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2010
September 01

Does Loving Your Enemies Mean We Need To Love satan?

David Andersen
Do We Love Satan

We've been working through a message series here at Vineyard OP called The Complicated Art of Loving Your Enemies. The entire series deals with Jesus' command to love your enemies in Matthew 5:43-48. You can listen to the messages here.

 

I had someone ask the following question: "If Jesus says to love our enemies, does that mean we are supposed to love satan?" Now, some people may feel this is an odd question, but it is not the first time it has been asked in the history of the Church. The movement known as "universalism" in the church asserts that even people who go to hell will someday have a chance to be redeemed, and that in the end all God's creation will be redeemed. Some have extended this so far as to include the father of lies himself (capitalization intentionally withheld, I think you know where I land on this topic already), theorizing that someday satan will be saved. This has an even bigger name and is hard to pronounce.  For the record, Vineyard OP does not follow or teach universalism.  We just don't see it in the Bible.

 

Let's agree that this is a logical question that comes to mind based on our understanding that Jesus is serious about us loving our enemies. Which he is. Who is a bigger enemy to followers of Jesus than the prince of darkness? No one, that's who. He is the biggest enemy we have.

 

So, do we have to love him? Is that what Jesus means?

 

My short answer is "no, we don't need to love satan."

 

My long answer looks like this:

 

Jesus calls us to love our enemies. I know it is not 100% clear, but he does not specifically state whether this includes satan or not. Any opinion made based on this verse alone will be an argument from silence. So, to address the question, we must understand what it means to "love" your enemies and then see if it applies to the devil.

 

Jesus tells his followers to "pray for your enemies". It's the primary way that we diffuse our anger and demonstrate love for an enemy. It's amazing how brilliant Jesus is in this one simple little suggestion. Well, Jesus is always brilliant, but particularly brilliant here, because it is extremely difficult to hate someone you are praying for.

 

As we see Jesus living out loving his enemies, we see him often take pity on those who are in bondage to evil. I get the feeling that Christ-like love for enemies is something akin to pity for those who are enslaved. Then we couple this with a desire to help set them free. We are not allowed to hate them. What they do is evil, because they are enslaved by evil. And we can only call it "love" for our enemies when it proceeds from a genuine desire to draw people into relationship with the healing Savior, even if they continue to embrace their slavery - even if nothing changes. Like with the Pharisees, Jesus' "woes" are best interpreted as "I feel sorry for you".

 

This means we must learn to direct the anger that we feel at the injustices that are done by our enemies (assuming we are not guilty of our own grievances in the relationship between two enemies) to the appropriate place. Paul tells us in Ephesians that our battle is not against flesh and blood. The human enemy is not the target of your anger. satan and his demons are the target, unless, of course, we are somehow called to love him as well...

 

Jesus' admonition to love your enemies is best accomplished through one of the most powerful transforming tools God has given us: forgiveness. To fully love your enemy you must forgive them. Read R.T. Kendall's book Total Forgiveness if you want to go deep with a biblical concept of forgiveness. I don't have time to cover it here, because we are trying to answer a different question.

 

With this understanding of how loving your enemies actually works (praying for them, directing your anger at the forces that enslave them, and forgiving our enemies), does this apply to satan? Can we pray for satan? Do we feel sorry for the devil? Can we forgive the prince of all things evil? Furthermore, does the grace extended by the Creator God to humanity even extend to Satan? Is Satan an evil being, or is he a being in bondage to evil?

 

With all that in mind, the overwhelming tone of Scripture is that Satan blew it. We don't know all the details, but nowhere in Scripture are we told to pray for, feel sorry for or forgive the father of lies. The Bible unapologetically dumps him in the Lake of Fire at the end of Revelation. There is not even a hint of a notion of redemption for this being of pure evil. There is no indication that the grace God has extended to humanity includes satan or any of his demons. You could say this is just another argument from silence, but for something as important as the redemption of the evil one, you would think it would show up somewhere in all of Scripture.

