Welcome to
Vineyard Christian Fellowship of Marin. We are a community
of faith that welcomes people of all walks of life to discover
the goodness of God. We
believe that God's kindness leads us to become healthier
and more joyful people.
We extend a warm invitation to come and visit one of our
Sunday morning services. Feel free to dress casually
and whether you know a little or a lot about God, drop by
and see if our community of faith can become your community
of faith.
In fulfillment of the Great Commission, we represent Christ and
his unconditional love to the broken and marginalized -rich and
poor alike- and we serve as Christ’s voice to the church
and the world.
Soup
Night every Thursday evening from 6:30-8:30 PM hosted
by Vineyard. This is one way we seek to serve the community
around us by providing a hot meal for those who have
no other place to eat and connect with others. Feel free
to join us on any evening for a warm bowl of soup and
some friendly fellowship. From time to time we have orientation
nights for new volunteers interested in getting involved
in Soup Night. Our next orientation is Tuesday
evening February 19 from 6:30- 8 PM. Please
Email
Us if you are interested in attending..
If you would like to volunteer
please contact Lara Peterson at larajp@juno.com.
We can use help in cooking, set up, clean up, and just being
a friend to those who feel neglected and marginalized.
Newsletter
Signup
Read Newsletter » HERE
If
you would like to receive our quarterly newsletter, "To
the Least of These," please email your name
and snail mail address to Pastor Jeff Nichols at jeffnick@pacbell.net.
Thanks!
DRAWING
UPON THE LIFE OF GOD . . .
We
are a community of faith intent on discovering the fullness
of life in God. Since God is the source of all life, it makes
sense that our spiritual growth must be based on learning to
literally draw life from Him. Think of a fruitful tree that
bears good fruit. The tree is gaining nourishment from the
soil in which it is planted.
Jesus
said "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a
man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart
from me you can do nothing." (John 15:5)
Paul
describes spiritual maturity as the fruitful relationship
between a person and the Holy Spirit:
"But the fruit of
the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, {23} gentleness and self-control..." (Galatians
5:22-23a)
Most
if not all of us desire having more love, joy, peace, etc.
in our lives. Our problem is that we don’t fully
understand how God produces this kind of life in us and so
we labor under the burden of trying harder to be good. This
results in frustration not fruit. This is not the way of Jesus. MORE »
Next
Page
.
. . IN
ORDER TO GROW IN HIS CHARACTER AND POWER .
Jesus invites us to grow in both the character (the fruit
of the Spirit) and power (Spirit supplied gifts and strength)
of His life. We believe that both the fruit of the Spirit and
the gifts of the Spirit are vital for spiritual maturity. Healthy
trees need both water and sunlight to produce their fruit.
Too much of either hinders growth rather than promoting it.
Jesus
gave His first disciples a startling charge:
"Therefore
go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the
name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, {20}
and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.
And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew
28:19-20)
Imagine learning to actually do everything that Jesus commanded.
This would include turning the other cheek, blessing those
who curse you, loving God with your entire being and your neighbor
as yourself, healing the sick, and casting out demons.
IS
THIS KIND OF LIFE EVEN POSSIBLE?
Some
people do not believe that we can really live the kind of
life Jesus invites us into. This is certainly understandable
if our goal is simply trying harder to do it right. However,
there is new hope once we begin to realize that we are not
left to our own power and resources. Jesus promised his followers
that He would be with them forever.
Our
goal at the Marin Vineyard is
to learn how to authentically and patiently
learn how to draw upon the very life of God
so we can have the kind of overflowing life
He intends for us to have.
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