Making A Difference This Christmas

Our Foodbank is partnering with local agencies to provide Christmas Essentials Hampers for individuals & families in Brum who have had a difficult year.

Our Foodbank agency partners have identified 75 families that would really benefit from some Christmas hope & cheer this season.
Can you partner with us in providing hampers for each of these families?

We’re aware that shopping can be difficult during lockdown, so we have three simple ways that you can be involved in the
Christmas Hamper Appeal.

How You Can Get Involved

⓵ Contribute financially

You can give a financial donation online, which will go towards purchasing items for Christmas Hampers and Foodbank supplies in 2021.

 

⓶ Purchase items through our Amazon Wishlist

You can purchase items from our Amazon Wishlist and have them sent directly to church - easy peasy!

⓷ Create a Christmas Hamper

Consider inviting your small group, family, street or groups of friends to join you in creating a full Christmas Hamper. Pop through your details in the form below and we’ll be in touch with a list of Hamper contents and drop-off instructions.

 
Foodbank Christmas Hamper list (2).jpg
 

If you have any questions about contributing to the Christmas Hamper Appeal, get in touch - helenp@birminghamvineyard.com
or ring the office 0121 622 1230.

Thank you for making a difference to individuals & families
in Birmingham.

A New Season

At the start of this new season, we are so excited about everything God is doing in Birmingham through the Church and His people.

The coming months will continue to bring change and require flexibility, patience and lots of love. We bless you to press into what God is inviting you into and for you to find your hope and security in Him.

Here’s Andrew, our Senior Pastor, sharing a few things that have been on his heart at the start of this new season.

New to Birmingham? Welcome!

If you’ve recently moved to Birmingham, a very warm welcome to you and we hope your first few months in this vibrant city are full of blessings. If you are looking for connection with others and to get plugged into a community where you can use your passions and talents to make a difference in the world, get in touch with us.

We would love to hear from you and learn how we can support you, get you connected and find your fit in Birmingham. Click the button below, pop through your details and one of our team will be in touch. If you’re a uni student, the Young Adults team will help you connect with other people in your season of life.

How can we pray for you in this new season?

Perhaps you are experiencing a life change this season, or maybe nothing has changed and you’re continuing on daily life during this time of uncertainty. No matter what is going on in your life, we’d love to come alongside you and support you in prayer.

During every Sunday Stream there is an opportunity to receive live prayer via chat with one of the team (bvc.so/sunday-stream), or you can pop through your prayer request to our office by sending us a message (info@birminghamvineyard.com).

Have a lovely September!

Summer Fun 2020

Summer is here and there are some great opportunities for you to live life to the full by connecting with others in a socially-distanced way!

Friday Prayer @ City Centre Site // Fridays in August, 12:45-14:00

We are really excited to announce that we’ll be opening up the building on Friday afternoons in August for a time of prayer. You are invited to come and be led in a short prayer by one of our team. Once the led prayer has finished you can pray and reflect however you would like for the remainder of the time. We want to assure you that we are taking precautions and following all of the government guidance to make these times as safe as possible. 

Pre-registration is required: bvc.so/fridayprayer 
As per Government guidelines, masks are also required, please bring your own mask

Kids Park Meetups // Various Days in August

Join up with other families for a time of play & socially-distant activities led by our amazing Kids Team!

Pre-registration is required. Email Lauren for details and sign up info - laurenm@birminghamvineyard.com.

“Agents of Shield” Zoom group // Various Days in August

As lockdown eases, we'd love to make sure that those of us who are still shielding or needing extra protective measures have support and feel connected with their church family. Come along to our first evening, 3rd August at 7:30pm (Zoom Meeting ID: 836 6353 8751, Passcode: Vineyard) or email Maddy for more details maddy.bunker@yahoo.co.uk

online Escape Room // friday, 21st August, 20:00

Looking to solve some puzzles, outsmart the competition and win undying glory from the comfort of your sofa? In teams of 4, we'll be attempting to solve an online escape room - fastest time wins a prize!

Pre-registration is required: https://vnc.churchsuite.co.uk/events/ktwqjzoz

Communities

Our Communities & Small Groups are connecting in various ways throughout the summer, so if you’re not yet involved in a Community and would like to be, send us an email at info@birminghamvineyard.com and we’ll help you connect.

An Update on Sunday Services

We were all excited to hear the news last week that the government is lifting restrictions on churches being able to meet. This brought us a sense of excitement and anticipation.

However, on Monday, the small print was released! 

The headline sounds great but the list of restrictions is lengthy.  For example…

 

  • Gathered church can't involve any congregational sung worship.  

  • The guidelines advise against social interaction between anyone except your household or your "bubble."

  • Children have to remain with their parents at all times.

  • Two meters distance must be maintained and if that's not possible face masks are advised. 

  • Communion and prayer that involve any interaction are not permitted, nor are hospitality or refreshments.

 

Considering all these restrictions and more, we just don't think we can responsibly meet in person for church yet. We so miss seeing you all and being in the room together but so much of what we treasure about church wouldn't be able to happen. 

Our primary concern is the health and safety of everyone who gathers with us and whilst there is a hunger to meet again, the risks and restrictions are still too limiting.

