Update From Darfur

Here's an update from a member of the 180Colony homegroup from Darfur:

So now that I am here in Darfur I have a little better idea of what I am doing and what it is like. I will be working with an NGO that does mobile health clinics in 2 main areas in Darfur, one of which is a refugee camp on the outside of a medium sized city, and the other is a rural area where there are no other medical services available. Our team includes a few expats in charge of managing the project on a wider scope (including myself, in charge of the logistical operations) and about 30 local staff, most of whom are health professionals and doctors. There is a strong sense of fear and hostility that pervades the area, as we hear daily of bombings (by the Government), carjackings (by the "rebels" and other bandits), and other riots and attacks (by both sides) which make traveling out of the cities nearly impossible. This violence has escalated to some degree in the last week as people expect there will be major crackdowns on security once the UN forces arrive, so they want to steal as many cars as possible before that - 3 were stolen in broad daylight in the city where we are this week, including one of our own - usually this only happens in more rural areas...

keep praying for us.

First ECV Worship Gathering

We hope that all of you have plugged in and are enjoying your new small groups (...now... 3X a week!) We hear great things from all of the groups so far, and it seems that the Lord is adding new people everyday!

Of course, we still want to gather together as a large group every once in a while, so... MARK YOUR CALENDARS:

Elm City Vineyard's FIRST Worship Gathering!

Date: Sunday, October, 7th
Time: 3:30pm - 5:00pm

Place: United Church on the Green (Corner of Elm & Temple Streets)
- We will be meeting in the (newly renovated!) Fellowship Hall downstairs.

Come one, come all... see old friends, bring new friends... worship... teaching... fellowship... Come and meet with God together.

If you are curious about upcoming events with the Elm City Vineyard, visit: www.elmcityvineyard.org (and click on "calendar of events" on the right-hand side of the page)

Hope to see you there!
Hannah, Matt, Kathy, and Caleb

Join the ECV googlegroups.

This is a great way to stay updated on news about the Elm City Vineyard. To join, type your email in the box below or email elmcityvineyard@googlegroups.com.

height=26 width=132 alt="Google Groups">

Subscribe to Elm City Vineyard

Email:

Visit this group

Location of Latent Talent Show revealed!

October 5, 7:30 p.m.
St. John's Episcopal Church, corner of Humphrey and Orange.

Tuesday Night Homegroup Time Change

TIME UPDATE

The 180Colony homegroup will now meet at 7:30pm, not 7:00pm.

Details are as follows:

180 Colony Road
New Haven, CT 06511
7:30 pm-9:30 pm

Also, folks interested in worship should contact Caleb or Sunny to get involved. Come on kids. Lets do it.

Only three more weeks before the Latent Talent Show!!!

If you already signed up, now's the time to be practicing! If you haven't, email me.

If you're interested in being a vendor to sell stuff at the event, email Audrey Lin.

Please e-mail me the name of your act and what you'll be doing by September 30. It's going to be AMAZING.

Kathy M.

Dreams, Questions & Tea

It's been just about a month since we first talked about 180Colony's transition to the Elm City Vineyard and we're still in the process of figuring out precisely what this thing is going to look like. Since we're not all meeting together weekly anymore, we thought it'd be good to get together (for those who'd like to) to talk about where people are at with this whole church plant transition. Any questions lingering? Any big hopes and dreams you just can't wait to share and bat around with ECV-folk?

Come hang out at Matt & Hannah's place (79 Maple St. #1) this Sunday 9/16 between 8pm and 10pm and share your dreams, get your questions answered, and drink some tea.

You have dreams.
You have questions.
You like tea.

79 Maple St. #1
Sunday, 9/16, 8-10pm
(feel free to drop in whenever; there will be no "program")

Ready... Set... Go!

Homegroups are multiplying! Here, there, everywhere! Life-giving, chasing-after-Jesus homegroups are popping up all over town! (ok, really just in a 4-block radius around Whalley & Norton...)

Tuesdays (STARTING September 18th—not the 11th!) at 180 Colony Road at 7pm. Led and hosted by Caleb & Kathy Maskell and Mark & Sunny Jonas.

Wednesdays (starting 9/12) at 530/532 Norton Parkway at 7pm. Led and hosted by Andy & Kathy Saperstein and Jeremy & Grace Blum.

Thursdays (starting 9/13) at 173 Norton Street: 6pm for dinner, 7:30 for homegroup. Led and hosted by Matt & Hannah Croasmun and Tom & Maureen Sharp.

For more info, contact the hosts or email me (Matt) at matt@elmcityvineyard.org.

Work a Miracle in Our Hearts

Wow. That was something else.

Last night we met for one last time over at 180 Colony Road. We heard people share what they heard God saying in their affinity groups this summer. We heard challenges to free ourselves from enslavement to schedules and things, challenges to be long-haul people for the sake of the City, and a reminder that all our best plans and intentions are but sails waiting to be filled with the wind of God's Spirit.

We prayed for our city and for one another, for the things God has put on our hearts. And at the end, we sang "Work a Miracle in My Heart," a song that I think has really become something of a theme song for whatever it is God is doing here.

We are called to be prophets to this nation,
To be the word of God in every situation;
Change my heart, change my heart today.
Who'll be the salt
If the salt should lose its flavour?
Who'll be the salt
If the salt should lose its flavour?
Change my heart, change my heart today.

Lord, Loose the chains of oppression;
Lord, set the captives free.
Lord, fill my heart with Your compassion:
shine Your light, shine Your light,
shine Your light through me.

Work a miracle in my heart,
work a miracle in my heart,
work a miracle in my heart, O Lord, today.

Lord, take all my lies, and take all of my greed;
Let me be a sacrifice
For those who are in need.
Change my heart, change my heart today.
Lord, without Your power
It's all just good intentions;
Lord, without Your grace
Who could find redemption?
Change my heart, change my heart today.

I think the critical thing about this song is the way it holds God's great invitation to us to be salt and light together with our complete inability to make any of this happen. We are called to be prophets to this nation--true, but how can we? God has placed us in the critical place in the unfolding of his redemption of creation; and we simply aren't up to the task. Work a miracle in our hearts, Lord.

But the fact of our total incapability of walking out the Call God has placed on us does not diminish that Call, rather it increases our dependency on Him in our trying--and failing--to be salt and light, to free the captives and loose chains of oppression. This is humility: not a small goal, but an audacious one--ultimately it is the utter dependence on God for the strength to participate in his cosmic work of redemption.

So, Lord, regarding the Elm City Vineyard, all our plans and our dreams, we say: "Lord, without Your power, they're all just good intentions... Change our hearts today."