WHAT IS A VIVID VISION:
God has given us the ability to dream. We have a dream for W3CU, and the vivid vision is the dream. It’s not just a dream in the sense that we are just hoping it comes to be. It is a dream in the sense that God has put a fire in our collective belly to passionately pursue his best for everyone who calls W3CU their church family. This vivid vision is very specific about where we are headed. It’s something we’ve saturated in prayer, and are strategically planning for and pursuing. What you will read is presented in present tense, because we are already living like this is true, however, in a broader sense, this is where we are going over the next three years. If you want to join this mission and be part of a healthy and thriving faith community, come be part of what God is doing in our hearts and his church. We want to bring glory to God’s name!

We have a magnetic culture that is characterized by love and joy.  People love being part of the W3CU family because they know it’s a place where they feel they belong and can make a real difference in the lives of others for the glory of God.  People go the extra mile to love and welcome one another at W3CU .  It’s not only a place where people will point you in the right direction, but where they will walk with you.  W3CU is a place where people live intentionally, recognizing the impact they can have on others by demonstrating and sharing the love of Jesus.  People genuinely love and appreciate another because they have taken the time to get to know the people they worship with every week.  
All the people you meet at W3CU are also ridiculously generous. They give of their time, talents, and treasure because they realize they are building something with and for God, that is impacting tons of lives and will impact more and more lives.  We see our God for who he is at W3CU , the one who defeated death and created every star in the heavens. God is unmatched in his power and faithfulness; it’s is why we believe God will do more than we can ask or imagine, and we act like it.  And in the middle of all this, we have a lot of fun.  We take God seriously, but we don’t take ourselves too seriously.  We routinely laugh and play as we live this beautiful life together.

W3CU has a staff of both paid and unpaid ministry partners.  Our staff is a team of “a” players who are growing and being grown as professionals and followers of Jesus.  The staff equips and empowers servants to accomplish w3cu’s mission.  This team supports, encourages, and helps one another.  These team members always go the extra mile to help one another.  We build each other up and embody the leadership and core values of W3CU .  The staff team works hard, but they also laugh a lot.  The staff team does what they do to empower and equip servants for the glory of God.

W3CU is not a campus or buildings. It is us.  We are the church gathered and deployed to our schools, workplaces, communities, and the world.  Jesus is our passion, and we pursue his purposes and will for us in every area of our lives.  We are some of the friendliest and most loving people you will ever meet.  When you come through the door of a building on our campus or meet us in the community, you have a sense of home and feel the warmth of God’s love.

W3CU is financially healthy, and we operate on 90% of our total income; meaning we are ready to respond to opportunities to serve and invest in ministry to our community without incurring debt.  W3CU's giving has eclipsed $400,000 and is trending toward $450,000.  Nearly 80% of W3CU's regular attendee tithe because they can see the impact their generosity has on the church and community.

W3CU has no shortage of servant-leaders and is always growing because people are shepherded through the next step process every month.  During this process, we invite people to become a member, discover their purpose, find a team, and make a difference.  We earnestly believe everyone matters, and we help harvest workers prepare to fulfill their calling.  There is no shortage of servants because we are always preparing people to serve.

W3CU is a growing church because it is a welcoming church.  New people are celebrated and engaged in meaningful ways, and long-time attendees and members are cared for, loved, cherished.  We consistently invite our friends, and many of them come and stay.  First-time attendees exceed our average attendance each year, meaning we see about 300 new faces every year, many of whom stick around and become part of our regular attendees and servants.

We know children most readily accept the message of the gospel.  This is why we invest heavily in Journeyland Kid’s Ministry.  We have doubled our ministry dollars for Journeyland over the past three years and have brought on paid staff to assist us in this effort.  Sunday morning kid’s worship is the most engaging and exciting thing happening in Winchester on a Sunday morning, where kids can meet up with nearly 100 of their friends.
We also host family-friendly events once a quarter to allow kids to invite their friends and to help families get connected.
Journeyland is led by passionate adults and staffed by kids who have been trained, equipped, and empowered to do ministry.  Kids lead worship, run the sound and lights, and help adult leaders.  We cultivate a heart of servanthood in Journeyland kids that spills over to the whole church.  Our kid’s ministry is where we prepare kids to make a difference in the world for Jesus.

