FEBRUARY 2014 VOL.2 # ISSUE #2

THE VINE CONNECTIONNEWSLETTER

“The Vine Connection is all about reaching out to each other and our community”

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The Vine Church 1 S. Main Street

This Month’s Ministry Focus:

The Men’s Ministry was designed to give menopportunities to engage in various activities focused onbuilding relationships around Jesus. During the pastyear the Men’s Ministry completed multiple serviceprojects to include painting the exterior of a home andrepairing porches. We have also completed variouslandscaping projects and interior home repairs for thecommunity and Vine folks. The Men’s Life Group has been meeting regularlythroughout the entire year and has completed studieson Taking Responsibility for Your Life, Foundations of theFaith, and Soul Detox. We are currently studyingSpiritual Warfare. This is a relevant, heart hittingsubject, and all men are encouraged to attend. We areable to make real life changes when we embrace God’sword and can rely on other men to help us along theway! The Men’s Outreach Program continues to be in theplanning stages with a goal of having at least one projectsecured every other month. The goal of this ministry isto meet the physical and spiritual needs of thecommunity. We also hope to have fellowship eventssuch as golf outings, shooting range time and back yardBBQ’s throughout the year. Your help is needed to stepup and be involved with planning.

While our Men’s Life Group is active in meetingevery other Wednesday, we have been unable toexpand the Men’s Ministry beyond our Life Groupstudies. A rejuvenated vigor with respect to leadershipperspective, as well as participants who have a heartand desire to serve the community is our prayerrequest. Please also pray for wisdom and guidance inregards to the Outreach program that focus not be loston the mission and goal of this rejuvenated ministry.Pray for the continued attendance of the Men’s LifeGroup and that all in attendance would come with thefocus of identifying the fundamental aspects of SpiritualWarfare as we further our dependence on one anotherand on God. You are encouraged to talk with PastorMark if you would like to step up and be involved withthe Men’s ministry!

MINISTRY IN ACTION

PastorMark

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The Vine Church Vision Statement is to connect people to JesusChrist, who is The Vine, so that they may connect to each other andthe community around them in order to have a growing relationship

with The Vine.

FAMILY BOWLING NIGHT1-18-2014

The Pastor’s

Ponderments

When looking back through the year, my heart is deeply movedand encouraged by God sightings all around us. Our Leadership Teambegan to explore how The Vine can be a compelling missionalcommunity in February. This is becoming a defining factor of who weare as The Vine within our community. As the body of Christ, wehave rallied to support fund raising efforts to help with practicalnecessities such as electric bills and clothing. We are providing mealsto the New Hope Shelter on a regular basis, and are supporting theTabitha’s Table Food Bank with food, funding and volunteers.

It does not stop there! We are sharing our stories with peopleabout what Jesus is actively doing in our lives. We even had our veryfirst mission trip. A team of nine people went to the Bronx to servewith Priority 1 Ministries and connect to various groups of people attheir point of need. Hearts are changing and lives are changing.People are accepting Jesus as their Savior and being baptized! Wenow have multiple Life Groups meeting to provide connections,discipleship and equipping people to be centered on Jesus! Peopleare mentoring people through life challenges and partnering togetheraround the Word!

2013 has been a year of spiritual growth and ministry in actionfor the body of Christ! Philemon 6 “I pray that you may be active insharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of everygood thing we have in Christ.” This verse provides a focusedframework for The Vine in 2014. To bring Philemon 6 to life, thebody of Christ will take a new adventure in truly understanding whowe are in Christ, and in how critical it is to have a full understandingof the Gospel, both from a knowledge perspective and a heartperspective! We will continue to become a compelling missionalcommunity as we surrender our lives more completely to Christ andHis Word!

To do this, we need each other. To live in this manner we needsupport and encouragement. To become a missional communityyour voice is needed and your heart is essential . The body of Christ,The Vine, is much more than a Sunday morning gathering,. We are apeople of action! We are a people of love and compassion!

Pastor Mark

CHOSEN - 1-30-14 SNOW TUBING

COME &GET IT

C.H.O.S.E.N.

Happy New Year! It has been a while. If youhaven’t been to our student life group you havedefinitely missed out on some Awesome Godmoments. This year instead of having a NewYear’s Resolution we made New Covenants withJesus. We gathered at Crossroads BIC with 2other youth groups, and were even joined by athird, to make these new covenants with God.Some of us made a covenant to read our Biblesmore, while others decided that we were goingto spend more time praying with Jesus. Thereare those of us that thought we should do both.It was so much fun to sing praises to Jesus as abig group and hang out with others our age thatwe haven’t seen in a while. After that, we wentsnow tubing again. Ski Liberty is so much fun,and who doesn’t enjoy flying down a hill onsnow and ice in a tube? Upcoming eventsinclude the Valentine’s Day Fundraiser, movienight, and Youth Sunday (where we run theservice!) Join us! We still gather at 6:30 onThursday nights.

GOD SIGHTINGS

The following are reflections from members of The Vine Churchthat describe a time in their lives when God was real, andbeyond a doubt, the Author of their lives!

Does anyone have a story to share? Please see me (LoriSewell) for your story to share how GOD have been real inyour life.

