Join other men at Mercy on the second Saturday of each month for Men’s Fellowship–an opportunity to gather, enjoy breakfast together and hear from one another in discussion and fellowship. Men’s Fellowship is a great opportunity to connect with other guys in the Mercy community.

Childcare is available upon request. Sign up to receive reminders and updates about upcoming Men’s Fellowship dates.

Are you new to Mercy? Welcome! Join us for a time to learn about our community, ask questions, & receive some tips about how to get the most out of the time you spend here.

A light continental breakfast and coffee will be served. Children’s programming is available during the service.

RSVP by Wednesday, January 8.

This winter, join a group of women on Tuesday mornings to read and discuss Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson. Childcare available with registration by January 7.

If you’re interested in discussing how Christians and our church can learn to better welcome and love the LGBTQ community, join Jesse Dong and Mike Buerke for 6-week reading group focused on the book Love is an Orientation by Andrew Marin.

Attendees can purchase the book in their preferred format. Childcare is not provided.

For people who are considering taking the next step of involvement at Mercy, the Membership Class is an interactive discussion of what it means to be make a deeper commitment to our Mercy community through membership. This core class is required for those interested in being on the leadership team at Mercy. Led by Kelly Mortvedt.

January 29 // Register by 1/26

Internal Family Systems (IFS) is a highly effective therapy model that aims to heal the root pain behind many common mental health problems (ie, anxiety and depression). Many spiritual leaders have also realized it is much more than that. It is seen as a deep form of prayer that can calm the often chaotic thoughts and feelings we carry, making room for us to meet and be healed by the Holy Spirit. Led by Corey Busch, a practicing IFS therapist and Mercy member, this class is for anyone who has struggled with mental health as well as for anyone interested in deepening their connection with God through a new prayer process. You will learn the basic ideas behind IFS, and you will have the opportunity to experience the IFS process in a safe, professionally facilitated space.

January 29 – February 19 // Limit: 25 // Register by 1/23

Join Starke & Breanna Mueller for an 8-session course called Discipline That Connects With Your Child’s Heart. This course, developed by Connected Families, helps parents, caregivers, and teachers gain a clear sense of purpose and confidence as you discipline children, understand the cycle of negative patterns and how to break them, and build lifelong character in the kids in your life as you watch them grow in God’s wisdom. This class offers opportunities for group learning, debriefing, and support as you start implementing the principles learned in the course. Come learn how to parent children with a grace-filled long-view in mind!

January 29-April 1* // Cost: $25 for class materials (dinner & childcare paid separately) // Register by 1/23

*There is no @MercyWednesday on February 26 or March 11.

If you have already taken the Prayer class (formerly called Learning to Minister Like Jesus), we are offering a Prayer in Practice class to further your experience connecting to God and praying for others. The Prayer in Practice class will give you additional opportunities to practice the 5-step-prayer-model and other practices discussed in the Prayer class. Meets every week that Wednesday night classes are scheduled. Led by Brett & Jessica Carlson.

January 29-April 1*

*There is no @MercyWednesday on February 26 or March 11.

This class is for self-motivated kids currently in 4th grade and older who want to build or learn high tech stuff. Each student will choose a personal goal (like building a robot or making a computer game). Mercy volunteers from the high tech community will help them achieve that goal. Meets every week from 6pm-8pm whenever @MW classes are being held, beginning January 29th! Youth will eat together as a group in the youth room at 5:30pm and then join their tech group. Led by Tyler Smith, Suresh Graf and Sonia Han.

January 29 – May 6*

*There is no @MercyWednesday on February 26 or March 11.

We invite you to come celebrate Lunar New Year with Mercy’s Pan-Asian group! All are welcome as we celebrate one of Asia’s most important holidays through various traditions and cultures. There will traditional New Year’s food, games, and activities for all ages. Festivities start at 4pm and dinner will be served at 5pm. Volunteers for setup, during and cleanup appreciated.

Please Register by 1/19/20 to receive the $5 rate. Price increases to $7 after 1/19/20.

Sat. Feb 1 // 4-7pm // Adults $5 ($7 after 1/19) // Children $3 // Mercy Cafe

In this class, we will focus on understanding racial differences through 3 themes (History, Identity, Community) and together we’ll ask “Who is God?” and “Who Are We?” in response to each of these themes. Each class will be a mix of interactive discussion and teaching. If you’ve taken the class before, this iteration of the class will have some updates and additions to the previous content. This core class is required for those interested in being on the leadership team at Mercy. Led by Ruthie Johnson.

