21 Days of Prayer & Fasting

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You’re invited to join with other Vineyard churches across the UK and Ireland in intentionally praying and fasting during January.

For 21 days, beginning 6th Jan, we’ll be praying together for God’s will to be done here on earth as in heaven.

Here are some prayer points for you to use, as a suggested guide for our times of prayer as a movement:

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
— Philippians 4:6-7

Disciple Course

New teaching series launching in January -
The Disciple Course!

At Birmingham Vineyard we want to equip people to live life to the full, with purpose, freedom and friends. Our new teaching series is all about this.

‘Disciple’ is a 10-week course designed to aid people in taking hold of their freedom found in Jesus, understand their identity, resolve spiritual issues and see personal transformation. Disciple’s content applies to everyone - whether you have had faith for a long time, or have recently started on the journey.

 
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Disciple & Small Groups

We will be preaching through the course on Sundays, but the very best place to dig deeper and get the most out of the series will be within your small group where conversations will be continued with plenty of space for discussion and prayer.

If you’re not in a small group yet and are interested in getting involved, simply go to the Welcome Area during a Sunday services and our team will help you find one that is a good fit for you.

Further Disciple Resources

 
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There is also a participant’s guide for the course, which is designed as a journal, with plenty of space for notes, key teaching points for each session, and Chat and Reflect questions. Our small groups will be using this guide during discussions. If you’d like a copy of the guide, simply go to your favourite book distributor and search “Disciple Participants Guide”.

If regular reminders and short devotionals would be helpful to you, then check out the Disciple app! It contains daily devotionals for free, plus access to each week’s starter film and daily content related to the course. More information on the app can be found at http://www.ficm.org.uk/disciple-app


 
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Foodbank Reverse Advent

YOUR GENEROSITY WITH FOODBANK DONATIONS MAKES A DIFFERENCE IN OUR CITY!

Reverse Advent is happening throughout December, a time for you and your family to spread joy to some of the most vulnerable in Birmingham. We’re collecting Foodbank donations through the Reverse Advent calendar which you can pick up at any of our Sunday services and you’re welcome to participate.

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“In October we had a woman arrive to our Safe House. It was her first time in Birmingham and she arrived with no money and very little belongings. She had been a victim of domestic abuse and forced marriage, experiencing abuse on a daily basis. She was referred to settle into temporary accommodation, and we were able to provide her with a food and toiletry bag from your Foodbank. She shared with us: “When the support worker handed the food parcels and toiletries donations, I could not stop crying. I gave a big hug to the worker. Thank you so much.
”
— WAITS (Women Acting In Today’s Society)
“We would like to thank the congregation at Birmingham Vineyard for your incredibly generous donations of toiletry and Foodbank bags to our project. Your bags are contributing to our SafePlace project. They are given to male survivors of human trafficking, modern slavery and exploitation when they are first identified and taken to a safe place to recover. For many of our service users they will arrive with very few personal items and often only the clothes on their back, so being able to give them these items is an invaluable gesture of kindness.”
— West Midlands Anti Slavery Network
 
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For more information or to arrange workplace/large group donations, contact us at info@birminghamvineyard.com

Big Church November 2019

What a fun Big Church celebration we had on Sunday!

THANKS TO ALL WHO CAME, AND ESPECIALLY TO ALL THE AMAZING VOLUNTEERS THAT HELPED MAKE IT HAPPEN.

We heard some incredible God stories about people being emotionally or physically healed over the last few months, and got to celebrate four people being baptised!. There was a great talk by Andrew McNeil, powerful ministry time and worship, and great community time over pizza after the service.

See you at the next Big Church on Sunday, 29th March!

Christmas Services @ BV

We have loads of different events happening this Christmas period for you to get involved in.

We'd love to celebrate the festive season with you! 

All services happen at the following locations and times (unless otherwise specified):

SOUTH SITE

University of Birmingham School
12 Weoley Park Road
Selly Oak
B29 6QU

11:00 Service

CITY CENTRE SITE

Network House
174 Barford Street
Digbeth
B5 7EP

10:30 & 17:30 Services

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5th Annual Big Quiz

What a great time was had by all at the Big Quiz 2019!

