In March, we welcomed Andrew Taylor as our new Pastoral Intern. Andrew, Melissa and their family moved to Indianapolis from Chicago a few years ago—a transition that he’s now seeing as a brand new and exciting chapter in God’s plan for their lives. Andrew has already spoken on stage, assisted in pastoral duties, and serves almost every weekend!
Our partnership with the Baxter YMCA is also bringing incredible new results. With a new agreement in place, the YMCA has entrusted us with leadership over their community festivals going forward. Together with YMCA staff and volunteers, we hosted Teen Night and Spring Fest (all for free). Teen Night has become the first in a monthly series, where Vineyard and YMCA teams are creating a safe, uplifting space for teens to experience God’s presence through caring leaders and fun activities! Spring Fest filled the facility wall to wall with young families, teens and children enjoying free hot dogs, popcorn, bounce houses, games, toddler activities, an Easter egg hunt, totally free Easter Bunny photos and so much more!
Totally free Easter Bunny photos were also offered at the YMCA everyday from April 6 to April 20, with a team of enthusiastic Vineyard members , many volunteering for the first time ever, that helped bring the bunny to life, totaling 37 volunteer spots! The daily photo op became an entry point for young families to encounter the generous love of Jesus resulting in 391 families invited to our Easter Celebrations over the two weeks. One story we love: Frank and Holly, who heard from a friend about the photos, brought their daughters in—and after meeting some of our team, decided to attend church not once, but twice in the same weekend!
On Easter weekend we hosted five identical celebrations, creating opportunities on both Saturday night and Sunday morning. The atmosphere was electric as we ran out of chairs during the 11:30am celebration, packing the entire north gym full of guests. Dozens of people made the decision to follow Jesus for the first time ever during our five celebrations. One story in particular stands out: a Vineyard volunteer invited his girlfriend from Bloomington to enjoy Easter, and she brought her daughter. The daughter, a teenager, was deeply touched by the Easter message and decided to pray "The Bridge Prayer" - she left with tears in her eyes, joy in her heart, and salvation in her soul, realizing her life truly mattered to God. Many made the decision to be baptized, and many more served for the first time. In total, we saw 1264 people over our five easter celebrations, 391 families served through the easter bunny outreach, 297 people at Spring Fest and 74 at Teen Night. Wow!