I will praise the Lord at all times.
    I will constantly speak his praises.
I will boast only in the Lord;
    let all who are helpless take heart.
Come, let us tell of the Lord’s greatness;
    let us exalt his name together.
Psalm 34: 1-3

I’m thankful for the incredible church community we have found in Cambridge at the Greater Boston Vineyard. This morning, Pastor Dave gave the first sermon in a series about praying the prayers that Jesus prayed – all about the Psalms. It obviously resonated with me since I’ve been focusing on this book of the Bible all month. Thanks, God, for that little reinforcement :)

We have learned so much while being part of the community at the Vineyard. The congregation is diverse and the sermons are decidedly intellectual, something you might expect of a church in the same town as Harvard and MIT. The church was started to change the statistics in Cambridge – specifically, the statistic that only 2% of Cambridge residents attend church.

I’m not sure how the statistic has changed since the church first opened its doors in 1998 but I do know that over 700 people come to worship every Sunday. Young, old, black, white, and everything in between. It is an awesome, God-loving, Spirit-filled community and we are so glad to have called it our church home for the past two years.

The best part of the Vineyard is not the Sunday morning service, as much as we love Dave’s sermons and the worship team. The real heart of the church is in the dozens of small groups that meet weekly to knit our large community together. The groups are about 8-10 people and differ broadly in their nature. Some are focused on gender, age, stage in life, culture, etc. Many of them are just a diverse collection of church members who forge deep relationships with each other through prayer, Bible study, and worship.

Our small group just disbanded because the couple who was leading us has made their long-planned move abroad to be missionaries. They are an incredible family who opened their home to us each week, fed us dinner and then led us in Spirit-filled conversation and fellowship. We are so excited for this next chapter in their lives and feel blessed to have watched God answer prayers and prepare the way for them.

We aren’t sure yet where our church home will be in Maine. We know God has already figured it out so I need to let go of any anxiety about finding the right place.

Thank you, Greater Boston Vineyard, for meeting us exactly where we were. We have a new lens for how the church can exist because of what we experienced in your congregation. We pray for continued growth and a strengthened presence in the Cambridge community.

Father God, we pray for the boldness to step into this next chapter of our relationship with You. We pray that we will gladly accept whatever roles you have set out for us in our new church. Thank You for leading us to where we can exalt Your Great Name.

Amen!