Experience Seasonal Events & More with Vine Street

The church calendar flips to a new year on Sunday, Nov. 30. That’s when the season of Advent begins, anticipating the birth of Jesus and the hope of new beginnings for all in Christ. Our 10 a.m. traditional worship service with communion will have a special emphasis on this theme through Christmas Eve, and all are welcome to be a part of this celebration.

Several additional events are happening or forming during this season. Join us for any or all!

Sunday Morning Devotional Stories (Nov. 30, Dec. 7, 14, 21)—Pick up a copy of the 2014 Vine Street Advent devotional at the church, then hear about the writers’ inspiration during adult Christian education at 9 a.m.

Hanging of the Greens and Advent Event (Nov. 30)—a casual 4:30 p.m. worship service to deck out the sanctuary. Immediately following, we will spotlight an all-ages creative gathering in Fellowship Hall. Local artist Jason Erwin will provide step-by-step instructions for participants toward creating your own unique Advent painting. No experience necessary, but we would like to know if you are coming so we may have enough supplies. Click here to make a reservation. If you can, bring an appetizer to share.

Montgomery Bell Academy Christmas Concert (Dec. 3)—This annual MBA favorite takes place in our sanctuary at 6:30 p.m.

Brass Band of Nashville Concert (Dec. 4)—Treat yourself to an evening of exhilarating holiday music in the traditional British brass band spirit at 7 p.m.

Vanderbilt Men’s Basketball Tailgate Event (Dec. 13)—Bulk up on great big-game vittles, then experience the magic of Memorial Gym as Vandy takes on Purdue. See your Sunday bulletin for RSVP details.

The 2014 Children’s Christmas Musical (Dec. 17)—Join us at 6 p.m. in Fellowship Hall as a spaghetti dinner ramps up our Children’s Choir holiday presentation of Guess Who’s Coming to Bethlehem: A Manger Mystery Musical.

Christmas Eve at Vine Street (Dec. 24)—Two worship opportunities light the way to the coming Christ child! A family worship service, designed with children in mind, will be at 4 p.m. A traditional candles and communion worship service will be at 11 p.m.

Finally, sign up for these unique opportunities:

Winter Dinners (sign up in early December)—Winter yields to warm nights, good food and new friends with small-group dinners in January, February and March. Each group decides how, when and where they will gather. Participants are grouped based on where they live, generally, so folks who live near one another may get to know each other better. Click here to join.

Winter Retreat at Christmount (Dec. 29-Jan. 1)—An all-church, all-ages, all-kinds-of-fun get-away experience in the not-so-far-away mountains of North Carolina. Reservations due Dec. 10. Learn more here. Just know you want to go? Sign up here.

In the Beginning

Vine Street Living Waters is poised to be a mission on the rise.

By Gregory Rumburg

Cheng and Parks with an operating water system in PeruMore than a billion people around the world don’t have access to pure water. With the recent formation of Vine Street Living Waters, that problem will change for some folks in Middle Tennessee and abroad. And while Vine Street Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) regularly makes financial contributions to effect change globally, this mission project is the first involving international, boots-on-the-ground service for the congregation in several years.

A ripple begins

As an outreach effort of Vine Street Christian Church, Vine Street Living Waters aims to address poor access to pure water regionally and internationally by partnering with communities to build low tech, highly-effective water purification systems. This mission work is in partnership with Spring Hill, Tennessee-based Living Waters for the World (LWW), a ministry of the Presbyterian Church, USA.

The genesis moment for the project came from water:360, a series of events facilitated by the Rev. Thomas Kleinert in the fall of 2012. An occasional set of programs, 360s focus on a particular theme and explore it from many perspectives. Past topics included hunger, homelessness, prisons and aging. Introducing water:360, Thomas wrote, “We may well have discovered [in water] the one thing that touches every dimension of our life: physical, spiritual, political, economical, theological. Can you name one aspect of life that doesn’t participate in water’s flow?” Steve Young, executive director of Living Waters for the World, was one of the speakers Thomas selected to address the church on the topic.

“When Steve spoke to Vine Street, several of us were moved. It sounded like something we could be involved in,” Jack Wallace says. “That’s when the seed was sown.” Joe Cheng and his wife, Rebecca Bachschmidt, were among early supporters, too.

“I saw the series moving others the way it moved me and felt it was a calling for our church,” Joe says.

Soon, it was like hydrogen molecules were bonding with oxygen molecules and the tributary conversations that would eventually form Vine Street Living Waters began to flow. As the calendar cascaded from 2012 to 2013, conversations about committing to a partnership with Living Waters for the World became more concrete. Vine Street’s Official Board was brought into the loop. And in the fall of 2013, the initial Concert for Clean Water fundraiser was held at Vine Street to raise seed money for the project. Songwriter and Vine Street member Gabe Dixon, along with songwriters Julie Lee and Erin Enderlin, filled the evening’s bill, raising around $3,200. As a result, the project gained momentum among the congregation, and in 2014, a commitment was made to develop Vine Street Living Waters as a mission effort of the church. Contributions continue to be received from congregational participants and from the Nashville-area community.

Service near home and abroad

While the partnership between Vine Street and Living Waters for the World is new, it’s a model that has precedent among churches and civic organizations from coast to coast. In fact, a similar partnership exists less than a block away. Westminster Presbyterian Church, Vine Street’s West End neighbors, has been partnering with Living Waters for the World for several years. At the suggestion of Young, Vine Street and Westminster struck up an alliance as Vine Street launched its program.

