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The Waldorf Vineyard Christian Fellowship |
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The Waldorf Vineyard Christian Fellowship |
Why have Kinships?
One of the first things that Jesus did was to start a small group. In this setting he trained and transformed a group of ordinary people into effective disciples. Later they met in one another's homes to worship, receive teaching, pray and share their lives together. They also sought to impact their communities with the gospel.
Meeting together on a Sunday morning has many benefits, but pastoral care is always going to be limited in such a large group. Kinships are a great way of making the church "small" so if you're new you can easily meet people and find out what is going on in the church. In many ways kinship groups are the heart of the Vineyard. Meeting together in a small group we worship, pray, learn and get to know each other in a way that we couldn't do just on Sundays. As we meet together regularly and share our lives with one another we receive friendship and practical support for living a stable Christian life. Also, growing up spiritually means learning to give to others as well as receiving from them. As our goal is to be the church, rather than simply go to church, kinships are also places of participation. They're a safe environment where you can learn how to minister in the power of the Holy Spirit, and develop new areas of gifting and service for the sake of others.
Courtesy: Vale of Aylesbury Vineyard Christian FellowshipKinships are essential to the way we do church here at the Waldorf Vineyard. We value kinships greatly and hope that everyone involved in the life of our church will be part of a kinship. We believe that kinships are where lasting friendships are made, community is built, where people have their needs met and their lives enriched.
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Prayer? Who needs Prayer?
Simple answer: everybody needs prayer.
Intercession is petitioning God on behalf of another through the Holy Spirit's guidance. Prayer is not some boring ritual or mystical force. Prayer is simply communicating with God our Father, listening to what’s on His heart, and bringing our concerns to Him. When we worship and pray (the two go hand-in-hand) not just for ourselves but also for others, it is called intercession. Intercessory prayer is simply praying for the needs of others, acting as a go-between before God for them. Jesus does the same for us. (Romans 8:34)
We want our intercessory prayers to become the energy behind our calling for "knowing God, being known and making Him known." We don't just want to have good ministries and successful outreaches (although we want that too!!) but we seek to discover God's heart first and then step out in the revelation He gives us. When we spend time talking and listening to God we get to know how much God loves all of us. When we intercede our own hearts are revealed so we grow spiritually. And when we ask God to move in our church and in our community we step out to make Him known. We want all that we do to be directed by persistent prayers for God to reveal more of Himself. We want to agree with his heart for us. That's why we schedule time for intercessory prayer every week. Intercession takes place every Friday morning in the church office. Please call the church office to check the times.
We also schedule time for Intercessory prayer most Sunday mornings from 9:30 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. in the Sanctuary. Everyone can intercede and invite the Holy Spirit to come and lead the service. Our hope and desire is that all believers will have a living dynamic prayer life for themselves as well as boldly intercede for others.
"Christ Jesus, who died – more than that, who was raised to life - is at the right hand of God and is also
interceding for us." Romans 8:34
"In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes
for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes
for the saints in accordance with God's will." Romans 8: 26-27
"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on
praying for all the saints." Ephesians 6:18