“To be a community living out the words and works of Jesus”
Strathcona Vineyard Church is a small, vibrant, multi-ethnic, mixed socio-economic congregation in the heart of Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. Our congregation is committed to being a welcoming and healing presence in a neighbourhood that is considered Canada’s poorest urban postcode and in a city that is one of the most expensive places to live in North America.
Many of us are local residents of the Downtown Eastside/Strathcona neighbourhood. From the very beginning of our story we believed God was inviting us to engage faithfully in radical hospitality as we opened our homes and lives to anyone God led us to. Many of us moved into the neighbourhood or nearby to intentionally welcome those on society’s margins to find belonging, empowerment, and healing in God’s family. We also welcome those from more privileged backgrounds who want to learn with us and invest their lives in God’s heart for justice and shalom. We believe that everyone has a place in the body of Christ and has equal value.
Inspired and influenced by the life of the early church and their witness as found in Acts 4:32-35, we are passionate about empowering those who are usually relegated to the margins of society. We believe that everyone has been invited to become a full participant within the church and learn to do the words and works of Jesus in the world. We have seen people who are used to being treated as the recipients of charity become faithful servers and leaders, growing in prayer and love for Jesus.
In the Vineyard we have a saying that ‘everyone gets to play‘. It is born out of a belief that Jesus invited ALL His followers to be participants in advancing His Kingdom good news. With this in mind we value diversity. We want to reflect the neighbourhood we are a part of and are therefore people who are not all from the same economic background or experience. We want to be committed to learning from one another regardless of our educational background. We want to be people who are known for being generous, even if we don’t have that much to share.