Westminster takes a two-prong approach to its mission. It operates internationally in Peru and regionally in Macon County, Tenn. Vine Street will take a similar approach, identifying soon an international partner while initially working in Macon County. A project there is in the works now says Joanne Jewett. She and Rebecca accompanied Westminster on a visit to the northeastern Tennessee county in the spring.

“We were surprised by the number of homes in the area that did not have city water,” Joanne says. “It’s a very rural area and most people outside of the town rely on well water,” which is, in some cases, of poor quality. “We began to process how we might identify a person or family in need,” she says. With one individual, Vine Street Living Waters is in the process of following Living Waters for the World-directed steps for verifying a bona fide partner.

An operating system in PeruMeanwhile, Vine Street has a long history of sharing its financial resources abroad. For example, it’s a steadfast supporter of Week of Compassion, the disaster relief and humanitarian assistance program of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada. But with Vine Street Living Waters, this is the first time in many years the church has committed to mission-related international travel. To get a taste of the experience, Joe Cheng and Ted Parks accompanied Westminster’s Living Waters team to Peru in May.

 “Seeing the actual implementation was a good healthy dose of realism for me,” Joe says. “We feel so compelled to help those who appear the neediest, but forget that there is also a need for a sustainable system that does not fall apart when you leave to go home. For Living Waters to work, we need to help those who can also help themselves and maintain and sustain the system and access to clean water we are helping them get.”

There are many factors involved with selecting an international partner. Vine Street Living Waters participants are now in conversation with Living Waters for the World and with contacts within the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) so that a country in which to work and a partner may be selected.

Building a team

Spring's Clean Water U teamClean Water U is the training school of Living Waters for the World. In April, Rebecca Bachschmidt, Joe Cheng, Jim ClenDening, Joanne Jewett, Bob Lyons and Nancy & Thomas Kleinert attended Clean Water U outside of Oxford, Mississippi. Ted Parks, Jacob Parks, Alex Carls and Greg Rumburg attended CWU in northern California in June.

Soon, Vine Street Christian Church participants will have an opportunity to learn from these folks and to be trained for Vine Street Living Waters fieldwork. Ted Parks, who was also an early advocate for the cause, is developing a Sunday morning adult education program for early next year.

“And our children want to be involved!” Nancy Kleinert shares. Keying off materials from Living Waters for the World, Nancy has created five-minute weekly lessons to be shared during Vine Time. “We call these 5-minute lessons ‘Water Drops.’ They will educate and emphasize appreciation for and the importance of clean water that flows to our own homes daily and how we can help others get clean water, too.” Similarly, the Rev. Hope Hodnett spent a day in Macon County with representatives from Westminster anticipating the ways our teenagers may contribute to the cause.

Previously, after Vine Street community members returned from mission trips to places like New Orleans and Detroit, they shared stories about helping others. But more, they noted how they grew spiritually and emotionally from the experience. Joe Cheng believes Vine Street Living Waters will foster similar experiences.

“It will be another bond for us to share as Christians and it will bring our church family closer together,” Joe says. “I don’t really think we know how important something like access to clean water is until we have to do without, and being a part of this project makes us realize how blessed we really are. I feel this will give us another opportunity to do work in Christ’s name, and it will allow us to work together and share in the collaboration.”

(This story is an expanded version of "Rolling Waters," published in the Oct./Nov. 2014 edition of The Vine.)

Communion in the Chapel

New service compliments recent Sunday schedule change

The Chapel at Vine StreetVine Street Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) started recently a new Sunday communion service at 8:30 a.m. in its chapel. The service is led by one of the ministers and an elder. It aims to focus on listening for God’s word in scripture, prayer and in sharing communion. With the intention of closing the service by 8:50 a.m., participants will have time to participate in the balance of the recently revised Sunday morning schedule.

“Some of us already like the idea of beginning Sunday morning at Vine Street together with prayer and the meal of thanksgiving,” the Rev. Thomas Kleinert noted on his blog, “and we hope that others will join us on occasion or perhaps every week.”

The service compliments Vine Street’s Sunday morning schedule, which was recast in August. Following communion in the chapel, Christian education opportunities for children, teens and adults are available at 9 a.m. Then, Vine Street’s traditional worship service, which also includes weekly celebration of communion, follows at 10 a.m. in the sanctuary.

About the new schedule, Thomas noted, “We have heard many positive comments, particularly about the time after [10 a.m.] worship when we gathered in Fellowship Hall. Several people appreciated the opportunity to talk with folks with whom they rarely got to exchange more than a friendly ‘Hello! How are you?’ on Sunday mornings before."

Concert for Clean Water Set for Sept. 6

Benefit performance features Gabe Dixon, Sarah Siskind and Oliver Wood

DixonVine Street Christian Church will host on Sept. 6 its fall Concert for Clean Water, benefitting Vine Street Living Waters. This outdoor show features performances by singer/songwriter and Vine Street member Gabe Dixon, plus friends Sarah Siskind and Oliver Wood. No tickets are required. A $25 donation is suggested for adults. A limited number of reserve tables (seating up to eight) are available for an additional $100. Children are admitted free to the concert.

The Concert for Clean Water benefits Vine Street Living Waters, an outreach effort of the church which aims to improve access to clean, safe drinking water regionally and internationally by partnering with communities to build low tech, highly-effective water purification systems. It shares a covenantal relationship with Living Waters for the World, a global mission project of the Synod of Living Waters of the Presbyterian Church (USA), which partners with communities in need to develop a sustainable solution for providing clean water.

