Occasionally, I am asked the question, "what kind of church is the Vineyard"?. "Vineyard" is not a very familiar name for a church, particularly so on the East Coast. We call ourselves "Vineyard" just as a Presbyterian church would call itself Presbyterian or a Baptist church would call itself Baptist. It's just a name we believe God gave to the early leaders of the Vineyard movement "way back" in the '70s. It's taken from Isaiah 27:2-3,

"A vineyard of wine, sing of it! I, the Lord, am its keeper; I water it every moment.
Lest anyone damage it, I guard it night and day."

We are contemporary in our style (using music we can relate to in worship) and orthodox in our beliefs (orthodox simply meaning that we adhere to all the major historical creeds of the church, for instance The Apostles Creed).

We have an evangelical emphasis; we care about helping people find God (Matthew 28:18). We value that God empowers His church today through the Holy Spirit to accomplish His purposes in the world. So I would say, in answers to the question "What kind of church is the Vineyard?", that we are orthodox, evangelical and seek God's empowering.

Worship is very important to us. We love coming into God's presence through song and desire our worship to spill over into every area of our lives as we learn together to worship Jesus is Spirit and truth.

High among our priorities are the Scriptures. We see the Bible as the source of absolutes and authority for our lives. We want to both know and do what it says.

We also have a high value to reach out beyond ourselves to those who don't know the Lord, to the poor and homeless, to our neighbors and friends. And we have a desire to equip our church to follow Jesus as we pray for the sick, heartbroken and those who are in spiritual darkness.

We love our children and want for them what we want for ourselves. They are not only the future of our church but they are an important part of our church now. Children are a priority and deserve our best attention and care.

We believe church doesn’t have to be stuffy and boring and so we seek to have fun together.

We are a locally autonomous congregation connected to the Association of Vineyard Churches. There are over 70 East Coast Vineyard congregations from Maine to Florida, over 600 Vineyards in the United States and upwards to 900 total worldwide.

We have ample information on this site regarding our values and priorities and a link to the Association of Vineyard Churches and the Vineyard Music Group web sites. Vineyard music is used all over the world in churches across the spectrum of denominations and affiliations.

Though we are a "Vineyard" congregation we want to bless God's church where ever it may be found and what ever it may be called. We’re learning that "it's all about Jesus!" He has brought us into right relationship with God the Father, He sits on the throne of our lives and He desires to do through us today what He's always done in the world...draw men and women, boys and girls to Himself. We want our lives to be so convincing and real that others want to be near Jesus too. If this is the kind of church you'd like to be part of...come on out. I could tell you much more, but you'll really come to know who we are by "checking us out".

I hope to meet you when you do. Be sure to say "hello" and introduce yourself to me when you come.

Sincerely,

Bob Palumbo
Pastor
Vineyard Community Church