So, it's with heavy hearts that we've made the decision that we will not be meeting in the building on Sunday (5th July) or in the short to medium term. We have talked with the leadership team of Vineyard Churches UK & Ireland and understand that most Vineyard churches will not be meeting in their buildings this summer. 

We do eagerly await being able to meet again in person and we are actively making detailed arrangements to do that safely, well and wisely. We'll communicate more about what to expect in the coming weeks. 

In the meantime, if you have any questions for us, then please do email info@birminghamvineyard.com and chat to us. 

See you at online church this Sunday, at 10:00, 11:30 or 17:30!
https://birminghamvineyard.online.church/

An Invitation To Each of Us

Transcript from Andrew & Rosie’s message from Sunday, 14th June:

All of you will know that the horrifying death of George Floyd in the USA has caused both outrage and trauma for so many. Such discrimination and treatment of a human being is abhorrent and in complete contrast to the example set by the life and teachings of Jesus. 

On Thursday we made a statement in response to the events of the last few weeks. This pandemic and the lockdown is allowing us to address big things in our world and the subject of racism and injustice requires our attention and our action. 

We’d invite you all to read our blog or watch our video that was posted on Thursday. See our website and Facebook pages.

As we gather today we want to look at how we can all make a difference.

You’ll be familiar with our vision statement which is to “Follow Jesus, Live life to the full and to make a difference.”

Each Sunday during lockdown, we’ve been taking time to hear from someone in our church community who is making a difference. Well today we want to turn that around and ask that question of us all. Today we want to make the question personal. “Jesus - How can I make a difference?” 

Can you make this your prayer? This has certainly been our prayer this week. 

Although we are individual people with different experiences we know that as followers of Jesus we are all connected to God and to each other. The bible describes us as brothers and sisters in God’s family.

To restate what we’ve already expressed.  We emphatically condemn racism in all its forms. Racism is a violation of the character of God and an insult to his image that is expressed in every person.

As your leaders, we’re not just making a comment in this cultural moment, we’re committed to listening, learning and leading differently.

Today we want to speak in three ways. 

  1.   As your leaders. 

  2.   To all of you from a Black Asian Minority Ethnic background. 

  3.   To everyone in our church family. 

From Us - Andrew & Rosie as church leaders and leading our team  

We start by acknowledging the issues. Racism is sin. It’s evil and unjust and sadly it’s the experience of many people.

We are committed to listening, learning and action.

Listening - being present in honest conversations. We’re going to be hosting some forums in the next few weeks to talk to those from Black Asian and Ethnic minority backgrounds to hear your stories, to understand your lived reality. We really want you to join us at those gatherings.  

We are committed to learning.  We don’t know what we don’t know. 

We are committed to action - to prayer and to a clear plan for the months ahead. 

This week we’ll post advance dates and details of those gatherings. We’ll restate those next Sunday as well. 

Now we want to speak to those of you who are from a Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic community. 

If you currently see or could see Birmingham Vineyard as your home church, then our invitation is that you would fully engage in this conversation with us. 

We want you to know that we see you, we love you, we care and we want to learn from you and with you. 

We’d ask you to come to the forums we’re planning and be courageously honest about the things that affect you. (To find out more, click here: https://vnc.churchsuite.co.uk/events/icfyylbi)

Speak the truth in love so we can grow together.  Engage with us, help us learn and help us identify our next steps. 


For Everyone: How we can all make a difference? 

Some of you are largely unaffected by these issues of injustice and racism. You may not have any first-hand experience of the prejudice that many of our brothers and sisters face. 

There are times when as a church family, we celebrate; we express our joy together before the Lord. But there are also times when, as a body, we stand with, kneel with, hurt with, cry with, and pray with, those brothers and sisters who are mourning, those in our family who experience injustice, violence, and struggle. It is our calling as followers of Jesus to mourn with those who mourn, laugh with those who laugh, weep with those who weep. 

We act as Christ when we comfort each other and walk with each other. 

I spent 2 hours this week in conversation and prayer with senior Church leaders from both black and white led denominations and Churches in Birmingham. We all realised that more than ever we need to respond to this moment inspired by the example and spirit of Jesus. 

The church has a part to play in showing the world what a healthy vibrant community can look like. 

Our only hope is found in turning to Jesus. He is the light that is needed in this present darkness. 

We need Jesus. He reminds us that we’re all equally loved children made in God’s image.

We need Jesus. He provides a way for us to break free from the sinful selfishness of the human heart. 

We need Jesus. He shows us mercy and leads us to places of repentance, forgiveness and reconciliation. 

We need Jesus. He challenges us to speak for justice in a world of blatant systemic and historic inequality. 

We need Jesus. He has promised us the hope that his kingdom will come and his will be done as we pray and work for change.

We need Jesus. He reminds us there is a day to come where a great multitude that no one will be able to number, from every nation, from every tribe, and people and language, will stand before the throne of heaven as one. 


And until that day comes. We need action. 

Action that puts the words and vision of Jesus into practice. Action that protects all our brothers and sisters. Action through people that repent and re-orientate. Action that ushers in the promise of God’s kingdom. Action that is fuelled by God’s spirit. Action that leads to transformation and justice for all. 

God help us to be part of your kingdom coming on earth, as it is in heaven. 

We invite you to pray. “Jesus please lead me - How can I make a difference?” 

