Our Cornerstones
Our core values or the “cornerstones” of our house are the things that we feel are the very heartbeat of our church and the things that drive us. We seek to live out each of these values individually between us and Jesus, and corporately with each other as a family. In all of these things we prioritize devotion over duty. We devote ourselves to Jesus and to one another and act from that place, rather than checking a box or trying to follow a set of rules out of duty.
Intimacy. In John 15, which we feel is the heart of our church, Jesus says that we can do nothing apart from him. A fruitful life flows from spending time and abiding in his presence. Similarly, a culture of family, intimacy and safety with one another is cultivated by spending time with one another and doing life together in a real way.
Covenant. Jesus is the way the truth and the life, we must be committed to being in covenant relationship Him, His word and the move of His Spirit. In covenant there is true freedom and we believe that we are in covenant with the Lord and each other we will thrive, personally and as a church.
Service. We first and foremost serve Jesus as King, and know that Jesus came to serve the lowly. We seek to serve the less fortunate so that we can model Jesus’ love to those who do not know him.
Humility Allows for Obedience. Just as Jesus humbled himself in his earthly life and was obedient to the father, we humble ourselves before Him, knowing that He is God and we are not, and obey him. We also seek to relate to one another from a place of humility, not valuing our own thoughts or needs higher than those in our community and serve one another.
Why Plant House Churches?
We believe that house churches (groups of 12-20 people sharing their faith, meals and life together) accommodate transparent, real, Jesus filled relationships. Jesus didn’t spend an hour or two a week with his disciples, he did life with them on a daily basis. We believe that house churches and discipleship groups, modeled after the way Jesus discipled, actually work and bear fruit.
Leadership
Jed and Maribeth Lemen are the lead pastors of Vine Churches. They met in New York City in 2016 and were married in 2017. Jed and Maribeth love Jesus, His word and walking in step with the Holy Spirit.
In 2018 they felt called to leave their more traditional church to start Vine Philadelphia with a vision to see lives transformed by the simplicity of the gospel and deep relationships. After four amazing years and seeing many people fall in Jesus and be set on fire, they moved to Rochester, NY to start another house church community.