For the first time ever, the Quiz was at two locations and everyone enjoyed fish & chips, playing games and taking a shot at tough questions.

Thanks to all who came out, and for the awesome team that put it all together. See you again next year!

No City Centre AM Service 13th October - Birmingham Half Marathon

This Sunday, 13th October is the Birmingham Half Marathon and due to all roads surrounding the City Centre site being blocked off, we are unable to hold the 10:30am service.

You are welcome to join us for an informal time of cheering on the runners from 10:15am, or feel free to join one of our other Sunday services:

11:00 South Site (B29 6QU)

17:30 City Centre (B5 7EP)

For more information about road closures, go to https://www.greatrun.org/great-birmingham-run/event-info or see map below.

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Kingdom Impact 2019 Recap

God’s presence was powerfully touching lives at the Kingdom Impact conference!

It was so great to have guests from across the country join us at Kingdom Impact this weekend for Spirit-filled worship, prayer and teaching.

“I had 2 health conditions coming into the conference; eye cataracts and prostate enlargement. I received prayer at the conference and the people praying for me stopped three times to check in to see if there was any improvement. Each time there was gradual change in my eyesight. I don’t know about my prostate yet, but what I can say is that my eye cataract is healed! I wanted to testify to what has happened and what God has done.
Thank you God!”
— Kingdom Impact attendee
“I’ve been going to church since I can remember. Recently I’ve really struggled with my faith and particularly the Holy Spirit, particularly during ministry. Since becoming a Christian I’ve only ever gone up for ministry 2 times - despite the lord prompting me at other times. I tended to have run away or disengaged, mainly out of fear - this became super clear to me at the last KI conference but Ieft it at that and still avoided ministry. Throughout the weekend hearing so many amazing stories and seeing God move in such an incredible way, I felt my heart pounding so frequently. During the last session Blaine mentioned different groups of people he felt God wanted to bless. I really resonated to all of these and yet stayed in my seat. Then I took a gamble and went up. I have never ever felt the Holy Spirit like I did that evening when being prayed for. God spoke so clearly and I am still shaken up. Even this morning my heart is still pounding. I know there’s a lot more to come and I can’t wait!!
Thank you for all the work that went into this conference. The space provided has really helped me to grow deeper in my faith and hear from God so powerfully.”
— Kingdom Impact attendee

If you’d like to share how God touched your life through the weekend, head to bvc.so/kistories and tell us all about it!

Foodbank Bags Bring Hope

Your generosity with Foodbank donations makes a difference in our city!

It’s Harvest Sunday this weekend, a time to thank God for what He’s given us and to extend generosity to others. We’re collecting Foodbank donations at all our Sunday services and you’re welcome to participate.

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Here’s recent story of hope from a Foodbank bag recipient:

“Mary” was referred to a charity which supports victims of trafficking and abuse. She has two young children and no recourse to public funds. Mary had met her ex-boyfriend in the UK eight years ago and when Mary was with him, he forced her into prostitution to give him money. She suffered from physical, emotional and financial abuse inflicted by him. She was hospitalised for one month once as a result. She didn’t report him because she was scared she would be sent back to her home country. When she found herself pregnant, he said he didn’t want the baby and left her when the child was one month old. 

Mary speaks only very basic English and has no family support in this country. Mary and her two children are currently staying in a small place with no kitchen. The family only gets £50 per week and they are struggling and relying on food banks for mere survival. 

The regular food parcel & the toiletries donations from Vineyard Church have made a big difference to her family. These are things she cannot afford to buy. They are thankful and feel someone cares. Sometimes Mary feels embarrassed to access the local food banks due to the language barrier. Her support worker from an agency that Vineyard partners with, can collect the food parcels from Vineyard Church and Mary can receive them directly from her support worker when she attends programmes at the agency.

Mary is not a Christian but she has started going to a local church because she believes it must be God who arranged the Vineyard Church to help her family.

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Every Foodbank bag you donate is given to agency workers who tirelessly work to support and encourage individuals and families like Mary.

Join us this Sunday for Harvest and bring your Foodbank donations to a service.

For a list of Foodbank items that we are collecting, click here:

Vision: A Fresh Call

Birmingham Vineyard exists to help people follow Jesus, live life to the full and make a difference. Our vision is to start groups, communities and congregations, where people can encounter God.