A Message from Andrew & Rosie

We want to speak with you about the events of the last few weeks both in the USA and here in the UK. We have been deeply distressed by what has taken place.

The death of George Floyd was an extreme expression of the racism and injustice that is experienced by so many, not just in the USA but also in our country and in our Church family.

We just want to start this with an apology. We haven’t spoken to this situation yet and that has been a missed moment on our part. Just so you understand our context. Last week we had booked annual leave to be present with our extended family. Both sides of our family have needed our time and attention because of very significant health issues, so we weren’t present to our staff team or in a visible way to you as Church in this crisis and for that we are sorry. 

We are however taking time to listen, learn and to pray. We’re grateful for what our team posted and expressed in our absence and we want you as Birmingham Vineyard to know the depth of our concern. 

We emphatically condemn racism in all its forms. Racism is a violation of the character of God and an insult to his image that is expressed in every person.

As His Church, we are made a new family in Christ with a shared identity as sons and daughters. We are called to express this unity. We are to be a place where people of every nation, tribe, and language can worship God together. 

With every personal story of discrimination we are hearing, our understanding, empathy and pain grows because when one part of the body hurts, the whole body hurts. We weep with those who weep and we mourn with those who mourn. These are days in which we are called to grieve together over the injustices that have been done to our brothers and sisters. 

Racism is evil. It should have no place in society and it should certainly have no place in the church. We all have blind spots, and many of us who are white, don’t realise how what we say or don’t say, or do or don’t do, might inadvertently exclude or wound others. That is not our heart and if you are from a Black, Asian and Minority ethnic  background and you have experienced anything like that in the context of this Church we want to know and we want to ask your forgiveness.

Let’s grow in our understanding and make steps to change. As your leaders we’re not just making a comment in this cultural moment, we’re deeply committed to listening, learning and leading differently. As white people we may never fully understand what you’ve experienced. We want to hear from you, we want to listen to your stories, and together we want to search our hearts, repent, comfort and walk with each other. 

Thank you for being present, engaged and honest so we can become everything God calls us to be, namely a Church filled with faith, hope and love. 

It’s an answer to Rosie and my prayers over many years that Birmingham Vineyard is changing, becoming much more diverse, more reflective of this wonderful, multi-cultural city which we love, and where we are called to serve. We are richer because of that change. But we freely acknowledge that we have a long way to go to fully express God’s kingdom in all its diversity.  We’ve seen incremental change. But we need to see significant change at every level so people from all backgrounds can fully encounter God, enjoy authentic safe community and discover a place to become everything Jesus has called them to be, fully expressing their discipleship and leadership gifts in the Church and in all of life. 

On Sunday we will be speaking more into this subject and explaining how we can lean into this journey together and what we will be actively doing to respond practically. 

We want you to know that we love everyone who considers Birmingham Vineyard their home. Join us as we pray for God’s Kingdom to come and his will to be done.

Thank you all.

Every blessing,

Andrew & Rosie

(To view Andrew & Rosie’s video message, go to Birmingham Vineyard’s Facebook page: facebook.com/vineyardbham)

A Response of Unity

We stand against racism & kneel with our brothers & sisters who suffer this injustice.

We will comfort each other & walk with each other, mourn together & weep together, and we will do this passionately & peacefully, actively committing to fight injustice everywhere we see it.

Many of us will have had very different reactions to the events surrounding the past week of unrest in the United States of America. Many of us will feel sadness, grief, anger, frustration, sympathy, confusion, or a mixture of these. As Christians, we start with honesty, where we are and where our world is. We ask Jesus to come and stand with us, to feel what we feel. We pray together for a better future.

The sad truth is that racism and injustice are not problems that only exist far away.  Similar injustices exist across the world, and in our own society too. Racism is real. It is still a reality for the whole world, including the United Kingdom, and it is an experience for many in our church family and in our society.

What is our response?

Although we are individual people with different experiences, we are connected, for better or worse, one with God, and with each other. There are some times when, as a body, a church family, we celebrate, we express our joy together before the Lord. But there are also times when, as a body, we must stand with, kneel with, cry with, hurt with, and mostly pray with, those in our body who are mourning. Those in our body who are experiencing injustice, unrest, violence, and struggle. It is our Christian calling to mourn with those who mourn, laugh with those who laugh, weep with those who weep. We act as Christ when we comfort each other and walk with each other. It is to be in Christ to learn about one another’s experiences, and grow in patience, endurance and love as we do so.

God’s heart breaks when He sees injustice. We’re invited into a relationship with God, where He transforms our hearts so that our hearts begin to break when His does. So whether we can empathise with a particular situation, we can still all take one more step towards unity and deeper connection with each other. We can hear each other's stories, stand alongside each other in our struggles, and work hard to deepen our connections and our love for each other. As we do, we will see and understand more of God’s heart, we draw closer to Jesus, who has walked through it all Himself in His life, and now walks through it again, alongside us.

Whether we have experienced racism or not, whether our skin is one colour or another, whatever our political leaning, upbringing and background, we are called to live in unity. Throughout the Bible, we’re reminded of the unity that is inherent in our family, the body of Christ. It’s in our DNA and it’s through unity that we display God’s love for the world (John 17:23, Galatians 3:26-28, Ephesians 4:2-6, Romans 10:12). 

