New Churches to be Established in Bowling Green, Ky.

and State College, Penn.

As part of Vine Church’s ongoing mission of planting churches in college cities across the nation, the church has announced that two new churches will be established in 2013.

Vine will be sending a team of people under the direction of Staff Pastor Steve Dame to begin a new church in Bowling Green, Ky, and a second team led by Staff Pastor Dan Digman to establish a church in State College, Penn.

“This is the fulfillment of the great commission,” Lead Pastor Sándor Paull said of Jesus’ charge to his disciples to spread His teaching. “It is going into areas that are, in many cases, not being reached, places where there aren’t many churches.”

Bowling Green, Ky. is the home to Western Kentucky University, and about a three-hour drive from Carbondale.

“One of the things we try to find is smaller university cities that don’t already have a lot of churches that are very similar to us in style and that are reaching students,” Paull explained in announcing the twin plants. “We have found that Bowling Green has a definite need for that and we are very excited.”

Paull called State College, Penn., home of Penn State University, a “spiritually dark place,” and said that it was what he called a “very unchurched area.”

The churches will bring to ten the total number of churches in Vine’s network, including five previous plants from the Carbondale church. This will be the first time two new churches have been established simultaneously.

“This is hard work,” Paull added. “Let’s rise to the challenge. Jesus is calling us to these things.”

Both church plants will include 30 to 50 people in addition to the pastors who will leave jobs, homes and more in the Carbondale area, moving to the new cities as part of the efforts. Team members will be identified in the coming months and will beginning meeting in early 2013. Members of both planting teams will be moving in July. Paull said while everyone at Vine may not be called to be a part of these church plants, every attendee and member will be a part of the effort.

“All of us are involved in church planting. If you are involved in this church, whether you’re ever part of a team or rather you are a ‘lifer’ in this church family in Carbondale, you’re part of it and God wants to use you as part of this great mission.

“These are good days; these are great times,” he continued. “God has never asked us to do something like this before. I’m excited to see what God is doing.”

Other than Sundays, it’s easy to say that football and church have little if anything in common. But for participants in the annual Vine Football League, Sundays mean both worship and playing the game, both with the same goals in mind. For more than a dozen years, VFL has merged friendly athletic competition with building relationships and camaraderie.

“VFL allows people from the church and the community to get together and share weekends and good times around a love of football,” says church member T.J. Cowan, who serves as league commissioner. “It’s a blast, especially since it is for all ages, it’s coed and there are people from every athletic ability and background.”

Originally established by church member Garrett Stritzel, the league began as a collection of people who loved playing pick-up flag football games on Sunday afternoons, both those from the church and those who did not attend. In the years since, VFL has grown to include more than 100 participants each season, which runs September through November.

“It’s been amazing to watch it grow,” Cowan adds. “Now it has its own hospitality team, a full slate of volunteer referees and striped fields. It’s not just a few people throwing a football around.”

This year, players ranging from 18 to their upper 50s participated in the league. Three simultaneous games where held each Sunday afternoon on the grounds of Carbondale Middle School, leading up to a night-time league championship game held under the lights Nov.18 on the artificial surface of the new practice field at the SIU Track and Field Complex. The Broncos won the 2012 championship with an 8-point win over the Vikings, but league organizers say wins and losses aren’t the main focus of VFL.

“It is an opportunity for us to have a league that is a way to reach out to the community, inviting them to something that is both competitive and fun,” explains Staff Pastor Mike Luczkiw. “Often there have been players who don’t go to church that develop relationships with people who do, and they realize that there is something different about them.”

Luczkiw says over the years those relationships have often led players to visit the church and a relationship with Jesus.

“VFL has a good track record of getting people to come to church and leading them to salvation,” he says.

Cowan adds that the league—and the players—continue to mature.

“I love that during the season and after we see people grow not only athletically, but also personally and in their faith.”

Vine Church’s annual Thanksgiving Food Giveaway has become a tradition for many families—one that begins the holiday season with the right perspective. As a part of the annual program, individuals and families who attend the church fill a designated back with a variety of food items at their own expense so that those bags may be given to others in the community.

Each bag—filled with a Cornish hen, instant mashed potatoes, vegetables, macaroni and cheese, rolls and a dessert—was given away by one of hundreds of volunteers who went into the community, knocking on doors and sharing serving others in the form of food, perfect for Thanksgiving.

“This is a way to share God’s love in a real way,” explains Kristin Gregory of Vine’s Project Compassion. “Jesus loved people and showed compassion. By doing this, people can feel that love.”

Gregory says in many of the neighborhoods served by the giveaway, the red bags are a welcome sight.

“There is a real legitimate need in some of these areas; a need that people may not be cognizant of,” she says. “The overwhelming response we get is gratitude.”

She adds that the annual giveaway benefits those who give and serve as well.

“It’s an opportunity for us to give and it is great for our volunteers to get outside of themselves and have joy in serving,” she says.

Church member Margaret Pappoe says the program is valuable to her family, especially her children.

“This gives my children an opportunity to see how good life is for them, how privileged they are and an understanding that not everybody gets what comes easily,” she explains. “I don’t know if they would get that opportunity anywhere else.”

She says that makes for teachable lessons.

“It means more once they’ve gone out and done this,” she adds. “They understand now that God blesses us so that we can bless others.”

The giveaway is designed simply to be a blessing, Gregory says.

“It’s a free gift to the community,” she says.

Evan Isley spent his Friday evening learning about nations and people from around the world. He played games, sample international flavors and food and met new people, some from nations he had never even heard of before. Isley was one of hundreds of people who attended Vine Church’s annual International Cultural Show, an event that showcased the international diversity of the church and its people.

“This blows my mind,” the Murphysboro resident who is originally from Shelbyville, Ill. said. “I’ve never been exposed to this many cultures before. This is awesome.”

Twenty nations were represented at the show. Visitors learned about foods, traditions and the heritage of each of the nations.

Vine member Mayumi Iguchi Trinidad wrote visitors’ names in Japanese as part of the exhibit from her native country.

“This is a good opportunity for people to experience what the Japanese have and even who the Japanese people are,” she said. “It’s good to meet other people and let them experience our culture. This is something that we enjoy so much.”

Suleman Abdiah from Pakistan said he appreciates the opportunity to share his culture and dispel some myths.

“The media tends to portray Pakistan as a country with a lot of problems. I want to share with my church family that we are a people who are hospitable to other people and we are grateful to all of the Americans who have showed a lot of love to us. This is an opportunity to serve them.”

Nations represented at the International Culture Show included Brunei, China, Columbia, Ecuador, Ghana, Honduras, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Taiwan, Thailand, Uganda and Vietnam.