V I N E   S T R E E T 
 
 
A Village Of Unconditional, All Forgiving,
Never Ending LOVE.
 
 
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H O W   W E   W O R S H I P

Join Us Sunday Mornings

9:00 A.M. Village

Start your Sunday off in a casual, low-key gathering where we share breakfast and chat about Jesus and life. Small groups for all ages – Nursery Available!
 
 
This ain’t your old fashioned
Sunday School!
 
Join us September – May!
 
 
 

10:00 A.M. Worship

“A little something for everyone and a lot of Jesus” is how we worship. Come as you are and experience our energetic, spirit filled service with moving messages and music ranging from contemporary Christian to traditional hymns.
 
 
This service is geared for all
generations!
 
 

Teaching & Preachings

We teach and preach a Jesus that is real and authentic … Taken straight from the gospels with no biased or politics attached. Whether you’re an active participant or a “fly on the wall” listener, we have something for you.
 
 
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interests you!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
B I G  I D E A 
 
“The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” (Mark 1:15).
 
Pastor Bob
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
C H U R C H   M E D I A

Recent Devotionals

May 2021

Way of a Pilgrim; Day 13 — May 9th

“Way of a Pilgrim; Day 13 — May 9th”.


Way of a Pilgrim; Day 12 — May 8th

“Way of a Pilgrim; Day 12 — May 8th”.


Way of a Pilgrim; Day 11 — May 7th

“Way of a Pilgrim; Day 11 — May 7th”.


Way of a Pilgrim; Day 10 — May 6th

“Way of a Pilgrim; Day 10 — May 6th”.


Way of a Pilgrim; Day 9 — May 5th

“Way of a Pilgrim; Day 9 — May 5th”.


Way of a Pilgrim; Day 8 — May 4th

“Way of a Pilgrim; Day 8 — May 4th”.


Way of a Pilgrim; Day 7 — May 3rd

“Way of a Pilgrim; Day 7 — May 3rd”.


Way of a Pilgrim; Day 6 — May 2nd

“Way of a Pilgrim; Day 6 — May 2nd”.


Way of a Pilgrim; Day 5 — May 1st

“Way of a Pilgrim; Day 5 — May 1st”.


April 2021

Way of a Pilgrim; Day 4 — April 30th

“Way of a Pilgrim; Day 4 — April 30th”.




 
 
 
 
 
F R O M   T H E   B L O G

Recent Posts

ANOTHER VOICE:

This week I’m sharing a blog post from Sam Rainer, posted last month, about his new book. Sam, along with his father Thom, run a consulting practice for churches, and Sam also pastors a church in Florida. Though the blog post is primarily about a “New Members’ Class,” I thought his insights about the importance, purpose, and practice of church membership to be useful and enlightening, especially in this post-COVID age we’re living in. 

I hope you enjoy it. Have a blessed week, and hope to “see” you Sunday!                                                     Pastor Bob <><       

“Why I Wrote 7 Basics of Belonging: The Meaning of Church Membership”

by Sam Rainer, President & Senior Consultant for Church Answers

I’ve taught countless new member classes as a pastor. The people in these classes have any number of reasons why they attend. Some are already bought into the church and ready to join. Others are curious and want to know more information. I’ll never forget the time someone walked out of the class because they realized they were at the wrong church.

At Church Answers, we’ve written extensively on new member classes and their importance to church assimilation. These classes help set expectations so new members are not surprised about what the church believes or how the church ministers. They help orient new people to the culture of the church. They connect new people to existing groups. One of the best ways to get people to stick to the church is a regularly scheduled new member class.

Over the years, I’ve always thought a brief book on the basics of belonging to a church would benefit the classes I taught. During the pandemic, I decided to write the book. The effort produced 7 Basics of Belonging: The Meaning of Church Membership. Every church member should know and fulfill these seven expectations.

  • Worship: Saying “yes” to God
  • Grow: Making disciples who make disciples
  • Serve: Reaching outward beyond yourself
  • Give: Honoring God with your offering
  • Pray: Prioritizing God’s will through prayer
  • Seek unity: Keeping the main thing the main thing
  • Sacrifice: Putting others before yourself

The book helps clarify the expectations of new members. What is the big deal about church membership? Why should you join a church? These seven expectations offer clear guidance for those wondering why membership is important.

The book helps church leaders create content for the new member class. In my role at Church Answers, the most frequent request of me is help with creating a new member class. Specifically, pastors and church leaders ask for the content of the class at my church to help get them started. Not only did I write a book to give to new members, but the Church Answers team also created an additional resource to complement the book. Now you can get everything you need to lead a new member class with The Complete Membership Class Toolkit.

The book helps encourage new people not to be spiritual islands. Committing to church membership will help you grow spiritually. God did not design us to grow in isolation. Being on a spiritual island is lonely. The church is a community of imperfect people serving a perfect Savior together. We commit together to follow Him.

The book helps unify new members around the main elements of church membership. The real reason you join a church is simple. Jesus is there. When church members fulfill their seven basic responsibilities the presence of Christ through the Holy Spirit becomes self-evident.

Every Christ follower is meant to be connected to the church. You are not here by accident. God has a plan for you, and that plan includes being a faithful and active part of a local church.


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UPCOMING BOOK STUDY AT VSCC: CHRISTIAN MINIMALISM (An excerpt from Becca Ehrlich’s new book, “Christian Minimalism: Simple Steps for Abundant Living”)

FROM CHAPTER 1: “LIVING COUNTERCULTERALLY”

Being a Christian minimalist means living in a way that is different from the dominant consumer culture around us. Living as a Christian in a Post-Christian society is in itself countercultural; living as a Christian minimalist is doubly so. Society constantly tells us:

  • More is better. We are what we own, so we need to own lots of impressive and expensive things.
  • We are what we do for our job. Having an impressive job title should be one of our main goals. 
  • Our financial bottom-line is what defines our self-worth. If we don’t make a lot of money, we should work harder and climb up the ladder to make more money.
  • Being busy is a badge of honor. Resting is just wasted time that could be used producing more. 
  • Being famous, having power, and receiving worldly accolades are worthy goals to continuously strive for.

