A group of people from the Bay Area Vineyard Church in Silver Bay came to the Community Center in Grand Marais March 4, 2010 to tell people about their church, which has begun holding Sunday evening services and Thursday evening Bible studies here. (L-R) Tom Harris, outreach coordinator; Dave Gustafson, worship coordinator; Shelley and Gerry Cheney, senior pastors; and Debbie and Mark Russell, assistant pastors.
There’s a new church in Cook County, and it hopes to connect with people who need what it has to offer. Those who appreciate being accepted just the way they are and who see no good reason to dress up on Sundays might like this new church.
It’s the Bay Area Vineyard Church, and to help it get rooted, pastors Gerry and Shelley Cheney and others from Silver Bay are offering worship services and a Bible study in Grand Marais.
Gerry Cheney helped plant the Duluth Vineyard in 1990 and then traveled to Silver Bay in 2002 to plant a branch there. On March 4, 2010, a contingent from Silver Bay held a public meeting to introduce this community to the Vineyard.
The Vineyard movement began in Anaheim, California in 1974 and has grown to over 600 churches in the U.S. and another 500 in 60 other countries. Gerry has a list of 12 things he loves about the Vineyard. Here are some of his remarks:
“It’s like coming home. You…find yourself saying, ‘Thisis [what] I always thought church was supposed to be like.’
“Worship and relationship with God is our biggest priority.
“Christian life is meant to be simple…. Love God and love people.
“I love that Vineyard avoids legalism like the plague it is. Jesus’ primary purpose was to come and restore a personal relationship between us and God,” he said.
The Bible, Cheney said, “is not a tool that we use to beat people over the head to get them to conform to a certain set of behaviors.
“I love the freedom of spirit we have in the Vineyard to express who we are. I love how much value we place on relationships and on learning how to really love one another. …I love the way we accept people just the way they are. It doesn’t matter what your history is. We open our arms wide to everybody.
“I love the Vineyard value of being authentic. …We don’t want people to pretend, hide or feel shame for who they are. … We understand that there is no shame in having a struggle. In fact, the only way a person can really change is if they begin to have some honest conversations about what is really going on in their lives.”
Cheney considers himself a coach and said he loves what Vineyard founder John Wimber used to say: We all
get to play.
“In other words, the day where the pastor or pastors do 80% of the ministry while 80% of the church is just sitting back and watching is over,” Cheney said. Vineyard groups are mobilized to get out into the community and help people.
“And concerning ministry… I love how the Vineyard values people moving in the power of God without being weird,” Cheney said.
“TheVineyard does not see itself as superior or better than other churches, Cheney said. “We’re just a slice of the pie.”
The Vineyard movement seeks to be culturally relevant and to reconcile people to God, to each other, and to creation, breaking down barriers of race, culture, gender, social class, and ethnicity.
Worship services, held the first Sunday of the month, start at 6:00 p.m. at the Community Center. A Thursday Bible study meets at 6:45 p.m. at the Community Center. The April worship service will be the second Sunday, April 11, so that people can enjoy time with their families on Easter.
As one person on a Vineyard video said, “Thetable is big, and you’re welcome.”
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