The Vineville Story
Welcome to Vineville Methodist
We’re about fostering a lifestyle of faith, hope, and service that meets the challenges we find at the various intersections of life.
Our church seeks to live
in the example that Jesus embodied: to be a good neighbor through loving God. We hope that you’ll visit us soon! Opportunities to worship are listed below, and all are we welcome at any service.
The Vineville Mission
The mission of Vineville United Methodist Church is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.
Our Vision
We have a vision of Vineville as a prayerful community, functioning as an essential presence in the lives of its members and neighbors that leads to critical transformation in the areas of benevolence, evangelism, spiritual formation, poverty alleviation, and diversity, as we announce the reign of God through Christ-like nurture, outreach, witness, and prayer.
Vineville offers its facilities
to members and non-members alike for use in weddings, meetings, social activities, sports, and a variety of other events. For more information on wedding reservations, please contact Reese McCurry For more information or to reserve one of our meeting spaces, please contact the main office.
The United Methodist Church
is an 11-million-strong global church that opens hearts, opens doors and opens minds through active engagement with our world.
John Wesley and the early Methodists placed primary emphasis on Christian living, on putting faith and love into action. This emphasis on what Wesley referred to as “practical divinity” has continued to be a hallmark of United Methodism today.
United Methodists share a common heritage with all Christians. According to our foundational statement of beliefs in The Book of Discipline, we share the following basic affirmations in common with all Christian communities.
Please be aware that links on this page will take you away from the Vineville Methodist website.
God
- We believe in one God, who created the world and all that is in it.
- We believe that God is sovereign; that is, God is the ruler of the universe.
- We believe that God is loving. We can experience God’s love and grace.
Excerpt from What Every Teacher Needs to Know About Theology (Discipleship Resources, 2002), p. 13.
Read more about our belief in God (you will be taken to the United Methodist Church Website)
The Holy Spirit
- We believe that the Holy Spirit is God with us.
- We believe that the Holy Spirit comforts us when we are in need and convicts us when we stray from God.
- We believe that the Holy Spirit awakens us to God’s will and empowers us to live obediently.
Excerpt from What Every Teacher Needs to Know About Theology (Discipleship Resources, 2002), p. 14.
The Church
- We believe that the church is the body of Christ, an extension of Christ’s life and ministry in the world today.
- We believe that the mission of the church is to make disciples of Jesus Christ.
- We believe that the church is “the communion of saints,” a community made up of all past, present, and future disciples of Christ.
- We believe that the church is called to worship God and to support those who participate in its life as they grow in faith.
Excerpt from What Every Teacher Needs to Know About Theology
(Discipleship Resources, 2002), p. 14.
The Bible
- We believe that the Bible is God’s Word.
- We believe that the Bible is the primary authority for our faith and practice.
- We believe that Christians need to know and study the Old Testament and the New Testament (the Hebrew Scriptures and the Christian Scriptures).
Excerpt from What Every Teacher Needs to Know About Theology
(Discipleship Resources, 2002), p. 15.
Sacraments
With many other Protestants, we recognize the two sacraments in which Christ himself participated: Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
Baptism
- Through baptism we are joined with the church and with Christians everywhere.
- Baptism is a symbol of new life and a sign of God’s love and forgiveness of our sins.
- Persons of any age can be baptized.
- We baptize by sprinkling, immersion or pouring.
- A person receives the sacrament of baptism only once in his or her life.
The Lord’s Supper (Communion, Eucharist)
- The Lord’s Supper is a holy meal of bread and wine that symbolizes the body and blood of Christ.
- The Lord’s Supper recalls the life, death and resurrection of Jesus and celebrates the unity of all the members of God’s family.
- By sharing this meal, we give thanks for Christ’s sacrifice and are nourished and empowered to go into the world in mission and ministry.
- We practice “open Communion,” welcoming all who love Christ, repent of their sin, and seek to live in peace with one another.
Jesus
- We believe that Jesus was human. He lived as a man and died when he was crucified.
- We believe that Jesus is divine. He is the Son of God.
