Here in New York City, we’ve had signs of spring: tree branches sporting a few leaf buds, 60 degree days, lots of sunshine. Then today, it was 21 degrees. So we may have to hold on for a few more weeks of winter!

At Vineyard One, we’ve been continuing our weekly Zoom church. We’ve become quite international in our scope! For a few Sundays now, we’ve welcomed friends from Germany, Columbia, and Ireland, as well as from all five boroughs of New York City, Pennsylvania, and California. We’ve found that the live Zoom format – particularly with breakout rooms for a social “Coffee and Bagel” time and for prayer time – has really helped us to stay connected as a community even though many of us haven’t seen each other in person for much of the past year.

Our focus for 2021 has been on seeking and maintaining inner peace – not an easy thing to do at any time, but especially during a pandemic. We’ve been seeking to experience the love of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit  – and through that, develop a deep and lasting interior peace and freedom. Our Scripture teaching, worship music, and contemplative prayers are all centered around this pursuit. Our first sub-theme, which we started in January and will continue for a few more Sundays, is “Inner Peace Through Divine Love.”

In the meantime, we continue to partner with our friends at Love of God Ministries. They just sent several barrels of supplies to the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and St. Lucia, with three more barrels set to arrive around Easter. Our missions fund helps support this ongoing work at local women’s and children’s shelters. Our benevolence fund has also provided support to several in our community who have lost work or had extra expenses due to covid. We are so grateful to everyone who supports Vineyard One NYC and makes these services at home and abroad possible!

Finally, my partners and I at Soul Space have been continuing to release one guided contemplative prayer a month. Check out soulspace.center for the latest: a meditation on trust based on Isaiah 43:1-4. There is also a daily examen to help you find awareness of how God has been present in your week; and an imaginative prayer based on Matthew 11, inviting you to bring your burdens and worries before Jesus. We truly believe that contemplative prayer can help each of us grow into our true selves before God – to connect deeply with God as our source of life, love, and purpose and to find freedom and joy in that relationship.

When will we meet in person again? Much depends on how quickly the vaccinations continue, and whether they are sufficient to keep in check the various strains of covid that are out there. We’re tentatively hoping by the end of the summer we can start having a house-church-type gathering in Staten Island. We’re also seeking to begin or join some kind of community service effort in the Elmhurst or Jackson Heights area of Queens – perhaps ESL classes or a food pantry. We’re not sure yet, so we’re keeping our eyes open to see where and how the Spirit is leading and what opportunities might be in front of us.

Please keep us in your prayers as we explore, dream, and listen to the Spirit to see what might be in front of us! And please let us know how we might pray for you!

Carrie Myers

Spiritual Director

Vineyard One NYC