We heard some incredible God stories about Vineyard churches in Malawi, as well as the youth conference DTI and the young lives being impacted. There was a great talk by Adam Pipe, powerful ministry time and worship, and great community time over hot dogs after the service.
See you at the next Big Church on Sunday, 17th November!
“Here at Birmingham Vineyard, we’re really passionate about writing new songs so that we can give Jesus our love, and the praise He deserves, in fresh ways. Our heart is that these songs are ones that we can all own as a church and sing as one. With that in mind, we as songwriters would like to share the story behind each song to invite everyone on this journey.”
We’re introducing 6 new songs over the next few months at church, and with each song we will be releasing a video telling the story behind the song. Check back each month to watch the next one!
Here’s Jon & Ben talking about the new song, Lead Me In Your Love.
Here’s Luke talking about the story behind the new song for this month:
Here’s Emily talking about the story behind the new song for this month:
Here’s Milly talking about the story behind the new song for this month:
Here’s Ben & Emily talking about the story behind the new song for this month:
Here’s Ben & Jon talking about the story behind the new song for this month:
Here’s Marc talking about the story behind the new song for this month:
Here’s Luke talking about the story behind the new song for this month:
Psalm 96
1 Sing to the Lord a new song;
sing to the Lord, all the earth.
2 Sing to the Lord, praise his name;
proclaim his salvation day after day.
3 Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvellous deeds among all peoples.
4 For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise.
The Father is constantly on the move - just as Jesus says in John 5:17. He’s constantly working in our lives, constantly giving us new glimpses of His character. And so part of our response is naturally to be giving him a new song of praise - to thank Him for His new (and past) work, to tell others of His goodness in our lives, and to praise Him with new gratitude, insight and love for Him.
We want to be a people pursuing the Lord. As He continues to move in new ways, and in new areas, we want to be pursuing Him with a new offering of praise.
Therefore, over the next few months, we’ll be introducing quite a few new songs as part of our Sunday song lists. A number of these songs have been written by people in our community, people who call Birmingham Vineyard home.
We recognise that God is doing something unique in each of us, but also He’s doing something unique in our church. We are committed to songwriting to tell the story of God at work in us, and to pray for the more that is to come. We want to write songs that we can all own, and sing with a sense of family.
Our home written songs haven’t yet been recorded and released fully, but you can listen to the demos of the songs right here (see right). They are:
If you’d like to get a head-start on other songs that we are introducing at church, they are:
We would love to express our thanks to all of the amazing leaders and volunteers who serve on teams at Birmingham Vineyard! Check out this note from Andrew and Rosie, our Senior Pastors, expressing their gratitude to everyone who serves:
Dear team,
Birmingham Vineyard exists to help people follow Jesus, live life to the full and make a difference. You help that become a reality in all the different ways you serve.
People often come out of a Sunday and say ‘What a great Sunday that was!" They often thank us but we know it’s because of you. People experience the presence of God, come to faith or their faith comes alive and your service makes that happen.
You consistently go the extra mile. In fact we see many of you park round the corner to leave car park spaces for guests each Sunday. You come early and stay late and it's much appreciated. You open up your homes and lives to make space for those who are not part of community. You reach out to the wider city of Birmingham and beyond, to bring hope and practical help to many people in need.
What you do is seen, it’s appreciated and celebrated. Who you are is an inspiration and example to those you serve.
On Friday, we celebrated you with a great party! We want to say a special thank you to two incredible people who made the night memorable. Thank you to Reece Dougall, who made all the delicious food for the event. Thank you also to Andy Keast, who built all of the street food stalls which transformed the space and made a perfect setting for the party.
Rosie and I, on behalf of the staff team and all the trustees want to thank you for all that you do in the life of our church.
Many blessings,
Andrew & Rosie McNeil
Photo credits to Daniel McNeil Photography
Thank you again for all those who came on Friday night!
If you aren’t currently serving on a team, we would love to help you find your fit. To express your interest in serving click the button below:
This Sunday is the Velo Cycle event, which will impact routes to both our City Centre site and South Site.
If you travel by public transportation, you can find more information on how the event impacts bus and trains here: Velo Public Transport Routes
See map below to view access routes and road closures, and for more details go to https://www.velobirmingham.com/the-route/road-closures/
Media often portrays youth in a negative light, and there are lots of issues young people have to face on a daily basis. However, there is so much hope and passion in this generation! Across the UK, teens are responding to the invitation to relationship with Jesus, experiencing freedom through the Holy Spirit, and acting in courageous ways to make a difference in our world!