This is the second Concert for Clean Water Vine Street has sponsored. Previous fundraisers have allowed several individuals from the Vine Street community to attend Clean Water U, a training program developed by Living Waters for the World. In partnership with its West End neighbors, Westminster Presbyterian Church, Vine Street Living Waters participants have also traveled to Macon Co., Tennessee, and to Peru to observe how Living Waters makes a difference. Soon, Vine Street Living Waters will engage its own projects.

For the Saturday, Sept. 6 event, Vine Street Christian Church invites everyone to bring a picnic dinner, to set up lawn chairs and blankets, and to visit with friends prior to the show. The lawn near the playground (behind the church) will open at 6 p.m. The Concert for Clean Water begins at 7:30 p.m.

Parking is available off Montgomery Bell Avenue, between West End Avenue and Woodlawn Drive.

In case of rain, the Concert for Clean Water will be moved into Vine Street’s Fellowship Hall, accessible from Montgomery Bell Avenue.

To reserve a table for the show, contact Joanne Jewett (amadornash@aol.com). Questions about this and other Vine Street Christian Church programs may be directed to Greg Rumburg by calling 615/269-5614 or via email at greg@vinestreet.org.

Sunday School Kick-off Aug. 24

On Sunday, Aug. 24, everyone is invited to a potluck breakfast to kick off the season. Bring your favorite breakfast casserole and meet us in Fellowship Hall at 9:30 a.m. to hear about classes, meet teachers and discover curricula for all ages.

Sunday morning classes are one of many opportunities to learn and grow with old and new friends at Vine Street.

Here’s a sneak peek at what’s to come.

Children’s Education

Teachers Poised for Action We welcome another all-star line up of Children’s Sunday School teachers this year. The team includes Kyrah Harris, Stephanie Kopel, Helen Trabue, Emily & Mikeal Trump and Jeff Miller. Thank you, teachers!

Sunday School Curriculum Fires Up Faith New this season is Spark. For the next two years, we will utilize this curriculum in all our children’s classes, including our nursery. With it we’ll journey through the Bible, captivating our children with key stories from the Old and New Testaments. Stories from the Old Testament will be taught in the fall of each year while New Testament stories will be highlighted in the winter and spring. Every Spark lesson follows a four-part sequence: gather, open the Bible, activate faith and send. Each week children and their leaders gather together to explore the Bible, enjoy fun activities, pray and grow in faith.

Sanctuary Pews Get Literary Facelift The education committee selected Spark Story Bibles to compliment our existing NRSV Bibles in the sanctuary. Placed throughout the pew racks, Spark Story Bibles will be readily available for children of all ages to see, open and read as part of their Sunday worship. 

Substitute Teachers Needed We are blessed to have a wonderful set of teachers in our Children’s Sunday school program, but sometimes they get sick or need to go out or town. Would you be willing to fill in occasionally? All you need to do is show up—we supply the materials. If you can, email Evelyn Tallent with your contact information, including a cell or home phone number. Thank you!

Youth Education

Teens Share and Grow on Sunday Mornings During Sunday School the youth gather to share their joys and concerns. This time of intentional relationship building and prayer is a critical dimension of being community. Next, the teenagers jump into the re:form Ancestors curriculum, created by Sparkhouse. The curriculum isn’t just about characters that lived a long time ago; re:form Ancestors encourages self-reflection that helps youth to identify with the heroes, villains and everyday folks that God selected to do extraordinary things. The videos and anti-workbook blend hilarity and substance to introduce faith ancestors to the students. This year the youth will encounter individuals from the New Testament. The Rev. Hope Hodnett teaches this class.

Adult Education

Living Toward a Vision The theme for the year is "Faith and Action." Through a variety of courses on Sunday mornings, we will explore spiritual formation and discernment of gifts, study how scripture shapes our work in mission and learn about the history of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and other churches around the world that are part of the Stone-Campbell branch of Christianity. We are fortunate to have Melanie Gao, Ted Parks and Gary Holloway as our teachers. More details about the entire fall schedule will be shared on Aug. 24. 

Here’s to a great season together! Join us!

There's Something to Eat

One way Vine Street is at work in the community

By Melanie Gao

When Jesus heard that John the Baptist had been beheaded, he tried to get some time alone (Matthew 14). He went off by himself, but a throng of people followed him. When he saw them he gave up his quest for time alone and began healing them.

Eventually the sky began to darken and Jesus’ disciples encouraged him to send the people away so they could get dinner for themselves. But Jesus said, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”

Something similar happened at Vine Street once. People often knock on the door asking for something to eat, and for years the folks who answered the door would typically descend into the depths of the church basement searching for something to give them. They scratched together whatever they could find. But they heard Jesus’ voice from Matthew 14—“give them something to eat”—and decided they wanted a better system for fulfilling his command to us.

And thus the program called Something to Eat was born.

Something to Eat has been a tradition at Vine Street for over a decade now. There is a basket next to the door and it is stocked with individual lunch bags. When someone knocks at the door asking for food, our staff can reach into this basket and give them a bag for each person. The bags typically contain foods that require no refrigeration or heating, and that can be eaten on the steps of the sanctuary or in a car. The contents are things like a large box of saltines, a jar of peanut butter, fruit cups, bottled water, Vienna sausages and a set of plastic silverware. It also contains information about Second Harvest Food Bank. We distribute about 20 of these bags each month.