 

I must conclude that he cannot be redeemed. He is an evil being not under the grace extended to humanity and creation. As such, we are not called to love satan, in the biblical sense of loving your enemies. We might pity him, but I can't imagine praying for him. I just don't think that is what Jesus meant.

 

satan is the source of the suffering that leads to the making of enemies in the first place. Behind every parent who defends child abuse, behind every junkie who robs to fund their habit, behind every corporate embezzler is a lie the person has swallowed. They didn't set out to be entangled in lies and deception. They bought a lie that was sold to them by the father of lies, and now they may have become your enemy. If you are a follower of Christ, you must see beyond the individual to the source of the deception and direct your righteous indignation and anger there. There will be consequences for people who commit evil acts in this world, and we should acknowledge and confront these grievances. But we should never lose sight of the message of Christ: love your enemies, pray for them, see them the way God sees them and learn to forgive.

 

David Andersen
Vineyard Church of Overland Park

 

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2010
August 31

Weekend Worship August 28-29

John Hix
acoustic 1 bw

We prayerfully and thoughtfully select the worship music for each service to make sure it speaks the truth about God and that the songs are truly worshipful.  We share this list with you so that you will know the songs and the artists if you want to purchase the songs.  We believe these songs will help you worship all throughout the week.

Listed below is the

-SongTitle - Author - Album with recording of the song

Prelude (Pre-service during count-down):
-We Shall Not Be Shaken – Jonas Myrin and Matt Redman – We Shall Not Be Shaken (Matt Redman)


Pre-sermon:
-Glory to God Forever - Vicky Beeching and Steve Fee – Hope Rising (Fee)

-Bless His Name - Tony Sanchez - Sweetly Broken (Vineyard Music)


Post-Sermon:
-Surrender – Marc James - Surrender (Vineyard UK)

-We Still Believe - Kathryn Scott - We Still Believe (Kathryn Scott)

-You Have Been So Good - Paul Baloche and Sara Groves - A Greater Song (Paul Baloche)

-Famous One - Jesse Reeves and Chris Tomlin - See the Morning (Chris Tomlin)

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2010
August 23

Weekend Worship August 21-22

John Hix
acoustic 1 bw

We prayerfully and thoughtfully select the worship music for each service to make sure it speaks the truth about God and that the songs are truly worshipful.  We share this list with you so that you will know the songs and the artists if you want to purchase the songs.  We believe these songs will help you worship all throughout the week.

Listed below is the

-SongTitle - Author - Album with recording of the song

Prelude (Pre-service during count-down):
-Grace Like Rain – Todd Agnew, Chris Collins, Edwin O. Excell, and John Newton – Grace Like Rain (Todd Agnew)


Pre-sermon:
-Sing to the King – Billy James Foote and Charles Horne – I Have a River (Billy & Cindy Foote)

-Hosanna (Praise is Rising) - Paul Baloche & Brenton Brown - A Greater Song (Paul Baloche)


Post-Sermon:
-Because of Your Love – Phil Wickham – Heaven & Earth (Phil Wickham)

-We Still Believe - Kathryn Scott - We Still Believe (Kathryn Scott)

-Worthy, You Are Worthy - Matt Redman - Facedown (Matt Redman)

-Revelation Song - Jennie Lee Riddle - Living For You (Gateway Worship)

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2010
August 18

The Hub - Grab a Guide, Look Inside and Spread the Word

David Andersen
The Hub - Activities Guide Cover

This past weekend we released the first ever Hub Activities Guide. It has everything you need to know about the Hub and profiles 25 classes led by people who are passionate about their topics. The Vineyard OP staff did not sit around and dream up classes we wanted to teach. We turned to the Vineyard OP community of Christ-followers and asked, "What are you passionate about? What has God gifted you to teach?" The Vineyard OP community responded with 25 classes in our first semester!