{ Hear the story of teens giving their lives to Jesus and spreading #Jesusisreal around their school >>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKjibtti1OI }
The youth of Birmingham Vineyard are fully engaging with the Kingdom of God. We caught up with Josh Evans, one of our youth leaders, to hear more about what’s happening with our youth…
Josh, what made you want to get involved with serving on the youth team?
I got involved because I wanted to see God's story in the lives of our young people, and have a lot of fun getting to know some great human beings. Before joining, I'd just finished a job where I'd see a snapshot in the lives of different young people each week, but when I arrived in Birmingham, I wanted to put down roots, and invest. It's been great! #BlessedToBless.
What have you been seeing God do in the youth over this past year?
The youth are constantly growing and surprising us all! It's been amazing to see conversations at Soul Survivor festival develop into decisions to get baptised. Over the last couple of years, a big cohort of the older youth has 'graduated' from youth and moved on to new things, including leadership in their new spheres. Following this, so many people have been stepping up and stepping out into serving and ministry, whether that's in band, tech, prophecy or prayer.
Share a bit more with us about what the Youth Justice Panel is and how Birmingham Vineyard youth are involved?
Over the past year we have been involved with Tearfund, a Christian charity working towards ending poverty. This February they invited three of BV’s youth to join the Tearfund Youth Justice Panel - a chance to grow closer with God, learn about His heart for people and justice, and take action to make a difference. They found the first training day enjoyable and inspiring, looking at themes of waste, education, hunger and fashion. We saw the awe-inspiring example of Greta Thunberg who is taking on the world at 16 for climate change, and now our young people are in the process of planning their own actions so watch this space to hear more in the coming months!
How can our church support the youth that are serving on the panel?
If you would like to support, keep an eye out for what they're doing and joyfully join in, with prayer and practical help! Supporting our young people also means engaging with your own justice journey. What is God challenging you on? What sacrifices can you make for His Kingdom? It's scary, but, God wants his relentless love for his people and this earth to be at the centre of all of our life decisions, big and small.
What are you most excited about in the upcoming months with youth?
Festivals are a great chance to get to know the young people at Vineyard better, and see what God's doing in their lives. This year, I'm looking forward to a summer of celebrations with Dreaming The Impossible (DTI), as well as the final year of Soul Survivor. I know that God will be moving, so I'm just excited to see how.
You are invited to come alongside this young generation who are making a difference:
PRAY – Pray for the youth who are attending DTI Festival this weekend (3rd-6th May), for powerful encounters with God! Pray for the young generation of Jesus lovers – for courage, wisdom and kindness as they partner with God to bring the Kingdom into their spheres of influence.
YOUR JUSTICE JOURNEY – Join our youth in making lifestyle changes to bring justice to the world. For practical ideas and to read more about justice issues, check out tearfund.org
GET INVOLVED – If you are interested in serving with the youth team, or at DTI 2020 simply pop an email through to Aaron the youth pastor: aaron@birminghamvineyard.com
The crocuses and daffodils have bloomed and chocolate is everywhere you look - it’s Easter time!
Come join us as we celebrate Good Friday and Easter together at Birmingham Vineyard:
9:00am - 9:45am - Join us for a quiet, contemplative service reflecting on the cross and Jesus’ sacrifice. This service will be primarily self-led, with various stations that you can engage in silently. Communion will be offered. Hot cross buns and drinks will be served after the service.
10:30am - 11:30am - Join us for an interactive, all-age service, where we will engage in reflection on Jesus’ sacrifice in an active way. This family-friendly service will lead us through various activities as we engaging with the power of the cross. Communion will be offered. Hot cross buns and drinks will be served after the service.
10:30am & 5:30pm City Centre site
11:00am South site
Join us for an all-age service celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
There will be worship, a relevant teaching and interactive prayer activities.
We had a wonderful time worshipping God together, hearing about the amazing ways that your generosity has impacted our city through Growbaby and Foodbank, learning about The Big Three resource (bvc.so/bigthree) and celebrating those who got baptised.
See you at the next Big Church gathering, Sunday 30th June!
It can feel confusing knowing where 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!
We’ve just released The Big Three booklet, a resource which outlines 3 simple spiritual practices that you can use every day to help you grow closer to Jesus. Physical copies of the booklet are available at our weekend services, or you can download it here:
“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
Read and Listen - Start your day by reading a bit of the Bible, asking God to speak to you about the passage and your day and make a note of what He says. Here are some helpful resources, if you’re just getting started we recommend scrolling down to the 5X5X5 reading plan, or to dig deeper have a look at some of the other resources.