Hope Hodnett, director of youth ministries and education, recalls that once a man approached the church as she was leaving one evening. When he asked for something to eat she gave him one of the bags. The next morning when she returned she found a food bag tied to the handrail by the outside door. In it were two fruit cups. “I smiled,” she said. “I don’t like canned peaches either.”

The goal of Something to Eat isn’t to solve world hunger and it isn’t to give anyone a long-term supply of groceries. The goal is to satisfy an immediate hunger so that someone gets the strength and energy they need to make it to the food bank or shelter or social services or their home.

When you give to Vine Street, you’re giving Something to Eat to people who need it.

Anniversary Celebration Sunday

Gather your family, invite old friends and join us on June 1 as we celebrate the Rev. Thomas Kleinert and his 10 years of service as senior minister of Vine Street Christian Church.

We’ll gather for one worship service at 10:45 a.m. In addition to the Chancel Choir offering a new anthem, our guest preacher will be the Rev. Dr. D. Newell Williams, president and professor of modern and American church history of Brite Divinity School at Texas Christian University. Steeped in the stories of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Williams will speak to the richness of our shared ministry in service to Christ.

Following worship, everyone is invited to enjoy a summer picnic-themed luncheon and great music from choir members, featuring Gabe Dixon and Kyle Collier. And did we mention there will be cake? Come join us, together in Christ!

Please note: We will not have an 8:30 a.m. service on June 1.

Vine Street at Work

A look at how together we make a difference
By Ashley Dumas

A wonderful way Vine Street both shares its facilities while providing important ministry is through the Pastoral Counseling Center of Tennessee (PCCT). Vine Street founded PCCT in 1985 to provide affordable, professional counseling in
 middle Tennessee. PCCT
 has several locations in the
 Nashville area, but its main
 office is on Vine Street’s
 campus in the Fitzpatrick 
House. It has been our
 neighbor for the last 29 years.

The work at PCCT is unique 
in that the counselors are not only licensed clinicians in a mental health field, but they also have in-depth religious and theological training. The mission of PCCT is “to restore lives to wholeness—mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.” The staff provides individual, marital and family therapy, and services for Spanish-speaking clients are offered, too. 
Last year the Vine Street location served 400 clients, totaling 1,596 sessions of counseling and $125,000 of financial assistance. In addition, you may recall Vine Street donated $7,500 last year to PCCT, which was made possible by a generous gift left by Mrs. Hallie Warner. This gift provided 111 sessions to senior adult clients in need of financial assistance. PCCT is committed to helping all who are in need of counseling regardless of their financial situation, and it offers a sliding scale fee option for those who need financial assistance.

Pastoral Counseling Center of Tennessee is a major ministry Vine Street Christian Church supports right here on our campus.

Just City 360

Dynamic growth in our city has meant new opportunities for Nashville’s residents, and yet a severe lack of affordable housing continues to plague the Metro area. Major changes to Nashville’s downtown and urban neighborhoods signal what some call revitalization, while others worry about what such change means for the homeless and for low-income residents whose neighborhoods have become hip.

Growth and change may be signs of a robust local economy, but how can we make sure they signal a just local economy? And how does all this connect to the church’s mission? These are some of the questions we’ll explore during Just City 360.

The series kicks off on Sunday, March 9 at 9:30 a.m. in Fellowship Hall as Vine Street welcomes Dr. Jim Fraser, a professor at Vanderbilt University’s Department of Human and Organizational Development (Peabody College). An engaging and thought-provoking teacher, Dr. Fraser will walk us through an Urban Planning 101 conversation with a particular focus on affordable housing.

Additional guest speakers will share this work with us, and many events will happen during Christian Education on Sunday morning and during Wednesday Nights at Vine Street. Here are some highlights:

March 5           Ash Wednesday Prayers: Worship at Vine Street Christian Church

March 12         Below the Surface: Scott Potter (Metro Water Services)

March 16         The City in the Old Testament: Jonathan Redding (Vanderbilt University)

March 19         Affordable Housing in Nashville: Rev. Bill Barnes

March 23         The City in the Gospel of Luke: Dr. Amanda Miller (Belmont University)

March 25         Nashville Next: Dr. Rick Bernhardt (Metro Planning Department)

March 26         Planning With Neighbors: Julia Landstreet (Nashville Civic Design Center)

March 30         A Guided Walk Through Downtown: Rev. Lindsey Krinks (Street Chaplain)

April 6              A Guided Walk Through Chestnut Hill and Napier neighborhoods

April 9              Cohousing Comes To Nashville: Diana Sullivan (Germantown Cohousing)

April 13            Jesus and the City: Dr. A. J. Levine (Vanderbilt University) (Palm Sunday)

April 18            Walking the Stations of the Cross on Nashville’s Streets (Good Friday)

For additional details, visit www.vinestreet.org/just-city-360.

To Not Be Silent Continues

Music and education series features Andra Moran in March.

By Katie McLaughlin

The adult education and music series To Not Be Silent is back with some exciting guests joining the Vine Street community the first Sundays of March, April and May.

On March 2^nd we will welcome singer/songwriter and worship leader Andra Moran. The soulful Mike Farris kicked off the season on Feb. 2.

The annual To Not Be Silent series explores the role of music in our spiritual life and in all the ways people worship. This year there are four events, each one featuring a Nashville musician who joins the Vine Street community in Fellowship Hall for conversation during the 9:30 a.m. adult education hour. Along with a moderator, they discuss their career and how spirituality has impacted their music, plus they share a few songs with us. The artist then serves as our guest musician during the 10:45 a.m. worship service.