Junior high students are led by a team of caring adults who consistently help them negotiate the tricky waters of adolescence. Through their weekly meetings, these students are reassured of their value to god, our church, and the community.  They are empowered and equipped to carry out ministry tasks, preparing snacks, leading small groups, greeting, running sound and lights, leading worship, and assisting adult leaders.  Junior high students are valued and loved by a team of adult leaders who help them grow in their relationship with Jesus and one another.

Ardent student ministries reaches 70-100 students every week, many of whom are unchurched.  Students are empowered and equipped to teach, lead groups, prepare food, run sound and lights, and lead worship.  These students are guided and mentored by caring adult leaders and staff.  This gathering is the premier place to be during the week for students in our community.  During these meetings students have a lot of fun and are confronted with the gospel in ways that apply to their lives.

W3CU is church where young adults are engaged, connected, and driving ministry.  They are consistently given the “keys” to ministry.  These vibrant Christ-followers are in mentoring relationships older, more experienced adults, and are empowered to reach their peers for Christ.  Lifelong friendships are constantly forming through young adult gatherings and table events.  Young adults, their friends, and their families represent both the present and the future of W3CU, and we are making significant investments to develop leaders and servants from their ranks.

We strive to connect with one another.  All of us recognize that just showing up for a celebration service on Sunday is not all God has for us.  We are a group of imperfect people who are getting to know and love one another.  We are so crazy about connecting with people that our group attendance exceeds our average Sunday morning attendance.  Our calling is to community and connection, and we work hard to make sure everyone has some people they can call friends in our church; whether they gather with us for the first time or millionth time.  Adults and even many students and children find and grow healthy, life-giving, and life-changing relationships through groups.

We help and empower our neighbors to make a difference in their community.  W3CU partners with people in our community who need a hand-up, not a hand-out.  We strive to serve and serve alongside our neighbors.  In the process, we are making our community a better place to live, work, and worship.  Those we serve in compassion join in often to help their friends and neighbors.  The unity we experience while working together allows us to build relationships with our neighbors and enter into their struggles and joys.  Yes, we give away clothing and food, but our goal is to share the love of Christ and empower others to their worth and value as we do.

Loving people means we tell them about the love of Christ, and it’s usually in the context of relationships we gain permission to do so.  We build relationships with others, not with the ulterior motive to convert them, but with the ultimate goal that we will get to be ambassadors of Christ’s love to them.  We are always looking for people we can connect with by neighboring well and building solid relationships.  Jesus died for whosoever will, and we build relationships where we can appropriately, compassionately, and respectfully share the gospel in meaningful ways.  Our vision is to form disciples, and salvation is a natural step on the discipleship journey during which people “cross the line of faith.”  We build friendships, and in all friendships, people share their stories.

W3CU invests in mission, whether it’s sending teams or support to foreign fields or helping someone in our backyard.  We are passionate about sharing Christ’s love in meaningful and appropriate ways. Locally, we engage our community through compassion ministries, events, and local serve days. Globally, we give to missionaries and send teams to serve on the field. We consistently give 5% of our total giving to support missions work.

Our Sunday celebrations are services all people love to attend.  During our celebrations, people will laugh, have fun, and have some serious moments of deep reflection.  We bathe our worship celebrations in prayer before and during the event.  Services are saturated in the presence of the holy spirit.  Life-change consistently happens during these times, and there are always new faces.  Our celebration service is casual, modern, and life-giving.  People regularly travel long distances to worship with us, and we reach 300 people who attend in person each week, not to mention the hundreds more who attend online.

The worship center is not just a place where people gather on Sundays; it’s a place where the community of Winchester wants to gather.  People are always hanging out in the foyer and enjoying coffee with their friends.  The building is neat, clean, and modern. Everything has a place, and rooms are not cluttered and impassable.  Things servants need to do their jobs are easy to find, and our building is something we are proud to share with the community.

Our gym is the intersection between our church and the community.  It is one of the most sought-after spaces in the region. Not only do we do ministry with our congregation in the building, but we minister to the community by providing a neat, clean, and modern space for sporting events, practices, community events, conferences, and wedding receptions. During events in our gym, those we serve are met and cared for by a host who works to make sure they have the best event possible.