Christmas morning, 2005
New Life Vineyard's birthday present to Jesus.
Matthew 25:31-45

OUR HISTORY OF MINISTRY
New Life Vineyard has always felt a strong call to minister to the poor, homeless, addicted, rejected, and oppressed.  Our food pantry began in 2005 with a few shelves in the church basement, and grew to be the largest in Southwest Ohio.

In the year 2000 the pantry was overwhelming our church building, so we bought a warehouse on East Avenue in Hamilton and named it Serve City, and moved our food pantry there.  It now serves thousands of people each month and typically gives out 15 tons of food each month.



In the year 2001 we joined with several other churches to start a homeless shelter, now called "Chosen."
We housed up to sixty homeless in our gym for about half the time in the first year, while the other churches split the remaining weeks.  Eventually we were able to move the shelter to its permanent location in our building at Serve City.

We also started a furniture ministry out of our homes, which moved to our Serve City building in 2001.  We collect donations from individuals and businesses and give free furniture to hundreds of needy families every year.

In August 2008 we re-started a food pantry in our building to expand access to the surrounding community.

"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the King will say to those on his right,

'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'
Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'

The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'

They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'

He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'