Christian minimalists, on the other hand:

  • Aim to live with less, intentionally consume, and focus on what’s most important, rather than continuously buying things that won’t ultimately make us happy. (READ Luke 12: 15-21).

Luke 12:15-21 — Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’ “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”

  • Strive to focus on what God is calling us to do (our vocation) rather than basing our identity on our job title or how we make a living (READ 1 Corinthians 7: 17).

1 Corinthians 7:17 — Nevertheless, each person should live as a believer in whatever situation the Lord has assigned to them, just as God has called them. This is the rule I lay down in all the churches.

  • Understand, as Jesus tells us in the Gospels, that having money actually makes it harder to enter the kingdom of God (READ Matthew 19: 23-24) … 

Matthew 19:23-24 — Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”

… and amassing wealth shouldn’t be our main goal (READ 1 Timothy 6: 10) …

1 Timothy 6:10 — For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

… Our identity is as beloved children of God (READ 1 John 3: 1) …

1 John 3:1 — See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

… Intentionally spend Sabbath time in rest and renewal alone, with our loved ones, and with God (READ Matthew 14: 23).

Matthew 14:23 — After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone.

  • Know that fame, power, and worldly praise are not our goal; we are called to serve rather than be served, as Jesus did (READ Luke 22: 24-30). 

Luke 22:24-30 — A dispute also arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest. Jesus said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves. You are those who have stood by me in my trials. And I confer on you a kingdom, just as my Father conferred one on me, so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

As Paul writes, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God – what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12: 2). 

We are called to live differently than society’s accepted lifestyle driven by consumerism. 

From Pastor Bob: I hope you’ll join us for our upcoming Book Study of Becca Ehrlich’s “Christian Minimalism: Simple Steps for Abundant Living. As Becca says in the last line of Chapter 1: “Imagine what YOU could do if you simplify and focus on what really matters.” 

May Peace Abound and Life be Abundant!                                                                                                                                <>< Pastor Bob       


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PASTOR BOB’S SUNDAY PREVIEW: “5 Uniquely American Cravings”

Can we do this again? I’d like your help again in preparation for this Sunday’s message. I’m curious if the message last Sunday on “7 Simple Truths for 21st Century Christian” caused you to pause and reflect on what you really believe about God, and why? 

This Sunday, for the Sunday morning message, I plan to take the 7 simple truths and present a “spiritual lifeline” of my own journey, correlating the 7 truths from last week with my own formational phases of life. I’ll start as a 7- or 8-year-old in Akron, Ohio and follow my path to Arthur, Illinois. But I don’t want this to be only about my journey. I’m sharing my own experience so that you may perhaps see your own journey with new insights or clarity. 

So, since you’re willing to help again (!!!), this week I present to you “5 Uniquely American Cravings” based on the wisdom and reflection of Buddhist monk, Thich Nhat Hanh. He is a native of Viet Nam, but was expelled from the country during the Viet Nam War for helping build schools in rural villages. Thich Nhat Hanh is one the most popular spiritual writers in the U.S., focusing on how to learn, apply, and live the principles of Buddhism in a modern Western culture. He resides at his monastery and retreat center, Plum Village, in France.   

If you’re willing to help, I’d like you to read the following 5 Uniquely American Cravings that I am offering below, and offer 2 quick responses to each one. First, circle either Yes, Applies to Me or No Doesn’t Apply, based on whether or not you, in your own day-to-day life, find yourself craving, or strongly desiring, the cravings named below. Then, provide a 1-2 sentence response to tell me in simple words what your craving feels like, or how you respond to it. If any of the 5 cravings don’t apply to you, then just go on to the next one. 

And like last week, it’s not necessary to spend a lot of time in thinking about this – I’m just as interested in your first gut reaction to them.   

Finally … if you’re really motivated, I would love to have you send me your responses before Sunday. I promise I won’t mention any names in my message! You could email or text them to me, or, if you wish to remain anonymous, you could jot down your responses below and drop these pages in my box at church or in my office. I’d love to know what you think about these proposed truths, and why!  

CRAVING #1: Wealth.

YES, APPLIES TO ME or NO, DOESN’T APPLY

TELL MORE …  

CRAVING #2: Fame. 

YES, APPLIES TO ME or NO, DOESN’T APPLY

TELL MORE …  

CRAVING #3: Sex.

YES, APPLIES TO ME or NO, DOESN’T APPLY

TELL MORE …  
 

CRAVING #4: Fancy Food. 

YES, APPLIES TO ME or NO, DOESN’T APPLY

TELL MORE …  

CRAVING #5: Lots of Sleep.

YES, APPLIES TO ME or NO, DOESN’T APPLY

TELL MORE …  

   

Continuing to grow together in Christ …                                                                                                        <>< Pastor Bob

  


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Meet Some Of Our Team

 
Bob Silvanik
 Pastor
 
Beth Jones
Office Manager
 
Karen Good
Music
 
Our Trustees
Bruce Condill, Kevin Huffman ~ Co-Moderators, Ginny Condill ~ Secretary, Shawn Vanausdoll ~ Treasurer, Jared Blaudow ~ Administration
 
 
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Address: 249 S. Vine Street Arthur, IL 61911
Phone:217-543-2292