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BACKGROUND Our history at this point is really the vision of our founder (that would be me). After being born into the kingdom of God through the vehicle of the Catholic Chrurch in 1980, I grew in my spiritual life and experienced many forms of Christianity - different packaging and belief systems. One of the most important "events" in the formation of my vision was my college life experience. At that time in my life I experienced real consistent Christian community - togetherness, real relationships, loving one another. It was something that has stayed with me for all this time, and has, in a way, spoiled me for anything less. I have, to a degree, been dissatisfied with the "church" experiences I've had in light of that - sad in comparison. That placed in me the great desire to see that work again in the church, as it was designed. After Liz and I married in 1988, we became a part of a local independent charismatic church. We grew, learned, and came to serve in many ways there for the last nine or ten years. I believe God placed me there as a training ground, a seminary if you will, of the hands-on variety. I grew in ministry there, served as Associate Pastor for a while, was on the Board of Directors for many years, and finally served as Cell Group Coordinator when we decided to transition our church into a "cell church". At this point it became clear to me that the time was coming soon for us to leave and move out into the vision that God had been clarifying in me for years... - a community based in small groups of between 8 and 15 people meeting in homes (or wherever) - a non-traditional, un "churchy" community of believers where people can experience real relationships in an unhindered spiritual atmosphere - a community which draws from ancient as well as contemporary sources for its expression of common worship - blending liturgical and free-flowing models in order to involve the whole person in corporate worship - more people-based than building and program-based, where the emphasis in the life of the community is on relationships - where ministry (teaching, prophecy, exhortation, etc.) and discipleship is done primarily through the vehicle of close relationships - where large group services will be secondary and more infrequent in order that the smaller communities remain the primary focus - where leadership is excersized in a more responsible fashion, with more accountability and less power and authority vested in only one individual - to be a church that gives birth to new churches - to constantly raise up responsible, servant leaders in our body and send them out with teams of coworkers to plant new communities of faith in our area and wherever God might send them- and, theologically, where the grace and love of God are taught as primary and radical, in a way that people can actually understand so that they may experience it in its fullness without hindrance by legalistic rhetoric which is harmful to God's children. If you resonate with this vision, and you would like to talk to us more indepthly about perhaps becoming a part of the community, please give us a call (859-264-8083) or e-mail us (vbcc@qx.net). God's grace be with you! |