Residential Training at Cinncinnati Vineyard Church

Kevin Rains and the very cool people at Cinncinnati Vineyard Church are offering some residential internships.

Here�s a (non-exhaustive) list of some of the ways an intern is encouraged to deepen your realtionship with God:
� Solitude: Ample time, encouragement, and help are provided for you to experience time alone with God.
� Spiritual Direction: With a mentor and a small group of �Soul Friends� (2-3, same sex) you�ll have opportunities to offer and receive prayer for specific needs.
� Prayer together: Daily praying the Psalms trains us for an authentic life of prayer.
� Reading: Selected readings from Scripture and key books nourish both mind and spirit
� Community Life: Through the daily rub of living together you�ll experience what the Proverb �iron sharpens iron� can mean for your spiritual journey.
� Hospitality: A steady stream of guests from near and far bring many surprising gifts.
� Ministry: Opportunities abound for service in our neighborhood to give a cup of cold water in Jesus� name.
� House Meetings: weekly the house gathers to share what we�re learning and encourage each other.
� Discussions: Over meals, or in a hallway, planned or spontaneous you�ll engage in lively discussions about applying your faith to your world.
� Pilgrimage: Every intern plans a trip to a place of their choosing where they can experience the ancient art and rewards of a spiritual pilgrimage.


2. Community Living: Sharing a journey with others
Our rhythm for sharing life...
To share life, we must spend time together and find ways to be in sync. A common schedule makes this possible. The schedule determines what activities and jobs interns take on (not the other way around). Without a shared schedule we really can�t �do life� together. This is the essential framework for our community. Three of the main components are regular prayer together, and dinner meals, and adequate rest.

� Prayer
Prayer is the most important part of our spiritual development and is fundamental to who we are. With the household interns we observe the ancient practice of fixed-hour prayer, keeping whenever possible four offices each day: morning prayers, midday prayers, vespers, and compline.

Morning Prayers
We mark the beginning of our work day with fixed-hour prayer from 7:00-7:15 a.m. Community members rise early enough (no later than 6:30 a.m.) to be present a few minutes in advance and be in a state conducive to
prayer. Our goal is to present ourselves to God with joy and thanksgiving at the start of each day. Setting the alarm for 6:50 and shuffling in half-awake at the last minute doesn�t fit this goal.

Midday Prayers
Those who remain on-site during the workday gather for midday prayers before eating lunch. We encourage those who work off-site to carve out time during midday to pray in their own context.

Vespers
Before dinner we have a vespers service. Dinners are typically at 6:00 p.m. if possible, but we adjust the time when necessary to include those returning home from off-site work.

Compline
We end our day as we begin it: in prayer and quiet thankfulness for what has transpired and for the night�s rest we�re about to receive. Compline is traditionally observed before going to bed. Since bedtimes will vary slightly, members may observe compline as they see fit, either together or individually. In any case, we strongly encourage married couples to observe this prayer office together, whether with a larger group or privately.

Prayer at Other Times and in Other Ways
Spontaneous and planned prayer by both individuals and groups is both expected and recommended as an integral part of one�s spiritual formation. Our schedule allows ample time for prayer of all types to occur.

� Centrality of Dinner meals
The Importance of the Common Meal
Meals together are crucial to the building of a close-knit and joyful community. Over the course of an internship, more time is spent sharing meals than is spent together in any other activity. Mealtime is, accordingly, the most powerful setting in communal life for a wide range of important activities, such as forming and maintaining friendships, learning how to listen and ask questions, being mentored, hearing Scripture, and learning to cooperate (e.g. preparing the meal, setting the table, cleaning up afterwards).

The Reading
After a short vespers service, and after the food has been passed around, the spirutual director (or someone he/she chooses) reads from Scripture or some other appropriate writing for the first few minutes of the meal. We do this for three principal reasons: (1) to set a peaceful and thoughtful tone to our mealtime, (2) to practice the art of listening, and (3) to build our knowledge (even if passively) of Scripture. Children are quiet and listen during this time, as well.

The Atmosphere
Meals are for pleasure, not for business. Unless it�s unavoidable, we steer away from the discussion of burdensome and difficult subjects during this important time. Business can usually be cared for at another time. We look forward to the shared meal, knowing that here we can relax, enjoy catching up on the events of the day and one another�s lives, and have a good home-cooked meal. The table setting is important as well. Disposable plates, utensils, and cups are avoided whenever possible. Aside from their contribution to a growing waste problem in America, they reflect the illness of an overly-busy, convenience-driven, and lazy society that has little regard for the consequences of its actions. We want to communicate in multiple ways (e.g., fresh flowers and candles) via the common meal that we care, are grateful, and have time. For us it�s a mini-Sabbath.

The Food
It�s difficult in a communal household to satisfy everyone�s individual tastes and preferences without making life exceptionally difficult for the cook(s). Our general goal is to offer a meal that�s both nutritious and good-tasting, with options for omnivores and vegetarians. We try simply to use good sense: avoiding meals high in fat, cholesterol, and simple sugars. We shoot for whole grains, legumes, vegetables and fruits, option for fresh food when available rather than canned or frozen food.

� Rest
Most Americans function with too little sleep. We�re in the middle of a sleep-deficit epidemic and get about 90 minutes less sleep than our Americans just 50 years ago. It�s estimated that the total economic loss resulting from this sleep-deficit reaches into the billions of dollars. Studies show that creativity and problem solving skills both dive dramatically as we�re deprived of sleep, and that errors in judgment go up. Sleepiness and fatigue are a greater factor in auto accidents and fatalities than is drunk driving. With too little sleep our immune systems are compromised and we become sick more often. A rat can go 17 days without food before dying. Without sleep it lives only 16 days, which suggests that sleep is as important as food. The body also craves routine and functions best when we retire and rise at approximately the same time every day.
It�s in our best interests as a community to wind down and retire at about the same time through the week. Sharing the same rhythms and being alert (and in a good mood!) during the day are important to a household�s overall health. Furthermore, it encourages a respectfulness toward our bodies, temples of the Holy Spirit. We encourage a bedtime of no later than 11 pm., with a winding down period starting around 9 p.m. Winding down includes shutting off the internet, TV, movies, etc. and preparing for a night�s rest by reading and prayer.


3. Urban Ministry: Incarnating the gospel for a neighborhood in need
Our mission is to settle in challenging urban areas and identify with the have-nots of this world. Whatever we experience as a community is to be experiencd in the setting of urban life. Our understanding is that we�re here more for our neighbors than for ourselves. Jesus came �not to be served bu to serve and give his life as a ransom for many.� John�s account of the life of Jesus says that �he pitched his tent among us, that is, that he became on e of us. This is a reference to the incarnation, or as the word iteself means, �the enfleshment�. The incarnation refers specifically to the event of God becoming humanb, taking the initiative to approach us in the way we would best understand: as one of us, expeiencing the full range of humanity so that he could speak to the full range of humanity. This mystery of the incarnation involves drawing near, reducing the distance.

We live in the urban neighborhood of West Norwood, Ohio. We befriend our neighbors by listening to them, taking initiative to serve them, and throwing paries for them. We actively seek ways to advance God�s kingdom in our neighborhood by being a serving presence and praying with our eyes open to needs and opportunities.

They don't mention what happens if you break the rules but the rumor is that you have to actually attend a Cinncinnati Bengals game. No, that can't be true, it would be cruel and unusual.