 

We are looking to that same Vineyard OP community to invite. You're the connection into the community. We're not doing any mass mailings or radio spots for this first semester of the Hub. That's because we are looking to you, to the people of Vineyard OP, to invite the people you know to join you in a class. We want to be the best friend our community ever had, and the Kingdom advances best in the places where you already find yourself every day. The relational touch of someone who lives in your neighborhood or someone you work with every day is a better bond than a random invite from a stranger. Random invites are okay, but I bet you know someone you see almost every day who would love to join you in a class at the Hub and would give you a chance to get to know them better. And remember: 100% of the people you don't invite won't come.

 

Take some time to look over the classes being offered. We have a wide variety of subjects being taught at different times on every day of the week except Sunday. You can sign-up online now, so go ahead and invite your friend and get registered for the class of your choice. Some classes have limits for the number of students who can register, so you don't want to wait too long. All class registrations and fees must be received by no later than one week before the class starts.

We have hundreds of copies of the Hub Activities Guide available at Vineyard OP each weekend. Take as many copies as you need with you to give some to your friends and to spread the word about the Hub. Take some copies to leave wherever you find yourself each week: in your favorite coffee shop, at the grocery store, your racquet club, your gym, your salon, your workplace.

 

If  you are regular attendee or member at Vineyard OP you are welcome to come to the classes, but we ask that you bring a friend with you.  Vineyard OP believes the resources God has given us can be used to help our community fo Christ followers.  There's nothing wrong with that.  But we are called to serve our local community as well.  So, we invite you to join us in a class as long as you bring a friend who does not regularly attend Vineyard OP with you.  This is just another way to use the resources God has given to Vineyard OP to meet practical needs in our city, so spread the word.

 

That's all for now,


David Andersen

Vineyard Church of Overland Park

 

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2010
August 16

Weekend Worship August 14-15

John Hix
acoustic 1 bw

We prayerfully and thoughtfully select the worship music for each service to make sure it speaks the truth about God and that the songs are truly worshipful.  We share this list with you so that you will know the songs and the artists if you want to purchase the songs.  We believe these songs will help you worship all throughout the week.

Listed below is the

-SongTitle - Author - Album with recording of the song

Prelude (Pre-service during count-down):
-Multiply Your Love – Andy Park – All I Need (Vineyard Music)


Pre-sermon:
-Blessed Be Your Name – Matt & Beth Redman – Blessed Be Your Name: The Songs of Matt Redman, Vol. 1

-Our God Saves - Paul Baloche & Brenton Brown - Our God Saves (Paul Baloche)


Offertory:
-Worthy of All My Love* – Andy Park – Unshakable (Andy Park)
*Saturday Service only

-Beautiful God** - Nigel Hemming - Vineyard Gold Come Now is the Time (Vineyard UK)
**Sunday Services only

Post-Sermon:
-Good to Me - Craig Musseau - Change My Heart Oh God-Season of Glory: 25 Top Vineyard Worship Songs

-We Still Believe - Kathryn Scott - We Still Believe (Kathryn Scott)

-Mighty to Save - Ben Fielding & Rueben Morgan - Mighty to Save (Darlene Zschech)

-Everlasting God* - Brenton Brown & Ken Riley - Everlasting God (Brenton Brown)
*Saturday Service only

-Holy** - Brenton Brown - Adoration (Brenton Brown)
**Sunday morning services only

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2010
August 11

Golfing For Hunger

David Andersen
Golfing For Hunger

Our friends over at Hope Faith Ministries are holding their seventh annual "Golfing For Hunger" tournament at Loch Lloyd Country Club on August 26th, 2010 starting at 11:00AM.  It is a benefit to help Hope Faith's work with the homeless in downtown Kansas City.  Vineyard OP has been in partnership with Hope Faith Ministries since early 2009 and so I want to share this opportunity with you.

 

if you're a golfer, this is a chance to golf to benefit a ministry that is really working to holistically help the homeless in Kansas City.

 

The entry fee is $125 per golfer.  The event begins at 11:00AM and includes lunch.  For more information you can see the online brochure at Hope Faith's website.  Even if you are not a golfer, there are hole sponsorships and other ways to get involved.  To register, head over to the Hope Faith Events page and click on the Online Registration link.  Enjoy!

