Outreach

The Creator of the world has a plan for the world, a story whose current chapter began 2000 years ago when Jesus announced, “Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven has come near,” a chapter whose ending will come when Jesus returns to usher in the fullness of God’s Kingdom.  God has a plan for this world.  Jesus’ disciples were asking him about the end times, when and how they would occur.  Jesus told them he didn’t know exactly when, but he did know when it would not occur.  He said, “And this Gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14). “Ethne” is the Greek word translated here as “nations.” It means peoples or tribes rather than countries.) The end will not come until every ethnic group has been reached.  John’s revelation of the future bares this truth out, “I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb” (Rev. 7:9).

From Jesus’ time until today, men and women have been invited to take part in this cosmic drama of spreading the gospel of the kingdom to every corner of the globe.  Jesus’ invitation in the form of a command is this: “Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:18-20).

And, so we are invited to join Jesus in his mission to spread his good news of the gospel to every kind of person on the planet in hopes that when every ethnic group is reached, he will return soon. God started this church to be a player in his cosmic drama of bringing his kingdom to every tongue tribe and nation.  This is a portion of our vision statement:

Expands the Kingdom through Missions
1. a church in which all our resources and energies are ultimately directed “outward” to bless the community and the world, in which we “push the envelope” of generosity
2. a church in which numerical growth occurs not only by transfer of membership, but because unconnected people are brought to saving faith in Jesus Christ and connected to the community of faith
3. a church that recognizes God’s desire to reach out to others in mission, and therefore partners with Him in this country and around the world
4. a church that helps to plant other relevant, powerful churches

The following teachings from our Podcast Library reflect on the role and purpose of outreach at the Vineyard:

We have committed to playing an important role in God’s cosmic drama of creating a people from every tongue, tribe, and nation.  The Vineyard Church of Knox County supports a wide variety of initiatives locally and globally to spread the love and message of Christ. Examples of local outreach initiatives include:

  • Thanksgiving Turkey Giveaway
  • Easter Ham Giveaway
  • Free Parking Lot Giveaway
  • Free Backpack Giveaway
  • OASIS house
  • Big Brothers Big Sisters of Knox County
  • Jail Ministry with the Knox Network of Christian Ministries
  • Coalition for Christian Outreach at Kenyon College
  • CareNet Pregnancy Services
  • Young Life
  • Vineyard Leadership Institute

Nationally and Internationally, the Vineyard Church of Knox County takes short-term missions teams to and financially supports:

  • Midwest Indians Mission
  • YWAM - national and international ministries and missionaries particularly in Arkansas and Honduras
  • Arms of Love - Castanhal, Brazil

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