Inside the Vineyard -  Articles about life @ Vineyard Boise

It's Easter morning and once again Vineyard Boise has brought all three of its church services together as a congregation at the Boise Centre on the Grove. Look around. We've been growing.

In just this past year the attendance of our weekend services has increased by over 300 people. There are many reasons for this growth. Tempe McFarlane coming on staff has really given a boost in the arm for servant evangelism. Many people in the area who never knew about the Vineyard now know us as those great, funny, crazy (add your own favorite adjective) people who give out free drinks, newspapers and light bulbs while dodging traffic in Boise's busiest intersections. Some people have come because of the billboard on the freeway and because of the bumper stickers on many of our cars. Several families have told us that they listened to Tri's messages on the church Web site as they were planning to move here. When they actually walked in the doors they already felt at home.

But the reason most people come to the Vineyard is because they are invited. As authentic followers of Jesus live out their lives with Him the World takes notice. You don't have to stand on the street corner and hand out the Four Spiritual Laws to get somebody's attention. You just have to reach out, be real, and show compassion.

Compassion has paved the road into our community. Doors have opened at the church to help the poor, feed those who are hungry, take care of the sick, help out those in need of justice, and minister to broken and hurting people.

We are also seeing fruit in the discipleship process. Although it is difficult to measure spiritual maturity we see peoples lives changing in front of our eyes. The stories are incredible and inspiring - marriages are being healed, angry people are repenting, those who used to be stoic and emotionless can be seen worshipping God without reservation. Sunday messages are reaching the hearts of people and Discipleship Groups are digging into God's word to find out what He is saying to them. Bible studies and education classes are full of people who are grasping on to the hope that God has given them for a new life that doesn't have to be the same as it used to be. 

As more people have been drawn to the Vineyard, we have made the necessary changes to make room for them. We have added new chairs, removed tables, and even added a third service. This has not only happened with the adults but also with the children's ministries and the youth department. Bud Reberry, our children's pastor, has already split some classes in two because of the amount of kids in them. He and his team are making plans for expanding them again. Our youth pastors, Trevor and Andrea Estes, quickly filled the Barnabas room with more youth than it can handle and now have youth services during both morning sessions.

As we look to the future we see the Vineyard continuing to grow. The vision that we have to make authentic disciples doesn't end when we reach a certain size. We feel the growing pains of an expanding church and the tension of knowing there is so much more we could do. This coming year will see the church prepare for growth in two significant ways. First, we will plant a new church in Meridian, and second, we will expand the facilities of our home in Garden City.

The Church Plant

Last year the pastors of Living Hope Church, Randy and Mae Rodes, joined the staff of the Vineyard and brought their congregation with them to the church. The plan was for them to integrate into the life of the Vineyard with the vision of eventually planting a new church in the area.

Randy comes from a family with church ministry background in the Northwest and has spent many years as a Nazarene pastor. In 1993 he attended a Vineyard conference in California where he was greatly impacted and effectively spoiled for the ordinary. Randy desired to lead his church into deeper areas of worship and ministry and incorporated many Vineyard values into his church. When he returned home from the conference he sought out Tri and the two kindred hearts became friends.

Over several years Tri and Randy met to encourage each other and find out what was going on in each other's church. Eventually the topic of Randy's church becoming a Vineyard surfaced. At the time Living Hope was an independent ministry without any denominational affiliation. They were meeting just a mile away from the Vineyard, at a church building on Northview, where a decade before Vineyard Boise had started. 

After prayer and consideration they decided together to merge the two congregations and allow Randy and Mae some time to charge their batteries while being part of a larger staff. While at the Vineyard Randy has developed a new ministry for the Singles, a Basics in Belief class, as well as filled in for Tri on occasion in the pulpit. Randy and Mae's son Justin is fluent in Spanish and has become one of the leaders of the La Viña ministry, facilitating a Spanish-speaking Discipleship Group in Caldwell.

Now the Rodes are directing their energies towards the new church plant. They choose the Meridian area as it is the fastest growing city in Idaho, growing from 9000 in 1990 to over 41,000 in 2001. Besides, Meridian has been their home since 1973,

As in the past when sending out a church plant, Tri encourages people to pray about their participation. No one is expected to leave the home church in Garden City just because they live in Meridian. We aren't asking anyone to leave nor are we asking anyone to stay. But we do know that God has put a pioneering spirit in some of the people here in the church that will help make the Vineyard Meridian church a success.

Randy and Mae are developing the church plant team and will start meeting with them on Sunday nights beginning next week, April 22nd. They are currently looking for a location for the evening meetings, as well as a building to start Sunday morning services. Their goal is to open up their doors no later than July.

Building Expansion

At the same time Randy has been planning the church plant, Tri and the rest of the church staff has been preparing for a building expansion back in Garden City. Along with the help of an architect in our congregation, plans have been drawn up to remodel the main building in order to make space for the expected growth for the next decade.

These plans include expanding the sanctuary to seat at least 1000, while upgrading the interior, air conditioning, sound and audiovisual system. The current sanctuary was built with a temporary wall on the east end of the building with the idea of future expansion. 

The plans also include new nurseries for the babies and toddlers, bringing the nursery closer to the main sanctuary and adjacent to the cry rooms. 

The auditorium will be expanded to a chapel that will seat 240. This will provide us a room that will be perfect for most weddings and other meetings that tend to get dwarfed in the sanctuary. The youth group plans to use the new chapel on Sunday mornings, which allows them room to grow. Trevor is negotiating to turn the current room they use in Barnabas into a youth activity room that could be used throughout the week. 

The expansion will also include an expanded lobby, larger bathrooms and some redesign of the education rooms to make them more functional. Bradley Street will be extended to 48th street and more parking will be added around the church. 

The building expansion could start as early as this fall. 

Making Room for the Harvest

Both preparations for church growth require commitment, faith, finances, and prayer. 

If you would like to be part of the Meridian church plant contact Randy this week at the church office or through his email - randy@vineyardboise.org. Make sure you keep next Sunday evening free for the kickoff meeting. If you would like to be contacted about the location of the meeting or want to know more about the church plant, please fill out the v-mail and include it in this morning's offering.

And look for more details of the Vineyard Boise building project to be available soon, including plans and conceptual drawings on display in the lobby and on the Web site.