 

Thanks!

 

David

 

 

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2010
August 09

Weekend Worship August 7-8

John Hix
acoustic 1 bw

We prayerfully and thoughtfully select the worship music for each service to make sure it speaks the truth about God and that the songs are truly worshipful.  We share this list with you so that you will know the songs and the artists if you want to purchase the songs.  We believe these songs will help you worship all throughout the week.

Listed below is the SongTitle - Author - Album with recording of the song

Prelude (Pre-service during count-down):
-Wonder Working God – Andy Park – Wonder Working God (Andy Park)

Pre-sermon:
-Your Love Never Fails – Chris McClarney & Anthony Skinner – Your Love Never Fails (Jesus Culture)

-Awesome is the Lord Most High - Jon Abel, Cary Pierce, Jesse Reeves, & Chris Tomlin - See the Morning (Chris Tomlin)


Post-Sermon:
-You Are My King (Amazing Love) - Billy Foote - WoW Worship (NewSong)

-Jesus Name Above All Names - Naida Hearn & Michael Hansen - 20 Years of Hope (The Maranatha! Singers)

-This is How We Know - Matt & Beth Redman - We Shall Not Be Shaken (Matt Redman)

-Worthy, You Are Worthy - Matt Redman - Facedown (Matt Redman)

-The Highest and the Greatest* - Nick Herbert & Tim Hughes - Holding Nothing Back (Tim Hughes)
*Sunday morning services only


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2010
August 07

Partnering In Our Community

Kevin MacPhail
Head Start

As you may know, Vineyard Church of Overland Park has been getting more and more involved in and with our community. About a year ago God gave us the vision of Vineyard Church of Overland Park becoming the best friend the Community of Overland Park has ever had. We want to be a church that sees what God is already doing and joining in. All across this world, we see multiple ways God is moving, both through faith based organizations and non faith-based organization. The fun part is listening to God, to see which ones He wants us to partner with. We believe Head Start of Shawnee Mission is one of those non-faith-based organizations where God is already at work. For example, we have heard stories about special-needs kids who were not able to walk, learn to walk for the first time during their time at Head Start.


Around ten years ago, Vineyard Church of Overland Park has been in a partnership with Head Start of Shawnee Mission. Once a year, at Thanksgiving, we would receive a list of families who needed a meal for Thanksgiving. Through the experience of delivering the Thanksgiving meals to the families, we found that Head Start already knew where the families were. They already have a relationship with the poor of Johnson County.


You ask yourself, there is poor in Johnson Country? That is correct! Based on the information provided by United Community Services and Johnson County Children and Youth Trends for the year 2009, there are 21, 998 people in Johnson County that live at or below 100% of the Federal Poverty Level. The Federal Poverty Line for a family of 3 for the year 2009 is $18,310, which is an income of roughly $9.50 per hour. 14% of these families living at 100% of the Federal Poverty Level in Johnson County are children under the age of five and nearly 50% of the families living below the poverty line include at least one child under the age of five.


Head Start of Shawnee Mission today serves 218 low-income children and families residing in the Shawnee Mission School District. I say all of this, because there is a need right in our own backyard and Vineyard Church of Overland Park has an opportunity to join in to what God is already doing through Head Start.


Last year, as a newly formed outreach team, we were asking God for direction in where He wanted our church to serve. What could Vineyard Church of Overland Park do to be the best friend our community ever had? Then it occurred to us, why don't we partner more with Head Start of Shawnee Mission? They already know where the families are and have relationship with them.
At the beginning in 2010, we began to deepen our relationship with Head Start through our Outreach Ministry. For three months, during the summer, we partnered with them by providing a Weekend Meal Supplement for the families of Head Start and we are excited to inform you that because of your generosity we delivered over 190 grocery bags to Head Start for their families.


We're so excited about this partnership. Join us as we continue serve our community by building more relationships with the organizations of our community.

