Worship at the Heart of the Vineyard
Worship has always been at the very heart of the Vineyard movement; John Wimber defined it as the highest priority of the church, living out the vision of John 4 v24 where we are called to be people who worship ‘in spirit and in truth.’
The Power of Corporate Worship
Worshipping God involves every part of our lives, but there is something particularly precious and powerful about the moments when we come together to lift our voices in corporate sung worship. As we lift God up and exalt Him, we are drawn deeper into His presence where He can speak and minister to us.
As a church, we therefore seek to create space for this whenever we gather together. We have also looked to build in regular opportunities for more spacious, extended worship - often on a Sunday evening - where there is no other agenda except to rest in the presence of Jesus, to ‘linger longer’ in worship and to seek the touch of the Holy Spirit on our lives.
Creating Space to ‘Linger Longer’
For a season, this was led by our young adults (10:Ten) group in the monthly ‘Wonder’ meetings, where we were invited to spend time in spirit-led worship with opportunities for reflection on scripture, creativity and prayer. More recently we have been running regular worship nights - hosted gatherings of simple worship and waiting on the Lord.
As we move into this next season, we have been inspired by the ‘worship circle’ that many of us were part of when we hosted the recent regional Vineyard worship conference.
Introducing the Worship Circle
A worship circle is a participatory gathering, rooted in the Vineyard’s values of intimacy and accessibility. Rather than being led by a band on the stage, we bring our acoustic instruments and voices, gather in a circle and all contribute to the collective sound. The primary goal is to encounter God together by creating a safe, Kingdom-centred environment and a unique, intimate space for worship.
This month, we are going to be gathering for our own worship circle at WaterWays Vineyard on Sunday 29th March. All are invited to come along…just bring your voice, any acoustic instrument you would like to play, and a desire to step collectively into the presence of Jesus. The songs will be gently led by members of the worship team (chords and lyrics available), with plenty of space for spontaneity and just following wherever the Spirit leads us. We are so excited about this new opportunity and hope that many of you will be eager to join with us on this next stage of our worship journey.
Blessings,
Niki Bennett - Worship Oversight