Updates from Pastor Douglas

April 3, 2021

Hello New Vine Family,

I am excited to celebrate Jesus’ triumph over the grave with you on Resurrection Sunday! Please join us at 4PM tomorrow as we praise our glorious Lord and risen and coming King!

There are two options for tomorrow, April 4 at 4PM:

Join us online via livestream (www.newvine.cc or via our YouTube channel)
Join us in person (either indoors or outdoors) at Mountain View Academy (360 S. Shoreline Blvd., Mountain View)

If you are able to join us in person at MVA, please wear a face covering and practice social distancing guidelines. You will be required to sign in and undergo a quick temperature check (including children) so please plan to arrive a little early as we will start promptly at 4PM.

If you choose to join us indoors, please know that…

MVA’s HVAC system is maintained regularly and equipped with HEPA MER-13 rated filters to maintain clean air in the building. The filters are changed quarterly throughout the year.
Four additional Dyson air purifiers will be stationed and running in the Chapel
All of the doors in the back of the Chapel will be propped open to allow for even more ventilation
Every other row in the Chapel will be blocked off to maintain 6 feet of distance between rows
You will need to maintain at least four chairs’ worth of separation (6 feet) between you/your household and the next individual/household

If you choose to join us outdoors, please know that…

Folding chairs will be placed 6 feet apart right outside the Chapel
A large TV will be livestreaming the service from inside the Chapel so you will be able to fully participate in the worship service

Our Vine Kidz will need to sign in with their parents and will join the beginning of the worship service (just like before) and then be dismissed to Vine Kidz after our worship/praise time. They will also need to practice social distancing and wear a face covering. Vine Kidz will be meeting outdoors, near the secondary parking lot and next to the field.

Also, due to MVA and county guidelines, we will not be able to offer coffee or share a meal together after the worship service.

It has been well over a year since we have been able to physically gather in person and I can’t think of a better reason to gather tomorrow than to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord! I’m excited and can’t wait to see some of you, either in person or online tomorrow afternoon! Hallelujah!

Blessings,
Douglas

P.S. Please don’t hesitate to let me know if you have any questions or concerns about our plans for tomorrow.

March 24, 2021

Hi New Vine Family,

Hope you are all having a blessed week.

This past Sunday, during our TableTalk Zoom time, I shared with you that Mountain View Academy has invited New Vine back to use their facilities for our worship service. Our staff and leadership team have been thoughtfully preparing and praying for our re-gathering.

I’m excited to share with you that after more than one year, we will be gathering in-person to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection on Sunday, April 4, at 4PM! Face coverings and social distancing will be observed and we will continue to follow all county guidelines to ensure the safety and well being of our church family.

Our worship service will be indoors (with proper spacing, air filters, and doors propped open to allow for proper ventilation) but we are also exploring the possibility of setting up a monitor outside of the MVA Chapel, for those that wish to join us from outdoors.

We will still have a livestream option for those of you who wish to join us from the comfort of your home.

And our Vine Kidz will be gathering outside on the field.

Further information will be sent out in the near future, so please stay tuned but I wanted you to know the plan for Resurrection Sunday and I can’t wait to see some of you in person. In the meantime, please feel free to let me know if you have any questions or concerns.

Blessings,
Douglas

March 20, 2020

Hi New Vine Family,

I’m looking forward to our online worship gathering tomorrow at 4PM via Facebook Live. As a reminder, you don’t need a Facebook account to join. Just click on the link above at 4PM. And in case you missed our online worship from last Sunday, you can watch it on our website at newvine.cc.

Pastor Ted will be sharing from God’s Word tomorrow and he wanted to share a simple thought about tomorrow’s online service. He was planning to record a simple live worship set from his home but decided not to do so for one main reason… our worship has always centered around a stage, relying on skilled people to lead us. He had to wrestle with one question this week: will God’s people be able to worship in spirit and in truth when our musical instruments, lights, and stage are taken away? Worship was never meant to be a service provided by just a few skilled people. What about Paul and Silas singing from a small and dark prison cell when their freedom was taken away? Or the beloved disciple of Jesus who was imprisoned on a small island without the gift of a community? Worship was never meant to be a service that is provided for us, but a service we offer up to God.

So as you join Facebook Live tomorrow afternoon, set aside 30 minutes before for your own time of worship. You can pull out an old hymn book, or prepare a few worship songs from YouTube or from your Spotify playlist. Make it your own service to God. If you will be joining as a family, Mom and Dad, you will be the worship leaders for your family. Let your living room be God’s sanctuary.

While we may not be able to gather physically as a church family for the time being, God has allowed us to utilize technology and various platforms to still meet together online. Please do not be afraid to do so and keep yourself isolated as now, more than ever, we need to be connected in community! Several of our small groups and SoulCare groups have all transitioned to an online format. Our own Vine Kidz plan to meet virtually tomorrow afternoon prior to our 4PM worship service.

I want to invite you to a couple of other wonderful opportunities to connect:

Join Table Talk right after our online worship service at 4:45PM (join at newvine.cc/zoom) – see other brothers and sisters online, join breakout groups, discuss a few questions, and pray together as a Body of Christ.
Join our New Vine Prayers & Praises Facebook private group (facebook.com/groups/newvineprayer) – similar to Family Time, open to all in our New Vine community where we can share prayer requests and praises and see prayers actually being written out.

As we are living in unprecedented times, I fully believe that God can do unprecedented things… if we trust Him and allow Him to. May we not distance ourselves from what God is doing or from each other and may we continue to “spur one another on toward love and good deeds” (Hebrews 10:24). See you online at 4PM!

Blessings,
Douglas

March 13, 2020

Dear New Vine Family,

In the wake of the novel coronavirus pandemic, God is teaching us how to be the Church. The virus may prevent us from coming together in one place as a larger Church family, but it cannot break the bond of fellowship we share in Christ. We’ve been thinking hard about what it meant for the first-century believers to be the Church in the face of persecution and opposition. Or what it means for Chinese Christians to continue their worship and fellowship when their buildings have been taken away.

Our team has been meeting by the hour making the necessary preparation for moving our worship to an online format. This Sunday’s worship will be a historic one in the 3 year history of our church for sure. We are choosing this unprecedented measure not out of fear, but out of love to mitigate the further spread of the virus in our community. This time will pass. But, this is also not the time to be in isolation. Find new ways to stay connected with your fellow saints using technology and various platforms (i.e., Google Hangout, Facetime, Facebook Messenger, Zoom, etc…) that are available. We will continue to find ways to stay in community in a safe and responsible manner as we navigate through this crisis.

See you all on Facebook Live this Sunday at 4PM!

https://www.facebook.com/newvine.cc/

Blessings of Peace,
Douglas

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