Rayleigh Vineyard has some exciting events planned for the New Year:

Wii & Pancake Evening – join us for a food and fun evening where you can eat all the pancakes you want and then run off the calories with a Wii game! Mon Feb 8

Bowling for Blokes – the guys are getting together @ CJs Bowling Hockley next month – Mon Feb 15

The Lovely Bones – our Book Club is doing a film night visit to Empire Cinema Bas Vegas – Fri Feb 19

Bible Training Days – we have some teaching days coming up in Mar, Jun, Sep & Nov based on specific books in the Bible – Mark, James, John & Romans

Ele Mumford (leader of the Vineyard movement with her husband John) is coming to speak in Rayleigh – Sat Apr 17

Costa’s – we meet at Costa Coffee in Rayleigh High St every first Sunday of the month at 5pm – live music ~ great coffee ~ good chat – Sun Feb 7, Sun Mar 7

Kids Fun Play – we are booking a local soft play centre for a free fun kids event in Half Term – Wed Feb 17

You can join us for any of these events.

Our last event for 2009 was the annual Nativity service on Christmas Eve. Its a wonderful atmospheric occasion with hot drinks, Christmas cake, mince pies etc. The children wowed us with their usual play about the birth of Jesus, this year with stray donkeys, flying stars and an innkeeper with attitude! We were entertained by the charming and highly skilled Kids Choir 2000 led by Les Titford on  the guitar. They sang some familiar Christmas songs, some of their own compositions and then led us in Carols to finish. It was a lovely way to kick off the Christmas weekend and set us up for the great events to come.

We had a tuxedo and ball gowns evening for the TV final of Strictly Come Dancing. Cheese and wine and lovely home made cakes were on offer. Guys dressed in their best outfits, women in their finest dresses and the final itself did not disappoint and lived up to the occasion. Pictures here.

Rayleigh Vineyard held its annual Kids Christmas Party in December. 45 children had a wonderful afternoon [see pictures here]. Bouncy castles, pass  the parcel, musical statues and bumps, face painting, McDonalds Happy Meal and toy, visit from a real, live miniature barn owl, disco dancing, prizes galore and to round off a fabulous afternoon, a visit from Santa with special gifts to whet our appetite before the big day itself.