Frequently Asked Questions |
Who is on staff? Mike and Amber Lehmann: Mike and Amber met while working together at the Vineyard in Sugar Land , Texas . They shared an office, attended the same small group, lead the youth ministry together, and attended school (Vineyard Leadership Institute) together. They were both hired on as full time staff at The Vineyard in Sugar Land , and served there for 6 years. Mike was involved in the leadership of the junior high ministry, senior high ministry, college ministry, and Mexico missions ministry. Amber served the church as an event planner and administrator, as well as playing a vital role in all of the ministries listed above. Amber also served as the event planner, conference coordinator, and personal assistant to the Director of the Vineyard, Bert Waggoner. They are the proud parents of 3 amazing kids: Eliza, born in November of 2002, Wyatt, born in May of 2004, and Fintan, born in April of 2006. Mike's story: As I was approaching my senior year in college I felt as if the catch of a lifetime was about to take place in my life. I had done all the dirty work to be a dental student at some of the best dental colleges in the country. I had sent in the $250 registration fee to take the Dental Admissions Test. I had worked hard at it. I could see my future before me, and I was excited about the way it looked. At some point in my perfectly planned life, Jesus got involved. I found myself hanging on to His every word, hungry and thirsty to encounter Him, and to get close to Him. I began searching for meaning and purpose. I questioned my career choice of becoming a dentist and changed majors numerous times. On one particular weekend I met a friend for Saturday morning breakfast. I asked him why he thought God would want me to stop pursuing the dental profession when I was so close to accomplishing my goal. He reminded me of the time Jesus called the fisherman to follow Him in Luke 5:1-11. My friend asked the question, "The fisherman had just brought in the biggest catch of their life. Their lives would be impacted financially, socially, and relationally. Don't you think it was hard for them to drop their nets to follow Jesus?" It was a great thought, but it didn't change my mind. The following Sunday morning, I was praying that God would give me direction. I was crying out to Him from the depths of my heart. These were my exact words, "God if you want me to be a dentist, I will do it. If you want me to be a teacher, I will do it. If you want me to be a pastor, I will serve you. God if you want me to die for You, I will be a martyr for You. Just make it obvious." That was a dangerous prayer. About an hour after my prayer I went to my church, the Flagstaff Vineyard. My pastor started his teaching by passing out his sermon notes. The title - A Call To Full Time Ministry . The scripture reference - Jesus calling the fisherman. He also used an illustration of a young medical student who was called by God to pastor. The medical student placed his recently earned scholarship money in the offering plate, and went on to serve God and pastor some of the largest churches in his area. At first I was scared. I didn't know what this meant for my life or how it would affect me. At the same time, I was so impacted by the presence and call of God, I couldn't wait to drop my plans for my life and follow God's. One of my responses to this call to ministry was to move to Sugar Land, Texas and work as an intern at The Vineyard Church. I spent my first year in Sugar Land working with Junior High Students, and falling in love with my wife Amber. Amber and I shared the same dreams, passions, desires. We clicked immediately. After getting married, we purchased our first home. We also became youth pastors of an awesome group of teenagers. The church continued to grow, and we were now pastors to the college students as well. Our family also grew as we had our first child, Eliza, in November of 2002. Life was absolutely wonderful. Once again I was at this place in my life where I felt that I had received the catch of a lifetime. Life was on the up and up. I felt like I was content, and I could almost put on the cruise control and ride this one out for a long, long time. But Jesus never stopped being involved in my life. He began to stir our hearts. I felt drawn to this idea of church planting. At conferences, Bert Waggoner , our pastor and the National Director of Vineyard USA , would speak of the need for young, trained, and passionate leaders to go out and plant churches. He spoke of church planting as being the best and most effective way to bring new people into relationship with Jesus and His people. I did not see many others jumping at this opportunity. God placed me in an amazing church, surrounded by amazing people, with amazing leaders raising me up to be an effective pastor. My heart was stirring, and I was hearing God's call on my life. I always felt this sense of, "Here am I send me." There was one problem - Amber didn't feel that just yet. Amber and I had felt drawn to Cypress and NW Houston for several years, as we would drive through it we would always talk of it being a great place for a church and a great place to live. Amber had a significant experience and calling while at a church board meeting where she served as secretary. Our pastor spoke of a church being planted out of our church in the next 1-2 years. Amber's heart skipped and she thought, "That's us!" So, the conversations for the church plant began. We began brainstorming with our pastor, praying, dreaming, and talking to people who might want to go with us. On February 2 nd , 2004 we had our first interest gathering. We prayed together, dreamed together, and worshipped together. We continued to meet once a month till May. In March my family moved to Fairfield in Cypress . In May, we had our second child, Wyatt. In June the church began to meet together on a weekly basis. We met on Monday nights and talked about what our church would be like, and what God wanted to do in and through us. In September of 2005 we had our first Sunday evening service, and began two weekly home groups. Twenty-five adults and children were sent out from the Sugar Land Vineyard, to help start this church. Six months later, Trinity Vineyard had more than 3 times that involved in the life of the church. The church continues to grow in becoming a community that pursues God in the company of friends. Our church plant team is made up of incredible people. These were people who loved their former church communities. Some of them had been paid staff at their churches serving as youth pastors, children's pastors, and administrative staff. All of them had sense of calling, much like I communicated in my story above. They all have an amazing story to tell of how God called them to serve Him, and to participate in the planting of this church in Cypress . Our story is not limited to the senior pastor's story, it is made up of many different individual stories which all share a common purpose - a love for God and desire to share His love with the people in Cypress. We invite you to be our guest at any of our gatherings to share in our story and contribute to it. |