ABOUT US

Church can be a pretty intimidating place to visit... especially if you’ve only ever gone to one for weddings and funerals. We want to give you as much information to make a visit to us as easy as possible.

Newcomers

We'd love to invite you to a Newcomers' Meal. If you're thinking about making this church your own, we'd love to invite you to a newcomers' dinner or newcomers' lunch. It's a great opportunity to meet Dave & Sarah and hear theirs and the church's story first hand. Sign up sheets for Newcomers' Meals are on the information tables at our Sunday service.

Once you've decided this is your church we'd really encourage you to find out more about our vision & values and get connected. We regularly run V3 courses (Vineyard Vision & Vales) throughout the year - contact the office for details of our next evening course date.

There are all sorts of churches around. All of them will believe the same things, but the way they express their faith, or their ‘style’, can be quite different. This is fantastic news as we have the chance to meet together and undertake our spiritual journey in a way that feels comfortable to us.

Exeter Vineyard’s style is very relaxed and down to earth. We think that faith is a journey and it’s important to be able to move at your own speed. That’s why at Exeter Vineyard we won’t pressurise you to do anything you might find uncomfortable and we won’t embarrass you - we promise!

A Brief history of Exeter Vineyard Church

The Vineyard movement started in America in the 1970s. John Wimber and a group of friends started to ‘do’ church in a slightly different way. Some of the distinctive aspects were an easy-going and down-to-earth approach, an openness to the Holy Spirit working today and an intimacy in worship - songs sung to God, not just about him. These characteristics can still be found in Vineyard Churches today. There are now over a thousand around the world and about one hundred in the UK and Ireland.

Exeter Vineyard Church started in 1995 drawing people from all sorts of backgrounds and of all ages. Then, as now, the church has been a community of people dedicated to following Jesus and those curious to find out more about God.

Dave and Sarah have been the pastors of the church since 2005. They arrived in Exeter in 1995 to study art and design at university, which is where they met. Neither of them grew up in a church-going family. Dave became a Christian when he was 17 having met Christians at school. When he came to Exeter he started going to Exeter Vineyard - so he's been there since the start. Sarah became a Christian when she was 23, while at university.

They were married in 1999. In 2002 they left Exeter for a 19-month trip around the world and returned when the church was without senior leaders. Somehow they ended up filling that role!

They had never done anything like this before! Dave’s first job when he graduated university was clearing horse-dung from a field. Although obviously a promising career, Dave soon moved on and has since worked as a graphic designer and a college lecturer. Sarah has worked as a graphic designer. Since the arrival of children she now works part-time.They have two children, Oscar who’s approaching 3 and Tilly, who is two-years younger!

CELEBRATING SUMMER @ EXETER VINEYARD


How do you remember who's at church on a Summer fun day? Usually you'd take a group photo. But I'm tired of being caught with my eyes closed and my hair a mess. I know! Let's make a video so I can embarrass myself by dancing down a corridor. Perfect!

So this is who was at Exeter Vineyard Church's Super Sunday on June 21st. Biggest apologies to anyone who wound up on the cutting room floor - but I tried to get everyone in - except for you shrinking violets. You know who you are - even if we don't (because you were hiding behind the wheelie bins every time the camera was out.)

Anyway, hope you enjoy and if you want to see this done properly please take a look at our inspiration, who we have shamelessly ripped off. You can see it here.