Membership at the Vineyard
Interested in becoming a member here? We have 2 classes that are required to become a member: Vineyard 101 & 201. These classes provide valuable information about who we are, where we are going, and more! All of these classes are open to everyone in the church even if you don’t want to become a member. Other requirements for membership include being in the church for 6 months and having the recommendation of an elder, kinship leader or team leader. Have any questions, contact us at vineyard@ithacavineyard.org.
Vineyard 101
This class focuses on information about our church and the history of the Vineyard movement. The class lasts for only 90 minutes and is a great way to get all your questions about the Vineyard answered!
Vineyard 201 – Foundations for Faithfulness
A course that addresses four crucial components of the Christian life.
1.) Understanding the message and meaning of Jesus:
The class starts with an in-depth study of Jesus’ teaching on the kingdom of God, understanding the concept within its historical and cultural context, and examining its practical implications for today. We answer questions such as, “What is the difference between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of Heaven?”, “What does it mean ‘To Enter the Kingdom of Heaven”?, “What did Jesus mean when He said that the kingdom of God ‘Has come upon us’?” and, “Why is even the least in the Kingdom of God, greater than John the Baptist”?
2.) Learning how to practically experience God’s kingdom and minister the way Jesus ministered.
One of our goals as a community of faith is to grow as disciples of Jesus Christ and learn to do what He did. This means that God wants us to participate with Him in the work of advancing His kingdom, His influence, in this world person by person. As incredible as it may sound, this means God wants to work through each of us to heal, proclaim His message of hope and to set people free from spiritual oppression. If this is true, how do we learn to do this? How does God speak to us, how do we pray for the sick, how do we open ourselves to be guided and directed by God’s Spirit? This segment answers these questions.
3.) Practicing the Spiritual Disciplines
The goal of the Christian life is that we would grow into mature sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father: that over time, we would grow to resemble our older brother, Jesus Christ. This process takes place, not through our own willpower, but primarily through such spiritual disciplines as prayer, Bible study and fasting. The disciplines help to bring us into the presence of God so that He can transform our minds and affections. In this section we’ll talk about the primary spiritual disciplines, and give suggestions on how to successfully practice them and incorporate them into your life.
4.) Discerning God’s will.
Many Christians want to do God’s will, but don’t know what it is. Or they want to know how God feels about a contemporary issue but aren’t sure how to find this out. In this segment we examine a method for doing this, developed by John Wesley. Often called “Wesley’s Quadrilateral”, it offers a method for how Christians can discern God’s will by using: Scripture, Church Tradition, Experience and Reason. We’ll discuss how to effectively study the Bible, what reference tools every Christian should have, and how to use them. We’ll also answer questions such as, “Are the Gospels and other Biblical writings historically reliable?”