A few words from Andrew and Rosie, our Senior Pastors:

Dear friends,

Welcome back to a new term, we hope you’ve had a refreshing summer! This Autumn we’re upgrading the way we talk about our vision as a church. Clear vision helps people know why we do what we do. It puts both the significant and the small acts of sacrifice in context. It helps to unite, mobilise and engage every person.

This is not about us coming up with a new vision. This is the same vision but with new clarity. It’s who we’re called to be and what we’re called to do as Birmingham Vineyard.

This term we want every person in Birmingham Vineyard to understand the vision: to get it, know it and live it.

Get it

Do you know why we do what we do?

Know it

Do you know it well enough to be able to communicate it to a friend?

Live it

Are you living out the vision in our city?

Many blessings,

Andrew and Rosie

There are a set of icons designed specifically for this process. They are clear, visual and memorable, to help the vision stick. You can find our clarified vision and these icons by clicking here.

Job Vacancy - Senior Pastors Executive Assistant

Please Note: Applications for this post have now closed

We believe that administration is a crucial part of building God's Kingdom through the church and enabling the wider community to do the things God is calling us into.

If you have a head for admin and a heart for serving, you may be interested in this paid Senior Pastors Executive Assistant role!

As Executive Assistant you will provide the essential administration to support the Senior Pastors. This is a diverse role involving the coordination and management of the diary, representing the Senior Pastors in all forms of communication with people in Birmingham Vineyard, Vineyard Churches UK and I and the global Vineyard family of Churches. This role carries a genuine occupational requirement for a post holder who fully supports our Christian faith, values and ethos statement because of the centrality of the role in the organisation and the need to represent well the Senior Pastors and the church.

Download the full job description here

Email your complete applications (more detail on job description above) or any questions to: rosie@birminghamvineyard.com

Salary: Dependent on experience £20,000 - £26,000 (full time equivalent)
Length: 9-12 months fixed term contract.
Closing date: Tuesday, 13th August 2019

Summer Sundays 2019

Summer is here!

Over the summer we love to create a relaxed space for people to connect after our services. So if you're new and want to meet people, fancy a tasty treat or would love the chance to slow down and enjoy people's company after one of our services, come along!

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Click here for more information about our great Community Fun Day event!

Big Church June 2019

What a fun Big Church celebration we had on Sunday!

Thanks to all who came, and especially to all the amazing volunteers that helped make it happen.

We heard some incredible God stories about Vineyard churches in Malawi, as well as the youth conference DTI and the young lives being impacted. There was a great talk by Adam Pipe, powerful ministry time and worship, and great community time over hot dogs after the service.

See you at the next Big Church on Sunday, 17th November!

Stories Behind The Songs

Following on from our New Music Tuesday blog post, over the next few months we are releasing song story videos for our new home-written music.

“Here at Birmingham Vineyard, we’re really passionate about writing new songs so that we can give Jesus our love, and the praise He deserves, in fresh ways. Our heart is that these songs are ones that we can all own as a church and sing as one. With that in mind, we as songwriters would like to share the story behind each song to invite everyone on this journey.”
— Jon Solway, Worship Pastor

We’re introducing 6 new songs over the next few months at church, and with each song we will be releasing a video telling the story behind the song. Check back each month to watch the next one!

September 2020

Here’s Jon & Ben talking about the new song, Lead Me In Your Love.

January 2020

Here’s Luke talking about the story behind the new song for this month:

November 2019- YOUR Love

Here’s Emily talking about the story behind the new song for this month:

OCTOBER 2019- PRAISE YOUR NAME

Here’s Milly talking about the story behind the new song for this month:

AUGUST 2019- REST IN YOUR PRESENCE

Here’s Ben & Emily talking about the story behind the new song for this month:

JULY 2019- CAPTURE MY ATTENTION

Here’s Ben & Jon talking about the story behind the new song for this month:

JUNE 2019- We Have Come (Still What You Do)

Here’s Marc talking about the story behind the new song for this month:

JANUARY 2018 - WAITING FOR ME

Here’s Luke talking about the story behind the new song for this month:

New Music Tuesday

Worship is one of our highest priorities as part of the Vineyard movement. We love how it builds up our faith, gives God the praise He deserves, reminds us who God is, and brings us to a place of intimacy with Jesus.