So as we look on across the world, as we see demonstrations far away, and are reminded of similar situations and circumstances close to home, we are stirred to pray. Pray for institutional and cultural change. Pray for understanding. Pray for the marginalised, the hurting, and the overlooked. Pray for justice, pray for reconciliation, and above all, to pray for God’s peace. 

Sometimes we find it difficult to pray what’s in our hearts in our own words, to summarise the cry of our hearts with syllables and letters. And so, to close, we’d like to use God’s Word: the living Word that always remains in every season. These words from Paul in Romans 12, starting in verse 9, may help you to pray along with God and the worldwide church.

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honour one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervour, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.

Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. On the contrary:

“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;

 if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.

In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

-Romans 12: 9-21

Songwriting Challenge

As a Vineyard church, worship is our highest priority.

We see songwriting by the congregation as a vital part of glorifying God and edifying His church.

Each of us has been given gifts and talents from God that we can use to glorify Him and share His love for humanity. We want to sing songs that tell our story of God at work in us. We want to respond to what is happening in our church through songwriting, to facilitate a corporate response of a corporate experience.

During this time, you may find that you have more available time, or less so, but we believe that songwriting can develop a language of prayer and intimacy between you and God. So whether you’ve written a worship song before or not, we’d love to invite you to take 10 minutes a day to take on the Songwriting Challenge!

Check out this video for details:

How to participate

  1. Write a song (or part of a song). Check out the Songwriting Resources link below to see all sorts of criteria, guidance and resources to get you started!

  2. Create a basic lyric sheet (preferably including chords/numbers) and record a simple demo (e.g. a phone recording of singing the melody).

  3. Send to Jon Solway, our Worship Pastor, at jon@birminghamvineyard.com.

  4. Receive feedback and information about next steps.

Care Packs Donation Drive

You can make a difference to women in Birmingham who are in vulnerable situations.

God’s Kingdom draws near to those who have experienced very difficult circumstances in life. As we are learning about the Beatitudes in our sermon series, we are being encouraged that Jesus is within reach and extends his blessing to those who are oppressed, poor and grieving. As a church, one way we partner with Jesus in extending his blessing to others is through practical donations to people who don’t have the resources to access much-needed items.

“Calls to a national domestic abuse helpline rose by 49% and killings doubled weeks after lockdown, a report by MPs has revealed.

”
— BBC

Through the end of May we are collecting donations for local agencies who work directly with women who have experienced human trafficking, exploitation, or domestic violence. We are partnering with:

  • West Midlands Anti Slavery Network

  • Heartlands Hospital Maternity Ward

  • Birmingham & Solihull Women’s Aid

  • British Red Cross

  • Adavu

How You Can Help

  • Pop a few of the items below onto your shopping list and bring them to Birmingham Vineyard at the drop-off times listed below.

  • Share this with your neighbours and gather donations as a street or building. A great way to build community!

  • Take the hassle out of going to the shops by ordering from our Amazon Wish List: https://amzn.eu/3yCcWsS
    (We are unable to accept Amazon deliveries at church, so please have items shipped to you and drop off at times listed below)

  • Take time to pray for women, children and vulnerable people who are being taken advantage of.

  • If you prefer to make a direct financial donation, click here and choose “Care Packs for Vulnerable Women” in your designation: https://vnc.churchsuite.co.uk/donate/

Items needed:

  • Disposable pants, all adult sizes (for use during hospital stay post-birth)

  • Unopened bags of cotton wool

  • Brand new nighties/pyjamas, sizes L - XXL

  • Breast pads

  • New, unopened toothbrushes & toothpaste

  • Shampoo, conditioner, soap

  • Deodorant (unscented or for females)

  • Sanitary towels/feminine pads

  • Nappies, sizes 1-6

  • Baby wipes

  • Nice hand cream, small perfumes, nail products

  • Nice candles

Drop off times:

Birmingham Vineyard Church
174 Barford Street, B5 7EP

Tuesday, 19th May 9:30am-12:30pm 

Sunday, 24th May 1:00pm-3:00pm

Tuesday, 26th May 9:30am-12:30pm 

Sunday, 31st May  1:00pm-3:00pm

Unable to drop off at one of these times?
Contact Jess to arrange an alternative: jessm@birminghamvineyard.com

Thank you for making a difference!

Stilling Prayer Exercises

“‘Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me-watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.’

”
— Matthew 11: 28-30 (MSG)

These stilling prayer exercises can be used at any time to increase awareness of God’s constant presence.

When you’re ready to practice one of these exercises, just find a quiet spot where you can be still for a bit without distraction. Enjoy!

Looking for a simple place to start with following Jesus and living His way every day? We want to make it as clear and simple as possible, so that no matter where you are at in your faith journey you can grow in your relationship with Jesus.

The Big Three booklet shares 3 simple spiritual practices that you can use every day to help you grow closer to Jesus. Download here:

Palms Down, Hands Up

 

Be Still

 

Body Scan

 

Invite Jesus In

 

Awareness

 
 
 
 
 

Sundays Are For Community

Community is more important than ever!

Our digital Sunday Streams offer lots of ways to connect with others, so whether you’re new to our church or have been around for a while, come join us and get stuck in.

3 Sunday Streams

As a church we exist to help many different people follow Jesus, and one way that we do that is through our multisite model. To help us express this digitally, we’ve moved to three Sunday Streams!