No stranger to the Vine Street community, Andra Moran will join us on March 2^nd. A woman of many talents, she now adds author to the list. We look forward to catching up with Andra and learning about her new book, Brim: Creative Overflow in Worship Design, co-authored with Suzanne Castle. She continues to be a sought after clinician at worship music conferences all over the country, while serving as creative director for The Bridge at Woodmont Christian Church. And, of course, she’ll sing us a few songs from her latest album, Harmony Grove.

If you attended the Concert for Clean Water last September, then you’re already familiar with our guest for April 6^th. Country songwriter Erin Enderlin has penned cuts for Alan Jackson, Lee Ann Womack, Luke Bryan, Randy Travis, Terri Clark and others. As a solo performer, she recently made her Grand Ole Opry debut, has twice been a member of Willie Nelson’s Country Throwdown tour and her latest album, I Let Her Talk, is gaining rave reviews. A master of the story song—and not afraid to take on weighty subject matter—Erin’s music will surely strike a chord with any listener.

Our May 4^th guest will be announced soon. Please make plans to join us on March 2^nd.

Musicians who have joined To Not Be Silent in the past for conversation, performance and worship include Gabe Dixon, Julia Callaway, Jason Eskridge, Dave Perkins, Julie Lee, Dave Barnes, the GHS Performers, Shawn Tate and David P. Sartor.

To Not Be Silent

Vine Street's 2014 music series, To Not Be Silent kicks-off with a bang on February 2 as we welcome critically acclaimed singer-songwriter Mike Farris.

The 2008 recipient of the Americana Music Association's New and Emerging Artist award, Farris's music blends roots-gospel with the sounds of New Orleans, Stax, and the blues. His soulful voice and energetic live performances (often backed by the 9-piece Roseland Rhythm Revue) have cemented his spot as a favorite among concert-goers, music critics, and fellow musicians. 

Farris has recorded with the likes of Patty Griffin, Sam Bush, and the McCrary Sisters, and has appeared on Nashville's Music City Roots and PBS's Austin City Limits. His 2009 album, SHOUT! Live, earned him a Dove Award for Traditional Gospel Album of the Year. 

Join us on Sunday, February 2 at 9:30 a.m. as Mike discusses his career and unique blend of music during our adult education hour. We all look forward to his gift of music during our 10:45 a.m. worship service that morning.

The series will continue with Andra Moran on March 2 and Erin Enderlin on April 6 before wrapping up on the first Sunday in May. 

Here are three videos for a taste of Mike:

Christmas Eve

by Thomas Kleinert

I love worshiping in our sanctuary. I love the large windows, the open view on the changing patterns of sky and clouds, the trees giving shape and color to the seasons.

I love worshiping in our sanctuary any time of year or day, but I have some favorites. Christmas Eve is one of them. The darkness outside. Inside, the hushed voices of worshipers before the services begin, the eyes of old and young reflecting the light of the star. The tiny flame topping candle after candle as the light travels from hand to hand in the beautiful circle of Silent Night. And the songs, the carols, the music blending ancient hope and childhood memories with the miracle of birth, proclaiming once more the wonder of the night of nights when the word of God became a human being. I hope that many of you who read this will join us this year for one of our Christmas Eve worship services.

The service at 4:30 p.m. is designed with small children in mind. At the center are the nativity scene and the birth stories from the gospels of Luke and Matthew, and around it we sing our favorite carols and light our candles.

The service at 11 p.m. tells our story from creation and fall to the birth of our Savior with scripture lessons, carols, and gifts of music. We share the Lord's Supper to proclaim God's faithfulness beyond all that sin divides and destroys, and we give thanks for the birth of Christ. And right around midnight we pass the flame from candle to candle in a circle of joy: the light of Christ will fill the world!

Come and worship with us. Come and take part in bringing the good news of great joy to all. Merry Christmas!

Advent Is Here

At Vine Street, we have a beautiful tradition to mark the beginning of Advent; it’s our very own version of the Hanging of the Greens.

Early in the season, at the end of the day, women, men, and children of all ages gather in the sanctuary. We sing some of our favorite carols and we listen to stories that tell us how bells and stars, candles and poinsettias became part of our holiday traditions.

As part of the service we also decorate the sanctuary with wreaths and garlands – hence the name, Hanging of the Greens. We prepare our hearts by preparing the space. This is no sit-quietly-in-your-pew service, but a walk-around-and-help-add-beauty service. Toward the end of this special time together, though, we quietly watch the great star as it rises over the baptistery and we say a prayer that our hearts may be prepared to welcome the coming of Christ.

Our Hanging of the Greens is a simple and festive time of worship and preparation for all generations, and we hope you will join us this year.

Sunday, December 1, 4:30pm
Hanging of the Greens

The service is short enough for our youngest friends to enjoy, and after the closing carol, those of us who aren’t too tired go downstairs to the fellowship hall for a little hot cider and a cookie, and all are invited to make a family advent wreath to take home with them.

Thanksgiving Together

"Come, ye thankful people, come..." The tradition goes back longer than most of us remember: every year, congregations from churches and synagogues in west Nashville gather for an interfaith Thanksgiving worship service. Every year, the service is hosted by a different congregation and a different set of clergy and lay leaders offer prayers, readings, songs and reflections. 

This year, the service will be hosted by our friends at West End Church of Christ, and they are very excited, because this is their first year as a host congregation. "Join us for this wonderful opportunity to worship with our neighbors and give thanks for all of God's blessings."

This year's service will be on Sunday, November 24 at 6 p.m., West End Church of Christ, 3534 West End Avenue, with a reception immediately following.