 

Kevin MacPhail

Vineyard Church of Overland Park

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2010
August 04

Prayer For Purity And Freedom

Mark Warner
Purity

Heavenly Father, I worship you and I give you praise. I recognize that you're worthy to receive all glory, honor and praise.

 

I'm thankful that you loved me from eternity past, that you sent the Lord Jesus Christ into the world to die as my substitute that I would be redeemed.

 

I'm thankful that, in him, you've made me complete and have offered yourself to me to be my daily help and strength.

 

I'm grateful, heavenly Father, that the Lord Jesus Christ spoiled all principalities and powers and made a show of them openly -- triumphing over them on the cross. I claim all that victory for my life today. I reject out of my life all the insinuations, accusations, and temptations of the world, the flesh and the devil.

 

Open my eyes and show me the areas of my life that do not please you. Work in my life that there be no ground to give Satan a foothold against me.

 

By faith and in dependence upon you, I put off the old nature with its selfishness and I put on the new nature with its love.

 

I put off the old nature with its fear and I put on the new nature with its courage.

 

I put off the old nature with its weakness and I put on the new nature with its strength.

 

I put off the old nature with all its deceitful lusts and I put on the new nature with its righteousness and purity.

 

Blessed Holy Spirit, I pray that you would fill me today. Come into my life. Break down every idol, cast out every foe. I renew my allegiance to you. I completely surrender myself to you as a living sacrifice. I choose not to be conformed to this world. I choose to be transformed by the renewing of my mind.

 

Therefore, in my own life today, I tear down the strongholds of Satan formed against my mind and I surrender my mind to you.

 

I break and smash the strongholds of Satan formed against my emotions today and I give my emotions to you.

 

I smash the strongholds of Satan formed against my will today and I give my will to you.

 

I smash the strongholds of Satan formed against my body today and I give my body to you, recognizing that I am a temple of the Holy Spirit. Father, I choose to walk in purity.

 

I choose to think your thoughts after you.

 

I choose to be in the world but not of it.

 

Help me guard my eyes. Help me flee from sexual sin. Bend my will to your will, my desires to your desires. Help me want only what you want.


I surrender myself completely and unreservedly to you. I refuse to be discouraged. You are the God of all hope.

 

In Jesus' holy name, Amen.

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2010
August 02

Weekend Worship July 31-August 1

John Hix
acoustic 1 bw

We prayerfully and thoughtfully select the worship music for each service to make sure it speaks the truth about God and that the songs are truly worshipful.  We share this list with you so that you will know the songs and the artists if you want to purchase the songs.  We believe these songs will help you worship all throughout the week.

Listed below is the SongTitle - Author - Album with recording of the song

Prelude (Pre-service during count-down):
-Might to Save – Ben Fielding and Rueben Morgan – Mighty to Save (Hillsong-Darlene Zschech)


Pre-sermon:
-Beautiful One – Tim Hughes – Double-Take (Jeremy Camp)

-Hosanna - Paul Baloche & Brenton Brown - A Greater Song (Paul Baloche)


Post-Sermon:
-Freedom Reigns - Michael Larson - Perfect Love (Michael Larson)

-Good to Me - Craig Musseau - Change My Heart Oh God-Season of Glory: 25 Top Vineyard Worship Songs

-Your Name - Paul Baloche & Glenn Packiam - A Greater Song (Paul Baloche)

-God of All Splendor - Brent Helming - Dwell (Vineyard Music)

-Our God Saves - Paul Baloche & Brenton Brown - Our God Saves (Paul Baloche)

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2010
July 26

Weekend Worship July 24-25

John Hix
Sheet Music

We prayerfully and thoughtfully select the worship music for each service to make sure it speaks the truth about God and that the songs are truly worshipful.  We share this list with you so that you will know the songs and the artists if you want to purchase the songs.  We believe these songs will help you worship all throughout the week.

