Sunday Services at VCC
Our Sunday service begins at 10 a.m. on Sunday mornings, and we meet in the chapel of Spruce Hill Christian School, located on the corner of 42nd St. and Baltimore Avenue in Philadelphia.
We are easily accessible by public transportation. The #34 green line trolley runs down Baltimore Avenue and stops at 42nd Street, directly in front of our meeting space. If you prefer to drive, you can get detailed directions from mapquest at www.mapquest.com. The address of the school is 4115 Baltimore Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19143.
If you are looking for information about kids programs, please scroll down to the "Kids" heading below.
We hope to see you soon!
Why We Meet
We believe that anyone can encounter God anywhere, anytime. But we also believe that something special happens when people gather with the expressed purpose of encountering God together. Jesus taught that “wherever two or more gather in my name, there I am with them.” Since the presence of God is uniquely life-changing and powerful in the context of community, our Sunday gathering is marked by great joy and expectation.
What to Expect
We know it takes some guts to visit a new place for the first time. It’s common to wonder things like “Will anyone talk to me?”, “Will I know what’s going on?”, “Will I have to do anything embarrassing?” At Vineyard Community Church, we really want to be as warm, welcoming, and “user friendly” as we can be for first-time guests. So, to put your mind at ease, here’s what you can expect if you decide to drop in for a visit:
Welcome
When you first walk in the doors, someone friendly will be there to say “Hi” and offer you a program for the service. Our program contains a brief rundown of what you can expect during the service that day. You also might notice that most people are dressed casually (jeans, t-shirts), while some are more dressed up. Feel free to dress in a way that you will feel most comfortable. Near the doors, you'll see our "welcome table." Here, you'll find a very helpful person who can answer any questions you have and also hook you up with one of our gift bags. These are free to take home and just a small way for us to thank you for visiting. Across from the welcome table, you’ll notice our hospitality area. Help yourself to a cup of coffee or tea before the service begins. We want you to feel at comfortable and at home.
Opening Song & Announcements
Now that you have your tasty beverage, you’ve got your gift bag, and you are starting to feel more at home, make your way to our seating area. The worship time will begin with an opening song promptly at 10:00 a.m.. Following our first song, we'll share a few announcements.
Prayer For Something Outside of Our Church
After the announcements, we usually take a few minutes to pray for something that's happening outside of our church. We think it’s important to recognize what’s going on in the world and talk to God about it. Some things are worth celebrating, and we praise God for those things. And yet there are other things going on in the world that break our hearts, and so we ask for God’s presence, help and guidance in those situations. During this time, one of our church members will come to the microphone, describe a situation that needs prayer, ask us to pray silently to ourselves for a moment, and then he or she will pray a closing prayer for the whole church.
Sermon & Prayer Ministry
One of our pastors will begin to speak. These messages last around 30 minutes, and our goal is to make them inspiring, practical, and relevant for those listening, as we believe that the living word of God encourages us and offers practical guidance for living healthy, fulfilled lives.
The speaker generally concludes the sermon by praying for the whole congregation and inviting someone from our prayer team to introduce our prayer ministry time. This is a part of the service where anyone is interested can receive further prayer from someone who is on a team of folks trained in praying for others. Our prayer team is located in the back of the service area and will be available during the worship time, after communion.
Communion & Worship
Each week, we take communion together. Communion is an ancient Christian ritual that we participate in as we remember and celebrate Jesus' death and resurrection. If you’re not sure what you think about Jesus, you won’t be pressured to take part. This is the one part of our service designed for people who have decided to follow Jesus. If you’re not in that place, that’s okay! As the band is playing, it’s a great time for personal reflection.
Worship continues with about 30 minutes of songs sung to God. The words to the worship songs will be projected on a screen so that you could sing along even if you’ve never heard the song. During this time, feel free to stand, sit, sing, clap, raise your hands, stick them in your pockets, or simply sit back and take in the music. Our hope is that you will be able to connect to God during this time, not that you will do any particular thing.
Offering
During the worship time, we'll take an offering. So you might see a little red basket come by. When you come as a guest, please don’t feel obligated to give. The offering is a way for those who come on a regular basis to support what the church is doing.
Kids
The Bible says that we have a lot to learn from kids, and it challenges us to create space for them to grow and learn and contribute to the life of the community. For that reason, we are passionate about creating a program for children that gives them a safe and structured environment in which they can fully explore and express their creativity. Our volunteers are dedicated to making sure that church becomes a highlight of the week for the children who are involved. Safety is important to us too. All of our children’s workers are required to have a criminal background checks and all children are required to be signed in and out by a parent or guardian.
Young Sprouts Nursery // Our nursery is staffed throughout the duration of the service and available for children aged 3 months - 5 years old. Please visit the VineyardKids table, which is located near the entrance to sign-in your children and find out more information about VineyardKids.
VineyardKids // During the announcements, elementary-aged children (ages 6 - 12) are dismissed to join their teachers for a VineyardKids lesson during the sermon. Please pick-up your children in the foyer through the doors to the left of the stage during communion, as elementary-aged children re-join the adults for worship. Children in the VineyardKids program should be signed-in before service begins at the VineyardKids table, which is located near the entrance of the service area.