This has been in the works for a long time. What, you ask?

A gathering we’re calling,

The Vine – Jesus is the Journey.

The Vine was originally intended to help jump-start a traditional congregation by partnering it with the relational communities in the metro area. Did it work? Not so much. Never had the first gathering. That probably shouldn’t have been a great surprise. Conventional churches don’t climb out of the box easily and and to ask one to host a  parallel congregation that functions in a different paradigm can be a rough go.

In spite of that initial setback and then an optimistic target date of February 2012, we think we’re ready to go, Ben and Heidi Sadler from the Restoration fellowship have been pulling things together. Thanks, guys! 

So, what is The Vine? It is a celebration gathering where Christ followers can come together for music, fellowship and teaching. Wait a minute. That sounds pretty familiar. Kinda like church as most of us have experienced in the past. So, what’s so different?

First, The Vine will be developed by a community of simple churches (The Summit Fellowships) not a single church. It will be as participatory as possible, calling on the skills of people from various fellowships (churches) and people who function within the “church of the heart” paradigm — not organizational, but relational. The intent is that The Vine be just “churchy” enough to feel familiar, but relational enough to introduce guests to a different kind of Jesus community. 

We are finding that there is a growing community of ministries in the area that flow out of relationship and not out of structure. That’s what we want to get together to celebrate. We are praying that people who have not yet entered into a relationship with Jesus will have an opportunity to learn about Him at The Vine. Also, we want people not affiliated with organized churches — in the margins — to discover a more organic kind of faith community. As we are fond of saying, there is more than one way to be the church. 

That’s The Vine. Hope you can make it!  Here are the details. 

What: Worship and friendship celebration. Potluck Supper. Music. Sharing. New friends and old.

When: Saturday, May 18, 2013

Where:Tabor Space Community House 5441 SE Belmont St Portland, OR 97215

Time: 6:30 – 8:30 PM.