Thanksgiving Offering

Your gift to the annual Thanksgiving offering helps to underwrite the education of students attending the fourteen colleges and seven seminaries or divinity houses of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). You are helping to ensure that when students from Vine Street go away to study they will come home to a Disciples institution.

Coming home to a Disciples college or theological school is possible through the scholarships and grants that are made available by generous individuals, the Disciples Mission Fund and your gifts to the Thanksgiving Offering. Together we can make coming home to Disciples educational institutions more affordable. For generations thousands of students have attended the colleges and universities of the Christian Church,  receiving both a quality education and the opportunity to remain within our Disciples  heritage. The Thanksgiving Offering helps continue this tradition.

Consider how important teaching and learning is to our faith community.

Then, consider your investment not just in the student’s opportunity to learn but also as an act of stewardship for future generations.

Likewise, consider the many generations of pastors, who, if not for the support of faithful congregations and individuals over the ages, would not have flourished as our pastors, teachers and leaders. Have you considered the impact of the pastor in the life of your church, community or region? Our institutions help prepare our pastors for the service and leadership they provide to our communities. Let’s thank them by supporting the Thanksgiving Offering.

Historically, our denomination has led in founding and supporting higher education. Today, the colleges, universities, seminaries and divinity houses find themselves in a transformational time, much like the Church. Your gifts will give students an opportunity to Come Home to a Disciples college or seminary and help lead our ongoing transformation.

The Thanksgiving Offering benefits the colleges, universities, seminaries, and divinity houses affiliated with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). These learning communities are an extension of the church, challenging students to understand and respond to God’s call to serve. Your support provides scholarships, church relations programs, and chaplaincy offices. Most importantly, your support of the 2013 Thanksgiving Offering helps Disciples Come Home!

Music for a Mission

Grab your blanket, lawn chairs, and a picnic dinner, a bottle of wine or some snacks to share with friends, and join us on the back lawn for an evening of great music with Gabe Dixon, Julie Lee, and Erin Enderlin!

On Saturday, September 14 we will gather “in the round” behind the Fitzpatrick House, starting at 6pm - time for dinner and drinks with friends! - and the concert will begin at 7:30pm. We will also have beverages available for purchase. 

We will not be selling tickets or charge admission, but we will ask for donations to help us raise funds for Vine Street’s water project with Living Waters for the World. More than a billion people around the world don’t have access to water that is clean and safe. We want to raise $5,000 as a first installment to train leaders and purchase materials to help build a community-based and community-operated water treatment system. The ball is starting to roll, and this fundraising event will give it a good push forward! The suggested donation per adult is $25, but we’re certain many of you will be able to reach a little deeper.

So, come on out on September 14, and join us “in the round” for a fun evening of music and fellowship! 

The Facebook event page makes inviting Facebook friends really easy!

You can also download the poster and put it inside your car window or on your neighborhood bulletin board!

The Stormy Question

The Christian Church and the Slavery Issue

In a 3-week adult education series, we will explore how Disciples of Christ reacted to the slavery controversy and the subsequent Civil War in the mid nineteenth century. 

Based on the interpretive exhibit on display at the Disciples of Christ Historical Society (an online version of the exhibit is also available) this topic commemorates the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation.

Class discussions will include biographical sketches and the philosophies of Disciples chaplains, soldiers, abolitionists, pacifists, war hawks, and defenders of the slavery system. Comparisons to today's social justice issues will also be examined.

We are very fortunate to have Sara Harwell, Vice President and Chief Archivist and the curator of the exhibit, as our teacher on Sunday mornings (August 18 and 25, September 8); we meet each Sunday at 9:30am in the Fellowship Hall.

William Tolman Carlton "Watch Meeting Dec. 31st 1862, Waiting for the Hour" | White House Art Collection

Stormy Questions

Public forum on May 18 explores issues of slavery and mass incarceration

As the 2013 event in the Wayne H. Bell Lectureship on Ministry, Vine Street Christian Church and the Disciples of Christ Historical Society invite the public to a forum wrestling with the historical issue of the church and slavery, the modern parallel of mass incarceration, and ways in which the church can recover its prophetic voice by forming communities with those condemned by the criminal justice system.

Saturday, May 18
9 AM - 2 PM
Vine Street Christian Church
4101 Harding Pike
Nashville, TN 37205

FREE TO THE PUBLIC
Box lunch provided

To reserve your free space & box lunch, call or email
Vine Street Christian Church 615-269-5614
stormyquestions@vinestreet.org

150 years have passed since the Emancipation Proclamation. By examining the church’s response - or lack thereof - to slavery, we can see more clearly the oppression resulting from a war on drugs that has spanned four decades and resulted in unprecedented numbers of people, mostly minorities, being incarcerated. Informed by the past, the church must discern how to respond in the present to systemic injustice.

As Michelle Alexander has pointed out in her book, The New Jim Crow, we have an analogous evil in our midst today, which is the mass incarceration that has resulted from four decades of a drug war that has almost exclusively targeted poor communities of color, and a punitive, adversarial criminal justice system that defines justice in terms of process, not outcome, and provides little opportunity for healing and reconciliation. If the church is to take seriously the gospel of following a condemned criminal who proclaimed freedom for prisoners, we must acknowledge that we are failing in the same way as our nineteenth century predecessors did.

Topics:

• The Churches and Antebellum Slavery
• The New Jim Crow: The War on Drugs, The Prison Industrial Complex/Mass Incarceration
• Visits with people who have experienced and are experiencing injustice firsthand
• The Response of the Churches Today – What Can We Do?

