Vineyard National Conference 2024

Hi Valley Vineyard Family!

We’ve had time to reflect on the 2024 Vineyard National Conference which we are still praising God for.  Thank you to those of you who prayed – it was an encouraging time and we’ve come back with more energy, resources, and hope for what God is doing in our midst.  Eight of us from the Valley Vineyard attended:  Pastor Jimmy, Lauren Agapiou (with 2 year old son Malachi!), Aisha Oyarekhua, Jeremy Pleasant, Mike & Paige Vitiello and myself (Joyce Liu).

This year’s conference theme was “Seed and Soil,” a parable reference reminding us to cultivate the soil of our hearts to receive the seed, the word that God is planting now.  The national conference brings together Vineyard pastors, leaders and friends from across the U.S. to be refreshed, connected, and resourced.  And this year was extra special as we celebrated 50 years of the Vineyard Movement from 1974-2024.  We listened to how the heart cry of worship and adoration set the tone from the start of the Vineyard movement.  And we saw how the call of ‘Come Holy Spirit’ continues to shape and empower how the Vineyard moves out in compassionate ministry.  In classic Vineyard form, we experienced the Holy Spirit move on people for encouragement, healing and equipping.  

To celebrate this special 50th anniversary, vignettes of the beginning of the Vineyard were shown on stage.  It wasn’t long before we spied our founding pastor - Bill Dwyer, in photos with Vineyard founder- Kenn Gulliksen, baptizing people at the beach.  It was a picture of God’s faithfulness in our own corner of the Vineyard movement and a reminder of the possibilities of our own obedience as we invite people into the Kingdom of God now.  

We were also encouraged to do the work of the Kingdom in partnership with dynamic organizations like Samaritan’s Purse, Alpha, Compassion International, etc.  We listened to one man’s testimony of being impacted and even sustained as a young child through the Christmas Shoebox distribution network of Samaritan’s Purse.  There are solid partnerships and resources within the Vineyard for those of us that are ready and willing to move out in outreach.

On Wednesday evening, a special worship time titled “A History of the Vineyard through Song” beautifully illustrated the simple, humble worship from the heart that would go on to impact the contemporary Christian world.  It was touching to hear the stories from that time and to witness the progression of that music.  Adam Russell, head of Vineyard Worship, compared the Vineyard movement to a natural grapevine of 50 years, where certain roots don’t come out into the soil until decades later.  These latter roots, which come from the same rootstock, containing the same DNA, eventually produce fruit with new flavors and notes which go on to produce new wine.  
 
It's a poignant reminder to embrace the change that we’re seeing.  Part of the new fruit has been a move towards diverse voices and people amongst the Vineyard.  While new, the fruit comes as an expression of the original DNA of God’s word.  James Chuong, who leads Intervarsity, pointed out that on the day of Pentecost, the crowd miraculously heard the gospel preached in their own languages through Galilean Jews.  As he pointed out, God didn’t erase differences but rather uses them so we can be better together as a community to bless the world.  

And to that end, it was particularly special for our Valley Vineyard group to see both Aisha and Pastor Jimmy speak to us from the stage.  First, Aisha delivered a challenging word, “More Dying; Less Trying.”  Later on, Pastor Jimmy co-lead worship and gave an invitation to be “Remaining in the Love of God.”  And the conference response confirmed what God had put on their hearts.  Know that all session videos were recorded and will be made available after the East Coast conference which concludes later this month.  I encourage you to check them out!  There was so much good stuff that I will certainly be listening again!

Another focus at the conference was moving towards emotional well-being.  Each day we listened to recorded interviews between Jay Pathak, the Vineyard National Director and John Mark Comer, author of Practicing the Way, encouraging us to pay attention to staying true to following Jesus.  All of us are called to an integrated life where we are transformed, refreshed and sustained for the work of the Kingdom where Jesus said “I am the vine, you are the branches.”   Towards the end of one interview John Mark Comer remarked that leaders need to have someone older and wiser in their life to listen to them.  Someone who won’t judge you when you’re completely honest with what is working and what isn’t.  Only then, can we move past shame and guilt.  We cannot give out what we don’t live out.  

Towards the end of the conference, Jay Pathak, head of Vineyard USA asked (paraphrase coming up) “Can y’all go back to this one thing?  I know we are really busy and all, but can you just spend the very first part of your morning asking God what you really need to know? What do you really need to hear from Him today?"  He went on to confess, “For me, it’s ‘Do you love me?’ I just need to hear that from God.  And this is the thing, if you don’t get the answer from God, you will spend the rest of your day looking for the answer from everyone else.”  

Personally, this was the perfect takeaway, the call to come back to God for what I need.  I can almost hear John Wimber in the background, “The Way in is the Way on”.  From the start of the conference, I was reminded of the Vineyard’s humble beginning as a group of people yearning to experience God; to love Him and others with a pure heart.  And then we were encouraged to see how God had blessed the Vineyard through what was happening in their own ministries.  We saw how the face of the Vineyard has changed, but by God’s grace, we can continue to be fruitful.   But whatever work we do is by abiding in Jesus as he said “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

Finally, being at the conference with this group was fun! Aside from the time at the conference, we shared meals, relaxed at the house, joined exciting breakout sessions and mingled at fun meet-ups where it seems that everyone knows Jimmy!  Those of us who stayed at the Air BnB also got to witness the cuteness of Malachi up front and personal.  Friendships deepened as we listened and prayed for one another in more spontaneous and intimate settings.

I hope you’ve been heartened by this snapshot and encouraged as we are, to be a part of this growing Vineyard family. I pray you take the time to listen to the sessions when the recordings are out.  Know that God sees your obedience and sacrifice but we only really hear about the fruit at the end of it.  Let’s be the fruitful Vineyard that God planted and be a part of what He’s doing in the next 50 years!