Who are we?
The stories of the people of the Northampton Vineyard are stories of absurdity. They are stories of people with backgrounds of good-idea-gods and task-master-gods who were surprised to meet a God who actually cares about the reality and details of their lives. They are stories of abuse, pain, and loss transformed into freedom and joy. They are stories of strivers being interrupted in their quests to make their lives work and being launched into a story way bigger than themselves – and of the joy and purpose they’ve found there. All of these stories – all of our stories – are tales of what we like to call defiant hope – hope that lives even though it seems foolish, even though all evidence would seem to point to the contrary. We are, as a church, a collection of stories of changed lives.
Our goal, then, is to provide space for all of you who are yourselves dissatisfied, lost, hurt, or just wondering if there’s more to life, to come and experience the life-changing power of Jesus. We actually believe that the thing God cares most about in the world is your life. We believe that Jesus wants and is able to give you a life that is actually worth living. Jesus said, “I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of.” (John 10:10, MSG)
We dream of being a church where you can experience that life-changing power in real ways. We dream of being a place where you can approach God in your own language, singing your own music. We dream of being a community that is about the restoration of people – through inner healing, through social justice and neighborhood outreach, and through a meaningful connection to the land. We dream of being a people that values the arts as powerful expressions of God’s image in all people. We dream of being a church that gives you the room, tools, and support to grow into the person God made you to be – to release you to the life you never knew you always wanted. We believe that we are called to change the world – and we believe that you are too.
Read more about our values and dreams.
Read our belief statement.
Learn more about our history.
History of the Northampton Vineyard
Copyright © 2005 Northampton Vineyard