If you would find having access to the bible on your phone or tablet useful, The Bible App is free and really helpful!
Pray Your Thoughts - Continue well throughout your day by praying, which is simply talking to God. Keep your talk with God simple, honest and continual - even through the tough bits of your day!
Continue well throughout your day by being aware of what is going on in your head and bring your thoughts to God through short simple prayers. If you want to grow in spending more time in prayer here are some great resources.
Another helpful resource - innerroom.app
Guard Your Heart - Finish your day well by reviewing your day before you go to sleep; giving thanks, saying sorry, and letting go. This is a good opportunity to trust God with what has happened and start the next day afresh.
If you find this helpful and want to develop this practice more, you might find the Examen helpful. Check out this video from Dan Wilt and Belfast Vineyard.
Another helpful resource - pray-as-you-go.org
It is a powerful three-day conference for leaders to worship, meet with God, be inspired and spend time with other leaders from across the Vineyard UK, Ireland and beyond.
The main sessions were recorded at NLC, and you can listen to them here:
There were about 30 leaders from Birmingham Vineyard who attended this year. Let’s hear from them about what God was up to during the conference:
“Identity was something which was being spoken about a lot at NLC. God reminded me four times during the conference of a truth I have been wrestling with over the past six months - a truth on how he saw me and valued me which wasn't my conviction in my heart. I had been believing this lie over and over. The reminders came from four different people, one of which was a guy from St Andrews Vineyard in Pizza Hut - he had been challenged to ask God for a word for someone and I was that person - it was bang on and he and I both went away encouraged!” - Aaron S.
“God often chooses to call us into things he knows we’re not adequate for so we’ll learn to always depend on him.”
“This was the first time I'd heard Debby Wright preach. She's inspiring and motivating. Quoting from a version of 2 Corinthians 6:2 on the theme "Now is the Time", she set the tone for the conference. One of her key points was "Now is the time to be confident" - both in our identity (it's God who defines who I am!) and in nurturing expectancy. She clearly longs to see people who have not met Jesus come into His Kingdom. Her challenge is for us all to be farmers sowing seeds, leading people to Jesus and investing in the next generation. At another ministry time, Debbie had prophetic words of breaking barrenness both physical and to enable us all to bring new life spiritually. I was affirmed in what I want to see in my neighbourhood and challenged to keep believing and stepping out in faith. Thank you Jesus.” - Pippa B.
“Now is the time of God’s favour, now is the day of salvation”
“On the first night I shared a table with three Scots - a Site Pastor; a young woman church planting in Stirling; and a church planter released to go that week with his wife and baby. Wonderful to see and hear the passion and drive to see God’s Kingdom come across Scotland. Then John and Eleanor Mumford shared about their work across the 15 global regions of the Vineyard church movement. They reflected upon some of the challenges facing the Church in areas of the world, and how much difference being part of the Vineyard family makes. Finally, and closer to home, it was great to see the development of churches birthed or released a year ago, in places like Leicester and the Isle of Wight, now growing healthily.” - Steve P.
“Joy is not frivolous, it is not irreverent. It is the most powerful tool in the battle and it gives you a platform for breakthrough. Joy equals STRENGTH.”
“I thoroughly enjoyed NLC. The talks were fresh and powerful, but the best thing was how the Holy Spirit moved across the week. There was so much expectation and the Holy Spirit’s presence was so tangible and at work. For me personally, I felt that there were some lies that I worked through with God, which left me feeling more free, and ready to run His race with new energy.” - Jon S.
There is a longing for and an expectation across the UK for the Kingdom of God to come. We are thankful to be a part of a movement who is saying yes to the life-giving works of God and you are invited to join us as we partner with Him to bring life in Birmingham!
Welcome to a New Year! As we start 2019 we just want to say what a joy it is for us to lead such an amazing church community.
This time last year Rosie and I were heading off on a Sabbatical. Since our return we’ve focussed on cultivating some new habits and daily practices that have helped us continue to grow. We’ve noticed, as we’ve looked at lives that are an example and inspiration to us, that often they have the same qualities and routines in common. They’re focussed on the things that really matter and they’ve fostered simple, daily routines that have shaped them.
