The Grapevine Christian Church seeks to help believers heal from hurts, grow spiritually, serve others, and share their faith. Its goals include creating an environment where people can be authentic and vulnerable, value spending time with God, and serve the church through their spiritual gifts. The church also aims to practically equip members to share their faith with others and welcome new believers.
Presentation by James Goodman, Associate Director for Program at The Beecken Center of The School of Theology at the University of the South, at the 2017 Episcopal Youth Event.
In this presentation we share the outcomes from our first round of Listening Posts where we shared who we are and who we are called to be, and information about our needs for a Director of Youth and Family Ministries to fulfill our staff.
God calls the Church and our parishes to grow. However, today many of our parishes lack a vision for making disciples, have few or no plans to grow, and can assume that their current members are growing and new disciples are being made, despite evidence to the contrary. In other words, our parishes can be more hopeful than honest. This workshop will address the pastoral reality and current practice of our parishes, offer a renewed vision for making disciples and evangelisation, and suggest practical actions that parishes can take to change the culture and focus of their ministries and groups. It will draw on research into best practice for Church growth both here in Australia and abroad and facilitate a conversation about the nature of parish leadership in this time of change and challenge for faith.
Daniel Ang is Director of Pastoral Planning for the Diocese of Parramatta. He was co-author and coordinator of the Parramatta pastoral plan, Faith in Our Future, and now oversees initiatives of renewal and planning in a parish and diocesan context. He teaches ecclesiology and ministry at the Parramatta Institute for Mission, holds a Bachelor of Arts/Commerce from the University of Sydney and a Master of Divinity from the Sydney College of Divinity. Daniel is an executive member of the National Pastoral Planners Network and published in a number of peer reviewed journals. He is a married layman with one son.
Pastor Ren Sabio and New Hope Community Church together with other supporters extended missionary help to the people of Tuguegarao affected by the Twin Lawin.
1. GRAPEVINE CHRISTIAN CHURCH PHILOSOPHY OF MINISTRY
MISSION STATEMENT
For believers to pursue healing, grow spiritually, serve people and share their faith.
PURPOSE
• For believers to heal from their hurts, habits and hang-ups. Luke 4:18
• For believers to grow in mind, body, soul and spirit. Mat. 22:37
• For believers to serve their family, local church and community through their gifts. 1 Cor. 12:12-26
• For believers to share and display their faith. Mark 16:15
GOALS
• To establish an environment where people can emulate authenticity and vulnerability.
• To establish a people who are equipped to minister to the needs and hurts of those in the church.
• To establish an environment where people value spending time in God’s word, prayer, worship,
journaling, meditation, confession, silence, accountability and growth/small groups/classes.
• To establish an environment and a structure where people can express themselves, serve the church
and worship God through their spiritual gifts.
• To practically equip people to share their faith in their work place, with their family and with their
neighbors. It would be our desire that, through this relational evangelism, people would come to Christ
and join a church.
THE CHURCH
The Bible calls believers everywhere to gather together and in doing so, to devote themselves to serving one
another, teaching Scripture, worshiping, praying, generously giving to the needs of others, using spiritual gifts,
and celebrating in baptism and communion. Those who are in the church should respectfully submit, support
and follow its God-elected leaders. It is the church leader’s jobs to guard feed and lead the congregation in order
to glorify Christ through the church. (Acts 2:42-47; Romans 12:9-13; Ephesians 4:11-16; Hebrews 13:17). The
local church is the hope of the world. It is their job to evangelize, love the hurting and care for the outcast and
forgotten.
ACTION STEPS… To Create a Strong Church for Many Generations to Come
• Long term leadership stability
• Ownership within membership
• Modernize and stabilize the facility
2. GRAPEVINE CHRISTIAN CHURCH PHILOSOPHY OF MINISTRY
2014 Ministry Accomplishments
• Launched a NEW Men’s Ministry
• Launched a NEW children’s bell choir
• Re-Launched our youth ministry with weekly meetings and monthly events
• Offered a Financial Peace Class
• Offered a women’s breaking free small group
• Offered monthly kids events
• Equipped all pre-school-junior high classes with at least two volunteers
• Created custom GCC shirts
• Strengthened the leadership of the church with a new elder, deacons, and ministry
directors.
• Strengthened our presence in the community (parades, events, outreaches)
• Saw 18 people come to Christ and be baptized
• Significant increase in our giving
• Added 25 new active attendants to the church
2014 Facility Accomplishments
• Renovated the fellowship hall
• Repaired and Restore the playground
• Painted all of the wood paneling in the educational/administration wing
• Replaced the tilling in the back wing
• Created a lounge/hospitality area in the back wing
• Installed new parking lot lights
• Installed a light installed in the shed
• New shelving hung in supply room
• Cleaned up stage, Removed flower box, extra equipment and wires
• Purchased a new keyboard, projector, sound system and in ear monitors
• Purchased new round and square plastic tables
• Repaved the parking lot and re-sealed the parsonage side lot
• New landscaping in front of the church
• New light installed over the sign out front
• New electrical units install in the back wing and outside
2015 Future Ministry Goals
• More leadership training
• Strengthening our outreach and evangelism efforts
• Offer fundamentals of the Christian church class
• Spiritual gifts Seminar as well as a marriage and parenting seminars
• Establish shepherding groups
2015 Future Facility Goals
• Handicap Accessible Bathroom in the front of the church
• Paint remaining wood paneling in the foyer
• Makeover of the baptismal and stage
• Updating the kitchen
• Possible bathroom in the basement
• New sign out front that can have messages
• Paint and update sanctuary