- We believe that God raised Jesus from the dead and that the risen Christ lives today. (Christ and messiah mean the same thing—God’s anointed.)
- We believe that Jesus is our Savior. In Christ we receive abundant life and forgiveness of sins.
- We believe that Jesus is our Lord and that we are called to pattern our lives after his.
Excerpt from What Every Teacher Needs to Know About Theology
(Discipleship Resources, 2002), p. 13-14.
Human Beings
- We believe that God created human beings in God’s image.
- We believe that humans can choose to accept or reject a relationship with God.
- We believe that all humans need to be in relationship with God in order to be fully human.
Excerpt from What Every Teacher Needs to Know About Theology
(Discipleship Resources, 2002), p. 14.
The Reign of God
- We believe that the kingdom or reign of God is both a present reality and future hope.
- We believe that wherever God’s will is done, the kingdom or reign of God is present. It was present in Jesus’ ministry, and it is also present in our world whenever persons and communities experience reconciliation, restoration, and healing.
- We believe that although the fulfillment of God’s kingdom–the complete restoration of creation–is still to come.
- We believe that the church is called to be both witness to the vision of what God’s kingdom will be like and a participant in helping to bring it to completion.
- We believe that the reign of God is both personal and social. Personally, we display the kingdom of God as our hearts and minds are transformed and we become more Christ-like. Socially, God’s vision for the kingdom includes the restoration and transformation of all of creation.
Adapted from Who Are We? Leader’s Guide, p. 28.
Read more about our belief and trust in the Lord of the future
Who We Are
Our Pastors & Staff
Mike Kinnebrew
Youth Minister
Cannon McClain
Director of Music
Elizabeth Morgan
Organist
Ann Smith
Spiritual Director
Jody Thompson
Student Ministries
Who We Are
Administration
Rev. Cass DuCharme
Associate Pastor for Administration
Sally McCorkle
Financial Secretary
Diane Rankin
Receptionist
Megan Haines
Publisher
Rohn Ussery
Facilities Director
How We Got Here
Vineville History
Vineville United Methodist Church, the oldest daughter of Mulberry Street United Methodist Church, was begun in 1846 to serve wealthy planters of the village of Vineville, just outside Macon. It has been located on this site since 1897. The current sanctuary was completed in 1926, and additional structures have been erected since then.
Construction of the current sanctuary was completed in 1926, and it was completely renovated in 1950. Devoted to evangelism, Vineville has been instrumental in the establishment of numerous other United Methodist churches in the city. Home to three former bishops of the church, Vineville is actively engaged in home and foreign missions and is an integral part of the Macon community. The church’s, humble prayer is to continue to serve the Lord with gladness and boundless energy.
Vineville built its first church building in 1848, and later that year it began holding class at Lake Academy, which became Bass United Methodist, Vineville’s first daughter church.
Vineville moved into its second sanctuary in 1897, and the original building was sold to another congregation. The structure was re-erected near the Ocmulgee River and was washed away by a flood in 1902.
At the end of its first year, Vineville reported a membership of 99. It now has more than 1,200 members.
In 1873, the South Georgia Orphan’s Home (now the Methodist Home for Children and Youth) was chartered and built on land near Vineville. Through the years, many of the children and staff from the home have attended the church. Vineville also has been church home for many Wesleyan College students.
A building project in 1998 doubled the size of our church facility, adding a Christian Life Center, which includes a gym. An archives room and vault was also opened in 2006. The effort to manage and preserve historical records actually led church officials to initiate the steps toward becoming a historic site. The archives room stores items such as old Bibles, songbooks, documents, and other church memorabilia.
Vineville has supported missionaries in China, Korea, Japan, and Africa since 1892. It has also sent mission teams to Russia, Costa Rica, Haiti, Jamaica, Bahamas, and Ghana.
One of the church’s outreach efforts in the neighboring Pleasant Hill community is called PleasantVille Neighbors. Click to learn more about this flourishing local mission.
We invite you to worship with Vineville and become a part of our rich history.