For all of us, so many things contend for our attention. As we prayed about 2019, God spoke the phrase ‘Focus and Simplify’ to us. So this year we’re bringing into focus some of the practices and environments that will help us grow. We are focussing on the vision God has for our lives and our church. We are also simplifying the diary so we can put the spotlight on the most important building blocks of church: small groups, communities and Sundays.
Later this term we have a sermon series called ‘Formation’ which will explore some of the daily choices we can make to follow Jesus. The invitation and adventure is to follow Jesus, listen to His word and live more aware of His presence continually. As Jesus followers we want to become more like Him, living secure in our identity as loved children in His family.
As a church we don’t have a formal membership that says who’s “in” and who’s “out”. We are the kind of community where people take responsibility for their own growth and development as followers of Jesus. In the first accounts of the early Church we read that the people in that community “devoted themselves” to this life of faith together.
So we’re all responsible for our own growth! No one else can pray the thoughts in your heart. No one else can build the friendships you can. No one else can bring the perspective or encouragement that God has put in your life. We want to live life to the full. Over the years we’ve seen that the best way to deepen friendship and help our growth is when we learn to consistently love and serve one another with the gifts He’s given us, being committed to each other in small group and community.
For those new to faith or this church, we’re excited to launch the ‘Rooted’ course which will help you connect with God in every part of life. For more information, and to book go to bvc.so/rooted
Together we’re called to be a community of people who are learning to follow Jesus, live life to the full and make a difference every day. A community that is shaped by the big story of scripture, practising the way of Jesus, led by the power of the Holy Spirit in extending God’s Kingdom.
Many blessings,
Andrew & Rosie
We are proud to release our new single called ‘Masterpiece’. We wrote this song as part of our advent sermon series, also called Masterpiece. We decided to release this song, with all proceeds going to our Foodbank ministry, which helps some of the most vulnerable people across the city.
Please click the button to buy the single. Alternatively, you can find our profiles on your usual music provider below.
Our single is available on a number of platforms (please follow the links below):
- Available for download on Bandcamp and iTunes.
- Streaming on Spotify & Apple Music
- Also available on Amazon and Google Play
There is also a music video on our YouTube channel that you can also view below.
We hope you are blessed by this song, and we'd love to hear what you think of it!
For more information on our Foodbank ministry, please click here
REVERSE ADVENT CALENDAR
Over the Christmas period many of us will be using our Foodbank Reverse Advent Calendars. They have an item to buy and an action to do on each day and if you buy each item by the end of the calendar you'll have filled 3 Foodbank bags! Pick one up from the info point on a Sunday or download a PDF version of it here
Sunday 2nd December
Join us for all-age Christingle services at all of our services
Sunday 9th December
Join us for our normal 3 services with advent themes
Sunday 16th December
Join us for carol services in our 3 services. There will also be Christmas parties for the kids during the service
Sunday 23rd December
Join us for two relaxed services at our City Centre Site (10:30am & 5:30pm)
Sunday 25th December
Join us for our Christmas Day service at City Centre Site (10:30am)
30th December
Join us for reflective New Year Services at all our normal times
At the beginning of September we set out as a community to do 1000 Acts of Courage with Jesus. Jesus promises us that “The Father is always at work, and I too am at work” (John 5:17), and we want to be a community that takes risks to participate with God in what he is doing in our city!
An Act of Courage could be big or small, a success or a fail, and anything in between. It could be speaking up to defend someone who is being bullied, sending an encouraging text to someone you normally wouldn’t interact with, chatting to someone at the bus stop and seeing if you could pray for them, simply meeting your neighbours you haven’t met yet; or anything else that, for you, is a courageous step out in faith.
Check out these Acts of Courage from the last few weeks:
Act of Courage with Housemates
“So I got back from Big Church and I was putting the Foodbank Reverse Advent Calendar up in my kitchen cupboard when got chatting to my house mates about it... about the giving bits to food bank and changing peoples lives because of the bags. They loved it so we’re going to do it together and we’ve now put it up on the kitchen door for us all to do!”
Act of Courage on Rubery Road
“I went to Rubery New Road today when I noticed that an elderly lady had fallen over, so I went over to see if I could help. I found out that she had hurt her hip and an ambulance had been called, but no one had the time to sit with her. I sat with her until the ambulance came and prayed for peace & healing.”
Act of Courage with a Schoolmate
“My seven-year old son shared an encouraging prophetic word he'd written on a card for his non-Christian school friend, and invited him to the Family Film Afternoon in December - his mum was really touched and said they'd love to come.”