Psalm 96

1 Sing to the Lord a new song;

sing to the Lord, all the earth.

2 Sing to the Lord, praise his name;

proclaim his salvation day after day.

3 Declare his glory among the nations,

his marvellous deeds among all peoples.

4 For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise.

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The Father is constantly on the move - just as Jesus says in John 5:17. He’s constantly working in our lives, constantly giving us new glimpses of His character. And so part of our response is naturally to be giving him a new song of praise - to thank Him for His new (and past) work, to tell others of His goodness in our lives, and to praise Him with new gratitude, insight and love for Him.

We want to be a people pursuing the Lord. As He continues to move in new ways, and in new areas, we want to be pursuing Him with a new offering of praise.

Therefore, over the next few months, we’ll be introducing quite a few new songs as part of our Sunday song lists. A number of these songs have been written by people in our community, people who call Birmingham Vineyard home.

We recognise that God is doing something unique in each of us, but also He’s doing something unique in our church. We are committed to songwriting to tell the story of God at work in us, and to pray for the more that is to come. We want to write songs that we can all own, and sing with a sense of family.

Our home written songs haven’t yet been recorded and released fully, but you can listen to the demos of the songs right here (see right). They are:

If you’d like to get a head-start on other songs that we are introducing at church, they are:

 

Team Appreciation Party

Last Friday, Birmingham Vineyard hosted a truly memorable Team Appreciation Party!

We would love to express our thanks to all of the amazing leaders and volunteers who serve on teams at Birmingham Vineyard! Check out this note from Andrew and Rosie, our Senior Pastors, expressing their gratitude to everyone who serves:

Dear team,

Birmingham Vineyard exists to help people follow Jesus, live life to the full and make a difference. You help that become a reality in all the different ways you serve. 

People often come out of a Sunday and say ‘What a great Sunday that was!" They often thank us but we know it’s because of you. People experience the presence of God, come to faith or their faith comes alive and your service makes that happen.  

You consistently go the extra mile. In fact we see many of you park round the corner to leave car park spaces for guests each Sunday. You come early and stay late and it's much appreciated. You open up your homes and lives to make space for those who are not part of community. You reach out to the wider city of Birmingham and beyond, to bring hope and practical help to many people in need.

What you do is seen, it’s appreciated and celebrated. Who you are is an inspiration and example to those you serve.

On Friday, we celebrated you with a great party! We want to say a special thank you to two incredible people who made the night memorable. Thank you to Reece Dougall, who made all the delicious food for the event. Thank you also to Andy Keast, who built all of the street food stalls which transformed the space and made a perfect setting for the party. 

Rosie and I, on behalf of the staff team and all the trustees want to thank you for all that you do in the life of our church.

Many blessings,

Andrew & Rosie McNeil

Photo credits to Daniel McNeil Photography

Thank you again for all those who came on Friday night!

If you aren’t currently serving on a team, we would love to help you find your fit. To express your interest in serving click the button below:

Velo Cycle Event - 12th May - Routes affecting services

Velo Cycle Event - Sunday, 12th May
Route information and road closures

This Sunday is the Velo Cycle event, which will impact routes to both our City Centre site and South Site.

Both sites are accessible and Sunday services will run as normal, but please plan your route ahead of time to assure plenty of time to get to church with the route changes.

If you travel by public transportation, you can find more information on how the event impacts bus and trains here: Velo Public Transport Routes

See map below to view access routes and road closures, and for more details go to https://www.velobirmingham.com/the-route/road-closures/

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Festivals, Healings and #Jesusisreal

How the Youth of Our Nation Are Making a Difference

The Kingdom of God is at work amongst the youth of our nation!

Media often portrays youth in a negative light, and there are lots of issues young people have to face on a daily basis. However, there is so much hope and passion in this generation! Across the UK, teens are responding to the invitation to relationship with Jesus, experiencing freedom through the Holy Spirit, and acting in courageous ways to make a difference in our world!