Panel discussions, workshops, and question and answer sessions featuring church historian and archivist Sara Harwell, former prosecutor Preston Shipp, former death row inmate Ndume Olatushani, minister Thomas Kleinert, prison chaplain Jeannie Alexander and community organizer Janet Wolf.

Moderated by Glenn Thomas Carson, President, Disciples of Christ Historical Society.

To reserve your free space & box lunch, call or email
Vine Street Christian Church
615-269-5614
stormyquestions@vinestreet.org

Exploration | Music

Vine Street Music Series 2013

On Sunday,  April 7, Vine Street begins a five-week exploration of the place of music in worship and spirituality. Each Sunday, Nashville singer/songwriters and music professionals will talk about the influence of church music on their faith and their music careers, and will share some of their music.

As part of the vibrant Nashville music and faith community, we joyfully welcome all guests to join our conversations. All sessions will be held on Sunday mornings at 9:30a.m. in the Vine Street Fellowship Hall, followed by music during our 10:45a.m. worship service. We will post more information and video updates at vinestreet.org/musicseries2013.

April 7 - Session 1 

The guest to kick off the series will be Dave Barnes. Dave is a Nashville based singer/musician and Grammy nominated songwriter. He is the son of a minister, growing up in Mississippi and Knoxville TN before coming to Nashville. He released his first EP in 2002. His September 2004 release Brother, Bring The Sun was critically acclaimed for Dave's songwriting and overall high-quality presentation for an independent release. Through its release, he gained notability among singers Amy Grant (who later performed on Dave's wedding song "I Have and I Always Will"), Vince Gill and John Mayer.

In 2005, Dave co-produced the five-song EP Today & Tomorrow for his friend Matt Wertz; he also co-wrote one of the songs on the EP.

Dave's songs were featured on the show What I Like About You, including his song "On a Night Like This", which was featured on the "Three Little Words" episode.

In April 2010, Dave released his fourth full band studio album What We Want, What We Get after having released his single "God Gave Me You" from the same album. The single rose into the top-five Contemporary Christian music chart by June. Blake Shelton released the song as his second single on his album Red River Blue in fall of 2011. It became Blake's fifth number one song at country radio and has sold over one million units. In 2012, Dave Barnes was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Country Song for writing the song "God Gave Me You."

Dave is a friend and songwriting colleague of Vine Street’s own Gabe Dixon. They will have a conversation about songwriting inspiration, as well as sing some of their favorite songs. Dave will perform a couple of his own songs during morning worship at 10:45.

April 14 - Session 2  

Our guest this Sunday is Jason Eskridge. Jason was born and grew up in Rockwood, TN. After high school he attended college at Tennessee Tech University where he played football and received a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering. After college he accepted an engineering job in Huntsville, AL where he worked for approximately a year and a half. During that time Jason could never shake his passion to make music. So he packed up, left Huntsville, and moved to Nashville, TN where he currently resides with his family.

Since moving to Nashville Jason has served as a studio vocalist for such acts as Lyle Lovett, Randy Travis, Jonny Lang, Nicole C. Mullen, Marc Broussard, eLi, Micah Dalton, Grits, Verbs, Circadian Rhythm, Sammy Ward, DJ Maj, and Toby Mac. Jason has also traveled opening or singing backup for Lyle Lovett, Nicole C. Mullen, eLi, Micah Dalton, Grits, Knowdaverbs, and Pigeon John. He has been featured as a guest vocalist on numerous projects, including singing on one of Gabe Dixon’s albums, and just released a six song EP entitled, "the ep...".

Jason has traveled across the country playing for youth groups and campuses as well as playing at various music venues. He has also had the opportunity to take his music abroad as he has traveled to South Africa, Amsterdam, and England. Jason’s desire as a musician is to create music that causes the listener to love God, love themselves, love their fellow man, think harder, think deeper, think broader, laugh until they cry, laugh when they want to cry, try something new, remember something old, and ultimately live life to the fullest.

Jason and Gabe Dixon will talk and share music with us at 9:30 in the Fellowship Hall, followed by a couple of songs during our morning worship service.

April 21 - Session 3

Our guests this Sunday will be the Gallatin High School Performers, conducted by T.J. McLaughlin, Vine Street’s Chancel Choir Director. The Gallatin High School Chorus Program consists of three talented and hard-working ensembles: GHS Performers, Ladies Ensemble, and General Chorus. The choirs perform many times throughout the year; including seasonal concerts, community events, MTVA Contest, a Coffeehouse Night, and a full-scale Broadway musical. The GHS Chorus Program has been under the direction of T.J. McLaughlin since 2007.

The GHS Performers are a vocal ensemble comprised of thirty-four mixed voices that perform a wide variety of music with a high degree of difficulty. Throughout the year they can be found working on pieces from the medieval time period through modern vocal jazz. They have consistently received Superior marks at the Middle Tennessee Vocal Association and Tennessee American Choral Directors Association contests. Many individual choir members have been selected for the Mid-State and All-State Choral Festivals. The GHS Performers are held in very high regard throughout Sumner County and the surrounding area, and they are in constant demand for performances at private and community functions.

T.J. and the choir will demonstrate and discuss the characteristics of many different styles of worship music, including Renaissance music, a Romantic Period setting of an ancient hymn tune, American revivalist songs, and African-American spirituals in the Fellowship Hall at 9:30am. The choir will sing full versions of the songs during the 10:45a.m. worship service and will combine with the Vine Street Chancel Choir for a special offertory anthem.