10:00 // 11:30 // 17:30
Every sunday

You’ll see familiar faces leading and the chance to “bump” into the same people you normally would at your regular service. 

New Online Church Venue

We’re using a new online venue to meet together on Sundays, which gives us more opportunities to connect with each as we meet, just like we normally would! The Online Church platform has a live chat box, online bible feature, easy-to-access links and live prayer through private chat rooms.

We’d love you to join us on this interactive platform for our Sunday Streams by going to birminghamvineyard.online.church

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After Church Hangouts

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We sure miss getting to catch up after the service with friends over a cup of coffee! To help us connect more we are introducing After Church Hangouts every Sunday, after each service.

These digital video hangouts on Zoom will give us a chance to mix and mingle after church just as if we were in the same room. Think of it like the cafe area after a church service where we can have informal chat and catch up time with each other.

For security, these calls are password protected so if you haven't already received the login details for these calls via email, feel free to contact us at info@birminghamvineyard.com.

Easter Weekend - Online!

Join us online as we reflect on the sacrifice of Jesus and celebrate the new life that He brings each of us!

Week of prayer

Week of Prayer is designed to help you connect with God through prayer, no matter what your experience with prayer has been. Head to our Week of Prayer page for daily resources for kids and adults.

bvc.so/wop

Good Friday

Join us for a contemplative service as we reflect together on the sacrifice of Jesus. We’ll be taking communion, so feel free to collect bread/cracker and wine/juice if you’d like to participate.

10:30am
Friday, 10th April
bvc.so/livestream

Easter Sunday

Let’s celebrate Jesus together! Join us for worship, teaching, prayer and live chat with the wider community.

10:30am
Sunday, 12th April
birminghamvineyard.online.churcH

Guests, friends & family are all welcome!

If you’d like to invite others to the Easter service, here are 4 simple ways:

  1. Invite them by sharing one of the social media posts that you see (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram)

  2. Download this graphic and text it to them with a personal invite (Downloadable Easter Invite)

  3. Invite them via our Facebook Event - Easter Sunday Stream: https://www.facebook.com/events/1356140464581664/

  4. Easter Egg your neighbour! Buy Easter chocolate for your neighbour and attach a handmade card to it, inviting them to service.

Foodbanks: Essential to those in need

Local foodbanks are providing emergency food assistance to
record numbers of people in our city.

How can we help?

Birmingham Vineyard’s Foodbank - An Update

Thanks to the generosity of the church community, Foodbank gives away an average of 850 food & toiletry bags a year through our partner agencies. We recently heard from a staff at W.A.I.T.S, one of our partner agencies who work with women who have been victims of domestic violence:

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“I’m a single mum and am going through cancer treatment. My support worker dropped of a Foodbank bag from your church, and it means so much to me and my three children.”
— Foodbank recipient

During this coronavirus lockdown period, we are still working with our over 15 partner agencies, and we are endeavouring to support agencies and individuals with our remaining supplies. We’ve also noticed a shift in where the need lies for Foodbank support. While we are not physically meeting together as a church in centralised locations, we’d like to encourage you to continue to extend your generosity to your local foodbanks who are serving many desperate people during this time.

Your Local Foodbank

Foodbanks in the city are running short of food and volunteers, while the number of people desperate for food is soaring.

It is an amazing opportunity for our church to be the hands and feet of Jesus in our own local area, serving with the grassroots groups and local Foodbanks who have organised and are meeting needs of our own neighbours!

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Would you take some time to consider how you might get involved with a local foodbank or community group?


How To Help:

You can start with a simple Google search for foodbanks or groups in your area that are meeting needs during this time of crisis. Here are some groups that are actively looking for donations and volunteers:

In the coming months…

To be really clear, Birmingham Vineyard Foodbank remains open and serving our partner agencies. We anticipate that in the coming months, when the city re-opens, that our agencies will be busier than ever and we will be letting you know about the best ways to get involved with those needs.

In the meantime we encourage you to stay local, get involved with what’s happening on your street, in your area, and use this time to connect with your neighbours in need, offering the love and truth of Jesus.

If you have any questions about Birmingham Vineyard Foodbank, contact Helen at helenp@birminghamvineyard.com.

“Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due,
when it is in your power to act.
Do not say to your neighbor,
“Come back tomorrow and I’ll give it to you”—
when you already have it with you.”
— Proverbs 3

A letter from Andrew & Rosie

Dear church,

We are living in unprecedented times and we know that for many the uncertainty of what we are facing is very alarming. At this time we have an opportunity to trust in God as we deal with the reality of the Coronavirus and the knock on effect of significant economic disruption and social isolation. 

We've met as a team over the last 24 hours to consider our options for how we function as a church in the light of the Coronavirus. These are our decisions based on the latest information from the government. The Prime Minister issued his guidance on Monday evening "Now is the time for everyone to stop all non-essential contact with others. Avoid pubs, clubs, theatres and other such venues." 

We therefore believe it's the responsible decision to stop gathering publicly as a church and in small groups. 

This disruption to normal life could last for many months. We want to emerge from this time as a stronger community, having lived wisely, loved well and reached out in the Spirit and power of Christ. It will require creativity, courage and compassion to express our faith and values in a different way. 

