On Saturday at 5 pm, The Vine Church is hosting a family potluck at Lake Waubesa Bible Camp in McFarland that will feature guest speaker, Dr. Zack Eswine. His talk will be on, "Suffering in the Christian Life". Here's what you need to know:

SCHEDULE

• 5:00-6:00 pm - Dinner in the camp cafeteria
• 6:00-7:30 pm - Dr. Zack Eswine talk (Children dismiss to nursery and playtime)

FOOD

• Every household bring one main dish and one side
• Students bring either a bag of chips or bread item
• Vine Church will provide ice cream sundaes for dessert 

LOCATION

• Lake Waubesa Bible Camp
• 2851 Crescent Drive, McFarland, Wisconsin

If you have any questions please contact me at:

This week at The Vine we are joining Christians around the world in celebrating the meaning and significance of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Our first services will be on Good Friday the 6th at 7:30 pm. During this service we will focus on Jesus' road the cross through scripture and song. On Sunday the 8th we will gather once again to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus at 10:00 am. Both services will be located at our typical gathering location of Lapham Elementary School. Be sure to invite guests and come join us this Easter season at The Vine!

On April 21 and 22 The Vine Church will be welcoming guest speaker Dr. Zack Eswine for a weekend of teaching and encouragement. 

Zack Eswine is Senior Pastor of Riverside Church in Saint Louis, Missouri. Dr. Eswine has served in pastoral roles for eighteen years and spent six years as Assistant Professor of Homiletics and Director for Ministry at Covenant Theological Seminary. Dr. Eswine’s most recent book, Preaching to a Post-Everything World: Crafting Biblical Sermons that Connect with our Culture, won Preaching Today’s Book of the Year Award in 2009. He is also the author of the book, Kindled Fire: How the Methods of C.H. Spurgeon Can Help Your Preaching. His forthcoming books are, Preaching Barefoot: Life and Ministry as a Human Being and Spurgeon’s Sorrows: Handling the Darker Sides of the Life and Ministry. 

On Saturday there will be a leadership workshop for church pastors and leaders and Saturday evening, a potluck for attenders and friends of The Vine Church. Dr. Eswine will then wrap up the weekend joining us as preacher for the Vine's Sunday morning service. Read below for more detailed information. 

LEADERSHIP WORKSHOP

• Preaching for Application to a Post-Everything World
• Saturday, April 21 from 11:00 am-2:00 pm
• Damascus Road Church 4642 Cottage Grove Road, Madison, Wisconsin
• $6 per person to cover lunch expense

VINE CHURCH POTLUCK

• Suffering in the Christian Life
• Saturday, April 21 from 5:00-7:30 pm 
• Lake Waubesa Bible Camp 
• 2851 Crescent Drive, McFarland, Wisconsin

VINE CHURCH SERVICE

• Sunday, April 22 from 10:00-11:30 am
• Lapham Elementary School 
• 1045 East Dayton Street, Madison, Wisconsin

Madison is a place fulled with busy students, busy professionals, and busy families. We often stuggle to cope with the intensity... feel guilty for things left undone... struggle to balance faith, family, ministry, and work. Here is a great quote from an article written to pastors and missionaries on the problem of burnout. There is truth in this for all of us.

When I find myself heading for burnout, more often than not I've lost the rhythms of rest and repentance and start to chase my idols. I take my sights off of Christ and become self-focused---simply put, I try to take God's place on the throne.

Rest and repentance are both hallmarks of a Gospel-centered life. A good reminder for all of us.

This is the thread that ties us all together.... the love of God in Christ.

Go to this link for some great Bible reading plans for the year 2012.

(HT: Justin Taylor at Gospel Coalition)

Be sure to join us for Christmas Services at The Vine. Our Christmas Eve services will be on Saturday at 4:30 pm and our Christmas day services will be on Sunday at 10:00 am. Both services will be located at Lapham Elementary School. We look forward to seeing you!

This year we are once again uniting to gather supplies for the Elizabeth House, a nine month Christian residential program for pregnant single women in crisis. To participate you can simply bring some of the following supplies with you to our gathering on Sunday morning, December 11.

• Body Wash
• Baby Powder
• Baby Oil
• Razors
• Pantene Conditioner
• Vaseline (small tube/containers)
• Desitine 
• Women’s Deodorant (roll on & stick)
• Feminine Products (tampons and light days pads)
• Disinfectant Wipes
• Pine Sol
• Toilet Bowl Cleaner
• Tub & Tile Cleaner
• Windex (multi-purpose, disinfectant)

Joining a City Group at The Vine, just got a whole lot easier. Sign up today! For more information on City Groups go here.

Plans are beginning to come together for a baptism celebration on the afternoon of Sunday, September 18th. If you are a follower of Jesus who has never been baptized, we encourage you to obey Christ in this important step of faith. To get your name on the list of those being baptized we ask that you notify one of the pastors or drop an email to .