April  28 - Session 4

Our guest, Julie Lee, is a singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist originally from Maryland, now living in Nashville. She is also a member of the band Old Black Kettle, with Sarah Siskind, and has collaborated with Sarah Masen, Ron Block, Mike Farris, Vince Gill, Tim O'Brien, and Kenny Vaughan. Her songs have been covered by a wide range of artists, but most notably by Alison Krauss. "Away Down the River" and "Jacob's Dream" were recorded on Allison's collection album, A Hundred Miles or More: A Collection (2007). Julie has toured extensively in the UK and US as an Americana Folk Artist. Most notably, she has opened for Alison Krauss & Union Station at The Ryman Auditorium in 2001, and played her own set at The Newport Folk Festival (2007).  

"Julie Lee is a winning combination of folk, bluegrass, gospel and a touch of blues that establishes her as an artist to watch."
- No Depression

" As a vocalist, she's a powerhouse, owning a solid gold tremolo laced with attitude and blessed with range that she wields with style...a world-class singer."
- Billboard Magazine

"Her soprano sounds conversational, even confidential, but it grabs the high notes and milks them dry. Her songwriting strikes a perfect balance between sharp details and universal resonance, confessional lyrics and sing-along melodies, earnest spirituality and self-effacing humor."
- Washington Post

Julie has ties to Vine Street, most recently playing a concert in November 2012 to raise funds for Week of Compassion water projects. She counts Senior Minister Thomas Kleinert as a friend and fan. They will have a conversation about music and inspiration, interspersed with many of Julie’s songs. Julie will share her music with us during worship at 10:45.

May 5 - Session 5  

Our guest, David P. Sartor is a concert music composer and conductor, and is Adjunct Professor of Composition at Trevecca Nazarene University. Sartor's compositions have been recognized with prestigious awards that include the American Bandmasters Association's Ostwald Prize for Symphonic Wind Ensemble Music, the National Fine Arts Award, a New Music for Young Ensembles composition prize, twenty-four consecutive ASCAP awards for compositions of unique prestige value, and a “highly commended” award in England’s Oare String Orchestra's Third Annual International Music for Strings Composition Contest.  He was a Finalist in both the Columbia Symphony Orchestra’s American Composer Competition and the Fauxharmonic Orchestra's Adagio Composition Contest, and the First Prize winner in the Burlington, VT Chamber Orchestra’s Composer Competition. Most recently, he received double honors in the 2012 American Prizes, national awards celebrating American excellence in the arts, garnering Third Place in the Choral Composition Division and Finalist status in the Orchestral Composition Division.

Dave believes that "Composition is an act of faith. While most composers strive for artistic excellence in their work, music also serves to communicate. Without willing players and attentive audiences, any composition is merely a complex set of instructions. Every piece of music, whether new or historical, is a testament to its composer's faith in the partnership among composer, performers, and audience."  

T.J. McLaughlin and Dave will lead us in exploring the place of music in worship, spirituality and inspiration. During the 10:45a.m. worship service, Vine Street’s Director of Music Emerita, Julia Callaway will present one of Dave’s compositions for organ, and the Chancel Choir will sing Dave’s setting of Psalm 67, both of which were commissioned for Vine Street Christian Church.

Cinematic Savior

Cinematic Savior: A 5-week study of Jesus in Film

Movies have a profound impact on our imagination, and we're not always aware of that. Many 20th-century Americans, when they heard a story about Moses, saw before their inner eye the face of actor Charlton Heston. And there are many, more subtle interplays between movies and the religious imagination. 

During Lent this year, you will have a great opportunity to explore the relationship between Scripture, imagination, and film with Rev. Casey Sigmon.

This five week Lenten study has two primary goals: 1) to make us more attentive readers and interpreters of Scripture and 2) to make us a more attentive film audience, especially when viewing films that interact with the icon of our faith-Jesus.

What makes achieving both tasks fun for the next five weeks is the use of various representations of Jesus in film—from Cecil B. DeMille’s King of Kings, to The Greatest Story Ever Told…from The Life of Brian and Jesus Christ Superstar, to Jesus Film and beyond! Since the advent of cinema, Jesus has been making an appearance on the big screen. You will even have a chance to test your own film making skills before the series is through!

Come join us on Wednesday nights beginning February 20^th for dinner, fellowship, and, starting each night around 6:30pm, conversations about our Savior on the silver screen.

Schedule

February 20 | Intro, Road Map, Terms

We talk about movie lingo, the road ahead, and other things.

February 27 | Jesus Films

We discuss King of Kings (1961), The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965), The Gospel According to Saint Matthew (1964), and The Jesus Film (1979)

March 6 | Monty Python's Life of Brian

We all watch together Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979)

March 13 | Scandal Films

We discuss Jesus Christ Superstar (1973), The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), Jesus of Montreal (1989), and Life of Brian (1979)

March 20 | Experimental Film Making

We grab the camera and play!

About our Leader: Casey Thornburgh Sigmon is a lover of all things pop culture and theology. She studied Film as an undergraduate at the University of Kansas and then went to McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago to whet her appetite for theology. She was ordained in the Disciples of Christ Pentecost Sunday 2011 in Chapel Hill, NC. These days Casey is working on two projects: a PhD in Homiletics and Liturgics at Vanderbilt and growing the first addition to the Sigmon family (due in June). She and her husband Phill are new members to Vine Street and very much look forward to getting to know the community better!