We are a loving community where each member is valuable and we want to ensure that we navigate this well together.  

So what will we do?

Sundays - We will be live streaming each Sunday (including week 4 in the month) to enable us to worship and focus on God's word together. A small team will be facilitating this and the building won't be open to the public in any way, so we do encourage you to connect with us online. The broadcast will start at 10:30am each Sunday and it will be available to watch live or at a later time in the day. Simply go to our website: bvc.so/livestream to join. 

Small groups - We'll be providing resources for all small groups and church members in the weeks ahead.  We're looking at producing video resources and we have invited small groups to facilitate connection through social media or video calls. You can chat to your small group leader for more info. 

Daily prayer. We plan to lead The Lord's Prayer with a moment for personal prayer and reflection every day (Monday to Friday) at 1:00pm. This will be hosted on Facebook Live by one of the team. We will also be gathering again on the same platform at 6:00pm to read God's word and pray for 10-15 minutes. Maybe set an alarm on your phone to connect at those times! 

To join, simply go to www.facebook.com/vineyardbham/
If you aren't on Facebook these will be available shortly afterwards on www.bvc.so/livestream 

The church office - We'll remain open so we can receive calls and co-ordinate our responses to those in need and for the whole church. We're not open to drop-in appointments but we can coordinate compassionate responses by being present. The staff team will meet " virtually" every day with half of the team working from home. 

The staff team. We'll be focusing all of our energies, creativity, leadership and prayer on how to best serve the church and wider city in the coming weeks and months. We'll be keeping in close contact with Community Leaders so we are aware and responding to the most vulnerable in our church family. 

How to keep updated? Check our website, social media and your email for resources, requests and ways to connect. If you know people who are not on our mailing list, encourage them to get connected. 

Making a difference. In these uncertain times we all have the opportunity to look out for our neighbours, friends and colleagues. We have so many options to practically live out our faith, in how we respond and in how we serve others. 


How can we work together at this time?

  • If you are sick or self-isolating and you'd appreciate being added to a prayer list, please let us know at info@birminghamvineyard.com.

  • If you are aware of anyone who needs practical assistance then consider how you might respond and please talk to your small group or community leader who will let us know.

  • Finally, please join us in praying that God's Kingdom will come and His will be done through this time. 

We look forward to connecting with you in many different ways over the coming weeks and months and we're praying for God's strength and protection for each one of you. 


With much love,

Andrew & Rosie

Lent 2020 Resources

Lent is a time when millions of Christians around the world take time to draw closer to God and reflect on the sacrifice of jesus in the lead up to Easter.

Beginning on Ash Wednesday (26th Feb), the 40 days of Lent is when we remember the time Jesus spent in the wilderness, fasting and praying. It was during these 40 days that Jesus made the choice to work in God’s way, however hard that might be.

Lent is a season of fasting (giving stuff up) & repentance (recognising what we've done wrong), leading up to Easter,  as we celebrate what Jesus has done for us.

It's an encouragement to turn back to God once again, with renewed passion. We devote ourselves through prayer, fasting and giving.

If you'd like to join in this season, we thought we'd put together a few helpful resources to get you started!

Fasting

Fasting: Basic info & ideas

Check out this helpful intro on what fasting is, what it isn’t and some ideas on how to fast during Lent.

https://gravityleadership.com/how-to-fast-for-lent/

Generosity & Giving

Foodbank & Easter Egg Donations
Birmingham Vineyard

Each year we collect chocolate Easter eggs, donated by our church family, which we give to the agencies our Foodbank partners with. Last year, over 200 eggs were donated and distributed to children who come from difficult circumstances across Birmingham. We'd love to see if we could donate over 250 this year!

We are collecting Easter Eggs throughout March 2020, you can bring them to any Sunday service.

As well as our Easter collection, our regular Foodbank operates all year round, supported only by donations of the church. We're always in need of more donations, so please GRAB a bag from the back of church, FILL a bag with everything on the list and GIVE a bag this Easter. 

bvc.so/foodbank

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Generosity Challenges
40 Acts

What if Lent could be about more than just giving stuff up? What if it could be a time of radical generosity as well as spiritual discipline? 40acts is the generosity challenge for Lent, created by UK Christian charity, Stewardship. They’ve got lots of resources on their website: 40acts.org.uk

40 Acts Daily Generosity Challenges: Sign up to receive the daily challenge in your email box!

40 Acts Family Wallchart: Download a family calendar with daily generosity challenges, for all ages.

Devotionals and Prayer Resources

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Video Reflections on Easter
24/7 Prayer

The most important week in world history explored in 7 short videos. Love Easter; forget bunny rabbits and chocolate eggs for a while and follow Jesus as he walks towards the pain and heartbreak of his execution, then celebrate the Sunday resurrection story with us! Love Easter, love Jesus, celebrate life.

https://www.24-7prayer.com/podcasts/category/loveeaster


Lent Devotional Guide “Amazing You”
Compassion International

Dreams are not a distraction. You were custom made by God to answer a unique calling. Amazing You Lent devotional offers uplifted two-minute devotions to remind you of your identity, potential, and value in God. Each day includes a Scripture, inspirational reading, moment of reflection, and prayer. 

https://www.compassionuk.org/lent/


Lent for Everyone: Daily Devotionals
N.T.Wright

NT Wright has written a series of devotionals, one for each day, over 53 days. Each day, there is a Bible reading, and a thought from NT Wright about how it relates to Easter.
https://www.bible.com/en-GB/reading-plans/83-lent-for-everyone



Dreaming the Impossible

What was your dream when you were in your teen years?