February 5 – 19 // Register by 2/2

Are you struggling with debt? Trying to make goals for building a savings account or making a large purchase? Want new ideas and tools for creating and maintaining a budget? Does it all just feel….overwhelming? This is the class for you! This three night Personal Finance Class led by Pastor Mike will teach you practical skills for being successful with money, help you reduce stress and live generously.

February 5-18 // Register by 2/2

As men, we want flourish in every area of our lives: in our relationships and families; in our work and in the ways that we serve those around us; in pursuing God and all the plans he has for us. Join others from around the Vineyard area for the annual men’s conference, to worship and pray together, and learn how to embrace the kind of life we are designed to live. Registration is just $20 (only $10 for students) and includes breakfast on Saturday morning.

The conference starts on Friday, February 7 at 6pm & continues on Saturday, February 8 from 8:30am to 12:30pm.

To connect with others planning to attend the Men’s Conference in Duluth, contact Ryan Sutherland.

Child dedication at Mercy is a way for you as a parent to declare before friends, family and God that you will “direct [your] children onto the right path so that when they’re older, they won’t leave it” (Proverbs 22:6). Child dedication is a step toward laying a foundation for your child and their journey in faith, by praying for your child, and by continually seeking Jesus.

Individuals who sign up will be asked to attend an informational meeting on Sunday, February 2.

Mercy is hosting a community blood drive for the Red Cross. If you’re looking for a great way to make a difference in our community, sign up to donate blood between 12 noon and 6pm on Thursday, February 20. We’re looking for 30-40 people to sign up for a time slot.

Here’s how:

• Click “Sign Up”
• Search for “Mercy” in the upper right-hand search bar
• Click “See Times” under the Thursday, February 20, Mercy Vineyard Church drive.
• Select a time and sign up.

La Viña is a group of Spanish-speaking Vineyard churches in which Hispanics can meet Jesus, worship the Lord, and be ministered to in their own language.

February 21-22, Pastor Miguel Aviles of the Burnsville La Viña has invited Mercy Vineyard to attend their overnight marriage conference at the Doubletree Hotel in Bloomington. Phil and Janet Strout, National Director of the Vineyard USA, are the main speakers. The conference will be in Spanish with English translation.

Cost for the conference is $150 until Jan. 3, $165 after Jan. 3.

Mercy Members: Join us for our Annual Mercy Member Meeting on Sunday Feb. 23rd after church. We will be discussing important topics and taking a vote to ratify new Board members. It’s our hope that at least 2/3 of members will be in attendance.

Lunch and childcare are available only with RSVP. Please register by Sunday, February 16th.

This 4-week class centers around the intersection of faith and death/dying. Dying is rarely talked about in church settings- except in the context of God’s victory over it. As a palliative care physician, Daniel Townsend will approach the topic from a medical community standpoint. As a theologian, Bitta Fynskov-Clark will speak from a biblical/church perspective. Licensed funeral director Rob Gagner will also be sharing his expertise in how to navigate the sometimes confusing funeral service industry. With their expertise they are hoping to normalize the conversation around advanced disease and dying and equip you with resources to think well about death and dying.

March 4 – April 1 // Register by 3/1

Invite God to heal, speak and be present through your prayers. At Mercy, we believe anyone can learn how to hear from God and pray for others with power and effectiveness. This training teaches you what the Bible says about the power of prayer and how we can each participate in it. Led by Tommy Wesley, this core class (formerly called Learning to Minister Like Jesus) is required for those interested in joining the Sunday morning Prayer Team or desiring to be a leader at Mercy.

March 18 – April 1 // Register by 3/15

Founded in 2009 as an initiative of VineyardUSA, The Society of Vineyard Scholars (SVS) exists to foster and sustain a community of theological discourse in the Vineyard movement. The annual Society of Vineyard Scholars conference gathers academics, pastors, church planters, worship leaders, and anyone else who desires to think theologically with a Vineyard community. SVS 2020 will be held April 16-18 at the Evanston Vineyard in Chicago, Illinois.

Contact Mercy member Brett Carlson for questions or to learn more.