Reaching out into the Community both near and far.
We believe that when Jesus commissioned his disciples "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you." that this commission is for us today here at the Vineyard.
Our Mission field is to Austin (Jerusalem) Mexico (Judea) and the Middle East (Samaria).
In all that we do in Missions and Outreach-we have one goal and purpose, and that is to bring people into a relationship with Jesus Christ. We also believe as we go into areas that may be different for us, where we may not speak the language; the only language we need is the language of the love of Jesus for it is universal.
Local Community Outreach
CAFB Food Pantry - We are a certified Capital Area Food Bank Food Pantry. We are open to individuals and families on the 2nd & 4th Sundays of the Month from 1-4pm. We serve any in our community who live in the following zip code area: 78613,41,42, 45 and 78717,26,29,32,50,59. You will need to bring proof of residency (within the zipcode area). A water bill, electric bill, etc. will suffice for residential ID.
Homeless Ministry. If you want to learn ways to serve those who are homeless or experiencing other chronic needs, please contact the church office at 331-5200.
Further Out
Through our Mexico Outreach, our short-term missions teams have not only built houses, held Children's Carnivals, and Health Clinics, but we collect school supplies, provide support for a daycare/kindergarten, provide necessary winter clothing and supplies and much more. If you are interested in our next short-term missions trip, or to help with our Mexico Missions projects, please contact the Church Office at 331-5200.
We also partner in Service and Outreach in the Middle East. We support a family in Jordan that is developing a team that helps them minister to marriage and family needs; to widows and orphans. Due to security and safety reasons we cannot give any information over the internet. If you wish to suppport this area of ministry, you can call the Church office at 331-5200.
Think about this-- Do you have a heart for the poor? Are you brokenhearted by the pain and suffering you hear about in the world? Do you long for Mission Opportunities? Do you ask, "What is my Mission in life?" "How do I learn how to share my faith with those from different cultures; different socioeconomic groups?"
Then come to our next 401 Class! "Discovering My Life Mission". This class will help you get answers to some of your questions about Missions, help you to share your faith and, above all, see the World through Jesus eyes
Missions - More about Acuna, Mexico
As you may know, we are in the process of building a modest home for Michele in Acuna. Most of the home will be used for her Pan de Vida ministry. The house is coming along very well. Just starting to get interior walls. Still no water or electricity, but she is so happy to be in it.
We also visited a family in DIRE need of a roof - water runs through the house when it rains. Michele was hoping we could do a patch job to repair it, however the whole roof is a shambles so a full replacement is our new project. And we visited a family with their beautiful baby who was born just 4 days earlier. Mom and baby are doing fine.
We are continuing our kindergarten support, however the director, Christina, has moved to a different kindergarten and we visited extensively with her about the needs there. Pat at Faith Mission told us that the kindergarten is in one of the worst neighborhoods in Acuna, with a high crime rate. The kindergarten is a haven here. Christina works very hard to take care of the children, far beyond what is required. Since the kindergarten hours are 8 am to 12:30 pm, she is providing an after-school program including a hot lunch for those who were going home to an empty house. Monthly financial support of $200 from individuals allows the children who cannot afford it to be fed.
There are so many things we can do down there - so watch for more info or let us know if you want to join in the planning. And please visit http://vineyardmexicomission.shutterfly.com/where you can see 78 pictures from the most recent trip.
The missions team had a very good trip to Acuna Mexico back in November, spending the day with missionary Michele Scott. We delivered a huge trailer load of furniture and goods. The intent of the trip was to deliver Michele some donated furniture, however there were also many other donations. It was distributed among Michele, Faith Mission, the kindergarten, and another childrens streetcorner ministry. From these places it will make its way to the families of Acuna. A special thank you to the Walgreens in West Lake Hills who donated 6 extremely large boxes of halloween candy - talk about making a ton of children happy
Many have contacted us asking if we, as the Vineyard USA community, will be responding to the earthquake in Haiti. The community of Vineyard churches will be responding to the disaster in Haiti through our Mercy Response ministry.
The following is what is currently happening: We are in conversation with some of our partners like Convoy of Hope. They have a person on the ground in Port-Au-Prince as well as a warehouse in tact. It is nearly impossible to get into Haiti currently. The limited airport access is being used by the government. Eventually, we are sure there will be a need for teams to go down but right now the need is mainly prayer and financial support to prepare for response.
Please look for Web updates on the Vineyard USA website.
Again, the greatest need right now is for financial resources. You can contribute to Mercy Response either by credit card (through Paypal link at bottom of Mercy Response page) or check by mailing to:
Vineyard USA
“Mercy Response” on memo line
P. O. Box 2089
Stafford, TX 77497
We will be sending updates as we know more.
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