little More Like Wal-Mart….What is the price or value of a soul? $215,000. That’s the price that Wal-Mart has put on each of their customers. A couple weeks ago, I happened upon a documentary on CNBC about the inner workings of Wal-Mart. It was a very interesting program. One of the main things that stood out to me is that Wal-Mart has done extensive research into their business. If, for example, I go into my local Wal-Mart store and get bad service; can’t find what I need; have to wait in the checkout line too long; or anything else that really makes me upset, Wal-Mart knows that they have a lot to lose. In fact, they’ve calculated the value of what I’m worth to them. If I get mad at Wal-Mart and never return, I have just cost the company (on average) $215,000. That’s how much sales they have figured they will lose from the average customer over their lifetime if they don’t come back … Wal-Mart puts a high value on me and every other person and family in my community. Many churches, on the other hand, seemingly couldn’t care less about the people in their community. Sure, we give them lip service, but when it really comes down to reaching our target, many of us are too busy arguing about carpet color, worship styles, and how much to ‘give’ to missions in Africa, all the while missing the main point of reaching our own community for Christ. Wal-Mart provides diapers and socks and hemorrhoid cream for a profit. The church offers eternal life and salvation for free. Shouldn’t our communities know we value them at least as much as Wal-Mart? FOR THOUGHT AND DISCUSSION: Here are a few questions for you:
Other NewsGreg and Diana West’s Church PlantI want to let you know about another opportunity our church has to expand the Kingdom of God. I have been meeting with Greg and Diana West (our current Celebrate Recovery Coordinators) since January of this year about their desire to plant a church. After much planning and prayer we are confident that God is in this and have determined a location and potential launch time. The plant will look to target the Sunnyslope area, and if everything goes as planned, the West’s and their team will be launched in February, 2008. Over the next few months you will hear more about this plant and some informational meetings for anyone interested in learning more about it. Greg and Diana have been a wonderful couple in our church and will be greatly missed. Please keep them and their planting team in your prayers. God is truly expanding our Church’s influence in the greater Phoenix area. Blessings, Update on Recent EventsYouth Mexico Mission TripWe recently partnered with the Cottonwood Vineyard youth group for another incredible mission trip. On September 20 – 22, we took a group of 40 people to serve the DIF orphanage of Rocky Point, Mexico. Among our many projects, we repainted over 600 feet of block fencing and repainted and sanded playground equipment. We donated over 1000 hotdogs, 30 large bags of nacho chips, 25 cases of water and soda to the orphanage. They then sold those to help raise money to build a new building. While on the trip, the youth group also had opportunities to grow spiritually. We had an incredible time of worship and had time to spend a few hours building relationships on the beach. Our mission trip was a huge success! -Craig Beyer, Associate Pastor Family Toolbox Expo 2007Our first Family Tool Box Expo was a huge success! On October 6th and 7th, VCNP was blessed to have guest speaker Jim Burns deliver a wonderful and encouraging message to our church body. Many were excited and challenged with God’s Word as Jim taught us the power of being there for our kids and the importance of building healthy families. We had well over seventy booths in the courtyard to provide parents of tots to teens powerful resources and the “tools” needed to build strong and healthy families of all shapes and sizes. Parents enjoyed free magazines, on-line resources, and practical parenting tips while kids enjoyed Veggie Tale stickers, balloons, and candy as families explored the booths together. All in all, every person gained a lot through the Family Toolbox Expo weekend. If you missed the expo, don’t worry. You can still enjoy many of the resources on-line at our Family Tool Box link or go to the Parent’s Corner in the Vineyard Kids building for free resources. -Jody Kingston, Children’s Pastor Food DriveOur October Food Drive was a huge success! Over the course of three weeks, we collected 431 bags of food with over 6500 pounds of food! Thank you so much for your help in donating food or helping out with the event. Several people volunteered to pass out bags, collect bags, and sort food. A huge thanks goes out to everyone who helped make this event possible. Thank you for your incredible Kingdom service! -Paul VanDerNaalt, Food Bank Coordinator |
Events and HighlightsHere are some major events that we can expect to see soon:
Upcoming Classes:
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