The name of our church community is rooted in the story of the Bible, a story that starts in a Garden and ends in a Garden City. It’s the story of God rescuing and redeeming broken people and renewing broken cities, and we believe we're being called to plant a church that will embody this story in every corner of the city.
It's also a name that is synonymous with Milton Keynes' history and how, when this new city was first conceived, it was heavily influenced by the Garden City Movement of urban design. Today Milton Keynes really has become a 'city in a forest' and our sense is this name will be something of a prophetic statement, one that speaks about the kind of church we're called to be and the kind of role we are to play in the city.
We officially launched as a church in January 2024 and there are currently around 100 adults and children, from a number of different backgrounds who call Garden City Vineyard their church home!
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Steve & Tammy have been in pastoral ministry together for over two decades. They planted their first church, Daventry Vineyard in their early 20's and went on to launch the Central Vineyard in 2006, where they help to plant two more churches. In the summer of 2022 they stepped down as the Lead Pastors of Central Vineyard, and relocated to Milton Keynes to start Garden City Vineyard.
We're aiming to build a worshipping community in Milton Keynes that is:
“Practicing the way of Jesus, together, for the renewal of the city”
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We want to be a people who live in the reality of God’s presence, becoming like Jesus. Seeing His Kingdom come in and through our lives becomes possible as we learn to live in His presence, by the power of the Holy Spirit. The way of presence leads us away from striving to abiding. When we abide in Christ our lives bear much fruit showing ourselves to be His apprentices.
We want to cultivate interior lives that engage in habits and practices that sustain and support the kind of radical life Jesus invites us into. Our apprenticeship to Jesus is about learning to take intentional steps to follow Him and live lives that are being transformed as we practice His way in the context of community.
We want to develop lives of selfless love where we make room for one another - regardless of race, religion, education or socio-economic background. We want to create a culture that is characterised by welcome, warmth and hospitality, where church isn’t seen as a place we go to, but as a family to which we belong.
We live in a culture where spirituality cannot be separated from generosity. The teachings of Jesus implore us to give to those in need, committing ourselves to an ethic of generosity. The scriptures say that God loves a cheerful giver, not because the church’s needs are met, but because God's heart is made glad when we depend on Him to provide all that we need.
We have a conviction that God is at work to heal and remake the whole earth. Our own lives are a part of that renewal project and God invites us to join with Him in the ongoing work of making all things new. To follow Jesus and join Him in His mission is to become agents of renewal in our neighbourhoods, industries and our city as a whole.
We are not called to focus our energy and resources on our church alone, instead we want to see all that can be achieved in one person or one place multiplied, ultimately through the planting of new churches. We are convinced church planting is the most effective way to reach new people and it's our desire to plant churches across our region and beyond.
We are part of the Vineyard Movement, a worldwide family of more than 2,500 churches in five continents, with churches gathering in over 150 locations across the UK and Ireland. We're also part of a family of churches, that was birthed out of our sending church Central Vineyard, where we are seeking to collaborate, share resources and plant more churches across our region.
Locally we are one of two Vineyard churches in Milton Keynes and we're also pleased to relate to a number of different churches across our city through the MK Leaders Connect gatherings and Churches Together Milton Keynes.