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PRAYER FOCUS CORNER:

The Obstacles of Worldly Thinking

By Michael Youssef, Ph.D.Resisting the world’s pressures can be painful. Paul warns,“Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will bepersecuted, while evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse,deceiving and being deceived” (2 Timothy 3:12-13).Jesus gives a similar warning: “If the world hates you, keep in mindthat it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love youas its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosenyou out of the world. That is why the world hates you” (John 15:18-19).When we are following God’s principles for living, when we seekpurity and righteousness, when we act and speak with integrity, theworld is going to resent us for it. We cannot expect a world indarkness to understand our desire to walk in the light. Regardless ofthe cynicism or ridicule we face, God calls us to His standard ofobedience and righteousness.We don’t have to do this work alone. The Holy Spirit will guide usthrough the obstacles of worldly thinking. The Bible will show us thetruth when we are confronted by lies: “All Scripture is God-breathedand is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training inrighteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equippedfor every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).The more time we spend in God’s Word, the more our hearts andminds align with God. Choosing to do the right thing becomes easierwhen we begin to understand God’s ways. Standing for the truthbecomes easier when we find encouragement and strength inScripture. But apart from God, we will quickly become enmeshed inthe world’s ways of thinking.Prayer: God, thank You for Your Spirit which is with me to guide methrough the obstacles of worldly thinking. Thank You for Your Wordwhich exposes the lies around me. Help me to stay in Your Word sothat my heart and mind will be aligned with yours. Amen.“This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loveddarkness instead of light because their deeds were evil” (John 3:19).

DID YOU KNOW?

WORD OF THE MONTHPrayer (Hebrew: tephillah, greek: deesis) 1. A devoutpetition to God. 2. A spiritual communion with God as insupplication, thanksgiving, adoration, or confession.

Why Pray? Prayer is our conversation with God. Christiansthrough the centuries have found prayer to be an essentialaspect of their spiritual life, both as a means of expressingthemselves to God and of experiencing His presence. Scripturecan also be used as a form of prayer as we ponder the livingWord. James 5:13-15 “13 Is any one of you in trouble? Heshould pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. 14 Isany one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church topray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord.15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick personwell; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be

Women’s Life Group -BIBLE STUDY - meets first Monday of the month atchurch from 6:30 - 8:00 / contact Karen Shade facilitator (717)762-9363 or Lori Sewell (717)580-4529 for more information.

Men’s Life Group - meets every other Wednesday at the church from 7:00- 8:30 / contact Pastor Mark (717)357-0389 for more information.

Prayer HOUR OF POWER - meets the other Wednesday at church 7:00 -8:30 / contact Morris Fraley (301)-991-3506 for more information.

Student Life Group CHOSEN - meets at the church every Thursday nightfrom 6:30 - 8:00 / contact Esther Fairall (443)-889-6624 or DebbieKelly (717)352-7822 for more information.

Couple’s Life Group - meets every first Tuesday of the month at theleaders home from 6:30 - 8:00 / contact Morris & Sheri Fraley(301)991-3506 for more information.

Who suggested stones could be turned intobread? Last months answer: Joseph (Genesis 45:15)

Newborn babies were rubbed with salt (Ezekiel 16:4).

AROUND THE BICNews and events happening with our

larger Brethren In Christ Family!Global Anabaptist ProfileThe Brethren in Christ Church in the U.S. has agreed to participate inthe Global Anabaptist Profile study (GAP). This is the first major study ofglobal Anabaptist-Mennonite churches. The overall purpose of GAP isto gather comparative data from a sample of Mennonite WorldConference member churches. In addition to BIC U.S., Brethren inChrist churches in Canada, Malawi and Zimbabwe are participating inthe study.All members and participants in Brethren in Christ churches in the U.S.are being invited to complete an on-line survey. Invitations toparticipate in the study are being sent to email addresses availablethrough the general church offices. Your participation is of criticalimportance. If you did not receive an email and would like toparticipate you can access the survey through the link herehttp://www.surveymonkey.com/s/GAPMWC.

MORE PLACES TO US CHECK OUT

FOLLOW US:

Check out the Website: www.thevinebic.com

1 South Main St. Smithsburg, MD 21783 (301) 824-7770

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Comments - Suggestions - Feedback

Email: thevineconnection_newsletter@yahoo.com

BIBLE WORD SCRAMBLE

1. AOBJC

2. AAPOHHR

3. AEUZZNHEEBRC

4. PESJOH

5. EEIBMACHL

Last months answers:

1. Peace 2. Triumphant 3.Kingdom 4. Calvary 5. Gilgal

New Search Game: FIND THE FISH!

Where’s the fish? It is hidden somewhere in the newsletter.Enjoy the hunt.

February 2014James 5:16(a) Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed... NIV

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1WLG

ProgressiveDinner 4:00 pm

Nancy Barth BD

2Prayer 9:00 amWorship 10:00

am

3Women’s BibleStudy 6:30 pm

4Couple’s Group

6:30 pm

5HOUR OF

POWER 7:00 PM

Alayja Roell BD

6CHOSEN6:30 PM

7 8CHOSEN

ValentinesDinner

9Prayer 9:00 amWorship 10:00

am

AnthonyBrooksBD

Leona MillerBD

10 11 12Men’s Bible

Study 7:00 pm

13CHOSEN6:30 PM

14 15

16Prayer 9:00 amWorship 10:00

am

17President's Day

18 19Hour of Power

7:00 pm

20CHOSEN6:30 PM

21 22UNSTOPPABLE

MOVIENIGHT6:00 PM

23Prayer 9:00 amWorship 10:00

am

24 25LEADERSHIPMEETING 6:30

PM

26Men’s Bible

Study 7:00 pm

27CHOSEN6:30 PM

28REESE BROOKS

BD