Listed below is the SongTitle - Author - Album with recording of the song

Prelude (Pre-service during count-down):
-Jesus' Name – Ryan Delmore and Jim Folkrod – The Spirit, the Water, and the Blood (Ryan Delmore)

Pre-sermon:
-Worthy, You Are Worthy - Matt Redman – Facedown (Matt Redman)
-The Highest and the Greatest – Nick Herbert and Tim Hughes – Holding Nothing Back (Tim Hughes)

Post-Sermon:
-Here I Am to Worship – Tim Hughes – Here I Am to Worship (Tim Hughes)
-You're Beautiful – Phil Wickham – Cannons (Phil Wickham)
-Here In Your Presence - Jon Egan - My Savior Lives (New Life Worship)
-Glory to God Forever – Vicky Beeching and Steve Fee – Hope Rising (Fee)

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2010
July 19

Weekend Worship July 17-18

John Hix
Sheet Music

We prayerfully and thoughtfully select the worship music for each service to make sure it speaks the truth about God and that the songs are truly worshipful.  We share this list with you so that you will know the songs and the artists if you want to purchase the songs.  We believe these songs will help you worship all throughout the week.

 

Listed below is the SongTitle - Author - Album with recording of the song

 

Prelude (Pre-service during count-down):

-Sing to the King – Billy James Foote – I Have a River (Billy & Cindy Foote)

 

Pre-sermon:

-Our God Saves – Paul Baloche and Brenton Brown – Our God Saves (Paul Baloche)

 

Post-Sermon:

-Search Me Know Me – Mildred Rainey and Kathryn Scott – Satisfy (Kathryn Scott)

-Healer – Mike Guglielmucci – Here is Love (Bethel Live)

-Worthy, You Are Worthy - Matt Redman – Facedown (Matt Redman)

-Blessed Be Your Name – Matt & Beth Redman – Blessed Be Your Name: The Songs of Matt Redman, Vol. 1 (Matt Redman)

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2010
June 14

Becoming the Best Friend Our Community Ever Had

Mark Warner
Hub02

A few weeks ago, I talked about what it would take to become a Mark 2 church, a church that will stop at nothing to bring the people to Jesus and Jesus to the people. This past weekend, I announced a new initiative that represents a dramatic step in that direction. We're calling it The Hub. Our heart is to use the assets the Lord has blessed us with to offer a community-center-style program aimed at inviting and including the folks in our community to build relationships as they learn together side-by-side.

 

To let us know you are interested in being an instructor, please click here and fill out the Interest Form

 

The Birth of an Idea

Over the last several months, the leadership team at Vineyard OP has been praying about how God would have us use the assets he's given us to make a real difference in our community. One huge asset is the building he's blessed us with here at 8301 Lamar. We thought, how can we use this building to bring the people to Jesus and Jesus to the people? A second asset is clearly all the folks who call Vineyard OP their church home. How can we leverage the gifts, talents and passions of our folks at Vineyard to bring the people to Jesus and Jesus to the people?

 

The idea of launching a low-cost Community Center came to us early on, the question we struggled with was how to get it off the ground. That discussion changed dramatically in late April when several members of the Board went to meet with the leadership team of a fully developed Community Center at a Vineyard Church in Columbus, Ohio. The folks there were incredibly kind to us, answering our questions and showing us around. We learned a lot but the single, biggest thing we came away was a bottom-up, more organic approach vs. a top-down, more institutional approach. In other words, we saw the many advantages of starting small, allowing the classes and other offerings to be generated by individuals at Vineyard instead of relying on the leadership to "make it happen." This revelation helped us understand that we didn't have to do this someday, we could get started right now.

 

Spokes on a Wheel

Here's how it works. The Hub will launch this fall. It will be the first of three main sessions or semesters we'll offer each year. Folks at Vineyard can participate in three ways. You can...

  1. Serve as an instructor
  2. Serve as an assistant instructor
  3. Take a class and bring a friend

 

Allow me to clarify that last one a bit. Anyone at Vineyard can and is encouraged to take a class they're interested in so long as they're willingly to bring someone, outside the church, with them. Remember, this isn't a program the staff or the Board is running FOR the church. It's something we're all doing for the community! Our goal is to literally become the best friend our community ever had.

