Elm City Vineyard Church Talks

Last week, we looked at how Jesus invites us to Kingdom ministry alongside Him. We took a risk and sent out a few folks to pray for others on the green during service to see what God would do and got to hear testimonies of how God showed up. This week, Andy Saperstein will look at how Jesus and Elijah were able to notice and act upon the shouts and whispers of God both in season and out of season....

Last week, we talked about Jesus’ declaration that the Kingdom of God is at hand. We even practiced as a church as we did some real time Kingdom ministry during service. This week, we’ll continue that work as we unpack how Jesus invites us to Kingdom ministry alongside him. It is Jesus’ Kingdom, but we are all invited to pray in the power of the Holy Spirit to see it change our lives, the lives of...

What is the Kingdom of God? Is it now or not yet? As we begin our series, Empowered, we will start with an introduction of Jesus’ core message: the Kingdom of God is at hand. This Kingdom story is our story. Come and learn more. - Series Description - Empowered is a practical sermon series on how Jesus’ work to bring the Kingdom empowers us to live and minister in a whole new way through the Holy...

As we’ve looked at our stories over the last few weeks, it’d be easy to see our stories as purely individual affairs connected to the person of God. After all, it’s my story! Right? Well, there is a power in stories not being only our own. Our stories are impacted and influenced by others. Our stories flourish in community. Many of our best stories include invitations from others, interruptions by...

How do you live out a story of worship even when wronged? This isn’t just the story of Jesus; it’s our story. It might not be a surprise to learn that our way of responding is different than Jesus’ way. Jesus was wronged repeatedly. And yet, he still chooses love. Learning the story of this kind of suffering might not be attractive, especially when we know that Jesus was killed for this kind of lo...

What is your calling? This simple question can begin existential crises. Who am I, we ask? What if, however, our calling is less who we are and more what we find we cannot stop doing over the long haul. In good seasons, in bad seasons. Looking at our calling through the lens of our story, we can find patterns, habits, and rhymes that help us understand the call God has on our lives. Through the bi...

Our Stories series continues with a look at a story that invites us to trust. After hearing about the gift and power of stories, the primacy of love in our stories, and the way stories rhyme with goodness, we’re going to take a deeper dive into the stories of several folks from the Bible. As we consider what it means to trust God even when we don’t have all the details, we’ll look at the story of...

Join us this week as Kyanna shares about the power and importance of stories from our childhood. - Series Description - Revelation 12:11 says that we have overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony. Our stories are powerful tools that reveal how God has been and continues to be at work in our lives and are meant to be weapons against the enemy. Come and hear about the power of...

Join us for our next sermon in our Be Not Afraid series. This Sunday, Shirley will be sharing about what it means to be not afraid in our speaking. Come and hear more! - Series Description - Scripture records variations of this phrase so many times. Be Not Afraid. Fear not. Do not be afraid for God is with you. God says it. Angels say it. Jesus says it. People say it. Why is it such a repeated exh...

Today, we’ll reflect on our fears of disqualification. What does God have to say to us even when we feel constrained by our fears? Gather with us to receive Jesus’ encouragement from the gospel of Luke. - Series Description - Scripture records variations of this phrase so many times. Be Not Afraid. Fear not. Do not be afraid for God is with you. God says it. Angels say it. Jesus says it. People sa...

This week, Kyanna will be exploring what it looks like to be under the Lord's protection in danger. Come and hear more! - Series Description - Scripture records variations of this phrase so many times. Be Not Afraid. Fear not. Do not be afraid for God is with you. God says it. Angels say it. Jesus says it. People say it. Why is it such a repeated exhortation and encouragement? Because we can strug...

This week, Tina will be taking us deeper into God's invitation to not fear in the face of battle, through the lens of an ancient king who stood firm in battle by embracing his powerlessness and taking up worship as his weapon against the advancing enemy. - Series Description - Scripture records variations of this phrase so many times. Be Not Afraid. Fear not. Do not be afraid for God is with you....