God is always at work. How will you step out in courage? Share your story with us:
The Birmingham Half Marathon is taking place on 14th October. As a result, there are a number of road closures in the city. We’re still committed to running 3 services in our 2 locations on that Sunday, to give us space for connection, worshipping together, and welcoming others.
In order to help you in your trip to church, we’ve made this map. Please leave some extra time in your journey to navigate these road closures.
We look forward to seeing you on the 14th October, and for those who are running, we’re cheering you on!
As a church we love to hear stories of people stepping out to be courageous in following Jesus and we long to see Him impacting lives around us. So this autumn, we are setting ourselves a challenge - to collectively carry out 1000 Acts of Courage! We would love you to join in!
An Act of Courage could be: offering to pray for a colleague, inviting a friend to church, joining a small group, sharing an encouraging word with a stranger, making the first move to say sorry, giving a thoughtful gift; or anything else that, for you, is a courageous step out in faith.
We have created a Facebook event as a way to record your Acts of Courage and we'll be sharing stories on Sundays. We'd love you to post courageous acts and see stories of others stepping out. No story is too small and we're celebrating courage not just success. Let us know of ways you've stepped out by using the buttons below:
Alternatively, you can post your stories straight onto your own social media accounts, using the hashtag #BV1000acts.
We're really excited to hear from you, and see what God will do!
Update: We have extended the application deadline to Sunday 12th August.
We believe that administration is a crucial part of building God's Kingdom through the church and enabling the wider community to do the things God is calling us into. So if you have a head for admin and a heart for serving, you may be interested in this paid admin support role!
We are looking for a committed, competent and flexible Administration assistant able to undertake a range of organisational and practical tasks to enable the effective operation of Birmingham Vineyard Church. They will provide essential administrative support to the ministry and vision of the church. The successful applicant will be a self-motivated individual with a working knowledge of IT and social media and is excellent at teamwork as well as able to take individual responsibility for tasks and outcomes.
Download the full job description here
Email your complete applications or any questions to: info@birminghamvineyard.com
Salary: £18,000
Length: 2-year initial contract with a 6-month probationary period.
Closing date: Sunday 12th August 2018
Over the Summer we love to create a relaxed space for people to connect after our services. So if you're new and want to meet people, fancy a tasty treat or would love the chance to slow down and enjoy people's company after one of our services, come along!
All Sundays will have services on at the normal times across our sites, aside from:
This is an incredibly exciting week for us as we’re celebrating 12 months since we became one church in two locations, with three services. If you’d like to read a little more on that, head to our multi-site page.
Each of our services has grown and developed a little of its own flavour, while remaining firmly part of Birmingham Vineyard. Some stories from our service leaders are below: we’re excited to see what God does next!
“We are so blessed to be a part of the morning service community at City Centre. Over the last year we have enjoyed seeing community form from a diverse group of people who are hungry for more of Jesus. There are new people coming consistently, and experiencing a lovely welcome into deeper connection with God and others. God’s grace has covered this year of transition and now that things are a bit more settled, we are eagerly asking Him what He wants to do in and through the morning service community. More Lord!”
“South Site has seen remarkable growth with friends and neighbours coming to church for the first time and finding their home at Vineyard. We have new people every week and they are welcomed warmly by everyone. Others who had been part of our community groups but not attended regularly on Sundays have become highly-valued team members. We’ve had the privilege of watching all our teams work through the problems associated with starting something in a new space and come together to deliver a smooth-running service where there’s also lots of space for prayer and community. We’re looking forward to seeing how we can press into God in the next few months, praying for each other during the service and looking out for the least, last and lost both before, during and after the service over coffee!”
“The evening service has seen a growth in the passion and intensity of worship time, with people coming from their own worship in the week ready to engage and enjoy God’s presence. We’ve enjoyed the opportunity to spend unhurried time responding at the end of the service. Each week has consistently seen new people coming and exploring faith, with lots of questions, who receive a warm and friendly welcome. Over the last six months, we’ve started regular newcomers’ drinks after the service, which has been a great place to get to know people and answer questions in a natural, relational atmosphere. With more people coming each week and the room feeling full of joy and the presence of God, we’re excited to see what God will do in the year ahead.”
We had such a great time at Big Church this weekend. With Baptisms, our EP launch and an unexpected visit from a Roman Centurion, it was fantastic to get our whole community together! Below you'll see some pictures from the event and also a video of Adam's sermon finishing off our series in Ephesians, it's not one to miss!