 

So what do you love to do? Is it sports, music, arts and crafts, horticulture, automotive repair, interior design? There are hundreds of subjects that could be offered as classes or workshops this fall to the whole community. Class offerings can vary in length (4 weeks, 6 weeks etc.) and they'll meet at various times and days of the week. The full list of offerings will be published three times a year in our Activities Guide and distributed widely.

 

Getting Started

We are currently looking for instructors for the fall semester. If you feel led to offer yourself as an instructor, please fill out the Interest Form. A member of the staff will call you to discuss what you have in mind and answer any questions you may have. As I mentioned above, we don't have a problem starting small but we need your help to make it happen. Let's ask God for the will to follow his lead. It's certainly the road less traveled but we honestly believe this is something God wants us to do.

 

All for his glory,

 

Mark

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2010
June 12

The MIX Online Summer 2010 Edition

David Andersen
79

Many of you are familiar with our in-house publication called "The Mix".  We print this for people who want to have a printed big-picture view of everything that is going on at Vineyard OP.  The printed copies are always available at the Info Desk in the lobby at church building, but now you can get The Mix online!

 

Just click the link below to download a PDF version of The Mix.

 

The Mix

 

Thanks,

 

Your beloved Vineyard OP Staff

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2010
June 02

Kansas City Convoy of Hope

David Andersen
Galveston Convoy of Hope

On Saturday, June 12th, Convoy of Hope is holding an event for the people of Kansas City. The event is being held at Swope Park, and they are still looking for volunteers to help staff the many positions required to do something of this magnitude. You can go to the Kansas City Convoy of Hope website to learn more about the event and to volunteer or join in on supporting the event.

 

In 2009, at the Vineyard National Conference in Galveston, Texas, I got the joy of being part of what Convoy of Hope is doing. Galveston had been ravaged by Hurricane Ike in September 2008, and one year later the clean-up was still in progress. I remember Bert Waggoner, the National Director of Vineyard USA, saying how beautiful, lush and green Galveston Island had been prior to Ike. What we saw while we were there was a stripped landscape, yellowed by the sun.

 

The devastation left the people in need. Many had simply abandoned their homes and walked away. Others who remained were suffering through the beginning of the economic downturn paired with the slow rebuilding of the Galveston infrastructure.

 

Vineyard USA leaders determined to hold a Convoy of Hope event during the national conference to bring relief. The entire city of Galveston was invited, and all of the Vineyard USA pastors and staff attending the conference were asked to volunteer to serve.

 

I chose to be part of the food distribution team. Convoy of Hope brought in skids - literally hundreds of skids of food. We blocked in an area with two rows of skids and people walked through with bags. As they passed, I took my item and dropped it into the bag. Each person at each skid did the same, and, as the people walked, they ended with a full bag of groceries. We did this over and over again for hours until all the food bags had been filled. It was good, hard work.

 

But food distribution was only one of the services offered that day. There was a tent where hundreds of pounds of food was being prepared and served. Another tent offered free clothing, while another was a place where the attendees could receive prayer. Thousands of people were blessed that day.

 

Now we are doing the same thing here in Kansas City. It is exciting to see over forty Kansas City churches and many private businesses join in serving and supporting this effort. Kansas City will truly be blessed. If you are able to join in, please prayerfully consider what role you should play in supporting the Kansas City Convoy of Hope.

 

As the outreach pastor, I am aware that Vineyard OP is also going to Hope Faith that same day. As we considered what to do with this "conflict", we determined more opportunities to serve was better than fewer, and so we decided to keep both on the calendar. We know God will direct us to serve where He sees best.

 

God bless you,

 

David

 

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Archives

2010
May 20

Vineyard Mercy Response Haiti

David Andersen

2010
May 05

What If The Church...Stayed Together?

David Andersen

2010
April 25

What If The Church...Served Together?

David Andersen

2010
April 21

Nine Hills Worth Defending

Mark Warner

2010
April 21

What If The Church...Believed Together?

David Andersen

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