God wants us to know that we do not have to fear. Whether it’s simply how harsh life can be or whether it’s opportunities God speaks to us about it, the fear we face can come either way. Today, Josh will explore both of those scenarios — the fears of life and the fear that comes when God invites us deeper into His story. After all, we have a story where fear can lose its volume as we grow and matu...

This week we connect rest with play. - Series Description - Rest can seem so elusive in our fast-paced culture and our own choices to cooperate with such a breakneck speed. Yet, rest remains a gift from God for God’s people. As the school year winds down, we have a chance to reevaluate and reset before we just adopt a version of a speedy summer. Using the framework for a healthy Sabbath - pause, p...

Join us as we connect rest with prayer. - Series Description - Rest can seem so elusive in our fast-paced culture and our own choices to cooperate with such a breakneck speed. Yet, rest remains a gift from God for God’s people. As the school year winds down, we have a chance to reevaluate and reset before we just adopt a version of a speedy summer. Using the framework for a healthy Sabbath - pause...

As we begin, we’ll connect rest with pausing and reflecting on God’s love. - Series Description - Rest can seem so elusive in our fast-paced culture and our own choices to cooperate with such a breakneck speed. Yet, rest remains a gift from God for God’s people. As the school year winds down, we have a chance to reevaluate and reset before we just adopt a version of a speedy summer. Using the fram...

In this series, we’ve been thinking together about how different facets of our lives are changed by the hope and power of the resurrection. As we near the end of the series, we'll reflect on corporate resurrection in the Body . Our hope is that our messages each week haven't made more individual to-do lists for us in the Church as we pursue our own resurrection. Instead, the Spirit brings the powe...

In this series, we’ve thinking together about how different facets of our lives are changed by the hope and power of the resurrection. On Pentecost Sunday, we talk about how the story of the resurrection and the story of the Spirit's coming changes what it means to wait. Waiting for a season, waiting in the Sabbath, and waiting even in a moment of pausing. Come to hear more and to experience God's...

In this series, we’ve been thinking together about how different facets of our lives are changed by the hope and power of the resurrection. What might it look like to know God's power in the very places where we feel powerless? Through 2 Corinthians 12, we see how it's in our weaknesses that we meet the resurrection grace and power of Jesus. - Series Description - In this series, Resurrected Lives...

In this series, we’ve been thinking together about how different facets of our lives are changed by the hope and power of the resurrection. This week, Patrick will be talking about the grace that God has for us in parenting. - Series Description - In this series, Resurrected Lives , we are exploring what it means to live post-Easter lives in light of Jesus’ resurrection. If Jesus has been raised,...

This week, we will be discussing sex in light of a resurrected life. - Series Description - In this series, Resurrected Lives , we are exploring what it means to live post-Easter lives in light of Jesus’ resurrection. If Jesus has been raised, we can be raised too. But sometimes, it takes more than three days for us to believe and live into that resurrection. For the first two weeks of our series,...

This week, we will be discussing money in light of a resurrected life. We'll take a look at the early church and learn from them what it looks like to live a hospitable and generous life until the Lord.   - Series Description - In this series, Resurrected Lives , we will explore what it means to live post-Easter lives in light of Jesus’ resurrection. If Jesus has been raised, we can be raised too....

If resurrection has the power to transform death to life, shame to honor and forgiveness, isolation to community, and scarcity to abundance, then how might living in light of that kind of resurrection change us? - Series Description - In this series, Resurrected Lives , we explore what it means to live post-Easter lives in light of Jesus’ resurrection. If Jesus has been raised, so can we. But some...

If resurrection has the power to transform death to life, shame to honor and forgiveness, isolation to community, and scarcity to abundance, then how might living in light of that kind of resurrection change us? - Series Description - In this series, Resurrected Lives , we explore what it means to live post-Easter lives in light of Jesus’ resurrection. If Jesus has been raised, so can we. But some...

Each week, we have looked through chapter ten of Mark's Gospel. Today, we'll explore the beginning of the eleventh chapter -- the story of Jesus walking to Jerusalem. Given the prediction of Jerusalem as the site of Jesus' death, how will this go? Shouldn't Jerusalem be menacing, awful, and a place of terror? We'll see together as Asha Evans leads us in our Palm Sunday service. Join us! - Series D...