This month marks the end of UCG’s first year of participation in the Vinery, a program designed to connect congregations across the country who are seeking to re-imagine their engagement with their university neighbors. A vinery is a greenhouse for grape vines; and Christian ministry in particular is rife with images of fruit growing on the vine. This project seeks to help congregations like ours cultivate the vines of university ministry. With our immediate proximity to UF and our many connections with faculty, staff, and students at both Santa Fe and UF, applying to the Vinery felt like a natural fit.

Our lead team consists of Judy Parsons, a long-time UCGer who coordinates our young adult lunches; Emily Anderton, a new-ish member, recent UF alum and UF employee; and me, your coordinating minister with a deep and abiding love for university communities. For the past year, we’ve been attending monthly online gatherings, learning both about the variety and range of university ministries and how to ask questions and tell the stories of our congregregation and context.  We also travelled to Clemson University for an opening retreat with the other members of our cohort, and hosted our partner congregation’s Lead team last July.

In November, a small group of UCGers gathered with the Lead Team for a first meeting to hear more about the Vinery program and to brainstorm next steps as we broaden congregational conversation.

To that end, we’d like to invite anyone interested in helping us plot those next steps — particularly if you’re a student, faculty or staff member at Santa Fe or UF (retired or current!) — to a working lunch. We’ll gather at 12:30 on January 22, in Reimer Hall. Please rsvp to me at bromleighm@ucgaineville.org.