Each year Vineyard Churches put on Dreaming the Impossible - an annual Christian youth gathering for 12-18s from churches and youth organisations everywhere. DTI is about inspiring and equipping young people to love God, love others and change the world.

Birmingham Vineyard youth have been participating in DTI throughout the years, and are particularly excited about summer 2020 with thousands of young people expected to gather at Stafford showgrounds for a powerful time with Jesus and others! DTI is passionate about seeing young people meet Jesus and fearlessly follow Him, believing that nothing is impossible with God.

BV Youth often return from this event inspired and on fire for Jesus, eagerly desiring a closer relationship with Him and courage to be bold about their faith. For some youth, DTI is where they meet Jesus for the first time and commit to following Him.

Want to get involved?

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

PRAY – Pray for the youth who are attending DTI Nano today, 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.

GET INVOLVED – If you are interested in serving with the youth team, or at DTI 2020 go to their website to express interest: DTI 2020

Healing Through Sozo Prayer

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 with one another. 

As part of this vision we provide Sozo appointments and are affiliated with Bethel Sozo UK. 

WHAT IS SOZO?

“Sozo” is a Greek word that means saved, healed, delivered and it is used over a hundred times in the New Testament.

The Bethel Sozo ministry is a unique, gentle inner healing ministry, led by the Holy Spirit. It aims to quickly get to and deal with the root of things that are hindering your connection with Father God, Jesus and Holy Spirit.

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“I knew there were some deep roots of self protection that were hindering relationships and making me prickly when I felt vulnerable. I wanted help to deal with the source of that and since my Sozo I have indeed felt more free to run to Father God for protection and I’m more aware of when I feel threatened. It’s been a really good process again and helped deal with stuff I didn’t feel able to do on my own as it had actually stemmed back to being in the womb and deep feelings of not being safe.

”
— Sozo participant

We recently caught up with one of the Sozo team members, who shared about her journey of being trained for this style of prayer:

The long and short of it is…I needed to be convinced about Sozo ministry and joining the Sozo Team!

Realising I had some unresolved anger stuff and booking a Sozo appointment myself was a significant step. That experience was of a kind, supportive, confidential encounter. It was very reassuring that nothing seemed too shameful or shocking to bring into the light with the Sozo leaders and I heard God’s truth replace the lies that subconsciously I’d believed.

I was invited to think about doing the Sozo Basic training held at Birmingham Vineyard back in 2015, and while the training made sense at the time, each Sozo I sat in on to pray and support took a different direction and I began to think “Help, I’ll never get the hang of this.” When another Basic Training session was offered about a year later I signed up and a few more of the concepts sank in! We were told that it’s not until you start to lead out that the Holy Spirit steps in to help and guide, but I felt a long way from being able to do that still!

Some informal training with another team meant I observed some different styles and it slowly dawned on me that I needed to find what was comfortable in setting the scene and approaching each person in a way that was more natural to me. By the end of 2016, I was due to lead alongside someone with lots of experience as a support person and who I felt would flag up if I was way off beam spiritually! So it was a case of praying, trusting and stepping out and bit by bit my confidence in God helping me ask questions and lead in the prayers grew. There were training sessions too and we practised on one another as Sozo Team members and learned from one another. I was supported and felt part of a safe, secure, supportive team.

Each Sozo appointment is very different. Each person is precious and the whole ministry seeks to honour individuals and help them encounter God themselves. It is a great privilege to watch some of the intimate experiences people have with a person of the Godhead and to see people step into freedom.

I have since had several more Sozo appointments myself which have brought freedom from childhood wounds and accumulated hurts. It’s the sort of ministry that helps you go deeper and gives you tools to help process things that are revealed in your own heart. I’ve also been really encouraged to use some of those tools as I pray for others during ministry times. If you feel a nudge to try out Sozo ministry, chat to someone on the team. Think and pray about signing up for the Basic Training and learn more about the gently Ministry that is Sozo.

Interested in being trained in Sozo prayer? Join us!

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Sozo Basic Training
Birmingham Vineyard
{City Centre site}
174 Barford Street
Birmingham, B5 7EP

Friday, 13th March: 7pm - 9:30pm
Saturday, 14th March: 9:15am - 4:30pm

Booking is requested, click here to express your interest: bvc.so/events/2020/sozobasictraining

Interested in booking a Sozo prayer appointment? Click below:

Reflections from Vineyard NLC 2020

Last week 1,500 leaders from across the Vineyard movement gathered in Nottingham for three days of meeting with God, inspiring one another and inviting the Kingdom to come here on earth!

The main talks from NLC are available now, have a listen to the likes of John Mark Comer, John & Debby Wright and Taryn Freeland:

 
“The gift of leadership is it will expose the inner architecture of our hearts – our trust structures, our motivations, and our source of emotional energy.”
— John Mark Comer

30 leaders from Birmingham Vineyard were able to attend and here are some of their reflections:

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My last visit to a Vineyard NLC was well over 15yrs ago, somewhere on the south coast where the attendance was a few hundred.