{ Hear the story of teens giving their lives to Jesus and spreading #Jesusisreal around their school >>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKjibtti1OI }

The youth of Birmingham Vineyard are fully engaging with the Kingdom of God. We caught up with Josh Evans, one of our youth leaders, to hear more about what’s happening with our youth…

Josh, what made you want to get involved with serving on the youth team?

I got involved because I wanted to see God's story in the lives of our young people, and have a lot of fun getting to know some great human beings. Before joining, I'd just finished a job where I'd see a snapshot in the lives of different young people each week, but when I arrived in Birmingham, I wanted to put down roots, and invest. It's been great! #BlessedToBless.

 

What have you been seeing God do in the youth over this past year?

The youth are constantly growing and surprising us all! It's been amazing to see conversations at Soul Survivor festival develop into decisions to get baptised. Over the last couple of years, a big cohort of the older youth has 'graduated' from youth and moved on to new things, including leadership in their new spheres. Following this, so many people have been stepping up and stepping out into serving and ministry, whether that's in band, tech, prophecy or prayer. 

 

Share a bit more with us about what the Youth Justice Panel is and how Birmingham Vineyard youth are involved?

Over the past year we have been involved with Tearfund, a Christian charity working towards ending poverty. This February they invited three of BV’s youth to join the Tearfund Youth Justice Panel - a chance to grow closer with God, learn about His heart for people and justice, and take action to make a difference. They found the first training day enjoyable and inspiring, looking at themes of waste, education, hunger and fashion. We saw the awe-inspiring example of Greta Thunberg who is taking on the world at 16 for climate change, and now our young people are in the process of planning their own actions so watch this space to hear more in the coming months!

 

How can our church support the youth that are serving on the panel?

If you would like to support, keep an eye out for what they're doing and joyfully join in, with prayer and practical help! Supporting our young people also means engaging with your own justice journey. What is God challenging you on? What sacrifices can you make for His Kingdom? It's scary, but, God wants his relentless love for his people and this earth to be at the centre of all of our life decisions, big and small. 

Read more about the Youth Justice Panel here >>> https://weare.tearfund.org/birminghamyjp/

 

What are you most excited about in the upcoming months with youth?

Festivals are a great chance to get to know the young people at Vineyard better, and see what God's doing in their lives. This year, I'm looking forward to a summer of celebrations with Dreaming The Impossible (DTI), as well as the final year of Soul Survivor. I know that God will be moving, so I'm just excited to see how.

Check out this video on DTI going BIG in 2020 >>>

How you can help…

You are invited to come alongside this young generation who are making a difference:

PRAY – Pray for the youth who are attending DTI Festival this weekend (3rd-6th May), for powerful encounters with God! Pray for the young generation of Jesus lovers – for courage, wisdom and kindness as they partner with God to bring the Kingdom into their spheres of influence.

YOUR JUSTICE JOURNEY – Join our youth in making lifestyle changes to bring justice to the world. For practical ideas and to read more about justice issues, check out tearfund.org

GET INVOLVED – If you are interested in serving with the youth team, or at DTI 2020 simply pop an email through to Aaron the youth pastor: aaron@birminghamvineyard.com

Easter 2019

Easter Weekend at Birmingham Vineyard

The crocuses and daffodils have bloomed and chocolate is everywhere you look - it’s Easter time!

Come join us as we celebrate Good Friday and Easter together at Birmingham Vineyard:

GOOD FRIDAY SERVICES

“The Presence”

FRIDAY, 19TH APRIL
CITY CENTRE SITE (B5 7EP)
2 SERVICES - CHOOSE WHICH FITS YOU BEST


9:00am - 9:45am - Join us for a quiet, contemplative service reflecting on the cross and Jesus’ sacrifice. This service will be primarily self-led, with various stations that you can engage in silently. Communion will be offered. Hot cross buns and drinks will be served after the service.

10:30am - 11:30am - Join us for an interactive, all-age service, where we will engage in reflection on Jesus’ sacrifice in an active way. This family-friendly service will lead us through various activities as we engaging with the power of the cross. Communion will be offered. Hot cross buns and drinks will be served after the service.

EASTER SUNDAY SERVICES

SUNDAY, 21ST APRIL

10:30am & 5:30pm City Centre site
11:00am South site

Join us for an all-age service celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
There will be worship, a relevant teaching and interactive prayer activities.