What the Lord has done with this movement over the last 20yrs is nothing short of miraculous, with over fifteen hundred gathering for this years conference.  Had John Wimber lived to see this event, his credulity would have been stretched.  Here is living testimony to the power of that move of the Spirit many of us began to experience in the ‘70s and ‘80s.

It was an awesome privilege to catch up with so many of the young women and men who were sent out from the Birmingham Vineyard full of faith to plant churches and extend the Kingdom.

The priority of worship as our highest calling was beautifully affirmed, as was the expectation that God would presence Himself among us in word and deed.

There is expectation and excitement in the movement as the ‘Roaring of the Twenties’ this time around is seen as a new move of God in our nation and around the globe.

-Bill

I’d pulled my back on the Tuesday morning and it was causing me discomfort at the conference, particularly standing to worship. I was taking pain killers to help.

I responded to a prophetic word about eyes as I also had a returning eye infection. After I was prayed for, I realised that my back had been completely healed. (I realised this when it dawned on me that the pain killers I took in the morning should have run out but I had no pain) My eye infection didn’t get any worse and cleared up without antibiotics by the end of the week.

Sometimes God does the unexpected! 

-Jo

God was obviously at work across the movement and from the very first session you could sense there was a hunger for God and more of the manifest presence of the Holy Spirit.

I saw Jo’s back healed - once again God is cool!

Sessions on Unlocking Entrepreneurship in the Kingdom and How to Raise up a Culturally Diverse Leadership Team were two of my most challenging seminars - I’m trying to listen to how God wants me to respond to both talks, which has really challenged me to pray differently and to be more expectant for change

Obviously the key speakers and main sessions were powerful times where God moved significantly, my favourite main sessions were the legacy video and Andrew’s intercession for the nations!

I came away excited about what God has for us, as a movement and also challenged to pray into what my part will be.

-Cap


 
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During NLC the things that had the biggest impact for me were the interview with Carol Wimber, which gave me a new love for the Vineyard movement and an excitement for the future, and the marriage seminar done by Andrew and Rosie, which provided very helpful tools for growing closer together in the midst of everyday life.

There are also some things which I heard and need to spend some more time thinking about what they mean for me, particularly John Wright's message about just giving what gifts I have over to God and leaving responsibility for what happens next with Him, but trusting that He is in the business of multiplication.  Also the John Mark Comer talk about not operating out of our shadow side but in full surrender to God was very significant - I think I will need to listen to that again though to seek to apply it in my life.

-Tony

Foodbank & Growbaby Generosity

An update on Foodbank & Growbaby

December and January have brought many donations through our doors, from generous people across Birmingham!

Foodbank

Over 450 bags of food and toiletries were donated through the Reverse Advent Calendar scheme in 2019!

Schools, businesses, individuals and families got involved; thank you to everyone who donated items and did acts of kindness over Advent. A special thanks to Lordswood School, Bartley Green School, DWP, The Developer Group, Mott McDonald and HSBC for their donations. 

With so many donations coming in, we had a cracking team of small groups come to sort the food into bags for distribution. In just over an hour, 36 volunteers sorted 187 bags of food and toiletries!

The bags are now being distributed to our partner agencies including Birmingham and Solihull Women’s Aid, South and City College, Ravenhurst Cottages, Adavu, West Midlands Anti-Slavery Network, Aspire, Homeless Patient Pathway at City and Sandwell Hospitals. 

Some donations reached families in time for Christmas. One mum, who had nothing for her kids for Christmas, was overjoyed at receiving Foodbank bags and some selection boxes. The women helped by W.A.I.T.S. (Women Acting In Today’s Society) were in tears as they received food and toiletries because they had nothing and were so grateful. 

Thank you for your donations which bless so many!

Growbaby

The Growbaby programme is in its 4th year and have helped over 1100 families with thousands of donations from people across Birmingham.

Believing that no child under 5 should go without, Growbaby supplies free equipment, toys and nearly new clothing to families in need, and also offers a Stay and Play group which provides community amongst families each week.

In December and January we saw a huge amount of donations coming in from people around Birmingham, and also a large number of agency workers calling in need of baby supplies for their clients as the holiday season can be so difficult.

Growbaby volunteers serve a wide variety of people from different backgrounds, some who have come from extremely difficult circumstances.

A Growbaby story…

An Iranian couple were two of the first visitors to Growbaby. The mum was 8 months pregnant and had just travelled through 9 countries - including a long stay in the Calais ‘jungle’ - to get to safety. They had very little English and were staying in emergency accommodation with nothing for their new baby. At Growbaby we were able to equip them with everything they needed to welcome this little one to the world. We continued to see them, and 2 years later they had another little girl. Over time they collected items from Growbaby that they needed. On one occasion they were gifted a brand-new double buggy still in its box from a friend. Instead of keeping the new buggy, they gave it to Growbaby and kept their old buggy! They dearly wanted someone in their position to have something new. Their journey has been a rocky one, but throughout they have never once complained and have always taken opportunities to give thanks with overflowing and generous hearts.

If you would like to get involved in the Foodbank or Growbaby programmes, or would like more information on how to engage your work or school groups with giving donations, please contact us at info@birminghamvineyard.com

Thank you for your generosity in 2019!